01.04 Rhetorical Devices

A bitter and disgusted soldier stationed in Iraq from ‘03 to ‘04 writes his family back home to describe the rather uncomfortable conditions he is living in. He uses a variety of imagery, analogies, metaphors, and hyberboles to help them better understand what his life is like overseas. The soldier uses analogies to portray the lack of resources in Iraq. He tells his family to pack everything they would need for a 4 months - without Wal-mart. Knowing that Wal-mart is a common source back home, the soldier leads the reader to picture a life without the convenience or luxury of a grocery store. This analogy allows the reader to imagine the paucity of supplies the soldier describes and invokes sympathy from them. The soldier also uses imagery and metaphorical language to convey his exasperation with his rooming situation in Iraq. He states that living with his 9 tentmates is like living in a “kennel full of pugs” to describe their idiosyncrasies. This metaphor leads the reader to believe that while he doesn’t dislike his tentmates, their “social graces” and the crowding leave the soldier highly uncomfortable. …show more content…
He explains that after his first latrine experience, he “felt like crying or lighting [him]self on fire to remove the filth.” The soldier exaggerates the lengths he would go to in order to feel clean again to convey his disgust and the amount of filth that surrounds him. This hyperbole allows the reader to envision the grime the soldier faces daily and evokes pity from them.
The soldier’s use of numerous rhetorical strategies helps his readers to conceptualize his annoyance and frustration of the poor environment he has been living in overseas. Not only do these allow his family and friends to visualize the soldier’s predicament, but they elicit compassion as