Rhetorical Analysis
The Squint and the Wail Rhetorical Analysis “The Squint and the Wail” is an essay by Michael Hsu. Hsu, a Taiwanese American author and editor, wrote this essay in order to express his views on the negative connotations that occur with some of the racially charged objects present in society. More specifically, the essay deals with the stereotypical nature of The Chin Family. The Chin Family is the name of Stefano Giovannoni’s tabletop collection, which includes salt and pepper shakers that have the caricaturized facial expressions of Chinese people (Giovanni, 404). In this essay, Hsu talks about the appalling nature of the stereotypical features and how those features pose a derogatory inference to Chinese culture, but then reciprocates his views on the tabletop collection to a more neutral stance. Hsu’s main claim is that it is derogatory to exaggerate on the racial-specific physical features of a race and to present that exaggeration to the public under the guise of an everyday tool. Hsu’s piece shows race from a particular perspective and then compares that perspective to the perspectives of the individuals he associates himself with. Hsu’s persuasive approach can be broken down and interpreted by viewing his stance through ethos, pathos, logos, and mythos. When looking at ethos, one needs to first ask him or herself whether or not the person who is persuading is credible. Hsu, being an Asian-American alone, supports a majority of this credibility. Once the reader is aware that the author of the piece is an Asian-American, then the reader will have a much easier time understanding the author’s claims, views, opinions, facts, and rhetoric. This reason alone is enough for one to trust Hsu. This is based on some underlying psychological factors of the reader. Other aspects of ethos that are more latent and implicit are that Michael Hsu has written for publications such as GQ and The New York Times. Those publications are very popular and have had many
Cited: A social identity approach to understanding the impact of television messages; Mastro, D. E. Communication Monographs; 2003 Vol. 70, p98-113, 16p. Document Type: article; (AN CM.GJ.IH.MASTRO.SIAUIM) [Citation Record] Ragab, Yasser. "Misrepresentation of the Arabs in Western Media [1] Prom in Ksa." Scribd. 12 Feb. 2004. Web. 25 Oct. 2010. <http://www.scribd.com/doc/27351516/Misrepresentation-of-the-Arabs-in-Western-Media-1-Prom-in-Ksa>. Hsu, Michael. "The Squint and the Wail." Seeing & Writing 4. By Donald McQuade and Christine McQuade. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin 's, 2010. 405-407. Print.