Rhetorical Analysis Of Sherman Alexie's Gentrification

Rhetorical Analysis of “Gentrification” Writer Sherman Alexie, in his short story titled “Gentrification,” tells the story of a white man that did an anonymous favor for his black neighbors, which subsequently turned out to be racist in multiple different ways. He relies on satirical elements and questioning the reader in order to convey his message that racism is not solely from white people and that despite this, white people are quite often unintentionally and internally racist (meaning that they have racist tendencies and believe they are superior, although they may not outwardly state it). His colloquial diction along with his choice to convey his messages through a first-person point of view short story create a unique piece that initially …show more content…
The narrator jokes that his “only option was to carry the mattress on [his] head, like an African woman gracefully walking with a vase of water balanced on her head, except without her grace” (617/618). Despite this seemingly innocent joke that even compliments the African woman, the author intends for it to be racist to further his message about white people not understanding when they are being racist--the joke may be viewed as comical to the narrator, but to black people, it may be viewed as an attack on their heritage. Specifically, this instance of humor demonstrates how the author wants the reader to acknowledge the tendency of white people to be unintentionally racist and to have feelings of internalized white supremacy. Moreover, to further Alexie’s use of satire, the narrator claims that “[he] felt clean. [He] felt rich and modest” (618). By saying this, the author indirectly references the title, “Gentrification.” He clearly wants to demonstrate how white people often feel that they are superior to people of color and that the narrator is the clear reason for the title, as he is the one gentrifying the neighborhood. As a result, the author’s background and satirical tendencies make for a valid argument that white people are often internally racist, even when they believe that they are not racist whatsoever. Despite this, the …show more content…
His use of satire raises the question of unintentional racism and internalized white supremacy, while his questioning of the reader challenges the sources of racism in any “racist” situation. Since Alexie is neither black nor white, his outsider observations allow for a credible, unbiased observation of the interactions of blacks and whites. All in all, “Gentrification” provides the reader with thoughts and questions which may inspire them to further explore ideas about