Analyzing Lars Eighner's "On Dumpster Diving"

In class:

We discussed the rhetorical strategy of anaphora. Do not confuse anaphora with repetition. While anaphora does contain repeated phrases, those phrases must build to a climax.

Read and analyze Lars Eighner's "On Dumpster Diving" (p. 22).
1. TAP the essay.
2. List an example of a specific appeal Eighner makes to ethos, pathos and logos in his essay. For each appeal, cite the example and explain the connection.
3. Eighner has a decidedly educated style of writing. What is the effect of his diction and syntax on the audience in terms of the subject he is discussing?
4. In paragraph eight, Eighner presents three principles one must follow to eat safely from a Dumpster; in paragraphs 59-60 he explains how to go through a Dumpster; and throughout the essay he includes many cautions and warning. Clearly, he does not expect his audience to take up Dumpster diving. What, then, is his purpose in including such detailed explanations?
5. This essay contains three one-sentence paragraphs. Why does Eighner isolate these sentences? How would their effect be different if they were combined with their adjacent paragraphs.
6. Eighner’s essay includes a number of lists that catalog items he came across (paragraph 5, paragraph 50). What is the purpose of these extensive lists?
7. Eighner concludes his essay with the line “I feel sorry for them.” Identify and analyze THREE rhetorical strategies Eighner uses to illustrate this point of view.

Remember, you have a Friday reading too!