Siblings Quietly Relieved Oldest Brother Setting the Bar so Low
Website Link: http://www.theonion.com/articles/siblings-quietly-relieved-oldest-brother-setting-b,38318/
Speaker: The speaker is a third party observer who is asking the children about the unusually low bar their brother set for them.
Occasion: Two children have an older brother who is such a screw up that anything they do seems good compared to their brother.
Audience: Anyone who wants to be entertained and who wants to know about this family.
Purpose: To tell about the two children in this family and how they can do no wrong compared to their brother, but also to comment on the pressure placed on older siblings to set a standard for their younger siblings performance.
Subject: Dennis Conrad and his failings as a son.
Tone: Sarcastic and ridiculing
The author uses many rhetorical strategies in order to get their point across. For example, the author uses simplistic diction throughout the piece when describing Dennis as if to insinuate that Dennis is a simple person. Another rhetorical strategy which the author uses is his tone which is very sarcastic and ridiculing throughout as if to clearly show us that this family's situation is being ridiculed. For example. whenever the children speak, they say things that no normal child that age would actually say. I do not think the author got his point across that there is to much pressure placed on older siblings to set the bar as I am still not even sure if that is even the point they were trying to make. The piece was more funny in general than satirical.
Speaker: The speaker is a third party observer who is asking the children about the unusually low bar their brother set for them.
Occasion: Two children have an older brother who is such a screw up that anything they do seems good compared to their brother.
Audience: Anyone who wants to be entertained and who wants to know about this family.
Purpose: To tell about the two children in this family and how they can do no wrong compared to their brother, but also to comment on the pressure placed on older siblings to set a standard for their younger siblings performance.
Subject: Dennis Conrad and his failings as a son.
Tone: Sarcastic and ridiculing
The author uses many rhetorical strategies in order to get their point across. For example, the author uses simplistic diction throughout the piece when describing Dennis as if to insinuate that Dennis is a simple person. Another rhetorical strategy which the author uses is his tone which is very sarcastic and ridiculing throughout as if to clearly show us that this family's situation is being ridiculed. For example. whenever the children speak, they say things that no normal child that age would actually say. I do not think the author got his point across that there is to much pressure placed on older siblings to set the bar as I am still not even sure if that is even the point they were trying to make. The piece was more funny in general than satirical.