Rhetorical Analysis Of Sarah Vowell's Assassination Vacation

Sarah Vowell’s Assassination Vacation is a humorous exposé on the sites of murdered presidents and how they are used commercially instead of historically. Vowell takes a series of trips to the murder related sites of presidents Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley, pointing out the lack of historical context in each of these areas. The use of history and her personal experiences captivate the audience in an emotional level, creating a platform for her argument. She opens the reader to the true history of these events and adds to it in her own humorous way. Arguably, her modernized language and sarcastic style of writing is the strong point that expresses the dissatisfaction these sites bring to a true appreciator of history. By the use of her historical knowledge, the first hand accounts of her trips, and tone Vowell’s argument induces change in the information found in United States landmarks. The usage of primary sources allows her to depict the true picture of the time period.Vowell begins by including a quote from William H. Seward’s daughter, Franny. Since she uses direct evidence from the time, her credibility as a writer is developed.This first

Vowell brings up Timothy McVeigh; who to summarize, was equivalent to a terrorist. This man not only supported pro-slavery but he killed people to express his ideas (Vowell 57-58). People all around the world bought the same, racist shirt he wore without truly understanding the history or racism behind it. With this she successfully points out the corruption that is found in today’s society, and presumably in the places she visits. Although this is not a direct comparison, it forces the audience to juxtapose the two things because they are talked one after the other. The audience eventually agrees to her claim because they then relate, unconsciously, all the negatives from this historical event to the museums found