A Secret Lost In The Water Analysis

It is said that fiction is an essentially rhetorical art and that the author tries to persuade the reader towards a specific view of the world while reading. This is evident in both short stories, A Secret Lost in the Water by Roch Carrier, and He-y Come on Ou-t by Shinichi Hoshi. Although through A Secret Lost in the Water, Roch Carrier displays how fiction is an essentially rhetorical art better than Shinichi Hoshi in He-y, Come on Ou-t (awkard sentence), Shinichi Hoshi demonstrates it better through the use of prognosis. Furthermore, by utilizing the characters, such as the farmer from A Secret Lost in the Water, and the use of symbolism such as the hole from He-y, Come on Ou-t, it is evident that the author makes an endeavour towards persuading

a certain view towards the reader. Fictional writing is fundamentally rhetorical art which is proven better through the short story, A Secret Lost in the Water then He-y Come on Out.
Despite the short story, A Secret Lost in the Water demonstrating how fiction is essentially rhetorical art better than He-y, Come on Ou-t, it can be argued that He-y Come on Out demonstrates this statement better. After learning how to find water underground with the alder branch, the narrator neglects it for many years as he pursues other endeavours. “Years passed, I went to other schools, saw other countries, I had children, I wrote some books and my poor father is lying where so many times where he found fresh water.” The author uses juxtaposition to compare the life of the narrator and his father. Unlike his father, who just found water for his whole life, the narrator did many great things such as writing books or going to other schools. The author utilizes this juxtaposition as a way to emphasize how great he is compared to his father but also the point of how humans will not live forever and how the knowledge that they possess is lost. This can be interpreted when narrator states “my poor father is lying where so many times where he found fresh water”. By being able to use prognosis as a way to remind the reader of inevitable fate of all humans, the author attempts to persuade the reader to learn and acquire the gifts and knowledge of one’s parents before it is too late. In He-y, Come on Ou-t, the use of prognosis is much more superior than the other novel. One day, a work man was taking a break when all of a sudden, he heard the sound of a voice. “The man, however, was gazing in idle reverie at the city’s skyline growing ever more beautiful, and he failed to notice.” The author utilizes juxtaposition as he compares the beautiful skyline with what is about to come. The author utilizes this as a way to convey his message to the reader which is that one’s actions may have consequences specifically in the environment. By conveying his message, the reader may be able to reflect on one’s actions which allows one to prognosticate events that may occur in the future. Unlike A Secret Lost in the water, He-y Come on Ou-t allows the reader to interpret the ending which makes it more easier for the writer to persuade the audience as it invokes fear. By utilizing this fear, Shinichi Hoshi is able to persuade the reader. Although Secret Lost in the Water persuades a certain view to the reader better than He-y Come on Ou-t, He-y Come on Ou-t persuades the reader better through the use of prognosis.
Furthermore, through the characters that the author introduced, A Secret Lost in the Water proves that Fiction is an essentially rhetorical art better than He-y Come on Ou-t. When the narrator failed to be able to use his father's gift, the farmer tells the narrator. “‘Don’t feel sorry said the man thinking no doubt of his farm and his childhood: nowadays, fathers can’t pass on anything to the next generation.’” Shinichi Hoshi utilizes the farmer character to persuade the reader to use or receive the gifts from parents. The purpose of the farmer character can be interpreted as a juxtaposition with the main character. The author use this character as a way to persuade the reader. By writing the short story in first person, it creates this illusion that the farmer characters is speaking toward the reader causing the reader to be persuaded by the writer’s view. Although not as convincing as Roch Carrier, Shinichi Hoshi displays how Fiction is essentially rhetorical art through his characters as well. The town needed somebody to fill in the hole so they decided to allow the concessionaire to take care of it. “Government authorities granted permission. Nuclear power plants fought for contracts. The people of the village were a bit worried about this, but they consented when it was explained that there would be absolutely no above-ground contamination for several thousand years and that they would share in the profits.” The author, utilizing the concessionaire and the people, shows one how people do actions without thinking of consequences. Despite the people worried about the consequence, they were able to be convinced as they were able to get a monetary gain. The author shows how humans tend to forgot the consequences of their actions if they feel that the reward is greater and how false promises such as the explanation given about how it is not possible for above-ground contamination to occur can have a negative impact one’s life. This shows how fiction is a rhetorical art as it attempts to convince the reader to think about the consequences of their actions and how one shouldn’t believe everything they hear. Both authors are able to utilize their characters to manipulate one’s emotions as a way to persuade the reader.
Finally, the author conveys the reader his view of the world during the reading experience through the use of symbolism.

When the narrator failed to find water with the alder branch, the farmer, disappointed about how children do not accept what is passed on to them, takes back the branch. “And he took the alder branch from my hands.” The alder branch can be interpreted as the spirit and gift of his father. When the farmer takes back the branch, it is as if he had lost the gift that his father had gave to him forever. The author does this to allow the one to reflect on the parental relationship. The author is able to manipulate the reader’s feelings of guilt which allows the writer to be able to persuade the reader of his view. The author concludes the short story with this quote which adds to the impact or guilt it may have on the reader. In the novel He-y Come on Ou-t, the author symbolizes the hole as a way to persuade the reader. After the business had expanded, many people decided to throw their unwanted possession into it. “The hole gave peace of mind to the dwellers of the city. They concentrated solely on producing one thing after another. Everyone disliked thinking about the eventual consequences.” The hole can be interpreted as a symbol of humanity's ignorance towards the environment and how humans are oblivious to consequences. Although the people of the story were given a temporary solution (the hole) to the problem, they had pushed away the eventual consequence as it gave them a peace of mind. The author is trying to convey the message that we need to start thinking about how one’s actions can affect the future by manipulating fear to the reader. Shinichi Hoshi and Roch Carrier utilizes symbolism to show how Fiction is essentially rhetorical

art.
Although it can be seen better in A Secret Lost in the Water then He-y Come on Ou-t, fiction is essentially rhetorical art. Though both of the author’s use of prognosis, one could argue that Shinichi Hoshi’s attempts to persuade the audience is better than Roch Carrier. However, between the use of the old man in A Secret Lost in the Water and the concessionaire and the people, it can be argued that the Roch Carrier demonstrates that Fiction is essentially a rhetorical art better than Shinichi Hoshi. Finally, Roch Carrier exhibits that Fiction is essentially a rhetorical art through the use of symbolism with the alder branch better than Shinichi Hoshi’s use of symbolism with the hole. As a reader, one should always attempt to find what the author’s motives. Author’s create literature are rhetorical art to be able convince people about issues such as environmental dilemma. (1437 words)