Rhetorical Analysis On Paul Daley

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Paul Daley is an Australian columnist who writes for Guardian Australia. He publishes articles based on Indigenous history, Australian culture and his own life. Daley has won many titles and awards, which include two Walkley awards and two Kennedy awards. Daley uses many rhetorical strategies in his writing, and some of them are more common than others. Humor/sarcasm, analepsis and parataxis are some of the more frequently used rhetorical devices Paul Daley includes in his articles that impact his intended effect. Humor and sarcasm is one of Paul Daley’s favorite ways to express his feelings and emotions in his articles. This is his way of adding a personal touch as it helps to carry out the meaning and opinion of his column. Adding humor …show more content…

Memories are heartfelt and sometimes vulnerable to write or talk about, yet Daley makes the article more carefree and memorable by adding humor and sarcasm into his piece. In the first paragraph he talks about how he first swam at Victoria’s Port Phillip Bay: “It’s where I first dog-paddled, aged maybe three, when a cousin abandoned my hands. Sink or swim!” In this sentence he added the line, “Sink or swim!” as a sarcastic way to write about how his cousin let him go when swimming for the first time. By doing so, he mocks himself in a playful way to add more character to the piece. Another way he shows sarcasm is in his article “A life without my dogs seems imponderable”. Yet we do keep going …show more content…

He uses this to create a sense of immediacy and simplicity. The use of parataxis is abundant in most of his articles, but more specifically in “A life without my dogs” seems imponderable. Yet we do keep going after losing the animals we adore.” This article defines the importance of learning to move on and keep going even when our beloved pets go away. He emphasizes how difficult it is to move on when our lives are so connected and attached to our animals. By using the rhetorical choice of parataxis, Daley connects the audience by using these short sentences to show the emotion and story behind his beloved pets. Towards the end of the article, he writes, “We are a unit. An extension of one another.” “I know it will end.” These are some of the few examples of Daley using parataxis in this article. He has acknowledged the fact that one of his beloved pets is now gone. He usually uses short sentences or phrases when he is writing about something more emotional, or when he wants to be straightforward and get to the point. This could also be used to grab the reader's attention and help them focus on a specific part of the

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