Rhetorical Devices In 'Behind The Beautiful Forevers'

In the book “Behind the Beautiful Forevers”, the author used rhetorical devices Ethos, Pathos and other rhetorical devices like – Allusion, Metaphor, Repetition, Sarcasm, etc. to convince the readers. The author used rhetoric strategy - Ethos by highlighting the ethics followed by the main character – Abdul. She also used rhetorical device – Pathos to emotionally impact the readers of the book by highlighting the struggles of the children like rate bite (P-12,91), polluted environment; brutal murder of Kalu (P-165), suicide of Meena and Sanjay, damaged heart valve disease of Kamble, pathetic living conditions of Annawadians, anytime their huts might raze by the bulldozers, poverty, etc. By highlighting the difficulties of Annawadians, good nature of few characters and with interesting way of storytelling (staring the story with suspense and rewinding the story to six months earlier like in cinema), the author could able to convince her audiences. Other rhetoric devices used by the author given below;

Symbol – Wall – Which separates the slum from the Annawadi with advertisement of Italian tiles with slogan BEAUTIFUL FOREVER BEAUTIFUL FOREVER BEAUTIFUL FOREVER; Wall – which brings the life of Husains to standstill as it breakdown when Husains renovating their kitchen.

Motif – Hope – All residents of Annawadi runs their life on one word – HOPE. Mumbai was a hive of hope and ambition – (P-20); Mirchi, Abdul’s brother hoping to fulfill his parents wish of getting a job in a luxury hotel – (P-13); Asha – her long-term goal was to become not just-slumlord but the Corporator of ward 76 –

(P-29).
Allusion – Annawadi people’s religious beliefs - “goddess lodged in the eunuch’s soul” – (P-55)
Point of View – Author used third person omniscient narrative view to tell the story of Annawadi as she presented all the thoughts and actions of all characters in her book.
Metaphor - In Mumbai’s dirty water, he wanted to be ice – (P-218)
Analogy – “It’s easy to break a single bamboo stick, but when you bundle the sticks, you can’t even bend them,” she told her children. “It’s the same with family and with the people of our faith. Despite the petty differences, Muslims have to join up in big sufferings, and for Eid.” – (Page # 77)
Repetition – Beautiful Forever Beautiful Forever Beautiful Forever (P-37)
Imagery – The pale sun lent the sewage lake a sparkling silver cast – (P-4)
Sarcasm – “We are breaking the floor, putting in a kitchen, Zehrunisa called back. “I wish the tiles and shelf would magically jump into place, but they won’t, so there will be some noise today.” – (P-87)