Summary Of Sewage By Robert Perez-Ossers

In “Huh?” by Robert Perez-Ossers there is mention of societal standards and expectations and how they have affected the author throughout his life. While analyzing the passage I noticed it was directed primarily towards young adults who feel isolated, exhibited examples of problems in society, and the confidence the author displays while expressing his thoughts. There seemed to be a significant amount of emotion throughout the text and I recognized how passionate the author was to get his point across throughout the passage. The preceding ideas shape the way Perez composes his writing and how he expands his thoughts to concepts that are common in social situations.

The passage seems to be directed at young homosexual adults who feel like they

do not belong in society because of its standards and roles. My thought process in defining this specific audience was the way Perez spoke of how he felt as a homosexual male during this one moment in his life. Perez states in his passage “Lets be real, the world “expects” men to fall for women and vice versa; the world “accepts” men falling for men or women falling for women” (Perez-Ossers 1). He is explaining how society functions and how it is perceived by him and other young homosexual adults. He attempts to appeal to the audience by using first hand experiences from his life and incorporating it to the bigger picture of society. This makes it easier for young homosexual adults to relate to his experiences because they are common in society.
What shapes the text is Perez’s drive to make the reader understand what occurs in everyday social situations.

The text seems to be written in response to stereotypes in society and how they affect him as a writer. One element of a rhetorical situation would be “I add quotation marks around the word “accepts” because it’s all an urban myth. It’s still socially discomforting. It still makes them feel out of place. So in the end, it’s not real” (Perez-Ossers 1). He is describing how the situation affected him and others and makes that obvious in the text. Perez uses social examples to support his text and display the constraints there are in his situation that influence his text. He was likely influenced by gender roles and societal standards which advanced the text

further.
What stands out the most in the passage is the amount of personality Perez adds to his writing. The piece is an example of nonfiction because Perez talks about first hand experience and is able to take his writing and create an understanding of what goes on in the world. An example of genre in the piece would be “But I know it. I know the truth and I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to hide it…” (Perez-Ossers 1). He is writing about how he feels as a person, which is a similar feeling young heterosexual adults have to deal with everyday. The piece is very raw and has a level of realness only few can relate to. Perez is able to talk about real world problems and bring attention to them and be honest with readers.
The writer has an honest and authentic feel to his writing and demonstrates a tremendous amount of confidence throughout the passage. The main thing I notice about Perez is he knows what he wants and he knows what he is talking about. An example that best illustrates ethos in the passage is “Who am I? A young, presumably heterosexual male, with distinguishingly good looks, and an “exotic” sex appeal” (Perez-Ossers 1). Perez has enough self-confidence to state positive features about himself but also adds a twist of awareness to the fact that people assume his sexual orientation. He creates his confident, honest ethos by not caring what people think of him but also speaking about important issues. He brings light to an issue which is often avoided and rarely spoken of.
By approaching the topic of gender roles and societal issues Perez is able to create a message in his writing. He creates logos by using real world examples and applying it to his writing. An example of logos in his writing would be
“I have fallen for women, it’s a different feeling.

It almost feels like it will inevitably happen. Why? Because the world makes it easy. ‘How could he not get some?’ they all say. ‘He’s handsome, she’s hot. He likes her. With the right words, he’s got her. No stress’” (Perez-Ossers 1).

Perez explains how society forces their concept of gender roles subconsciously onto young adults; expecting that boys and girls will date. It isn’t that easy anymore because of the open-mindedness of young adults in society today. The piece argues that the world is stuck to stereotypical gender roles and Perez’s message is that the ideas in society really affect young adults in their decision making and how they feel because of them.

The emotional effects that the passage created in me while reading were understanding and empathy. Throughout the piece I was able to connect with Perez and understand where he was coming from as a writer and a person. At times reading this piece was like when I would try to describe stereotypes and how they affect people. An example of pathos in the passage would be “But it’s all a façade. I am aware of who I am. I am an insecure, kind of smart, sort of good-looking, sexually confused young man, with severe detachment issues and a truth that I’ve told myself is a lie for too long” (Perez-Ossers 1). Perez makes me feel, as a reader, aware of what he is going through and how he actually feels underneath all his confidence. By causing readers to feel empathetic, the

piece is able to more effectively persuade them to do something about stereotypes in society.