Young Hunger Rhetorical Analysis

Accomplishing the Fragile Balance: The Persuasiveness of “Young Hunger”
Persuasive essays are seldom effective without the use of literary techniques. In addition, the majority of effective persuasive essays also employ persuasive techniques along with style elements. The balance between the two techniques is crucial to the efficacious of a persuasive essay. An example of an essay that achieves this balance is “Young Hunger”, an essay written by M. F. K. Fisher. The persuasive techniques and style elements of hyperbole, example, imagery, and simile, all contribute to enhancing the effectiveness of “Young Hunger”. Hyperbole, a persuasive technique, is used throughout the essay to reinforce the author’s message. In paragraph three, the author

When describing her first story, the author writes of the wonder of the waffle: “crisp and brown […] with a piece of beautiful butter melting in its middle” (551). The imagery of the waffle enhances the story by providing the readers with optimistic hope before destroying it a couple sentences later and leaving the readers with outrage- just as the author intended. The imagery used in this essay does not only evoke outrage, but also fear. In paragraph 16, when the author discusses the story about Beerbohm’s sausage rolls, she states that “in recollection his scalp will prickle, and his palms will sweat at the thought of the murderous risk he may have run from his outraged companions” (553). This imagery enhances Beerbohm’s story as the readers can now fully grasp the extent of young hunger and the consequential urge to satisfy the temptation. The temptation is then described with imagery in the third example when the author is finally able to indulge in numerous chocolate bars. Imagery is used to fully capture the depth of her happiness at that moment of “breaking off the rather warm, rubbery, delicious pieces and feeling them melt down [her] gullet” (554). Imagery is utilized to enhance the effectiveness of the essay by creating vivid images in the readers’ minds and inducing the readers to feel the emotions of the teenagers in the author’s