Rhetorical Analysis

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“I must acknowledge that till now I have never taken it upon me to encourage any one to undertake the journey,” (21) Father Pierre-Jean de Smet, “missionary explorer” (Carroll, 21) responds to an inquirer Charles Thompson about the possible journey to the West, specifically to Oregon. At the time of westward expansion, those that undertook the trip to move out west, in the united states, encountered various obstacles. In saying this he did not mean to say an outright “no” to anybody, but his thesis is to warn them that they should prepare themselves because the journey will not be easy. In his essay he gives many compelling reasons on the advantages and disadvantages regarding the journey ahead not only to tell them that a trip of this magnitude…show more content…
Father de Smet, divided his essay pretty much into two chunks, the advantages once already arrived at Oregon, and at the other spectrum the disadvantages of trying to get to Oregon. Psychologically most people would rather want to listen to bad news first and good news afterward. This mentality of “ripping the bandaid off,” causes for people to concentrate on the most important thing the least. In order to avoid these presumptions he off the bat started to speak wonderfully of Oregon and all it had to offer. He strategically left all of the dangerous and bad things about the trip to Oregon toward the end of his essay because that would be the most impactful, leaving a more permanent mark. “Besides, the great difficulty is to get there, for the road is long and dangerous” (22) is the main stated reason. He dedicates a full paragraph expressing his personal testimony as evidence to create a vivid picture. ”Bleached animal bones everywhere, hundreds of graves, shattered fragments of vehicles,” (22) depicts a horrendous scene, that shows previous failed attempts from unprepared individuals. This information provided to the inquirer is the most accurate it can be, due to the personal testimony from Father de…show more content…
Furthermore, he continues to paint a beautiful picture through saying that there is a “large product market” which equals out to jobs, farming both live stock and food is much more easier. He goes out of his way and makes the crazy assumption that Oregon, “Can bear no comparison with most of the Western states”. (21) In turn he is able to create a utopia in the eyes of the inquirer. These counter arguments eradicate any doubt in them because their goal would be to come to Oregon and enjoy the fruits of it at whatever cost. In the paragraph meant to glorify Oregon, embedded was a small counter argument, which would foreshadow a small portion of the many disadvantages of coming to Oregon. A brilliant counter argument meant to discredit their possible counter

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