Humor can be one of the most effective tools to use with persuasion, as it can provide many benefits with very little cost or drawback. Some of the benefits of using humor to communicate an argument include increased attention span, an overall more enjoyable reading experience, not to mention the comfortable environment comedy will give for the writer to communicate their ideas. Enter humor columnist Dave Barry and his essay, “Road Warrior,” which introduces the quality of road rage that is said affect the American public today, and he also sheds a humorous light on how easily people are angered.
His use of various techniques in his writing makes his approach to the problem of road rage effective, because humor can make something that is tedious become interesting. The techniques he utilizes include the use of metaphors, rhetorical questions (a figure of speech in the form of a question without the expectation of a reply), capitalized words, sarcasm (a sharp, bitter, or cutting remark; or a bitter taunt), and labeling.
Barry’s use of humor in his writing contributed greatly to the overall effectiveness of the essay.
Through the use of humor, Barry not only contributes to the overall funny tone of the essay, but he sheds a humorous light on a rather tense subject. Road rage is a disease that has been affecting motorists since the time when horsepower compared the power of vehicles to that of the horse. People have been known to express anger towards various situations in many different ways, most commonly being “flipping the bird.
” First, road rage can cause stress while someone travels, which would in turn create health problems.
Secondly, road rage can be deadly whether a person is the victim or the offender, as some accidents are known to have been caused by chancy driving due to road rage. Essentially, road rage is an important quality to try to avoid in today’s society for those two very important reasons, and more. The first reason why Barry’s essay was effective is his use of metaphors. Barry uses metaphors throughout the essay to describe the various types of anger he experiences in daily life. For example, in paragraph four, Barry compares the size of Miami driver’s brains to cashews when he is introducing Miami as the Inappropriate Lane Driving Capital of the World,” due to “being tailgated and occasionally bumped from behind by testosterone driven youth. ”
Barry will also use a metaphor when he compares the speed that some motorists travel in the “fast lane” to that of diseased livestock when describing slower travelling Miami drivers who travel in the left hand lane or the “fast lane. ” Another reason why Barry’s essay is effective is his use of rhetorical questions and capitalization of key words. During his description of “Parking Lot Rage,” he asks “What the hell are they doing in there? when describing the times that he would look for a parking spot, and wait for somebody to vacate theirs. He goes on to describe instances where “nobody ever signals or yields, and people are constantly cutting us off,” during his description of the problem of youth with aggressive driving habits he also asks “After a while we start to feel some rage, OK? You got a problem with that, mister news media opinion-maker? ” These questions and capitalized words are Barry’s own way of putting emphasis on certain points, which contributes a unique touch to the essay.
A third reason why Barry’s essay was effective is Barry’s use of sarcasm in his writing. His use of sarcasm gives a sense of playfulness, which skillfully keeps true to his underlying meaning. For example, in paragraph six, Barry refers to the left hand lane as a public recreational area when he is talking about drivers that will travel slowly in the left lane. Barry is also sarcastic while he is describing the driver training youth receive in Miami, stating “we are being tailgated and occasionally bumped from behind by testosterone driven youths who got their driver training from watching the space-fighter battle scenes in Star Wars.
He is being sarcastic about the fact that youth in Miami get their driver training from watching space-fighter battle scenes in Star Wars. Lastly, another reason why Barry’s essay is effective is his coining of his own terms when labeling the various events that upset him in his daily life. Such as, in paragraph six, Barry labels Miami as the “Inappropriate Lane Driving Capital Of The World,” while speaking about the slower travelling motorists that stay in the left lane.
Barry also comes up with a name for another upsetting occurrence he experiences, which he refers to as “way too many product choices rage” when describing the difficulty of having so many options to choose from when shopping for grocery items. In conclusion, Barry deftly uses various techniques to get his ideas across, including metaphors, rhetorical questions, capitalized words, sarcasm, labeling, and humor; which not only contributes to the overall funny tone of the essay, but he is able to shed a humorous light on a rather tense subject.
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