In Dick Gregory’s Not Poor, Just Broke the use of rhetorical strategies are established to further entice the reader. Within the short excerpt, Gregory gives sensory details and real life experiences that convey emotion and express feelings which in turn interest the reader. Gregory’s use of rhetorical strategies makes it easy to place one’s self in his childhood shoes, and therefore connects to the sentiments of the audience. When analyzing this piece it is evident that through tone, authorial bias, and purpose Dick Gregory’s work captivates an audience of many different racial backgrounds and upbringings.
With his tone, Gregory establishes a somber or serious type of mood. Although the mood is solemn, the audience is not saddened by his racist troubles and harsh upbringing. Instead, Gregory impresses the reader with his values and morals. As the title suggest, he is rich within himself but broke compared to society’s standard. He directly tells the reader “I guess she couldn’t see a kid who made noises because he wanted someone to know he was there. ” The childhood Gregory is feeling broken down, defeated, and invisible within his own skin.
The childhood Gregory feels as if he has something to offer inside; he wants to feel like someone is there behind the color of his skin, and stereotypes placed upon him. Gregory incorporates many innuendos that hint that he is not as fortunate compared to his “light-complected” counterpart. He says, “And she had a Daddy, and he had a good job. ” Everything that he lacked as a young, black male is everything that people on the opposite end of the color spectrum had. That was, everything that Gregory developed a longing desire for. However, Gregory is biased due to his lack of.
The Essay on Adapting A Style: Writing For A General Audience
Technical subjects make use of jargons which the average individual may not be aware of. The technical terms used in these subjects need to be rewritten or described in simpler ways so that people with no background on these subjects will be able to understand their meaning with minimal difficulty. If the aim is to make a technical piece of writing available for general audience reading, it is ...
As a black male in a seemingly racist society, he is not given the equal chance of a lighter skin parallel. Due to being “pregnant with poverty,” Gregory’s wants are shifted toward a happier, wealthier life. What he fails to realize is although his white peer may have a father figure or money, she may not possess the same rich moral values as does he. Gregory uses purpose to inform and persuade the audience that being broke in finances does not make you broke in morality or significance. His main message is that you can defy the odds placed upon you. He was not suspected to be “married and making money.
” Instead he was designated to be a “troublemaker” due to the color of his skin. Gregory tells the reader that despite his rough upbringing, he had a more successful future. He indirectly told the reader not to let society change who you are on the inside or dictate what you can become. Through his use of tone, authorial bias, and purpose Dick Gregory engaged and captivated many audiences within Not Poor, Just Broke. He expressed feelings, and emotion of a young, black male living in a racist world. His utilization of rhetorical strategies, such as firsthand experience made it easier to relate to exactly what he was going through.
