McKenize Baumgardner
Mrs. Smith
Honors English 1
25, October 2013
Diction Essay
In Richard Hoffer’s Sports Illustrated article, “Feeding Frenzy” diction is used may times for various reasons. One reason is to explain sarcasm towards Tyson clearly. Another reason is to state how violent the chewing off of Holyfield’s ear really was. Also to express the resemblance between a circus and the boxing match between Tyson and Holyfield.
The first type of diction Hoffer uses in his article “Feeding Frenzy” is circus diction. He uses this diction to explain how the boxing match between Tyson and Holyfield compares to a circus show. Hoffer expresses this diction by saying, “but after his sixth bout following his release from prison, after he spun out of his handlers’ control…” (1).
By Hoffer stating this he compares Tyson to a lion in a circus show. Another way Hoffer stresses the resemblance of the match to a circus is by his statement “Tyson had somehow in his frustration, in defeat that may have been ordained in his own mind, run amok on the world’s greatest stage” (2).
Once again it compares the match to being a circus because a circus is also referred to as the world’s greatest stage.
The Essay on Mike Tyson Boxing License Opponents
1 SATIRE When we think of boxing, we usually think of the gloves, the mouthpiece, the ring. When we think of past boxers, we can think of boxers like Muhammad Ali or George Foreman. There are present boxers like "Bite" Tyson and his colleague E vander "Hol years." Boxing has been considered by many as a brutal sport, a sport for beasts, as many non- boxing fans would say. Mike Tyson has given ...
The second diction Hoffer used was sarcasm. Hoffer stresses this diction by saying “he had been selected sportsman of the ear” (4).
Hoffer says this to express his hatred towards Tyson. Another thing Hoffer expressed as his hatred was when he made the statement of “he was going to be matched with Hannibal Lecter” (4).
He says this to portray Tyson as a cannibal by biting Holyfield’s ear off.
The third type of diction used in Hoffer’s article was violent diction. Hoffer expresses how violent the match was by saying, “watching him bite Evander Holyfield’s ears, actually chewing off and spitting out a piece…” (1).
He uses chewing off and spitting out to explain the aggressiveness of the bite. Another example of violent diction Hoffer used was “…he had featured in all his previous fights, and except for one crashing blow to Holyfield’s ribs” (2).
He used this statement to express the violent blow Holyfield took to the ribs.
Diction is a very good literary device to use to express certain things more precisely. So of Course Hoffer is going to use diction in his article “Feeding Frenzy.” Hoffer needed a source of distinction to express the details sternly. So to express the violent blows to Holyfield, the comparison of their boxing match to a circus, and the sarcasm all expressed through diction.
Works Cited
Hoffer, Richard. “Feeding Frenzy.” Sports Illustrated 87. 7 July, 1997: 32(7).
Print.
