Analysis

Here are the elements which will help with your analysis of the excerpt from the essay “Blood” by Urvashi Butalia.

The rhetorical situation of the essay “Blood” is that the sender is Urvashi Butalia, an Indian feminist author and publisher. In the essay, Butalia refers briefly to her knowledge of the Partition of India and how it affected her family. 

Although the excerpt is taken from a larger essay, which later will become a chapter in a book dealing on the Partition, the composition is clear and concise. Butalia first provides an overview of the conflict before delving into personal stories that illustrate the profound effect of the Partition on individual people. 

The style of writing is clear and factual and the language is formal, which matches the serious tone of the essay. Butalia uses vivid descriptions to show the full extent of the impact of the Partition on Indian and Pakistani people. 

There are not many rhetorical devices present in the excerpt. However, an example of irony and several personal anecdotes help to engage readers. 

Butalia uses a mix of all three forms of appeal: logos, ethos, and pathos. Logos and pathos feature more prominently in the text, but Butalia also establishes ethos by referring to her experience researching the Partition. 

Further help

Do you want additional help with analysis of non-fiction? See our general guide to non-fiction analysis.

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