Rhetorical devices

Direct address

There are several points in Kevin Love’s essay “Everyone Is Going Through Something” where he directly addresses the reader using the second-person pronoun “you”.

He especially uses this technique to reach out to any readers who might be experiencing psychological struggles of their own, to reassure them that he understands and to encourage them to open up: “If you’re suffering silently like I was, then you know how it can feel like nobody really gets it.” (ll. 10-11)

He returns to this way of using direct address at the conclusion of the essay, once again focusing specifically on those who may be struggling:

So if you’re reading this and you’re having a hard time, no matter how big or small it seems to you, I want to remind you that you’re not weird or different for sharing what you’re going through. (ll. 105-107)

The use of direct address is very effective here because it gives readers a sense that Love’s message is directly relevant for their own lives, as well a...