Characteristics
To understand the essay “In Celebration of Walls” by Frank Lewinberg better, it is important to look at how the sender presents his arguments, rhetorical devices, forms of appeal, and language featur…
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Argumentation
Senders can choose to convey their arguments either directly and explicitly (a technique called open argumentation), or indirectly through examples and facts (a technique called hidden argumentation).
Most of the essay “In Celebration of Walls” is conveyed using open argumentation. The sender states openly his argument about walls in Johannesburg: “Ironically, today Johannesburg’s walls stand as a unique physical symbol…
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Rhetorical devices
Rhetorical devices are language techniques through which a sender tries to make the receiver look at an issue from a different perspective. They are linguistic means of persuasion, of making readers accept certain views and arguments. The essay “In Celebration of Walls” is conveyed using rhetorical devices such as repetition, irony, and rhetorical questions.
Repetition is mostly used in the form of anaphora—repeating the same word(s) at the beginning of consecutive sentences. Repetition is used in connection to the concept of walls. To attract the receivers’ attention and make them look at Johannesbur…
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Forms of appeal
There are three main forms of appeal senders can use to connect with their audience, to make them relate and resonate with their arguments. They can appeal to emotions and feelings (pathos), to logical reasoning (logos), and to authority and shared values (ethos). You can identify all three forms of appeal in the text.
Pathos is noticeable when the writer talks about feelings like comfort and safety (p. 99, ll. 13-20), feelings that he …
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Language
The language of the essay is easy to understand, and it is often figurative and descriptive. The choice of words is related to the urban landscape of Johannesburg, and South African society during and after the apartheid regime.
The writer uses imagery, descriptive passages that help readers form mental images of the walls in Johannesburg: “Pompous walls, ugly walls, walls of lush foli…
