Argumentation

Looking at the following analytical elements will help you better understand “Stability in Motion” and Marina Keegan’s intentions when writing it.

Argumentation

To persuade readers of their arguments, senders can choose to either present their point of view directly through open argumentation or to suggest it indirectly, through examples and different stories and narratives, through hidden argumentation.

The description of her car and the way Keegan used it and interacted with it, are an indirect, hidden way of showing how the author expressed her personality as a teenager: “My car was not gross; it was occupied, cluttered, cramped. It became an extension of my bedroom, and thus an extension of myself.” (ll. 102- 105)

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Rhetorical devices

By rhetorical devices, we refer to those language devices used for the purpose of conveying meaning and persuading the reader to view a topic from a different perspective. In the case of Keegan’s essay, some of the most important rhetorical devices are personification, allusions, and irony.

Personification

Throughout the text, the author frequently personifies her car with the purpose of making readers look at it as an expression of herself, as a living memory that reflects the moving portrait of the speaker’s identity: “Born and raised in proper formality, the car saw me as that friend from school…” (ll. 70-72); “The Toyota was born again, crammed with clutter, and exposed to decibel levels it had never fathomed.” (ll. 75-77)

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Forms of appeal

Out of the three main forms of appeal—logos, ethos, and pathos—the author chooses ethos and pathos to convey her message. Logos means appealing to logic, ethos means appealing to shared values and authority, and pathos means appealing to emotions and feelings. These forms of appeal are designed to create a specific type of response in the audience; the type of response that the sender believes it will make them more likely to accept and reflect on his/her arguments.

Ethos

Ethos is created by presenting a personal story which implies that the sender has authority and credibility with regards to what she is recounting: “On average, I spent two hours a day driving. It was nearly an hour each way to school, and the old-fashioned Toyota...” (ll. 124-126)

In addition, the author also includes numerous cultural references to music, books, movies, and politics, which reflect typical values and interests of American teenagers in the sender’s social circle: “I had two bumper stickers on the back: REPUBLICANS FOR VOLDEMORT and the symbol for the Equal Rights Campaign. On the back side windows were OBAMA ‘08 signs.” (ll. 105-110)

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