Rhetorical devices

In the article “The New Nomads: Living Full-Time on the Road”, Jessica Bruder uses several rhetorical devices that help her get her points across to the readers.

Direct address

The author uses direct address to encourage readers to put themselves in the shoes of the people who choose a nomadic lifestyle: “Would you rather have food or dental work? Pay your mortgage or your electric bill? Make a car payment or buy medicine? Cover rent or student loans? Purchase warm clothes or gas for your commute?” (ll. 16-18). Bruder invites readers to connect to the nomads by using the second-person pronoun “you” and the adjective “your”.

Direct address is also used when Bruder invites readers to think about a new way of saving money: “You can’t give yourself a raise, but what about cutting your biggest expense?” (l. 20). Finally, direct address is used towards the end of the article, when the pronoun “you” makes readers feel connected to the reality of America’s income gap: “The top 1 percent now makes 81 time...