Language

The language used by James Hamblin in his “Trump is a Climax of American Masculinity” article is generally straightforward and clear, but he sometimes uses more complex words or sentence structures. The article is interesting because of its concise ideas, multiple references, and a well-argued point of v…

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Choice of words

The choice of words in the article reflects a formal style, as James Hamblin uses difficult words or phrases to deliver a serious, strong message: “propensity” (natural tendency) (l.19), “procurement” (l.23) (acquiring), “fomented” (instigated or stirred up an undesirable feeling or action) (l.35), “duplicitousness” (dishonesty), “parity” (equality) (l. 76), “tenets” (principles, beliefs), etc. However, the writer briefly uses informal language, which helps him give an occasional humorous tone to his writing: “He hasn’t gone full Putin” (ll. 15-16). 

Hamblin frequently uses negative words to characterize Donald Trump and the American masculine culture: “a caricature of a man’s man” (l. 12); “fundamental misunderstanding” (ll. 32-33); “duplicitousness” (l. 40); “inexperience and ignorance” (l. 53); “impetuousness and thoughtlessness” (l. 88)…

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Sentence structure

In his article, James Hamblin mainly uses medium and long sentences, which help the writer express complex ideas.

Medium sentences help the writer express his ideas in a clear way: “The muscles in Donald Trump’s cheeks are out of practice at smiling.” (ll. 1-2). This sentence is straightforward, yet it helps the writer deliver a strong image about Trump’s unusual smile, which often seems fake.

In longer sentences, the Hamblin often includes examples to make his point:

When they attempt to create a smile – as when posing with a bucket of KFC on his $30 million jet, or with a burrito bowl to proclaim…

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Tone

The writer’s tone is generally serious, which is appropriate for the topics discussed in the article. However, we encounter an ironic tone as well, perhaps as a way to make the article more appealing: “The muscles in Donald Trump’s cheeks are out of practice” (l. 1); “Trump is a man who has demonstrated a propensity to fill the major cities of the world with enormous phalluses” (ll. 19-20)

Hamblin also uses a humorous tone to…