Rhetoric Analysis of “The Men We Carry In Our Minds” by Scott Russel Sanders Essay Example

and sustain their families.

Sanders claims, “As a boy, [he] also knew of another sort of [man], who did not sweat and break down like mules” (334). In his yard, he saw both prisoners and soldiers, who did not work in the factories or the fields. In fact, he believed that they did not work at all, while the prisoners worked tirelessly. He ascertains that these are soldiers he could see from a military base in Ohio. He, without the interest of inheriting his father’s job, though he later joined military, becomes successful as a soldier like his father. Additionally, Sanders as a youngster knew of the differences in men and women in the workplace. He uses a clear language to convey his message concerning his perception of women. Women are sluggish and only take part in light duties and mostly engage in household errands. According to Sander, this was a comfortable life. However, Sanders says, “I was slow to recognize the deep grumbles of female folk” (335). The author admires women and their way of life, though they also suffer as men.

After the above abridgment, let one turns to the identification and evaluation of the methods employed by Sanders in his arguments. The author rovides a great description of suffering of man and labor in a narrative form that is well-documented. From his point of view, readers become capable to compare the olden days and the present times, where everything has changed a lot; both men and women play crucial roles in taking providing and care of the family. Conversely, in the early days “man” was the sole provider of his family, regardless

of sufferings caused by health-related issues with the jobs (Sanders 788). In that perspective, Sanders’ men shared so much in common, their destiny was similar to their efforts, as well. The male generation shared the hard work, and it acted as a characteristics. This is apparent when Sanders says “When I was a boy, the men I knew labored with their bodies, they were marginal farmers, just scrapping by, or welders, steelworkers and carpenters” (788). The author uses idioms and affirms that all of the men shared one thing in common, since he describes all of their jobs as hands on. This implies that it required agility and the aptitude to utilize their hands to earn a living. Following several years of hardship, working near hot metal, near pastures, and near sharp objects; the true authenticity of their figure begins to appear. Scott says that the bodies of men he knew were twisted and maimed in ways noticeable and imperceptible. He describes their nails as black and split and their hands as tattooed with scars, and he further notes that, undeniably, some had lost their fingers” (pg. 788). Through the use of frenzy words like ‘tattooed’, the author describes the nature of suffering the men undergone through when working under harsh conditions. Indeed, the man suffered from their job’s consequences. Yet, they hardly thought of such hardships as consequences, rather as part of their job. Apparently according to Sanders essay, men appear extremely hard-working living a life of one day at a time.

Missy and Alan affirm that through ingeniously ominous words describing his father’s actions as a military employee, who later inspired him to join

the forces, Sander’s essay offers an insight to both men and women (26). The reader is capable of learning the attitude of the author about men. He views women as caretakers whereas men are viewed as the workers. However, through the appropriate use of words, it is clear that, at some point, he sympathizes with men. The author refers to men as “warriors and toilers and he clarifies that it seemed, in his boyhood” (789).

The views of the author towards men are clearly shown and he further notes that men are what keep the country up. He commends men by saying that if it were not their effortless hard working hands, nothing would be running. He uses the word “warrior” to describe men as superior beings that would offer their best for the betterment of their families and the nation. It is clearly viewed that Sanders sympathhizes men and has always fought regardless of the difficult situations. Scott further argues that the inferiority complex held upon their female counterparts comes from the notion that they ought to be accountable for many aspects in society. For instance, the pressure of handling their kids, career maintenance and political errands are all in their hands. He argues that all these aspects draw women down, since they are preoccupied with many issues. Humor is also employed in this instance by the author when he says, “When women take maternity leaves, men have the prospect to surpass them in their career.”

Also, Saunders shows his views on women, and he believes that presently, women undergo through hard times as compared to men. This is clear when he says, “This

must be a hard time for women, they have so many paths to choose from, and so many voices calling them” (787). According to the author, women currently have several decisions to make and most of them are at times pushed to making difficult choices. Some of the views that are eloquently presented by the author clearly show how he manages to mix somber mood with happy moments that follow. Through these mixtures of moods, he capably links his early misfortunes to his present life.

The author also uses gruesome words detailing the lifetime experience. He does so by mixing morbid mood with his personal emotions. These processes run from his childhood experiences to emotions still lingering in his adulthood presently. Most of these experiences are very encouraging, since they help other people to shape their lives, despite their past worse experiences. The author’s memories are still permanently stuck in his mind, since Sanders still finds himself thinking about the past experiences. This appropriate mixing the morbid and happy moments helps the author to overcome his past and focus on the present to shape his life.

Finally, it is apparent that after using the words expressing mixed emotions of the author, he paints a picture on what life looked like when he was growing up. Many people are tempted to imagine what life could be like if their parents were laborer. In Scott Russell Sander’s essay titled, “The Men We Carry in Our Minds” he uses proper language to present the perspective of men and women. He also deliberates on the lives of women and men. The good thing about Sanders is that he mixes morbid

and somber mood to present his thoughts in a great manner. For instance, when he refers to the houses as brighter, handsomer places than a factory, and he further uses ironical twist when he says, “how much of a prison the house could be.” It becomes very nice and comfortable to read a story that delves on both negative and positive sides of life. Sander is a great writer who capably ensures that fortune and misfortune live in the same room through the use of ingeniously ominous words.