Rhetorical Analysis Of A Thousand Acre By Jane Smiley

This paper will be a unique interpretation coupled with an analysis of rhetoric in A Thousand Acre’s by Jane Smiley. This non-fiction novel is told in third person omniscient and is focused on the point of view of one of the main characters, Ginny Cook. A Thousand Acres was a modern-day retelling of Shakespeare’s King Lear; set on a large farm and small town in Iowa. This setting is important to the plot because it is more realistic compared to a far away mystical land that is detached from its audience. Smiley uses various rhetorical and literary techniques within her book to engage readers while still keeping to the basic storyline previously written by Shakespeare. Smiley’s use of language positively aids the imagery and emotions seen†¦show more content†¦79). This quote shows how Ginny no longer puts her father first and that he Ginny even realizes that she is built off her presence in their community, â€Å"I was so remarkably comfortable with the discipline of making a good appearance!† (Smiley, pg. 701). Smiley uses a lot of imagery to describe what Ginny is feeling and experiencing that is effective at engaging the audience and almost puts them in her shoes. I personally felt as if I was next to Ginny throughout the whole novel due to this imagery and language. Larry Cook, father of Ginny, Rose, and Caroline as well as the main landowner of the thousand-acre farm, is the next character to be analyzed. He is introduced in the book as farmer that is looked up to by his community due to his success. He is the antagonist within the novel and slowly loses his sanity as the story progresses. This loss of sanity is due to Larry’s power and greed that take over him. It begins with his idea to retire and give his land evenly to Rose and Ginny, but after this massive life shift occurs he starts acting irrationally and lashes out at his previous caretakers. The foreshadowing of the major storm aligns perfectly with Larry ’s final breaking point with Ginny, â€Å"His voice modulated into a scream, ‘Or tell me what I can do and what I can’t do. You barren whore! I know all about you, you slut.† (Smiley, pg. 452). After this, Rose talks to Ginny about their father raping them for years,