Cotter Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Words: 1189
Pages: 5

Every teenager must go through the same experience as Cotter. Almost a rite of passage for becoming an adult. In this example, the author describes a life changing baseball game, that would change a young man forever. While describing Cotter’s escape from the cops, the author uses varying syntax, imagery, over exaggeration, and many other strategies to illustrate his rebellious personality and transition from adolescence. In the beginning of this text, the author uses parallelism when describing what Cotter sees around him. By saying that “some are still jumping, some are thinking about it, some need a haricut…,” and so on, he is showing Cotters indecisiveness on what he wants to do. While he considering jumping, he is still hesitant on if he is sure that is what he wants to do. This uncertainty may be used to show his similar concern if he should transition from a child to a man. The author also uses imagery when describing the cops “rumbling down the ramp”, which allows for the reader to imagine these cops coming towards him like a pack of wild bison charging at him. At the end of this first paragraph, we see the first sign of Cotter truly giving up his childhood, and becoming mature. As he sprints towards the fence, the wind seems to blow off his “gangliness, [and] the slouchy funk of …show more content…
Before, he was a “slouchy funk,” but by the time he jumps over the fence, he is now in control of his body and seems to have more confidence in himself. He also gains this feeling of certainty that he is “uncatchable.” He keeps repeating the word “knows”, which gives him this certainty that he will escape, and this is something that he lacked before jumping the fence. When he was uncertain if he should or not. This is another example of how this event is a rite of passage to adulthood for