Stacey Smyth

Mr. Soeth

English 3 AP

January 26, 2011

REHUGO Analysis - Essay

A. Essay: “In Search of the Good Family” - Author: Jane Howard

B. Thesis: In this essay, Howard explicates that having a family is vital to your existence and your happiness. She explains that whether, they are your blood relatives or close friends, they are necessary to have in your life.

C. Evidence: The Bagwa tribe of the Cameroons was one example of how Howard established her ethos. She discussed how they considered, not only their blood relatives as family, but their friends and neighbors as well. Howard evokes an emotional reaction with the mention of the necessity to not live in solitude, but to have family. For some, discussing “family” can be a touchy and sensitive subject. However, she explains that your family does not necessarily have to be those whom you are related to, but they are also those whom you chose to surround yourself by. The author’s interpretation of the word family and its connection to the Bangwa tribe can give hope to those who do not have a distinctive and established family. It can also extend the horizon of who you view your family as and what they mean to you.

D. Rhetorical Strategies: Howard uses classification and division in her essay to organize the important roles a person may play in their family or tribe. For example, “1. Good families have a chief, or a heroine, or founder… 2. Good families he a switchboard operator…” Each main point is describing a role or quality that a family must have. Howard uses the repetition of the words “[g]ood families” for each of her ten main points. Howard is emphasizing the fact that “good families” must fit the criteria that she has laid out in essay. She also begins with the use of repetition. “Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family.” By this, she is implying that these are all generally the same and what you decide to call it is simply your decision.

E. MLA Citation:
Shea, Renee Hausmann., Lawrence Scanlon, and Robin Dissin. Aufses. The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing and Rhetoric. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. Print.