_Boys_on_Bikes_Rhetorical_Essay

In Kent Nerburn’s article, “Boys on Bikes,” he tells an anecdote that occurred to him while checking the pressure of his tires, in which he encountered a group of boys riding on their bikes that looked intimidating. Although the boys looked rude and scary, their behavior was polite and respectful, leading to Nerburn’s conclusion that we “should consider different viewpoints before rushing to judgment.” In the following paragraphs, we are going to discuss how Nerburn conveys the central idea of his article through the use of diverse literary tools. In order to better convey ideas in an essay, it is necessary to choose a fitting rhetorical purpose. Nerburn makes use of a literary rhetorical purpose, and he makes it evident with the use of literary devices to convey his story, such as anecdotes. Best example of this is the fact the entire article is based on previous life event of the author, and he is recounting the story while explaining the effect that encounter had in his life. Even though the use of rhetorical purposes helps to better convey an idea, in order to be able to perfectly communicate a message in an essay, it’s necessary to make use of methods of organization. Throughout his article, the author uses different methods of organization. A narrative pattern is shown almost through the entire article, and it’s seen through the anecdote the author is telling. The author also makes use of a descriptive pattern, and it can only be seen in the opening paragraph, when he does a very detailed description of the events leading to his anecdote. After organizing his ideas only one thing is left, to choose what will be the main topic the author tries to convey. Through his anecdote, the author is trying to show us how our judgment is based on appearances most of the time. He achieves this purpose by explaining the feelings that went through him when he noticed the group of boys that were waiting behind him to use the air gauge. Also, he showed how sometimes that judgment can be harsh through the description of another past event, in which some youngsters were explaining how they felt about the attitude adults have towards them. For example, the adults would not greet them, or they would simply ignore their presence. Through the narration of an event that he experienced, the author manages to exemplify how our society tends to base judgment on appearances. He explains not only how this judgment can be erroneous most of the time but also shows how sometimes emitting a wrong judgment about someone affects them deeply in on emotional level. Finally, the author is able to portray this message thanks to the use of different literary tools for the creation of his article.