Right Here on Our Stage Tonight – Gerald Nachman
Essay Preview: Right Here on Our Stage Tonight – Gerald Nachman
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Gerald Nachman, a published writer who is best known for “Right Here on Our Stage Tonight” but also frequently contributes to “The American Spectator”, wrote “Fogged In” in 2011 as a criticism of San Franciscos desire to be noticed at all costs. The writer currently resides in San Francisco but even for him, a “transplant” as he calls himself, the city is not as charming as it used to be. Rather, it tries to look charming and it often exaggerates. Though targeting San Francisco and its dwellers, the writer actually writes for all Americans with at least secondary education because the writer employs irony, allusions and elevated language and mentions authorities such as Danielle Steel so an uneducated person would not understand the article entirely. His review is rather a personal reflection than trying to cause an actual change in San Franciscos culture. As such, the writer tries to persuade readers to agree to his personal view of San Francisco. In order to make an impression upon the readers, Nachman appeals to ethos, logos and pathos. He also employs specific rhetoric devices such as irony and metaphor. He uses certain vocabulary to convey his message and also employs a specific style, meant to increase the effectiveness of his claims.
First, the writer tries to establish his ethos by explaining what is his relation with the city and why he is authorized to talk about San Franciscos culture more than other San Franciscan. He says, “maybe it helps to have grown up in unassuming Oakland–gritty, middle-class, unpretentious Oakland–to see San Francisco a bit more clearly than its dewy-eyed citizenry” (Nachman, par.1). This shows that the author believes that his particular life experience gives him an entirely new perspective on the city and due to his experience, he has the authority to criticize the city. Also, the author has been living in the city for the last 30 years, and thus, considers himself a citizen of the city entirely. By mentioning this period of time, he hopes to convince his audience that his points have a strong basis.
The second way through which the writer tries to use appeal to his readers, is by using logic arguments. The writer structures his article in paragraphs, using capital letters to signalize the beginning of a new idea. Each new idea is supported by outside sources which are used in order to back up his claims. The sources authority is also established in order to show that their opinions should be appreciated by the readers. For example, in his argument about the gay minority, he cites “a longtime resident” and a “local newsman” (who talk about the unusual freedom that the gay enjoy in the city (Nachman 11). Also, in the section regarding the San Franciscans dressing style, the author cites Daniel Steel, the famous writer, and gives her as an example because she moved to Paris in order to escape from a city where nobody dresses up (Nachman 25).
The author is not emotional in his discourse. This is because the topic of his article and his purpose does not require an emotional style. The author only wants to present his own perspective upon the subject, and even though he is interested in having the readers approval, for which he employs rhetorical devices, he does not necessarily needs their approval. However, he does use pathos in one instance. The writer explains that,” San Francisco was once dubbed “The Paris of the West,” but now looks more like the Fallujah of the West”(Nachman 25). In his statement, the writer is nostalgic, reminding the readers about the good old days, when San Francisco did not need to try to be cool. Nostalgia then is the only rhetoric device through which the writer appeals to the readers emotions.
Irony is used by the author extensively to show his disapproval of the San Franciscans behavior and of the present-day Franciscos image. Some examples of irony include: “harder to digest is its self-appointed position as center of the universe” (Nachman 2) or “pet owners–sorry, “animal guardians”(12). In the first example, the author ironizes the San Franciscans self-consciousness and arrogance and suggests that they are the only ones that see San Francisco, and themselves, as important as they want to appear. This ironic