In 1-2 paragraphs, write what you consider to be the rhetorical devices and features of Eighner's article "On Dumpster Diving". Since this is a rhetorical analysis, stick to the language used and the devices employed. The content of the essay doesn't much matter. Please post your work in a comment to this post.
On Dumpster Diving
41 comments:
The first thing that I noticed when reading this piece was that the author used the word "dumpster" as a proper noun, capitalizing it in every instance it is used. This clues to me that he likes and respects dumpsters, holding them to an almost high esteem, the complete opposite to how we normally think and refer to garbage cans. He also italicizes words like "scavenging" and "foraging," an intelligible and specific way to refer to an un-glamorous job. It was very capturing hearing a very unknown and taboo way of life being described in full detail for an audience who has surely never had to dumpster dive. The author went about discussing this rather gross topic in an educated and unapologetic way, setting early on a precedent for the reader that the concept of dumpster diving is not a vulgar profession for vulgar people. It is interesting how he writes to the reader as if giving them tips for future use, even though the reader will almost certainly never need to dumpster dive. He also brings up subjects like "scavenger ethics" and the scientific specifics of scavenged food, which could be seen as ironic, because what would a dumpster diver know about science or courtesy? Lastly, his way of comparing different types of dumpster divers to each other and again his comparison between dumpster divers and the "very wealthy" is something that really put this entire idea of getting a livelihood from the trash into perspective.
In On Dumpster Diving, Lars Eighner uses devices such as lists and diction to portray a tone in his short story. From the choices Eighner uses in his writing, readers are able to determine that his intended audience are the, typically educated, people who would look down on a hobby like Dumpster Diving. The purpose of his essay is to demonstrate to these people that Dumpster Diving is not a ‘dirty’ hobby but rather a stand against wastefulness. Eighner uses the device of lists to emphasize the quantity of things that go to waste. I believe he created these lists not because he wanted to be specific and tell his readers exactly what to look for when Dumpster Diving but rather to prove the volume of the things we take for granted and waste in our lives, and show that Dumpster Divers are some of the few who recognize this. Eighner also uses strategic choices in his diction to emphasize the awareness Dumpster Divers have of their surroundings, in contrast to those who look down on the act. For example, when explaining his technique of deciphering edible foods in trash he writes, “chocolate is often discarded only because it has become discolored as the cocoa butter de-emulsified”(23). De-emusified is not a common word in the english language, and even the most educated in society could very well have never come across it. If he was trying to simply instruct his readers how to Dumpster Dive, he would have chosen a simpler word that more would be likely to know. However, I think he chose a word such as “de-emulsified” to emphasize that digging through trash does not mean one is incapable or uneducated. In fact, I think he chose this word in the hopes that his haughty readers (the intended audience) would not know it and feel dumb, underlining a major point of the essay: that those who waste are the “dumb” ones.
In the article “On Dumpster Diving”, the language used by Lars Eighner is intended to convince readers of the respectability of dumpster diving. The work begins with the use of ethos. Because the author is able to convince readers of his credibility, this gives a little more integrity to the status of dumpster divers—since he is one himself. He then goes on to describe it positively, with words and phrases such as, “sound” and “honorable”. But what stood out most to me, was the author’s differentiation between the dumpster divers and those who collect plastic bottles or cans. He describes himself and the dumpster divers as, “scavengers”. This word has the connotation of still working hard and respectably for what one needs. However, he described the can collectors as, “scroungers”. The word scrounger definitely has a different connotation to it, one that reminds people of a moocher or freeloader, or even just simply a bottom feeder—the lowest of the low. The author attempts to convince readers of how much more respectable he and other dumpster divers are, because they are simply “extracting the necessities of life” from the dumpsters while the scroungers are “drug addicts and winos”. In these ways the author is tying to appeal readers and make them believe that dumpster diving is just a “modern form of self-reliance”, rather than something to be looked down upon.
The rhetorical devices in Lars Eighner’s “On Dumpster Diving” are used to establish the feeling Eighner wants the audience to experience. He begins by establishing ethos, showing the reader that his topic is well researched, and then moves to pathos, showing that he has also experienced what he is writing about. This also establishes an instructional tone. As the essay continues, Eighner takes on an understated tone as well, which paints dumpster diving as a nonchalant activity rather than his way of life for many years. This tone sets the reader up for his conclusion, which regards possessions as “valueless,” and ends with the final statement, “I am sorry for them.” This statement is not one of feeling and establishes no empathy. It furthers the impression of Eighner as a detached instructor. He becomes someone who pities others, rather than someone who should be pitied as his circumstances imply.
Lars Eighner’s On Dumpster Diving, is an essay intended to teach educated readers about the concept of dumpster diving. In order to successfully instruct his educated readers, who are probably not too familiar with dumpster diving, Eighner establishes his credibility, ethos, as a teacher in multiple ways. Defining and describing dumpster diving is one form of establishing ethos. He defines it as “scavenging”,”scrounging”, and “foraging”. Lars Eighner also establishes his credibility through informing the reader that he, himself, has been dumpster diving for a period of time and then he states his past experiences to prove this. He has a multitude of stories, such as “One hot day I found a large jug of O’Brien’s Hurricane mix”, and these stories give him the credibility to advise the readers on dumpster diving tactics. Eighner’s advise includes informing the readers about the stages of “scavenging” and instructing the readers on how to lower themselves into dumpsters properly.
Though Lars Eighner’s essay is intended to instruct, it is still personal. Eighner’s use of first person narration creates pathos. The ‘I’s and ‘we’s in the essay give it a personal tone. When he lists the personal belongings--”Boom boxes, candles, bedding, toilet paper, a virgin male love doll, medicine, books, a typewriter...”-- he is connecting with the readers’ senses, generating pathos. Lars Eighner’s combination of ethos and pathos allows On Dumpster Diving to be a credible, informative, and personal essay.
Lars Eighner’s “On Dumpster Diving” is an informational piece that demonstrates to an audience of educated middle-class people, the skill of dumpster foraging. In the description of some of the diving procedures, the author uses intellectual words such as “botulism” (22) as well as “contingency” (26) to establish a connection with middle-class readers who may be more inclined to read about an unsophisticated pastime from an educated writer. For the same reason, he displays a knowledgeable character with observations that the areas he “frequents [are] inhabited by many affluent college students. [He is] not here by chance; the Dumpsters in this area are very rich” (23). The author’s expressive studies reveal his talent in reading-between-the-lines in various situations. Furthermore, Eighner associates himself with these “respectable employed people” (22) through his presumed “grounding in pharmacology” (26) and ethical opinions on “going through individual garbage cans…[as] a very personal kind of invasion” (27). Although discussing a primitive topic, Eighner aims to appeal to middle-class readers with detail and thorough explanations.
Lars Eighner’s On Dumpster Diving is an essay teaching about the “urban art”(22) of dumpster diving, specifically to an audience who has never dumpster dived before. Within the first 3-4 paragraphs of his essay, Eighner uses sophisticated diction to make classifications and definitions that help him establish credibility with his audience to prove that dumpster diving can actually be a good thing. Eighner’s defining of words such as scavenger, scrounger, and foraging as well as his use of words such as contingency, botulism, and transience establishes his ethos which also makes a strong logos and pathos, because once he establishes his authority in the narrative, he engages the reader to listen to his points and empathize with him. One thing that I found interesting is the way that he establishes ethos by explaining the different stages and emotions that a dumpster diver experiences: first, “the new scavenger is filled with disgust and self loathing”(25), then he or she “is finding all manner of good things that are his for the taking…trying to acquire everything”(25) he or she touches. He gives insight to what questions and problems that one has while dumpster diving and by his establishment of ethos he provides a powerful logos that gets readers to understand the point he is trying to make. Eighner, at the end of the narrative, even gives advice to new dumpster divers and teaches them lessons of what they should and should not take as well as where and where not to dumpster dive. I think the reason why this essay was so persuasive was because Lars Eighner takes you through the process of becoming a dumpster diver and then becoming a smarter and more efficient one, as well as combining his own experiences, opinions, and explanations, which makes readers think and feel that dumpster diving is okay.
Lars Eighner’s “On Dumpster Diving” is an essay in which the author is attempting to teach his audience about dumpster diving. Though the intended audience aren’t experts on dumpster diving, they are still educated. The author glorifies his words to make the topic seem more interesting than it is. On the first page, redefines words like “scavenging”, “scrounging” and “foraging” in order to captivate his audience. This essay begins with the use of the ethos because he establishes his credibility on the topic. The author often uses verbs like “evaluate” to make dumpster diving seem like a credible activity. The most fascinating thing about this essay is the author’s love of the activity. The first paragraph states that he is “impressed with Dumpsters”, but I honestly think that’s an understatement. On page 25, he eventually talks about the not so wonderful parts of dumpster diving and he says, “I do not want to paint too romantic a picture”. With a topic like this, I almost want to believe that he’s being sarcastic. His sincerity toward the topic is fascinating but almost humorous and not understandable. The final words of the essay are "i feel sorry for them". He has no shame of what he does and he feels sorry for everyone who doesn't understand or appreciate the value in dumpster diving. Eighner’s passion for the topic is somewhat admirable.
Lars Eighner’s “On Dumpster Diving” has an interesting take on the seemingly vulgar topic of dumpster diving. This essay is intended for an educated audience that looks down upon dumpster diving but are open to hearing what he has to say about this topic. The first device that Eighner uses is first person. First person allows Eighner to present a more personal relationship with the reader as well as makes the essay more friendly and conversational. Although this essay is conversational, in the first three paragraphs, Eighner establishes his ethos, his authority, and pathos, his feeling about the subject of dumpster diving. This is important because it allows the reader to believe what he is going to say. Through personal experiences as well as research that he has done, this essay teaches the readers in a personal and formal way. As the essay is scanned, one can notice that the d in dumpster is consistently capitalized and words such as scavenging, scrounging, and foraging are italicized. These common words are redefined in the essay to give an alternative perspective on this topic.
From a more literal reading, Lars treats dumpster diving as people do important things in their life. He states “Dumpster diving is a matter of experience for which nothing will do except practice” (Eighner 29). This passion that he has for this topic is the main device that makes the essay work so well. By establishing his ethos and pathos from the beginning, Eighner creates an environment that allows the reader to see an alternative perspective from someone that has both experienced and researched the art of dumpster diving.
In the article “On Dumpster Diving”, Lars Eighner takes a subject we barely think twice about and turns it into a detailed piece. Immediately, in the first sentence, he portrays “Dumpster diving” with much importance by capitalizing it, making it serve as a proper noun. This is interesting because by doing this, "Dumpster diving” stands out to the reader and strikes them as something with a deeper meaning then what they would normally associate it with. As we read on, we see that “On Dumpster Diving” is an informative personal essay meant to teach people on the art of Dumpster diving, to lead them away from the definition usually associated with it and to give them a sense of what life is like as a Dumpster Diver. Eighner begins his essay with stating the basic idea of Dumpster diving and defining it with words such as “scavenging”, “crounging”, and “foraging”, presenting his ethos and further establishing his credibility by including some of his past experiences. He goes on to describe how he has learned this “practical art of Dumpster Diving” allowing the reader to walk in his shoes for a while as he lists the various ways in which he has perfected this art. Revealing his own past experiences and mindset as a Dumpster diver as well as writing in first person creates a very personal tone and thus depicts pathos. However, I think that the most intriguing thing in “On Dumpster Diving” is how Eighner was able to take something that does not seem important to most people and transform it into an essay in which it serves as the basis of life for another person who takes pride in it “I am a scavenger. I think it a sound and honorable niche”.
Lars Eighner’s On Dumpster Diving serves to instruct the educated class about Dumpster Diving and how to dumpster dive from the perspective of an experienced dumpster diver. It is clear that Lars wants to inform the reader because Lars says “to those psychologically or physically unprepared to enter a dumpster I recommend…” thus, personally, “I recommend”, giving the reader advice and insight as if one was planning to Dumpster diving. Lars uses ethos to prove to his credibility because not only has he researched the topic of dumpster diving, but he has experienced it first hand. Lars also establishes ethos by repeating “ I have learned much as a scavenger.” Being a dumpster diver himself, Lars tries to make the reader appreciate the “practical art of Dumpster Diving,” and demonstrates his respect for this way of life by capitalizing the “D” in Dumpster, connoting a more formal and respecting attitude towards dumpsters. Lars italicizes “scavenging”, “scrounging”, and “foraging” to redefine and clarify how the connotation of each word affects the its usage in describing dumpster diving. For example, Lars states that the word “foraging” is “too cute” to describe Dumpster diving, and such a word should be used for squirrels collecting nuts and berries. By redefining each italicized word Lars establishes ethos because it demonstrates that she is therefore educated and smart enough to redefine the meaning of each word.
Lars Eighner opens up his work “On Dumpster Diving” by establishing ethos, or credibility in the first two paragraphs. He establishes this by including the phrase “long before” (21) and word “research” (21). Through the phrase “long before” (21) he is stating that before he even began Dumpster diving he was interested in the act itself and proceeded to then write the “research service” (21) about the word Dumpster. He is informing the audience on his prior knowledge of the subject and thus establishing his credibility of the subject. Throughout the piece Eighner switches tones from very formal and informative about the subject of Dumpster diving to personal and intimate. Through the personal tones of the work, which includes the instances where he talks about Lizbeth, his dog, he also establishes pathos, bringing in feeling and emotion into the piece rather than just straight fact and experience. By doing this he is allowing the audience to become more intimate of his way of Dumpster diving. However, even though through pathos he entices the audience, he also keeps them at a distance through the switching of first person to third person on page 25. “At first the new scavenger is filled with disgust and self-loathing. He is ashamed of being seen” (25). Before this paragraph, Eighner was talking about his own experiences, speaking in the first person “I have learned that there is a predictable series of stages…” (25). Through this switch in person, Eighner is emphasizing the fact that he is not the type of scavenger that “is filled with disgust and self-loathing” (25) and he makes sure this is known because he is establishing ethos to an educated audience that looks down on Dumpster diving, and in order to be credible in their eyes he is saying, through the use of “he” instead of “I” that he is not like those type of beginners. Eighner also uses lists such as “pizza and then doughnuts than water-packed tuna, nonfat yogurt and fresh vegetables” (26) multiple times throughout the piece to emphasize the wastefulness of people and the Dumpster divers’ unique perspective of realizing this.
In the essay, On Dumpster Diving, Lars Eighner teaches the reader about Dumster diving, not only a pastime that he is knowledgable about, but also as something that is personal to him. He says “I began dumpster diving about a year before I became homeless” showing that he is someone who has personal experience and not just the guy who “wrote the Merriam Webster research service.” He shows ethos in the first couple paragraphs by using definitions and demonstrating the knowledge of his research. That transitions beautifully into pathos as he talks about how dumpster diving is personal to him and logos when he is teaching the reader about what foods are okay and not okay to take.
Dumpster diving is not something that you usually think of being a hobby or an interest, but in this essay, Lars is completely changing how it is viewed. He describes it as almost an art form or something you have to practice over and over again to get better at it. On page 29, he says “Dumpster diving is a matter of experience for which nothing will do except practice.” He uses personal opinions and stories and experiences to show that dumpster diving is more that what people assume it is. He considers it more of a sport or a art– something you have to experience and practice to be good at it and truly understand it. His audience consists of people who do not know much about dumpster diving and certainly have not had to experience it. He wants to show them that it is more than just raiding dumpsters to find discarded items that are still useful.
When we were going over "On Dumpster Diving" in class, I thought of something I didn't when I read the text. In the first paragraph of the essay, Eighner defines the word dumpster. I think she does this because she wants to provide creditability to her dumpster diving lifestyle. Definitions in a dictionary gives creditability to the words it defines. In the first paragraph, the author is also instructing about dumpster diving. Eighner is giving himself creditability by writing in a very formal way. He is using ethos in this paragraph. The sentence right after the first paragraph is a very personal statement. He makes this quick transition from a formal essay to a personal essay because he wants to allow the readers to relate to his essay more. If he kept it formal throughout the whole essay, the readers would not be able to directly relate and make connections to the essay. Throughout the rest of the essay, Eighner uses words—such as scavenging, scrounging, and foraging—to make dumpster diving seem more normal. Those words give dumpster diving a different connotation than if Eighner merely called it dumpster diving. He also uses other words—such as urban art, professionals, and practical art—to make dumpster diving seem more normal. These words used allow dumpster diving to seem more like an everyday activity that a lot of people participate in. He uses all of these words to express "the art of dumpster diving" in a new light that people won't look down upon so he can get his point across.
Lars Eighner’s purpose of his short story On Dumpster Diving is to exhibit that Dumpster Diving is an art rather than an animalistic behavior. Through the explanations and teachings of Dumpster Diving techniques and the language used to define the life of a Dumpster Diver, Lars Eighner makes an effort to convince his educated, down-casting audience that Dumpster Diving is indeed an art that has to be acquired and practiced, not just an act that anyone from anywhere can do. Eighner exemplifies the importance of Dumpster Diving through the use of capitalization. When a word is capitalized, that word has the connotation of being a proper noun, which is known for being important and highly respectable. Eighner capitalizing Dumpster Diving tells the reader that this action is very important and should be highly respected. Eighner further emphasizes that Dumpster Diving is important by describing the act as an “honorable niche” (21). Eighner does not view diving as a consequence of having little to no money but as a job, a respectable and upstanding job. He even admits that “respectable employed people will sometimes find something tempting sticking our of a Dumpster” (22), which proves that Dumpster Diving is not just for people who have no money but that the educated can and do Dumpster Dive as well, which leads me to my next point. Some may think that Dumpster Diving is for people who are not educated and for those who are not successful to live a consumer life, however, much skill and knowledge is needed in order to successfully Dumpster Dive. Therefore, one needs to be educated in order to Dumpster Dive. Eighner states that “eating safely from the dumpsters involves three principles”(22) and that some people may “psychologically or physically be unprepared to enter a Dumpster” (29). By stating the principles of Dumpster Diving and by stating that one needs to be physically and mentally prepared, practice and knowledge on Dumpster Diving is needed in order to perform the act. One needs to be educated in order to Dumpster Dive, and I saw that Lars Eighner was highly educated himself through his complex, structured phrases. One phrase that particularly caught my attention was, “I live from the refuse of others”(21). Eighner made this phrase more powerful by using the word “refuse” instead of its synonym trash. Eighner uses more powerful words to have a greater effect on his audience. Lastly, Eighner states that “those who disparage his profession are the fools, not he” (25) and this statement is speaking to the audience. If one still believes that Dumpster Divers are uneducated and do not understand the purpose Eighner is trying to get at, then they are the uneducated ones, not Eighner and his fellow divers.
In On Dumpster Diving, Lars Eighner uses language that would appeal to the middle class. In the first paragraph or so, Eighner describes Dumpster Diving with definitions and words that sound more intelligent like "foraging" and "scavenging" and "scrounging." This would also lead the reader to believe that the writer is educated and therefore would be more inclined to read the rest of the essay. Another tool that he uses to jazz up the idea of dumpster diving is his use of capitalization. In the first sentence, Eighner capitalizes the word "Dumpster," as if he is referring to an important tourist attraction. This act creates a different feeling when the reader sees the word "Dumpster" rather than "dumpster." We as readers are less inclined to have a negative view on the word. I also think the fact that he himself seems educated and that he started Dumpster diving before becoming homeless draws the reader into the story.
This essay is intended to instruct it's audience about the life of a dumpster diver, but not only does it instruct, it also has a personal aspect to it. Because he himself is a dumpster diver, we get an inside look on his life and what he feels. If this essay had been written by someone who happily buys food and other necessities at stores, the essay would have been very different and much less effective. The mix of instruction and personalization connects the reader to the essay more.
In "On Dumpster Diving," Eighner uses language that is clearly directed towards a specific educated audience. Even in the beginning paragraphs of the essay, his purpose is clearly expressed: Eighner wants to educate people so that they might not look down upon dumpster diving. He attempts to establish credibility by stating the origins of the word dumpster, and the reasons for his capitalizing the word. In capitalizing "Dumpster," a different tone is created than if he had not done so, and the reader is inclined to start looking at his profession with more respect. Then, he says that "[he] began Dumpster diving about a year before [he] became homeless" (21). This clarification, again, demands respect from the reader, because Eighner is stating that his Dumpster diving is not out of necessity but out of passion. He then goes on to discuss the various terms he uses to describe dumpster diving––like scavenging, scrounging, and foraging––and their different connotations. This discussion furthers his authoritative claim: educated people are the ones who put that much thought into their everyday word choice. As exemplified through these three examples––the definition of dumpster diving, the capitalization of dumpster, and his discussion of word choice––Eighner is attempting to prove to his educated audience that they should listen to him by showing them that he is not so different from themselves in terms of education; in other words, Eighner is establishing his authority within the first few paragraphs so that the rest of his essay is not discounted solely because of the author.
By using all three aspects of rhetoric, Lars Eighner is largely successful in articulating his point that Dumpster diving is worthwhile. Through logos, Eighner argues logically for his favor by praising Dumpster diving, given its ability to help savings, the pure interest it inspires in divers, and the resourcefulness of it. With pathos, Eighner causes the reader to feel emotions about Dumpster diving that he/she might not have experienced before. Eighner expects that his audience detest Dumpster diving for its apparent filthiness and wastefulness of time. He aspires to prove that Dumpster diving is, in fact, worthwhile by connecting his usage of logos and pathos with ethos- the aspect of rhetoric that he embraces most. He spends a great deal of time in his essay establishing himself as a respectable individual that is educated, and that was not always a Dumpster diver. He goes on about how he wrote this dictionary reference, and had that intelligent discussion, further trying to prove himself as a dignified intellect. By establishing this authority as an author, his points through his logos are more readily accepted. Furthermore, the reader is more comfortable relating through pathos to the expressed emotions of the author as he recalls diving experiences. Thus, the ethos that Eighner uses to empower himself as an author is capable of convincing his audience that Dumpster diving is a fruitful way to live.
Lars Eighner writes about Dumpster diving not to persuade, but rather to instruct. The way the essay “On Dumpster Diving” is structured resembles that of a guidebook, teaching one how to dumpster dive with efficiency, and giving seasoned advice here and there. The way he addresses his audience is characterized in a conversational manner, making it seem like a personal conversation. The purpose of the essay as a whole is to through his remarks and statements, underline a key idea that everything has some meaning to it, and that those who waste are ultimately “fools”. Eighner portrays that there is mostly something good in anything that seems bad, with the usage of Adverbs of Frequency, for example “usually safe”, “often discarded”, or “fairly often”. By doing this, it makes the reader think that theres another side to the story, theres more to ordinary object than what one usually thinks.
On a rhetorical analysis note, the reason why readers are immediately captivated into this essay is because of his inclusion of ethos, pathos, and logos all together. He establishes credibility through his research in the beginning of the essay, and then he backs that credibility and legitimacy up when he brings up the fact that he “began Dumpster diving about a year before [he] became homeless”, which gives the readers a sense of understanding that Eighner knew what he was doing and he’s been experienced in the act. In addition to being instructive and “recommending” different techniques, this essay speaks a lot with pathos as well. He elicits emotions through his experiences with diving. His inclusion of Lizbeth and the things she finds makes it a whole different feeling, as well as the thought of how sentimental items can be gone in an instance also speaks to us as an audience. He takes us through a journey of his endeavors and we can feel his excitement when he finds yogurt, we can feel him contemplating how Lizbeth will grow up, and we can understand his emotions although we are not experienced dumpster divers like he is. Eighner then ends the informational packed essay with a simple statement saying “I am sorry for them”, which ties up the final loose ends of his point and brings home the idea that materialistic values are really nothing great at all. He takes Dumpster diving to a whole new level, making it an interesting hobby, rather than a dictated lifestyle.
In Lars Eighner's "On Dumpster Diving", he uses a specific structure and order to keep the reader interested enough to finish his work. To start, Eighner starts with developing his ethos, or his credibility. The first paragraph starts the essay off as being informative to give the reader an overall idea on the subject, but in the second paragraph, we learn that his intended audience is the educated class of people based on his use of adjectives: "scavenging", "scrounging", and "foraging". The authors choice of structure and order of the paragraphs and the topics of the paragraphs are important as well. After the first couple introduction paragraphs, the author continues to write about dumpster diving in general, and then in the following paragraphs, he writes about dumpster diving outside businesses, universities, and then the home. This is important because he had to list the topics in an order that would intrigue the educated reader. Educated people are interested in first, money,--or the business side of things--second, education because it helps you earn the money in the future, and thirdly, the home where work ethics are first learned. Also, the author interests the reader by offering his own educated ideas such as when he states, "I think of scavenging as a modern form of self-reliance" (Eighner 29). This shows the reader that the author is also knowledgable and has deeper thoughts than what might be perceived of a dumpster diver Although this essay contains a lot of stories and emotion, it's structure assures that the educated population will be interested in reading such a piece.
Lars Eighner establishes ethos, uses a simplistic and informative tone, and organizes his essay to appear as an instruction manual to teach his audience about Dumpster diving and change how people view it. Eighner begins his essay by stating that he conducted research “about the word Dumpster” (Eighner, 21). Immediately Eighner establishes ethos in his essay by showing that he has credibility and that he knows what he is talking about. He backs this up by using the phrase “long before I began Dumpster Diving” (Eighner, 21) to illustrate how Dumpsters were a hobby of his and that he knows what he is talking about because he has been diving for so long. Establishing ethos so quickly makes me think that Eighner feels as though he has something to prove and impart upon an audience that may look down upon what he does. In an effort to combat the notion that Dumpster diving is gross, he tries to change his audience’s perspective by explaining the root of the word and how he “dutifully capitalizing the word” (Eighner, 21). By capitalizing it, the word automatically has more honor by giving the effect that it is proper. In addition to ethos, Eighner uses a simple informative tone to make the topic more approachable to the audience and make it seem as something a person could easily do. He states that he prefers to use “the word scavenging” (Eighner, 21) when talking about Dumpster diving compared to “scrounging” (Eighner, 21) or “foraging” (Eighner, 21). Eighner defines words when he uses this technique. He makes the reader very aware of how he thinks is the best way to describe his occupation. In this way, he is being informative and simple by making sure his audience understands him. Eighner choses the word “scavenging” to describe Dumpster diving (Eighner, 21), because to him being a scavenger is an “honorable niche” (Eighner, 21). By spelling out exactly how he views Dumpster diving, he creates the image that it is a necessary and worthy job, not something to be looked down on.
From pages 22 through 29 Eighner organizes his essay to appear as an instruction manual by giving explicit rules about how to Dumpster dive, where to Dumpster dive, what is safe to eat, what is not safe to eat, the ethics of a good Dumpster diver, and by explaining the pitfalls that new Dumpster divers often face. Eighner continues to establish ethos and uses his informative tone during this portion of the essay as well. Eighner uses phrases like “I recommend,” (Eighner, 22) “I tend,” (Eighner, 26), and “I avoid” (Eighner, 27) to show his credibility and experience. It makes him appear as a guide or a mentor. He often phrases sentences when describing rules on what is safe or not safe to eat by directly instructing the audience. One example is “Bulging, rusty, and dented cans and cans that spew when punctured should be avoided, especially when the contents are not very acidic or syrupy” (Eighner, 22). By provide direct and explicit information through tone, this sentence sounds like it belongs in an infomercial or an instruction manual. By referring back to specific rules he follows, Eighner establishes ethos by showing his credibility and knowledge in such a specific and unique topic. The amount of knowledge that Eighner imparts onto his audience shows the effort and thought that goes into a Dumpster dive, and as a result, makes it appear as a more honorable task.
Lars Eighner’s essay ‘On Dumpster Diving’ offers a new perspective on a usually comical and scorned topic. Due to the nature of dumpster diving, the reader may not at first see the author’s purpose of showing the education, art, and talent required to dumpster dive. The first hint behind expressing the education of this is the simple observation that Eighner capitalizes the word “Dumpster”. When a word is capitalized, it in many cases means it is a proper noun. Eighner allows the reader to question its bold capitalization, but as the essay goes on, the word Dumpster earns an even more respectable connotation. He not only capitalizes it, but also attempts to rename ‘diving’ to scavenging so that his more educated and somewhat wealthy audience may more easily connect. The act of diving also seems animalistic and since Dumpster diving, or scavenging, as he prefers, is a “practical art” (22), he wouldn’t want to associate art with lesser animal behavior. Much of the essay discusses the process of choosing food and deciding what is safe to eat. The length of this discussion stresses the importance of learning the process and earning “experience” (25). Another important issue that comes up in the essay is the actions of a “new scavenger” (25) (do note that the author did not use the word diver). Eighner says that the disgust and self-loathing of a newcomer “passes with experience” (25). He wants to show that contrary to popular belief, one does not simply dumpster dive once and is then an expert. He attempts and achieves in showing that mastering the art of dumpster diving isn’t for the ignorant. The masters are in fact educated people who have the common sense to determine acceptable food and the perseverance to continue dumpster diving to reap the rewards.
In reading this essay, the first thing I noticed, like many others, was that "Dumpster" was capitalized. It is capitalized throughout the entire essay. In the first few paragraphs, the author is establishing ethos (credibility) by providing information on the history of the word "Dumpster." He then goes further on to describe his love for the art of Dumpster diving, giving the reader a sense of understanding about the writer's passion towards Dumpster diving. He explains that he himself began diving a year before he became homeless, which tells the reader that there is some personal experience behind what the author is saying. It seems that the author is trying to formalize the act of dumpster diving by making it appeal to those who would not normally do so. The tone throughout the essay is simple and informative, and overall the essay seems to be a sort of handbook that is intended to teach one how to successfully Dumpster dive, and how to "scavenge" and "forage" the most valuable items. The essay is intended for people who are of the middle class and wouldn't normally dumpster dive, but have some sort of interest in the topic. He wants to further educate the previously educated people by providing them with knowledge about Dumpster diving, so as for them not to look down upon it. He ends the piece by stating that he is sorry for the people who are not the wealthy nor the Dumpster divers, because he knows that for both the wealthy and the divers, they know that there is plenty more for them out there than what they already have, and the "rat-race millions" do not know what can be obtained.
I am not a dumpster diver, you are not a dumpster diver, and to my knowledge, no one reading this blog is a dumpster diver. When reading "On Dumpster Diving", an essay instructing one on how to dumpster dive, what keeps you - as a middle class person who doesn't have to result to this measure - stay interested in the content? The intended audience of this essay is educated with no experience with dumpster diving. Educated people are likely to respond respectably to a piece of literature that is well written and presented. Lars Eighner, the author of the essay, makes his first impression by establishing his credibility as an educated instructor in order to gain the audience's respect. This is evident when Eighner uses ethos to grab the attention of his audience. The fact that he uses ethos, immediately in the essay, shows how the respect the audience has for the piece of literature must be earned. The intended audience will typically not automatically give the piece their respect. The author's use of biological vocabulary establishes the author's credibility of knowledge and respect. Eighner specifically states, "I am a scavenger. I think it a sound and honorable niche" (21). When we presents these biology vocabulary terms,"scavenger" (21) and "niche" (21), he leaves an impression on the educated audience. The audience is able to realize that this author and his essay is respectable and worth your time to read. The author also uses vocabulary such as forager (21), "dysentery" (25), and "consumer" (21) to refer to himself. These biology terms provide the audience with evidence that this author is educated, just like the them, and that the essay is considerable at its start.
In Lars Eighner’s essay “On Dumpster Diving” he aims to gain respect for the activity of Dumpster Diving, which many people would immediately frown upon. By opening his essay with the establishment of his credibility, ethos, Eighner becomes a teacher to his educated, non-dumpster diving audience. It is evident through his use of lists that he is blatantly proving to the reader how wasteful humans are, perhaps without even realizing it. As he inspects the food available to him, Eighner notices, “many are discarded for minor imperfections that can be pared away.” Additionally, Eighner’s word choice throughout the essay is unexpected for someone who is homeless. His advanced vocabulary, such as “botulism”, “sinecure”, and “contingency” is used to gain respect from his audience and prove that diving in dumpsters is not limited to those who are uneducated.
This being said, I found it interesting and a bit contradicting for Lars Eighner to refer to the “prime time” of dumpster diving as “hunting season.” Throughout his essay, he was careful to use educated, respectable words. In contrast, the phrase “hunting season” portrays dumpster diving as an activity “animals” would do. The use of this phrase drags down the credibility of dumpster diving in my opinion.
Lars Eighner’s “On Dumpster Diving” is attempting to persuade his audience, the educated class, to change its perspective of dumpsters, and the idea of dumpster diving.
He uses first person narrative voice to demonstrate his personal connection and understanding of dumpster diving. Using the first person, Eighner employs rhetorical strategies like example, contrast and comparison, definition, cause and effect, and process. He uses the rhetorical strategy of example as he describes his experiences with dumpster diving continuously throughout “On Dumpster Diving”. The rhetorical strategy of contrast and comparison is employed many times, especially to compare the wealthy with the dumpster divers. He points out their differences in terms of wastefulness, but points out that “an attitude [he] shares with the very wealthy [is that they] both know there is plenty more where what we have came from” (30). Eighner pinpoints what separates the wealthy from the dumpster divers, but also what binds them together: a great usage of contrast and comparison. However, Eighner’s most assertive usage of rhetorical strategies is definition. He redefines the word dumpster, and gives this kind of mysticism to it. Dumpsters are redefined as “full of things of some potential value to someone” (25), a hodge podge of “the necessities of daily life” (22), and “perfectly good food” (22). By redefining the word Dumpster, the author is successful in aiming to persuade his audience to see his perspective. The author involves the rhetorical strategy of cause and effect to persuade. He explains how an effect of dumpster diving is “...the obsession to collect junk” (26), and hating “to see good stuff go to waste” (27). By describing the results of dumpster diving, the author displays how one finds a lot of stuff when dumpster diving, as if dumpsters contained riches of some sort. Therefore through cause and effect, the author is trying to persuade the reader to see dumpster-diving as resourceful. Like definition, Eighner’s usage of process is very influential. He explains what to do, how to do it, where to go, what to keep, and what to throw out. By doing so he paints a clearer picture of dumpster-diving and simplifies it for the reader, showing how easy and fun this activity is and essentially teaching his point: we live in a wasteful society that classifies things as good or bad without reason.
What makes Eighner’s article “On Dumpster Diving” effective is that it teaches how to dumpster dive, which is usually not a desirable learning experience, yet keeps the readers entertained with rhetorical devices. Throughout the article, the author uses diction carefully, the noun “Dumpster” is capitalized and words are italicized to make dumpster diving sound more like an established and even noble career. At the beginning of the essay, Eighner creates distance by telling the readers that he was once not a dumpster diver, stating, “long before I began Dumpster diving (21)”, in order to appeal to non-dumpster divers. And he further establishes ethos by citing the “Merriam Webster (21)” dictionary. Then he defines dumpsters, which from a very different perspective of what we see in our daily lives. And the next thing we know is that this knowledgeable intellectual suddenly turns into a homeless dumpster diver, and this gives the reader, who is most likely to be an educated crowd, the sense of importance of dumpster diving, because anyone is can become a dumpster diver. As the story goes on, the author makes use of questions such as “What is safe to eat? (22)” and “Why was this discarded? (22)”, making the dumpster divers seems like forensic scientists who are examining and evaluating their discoveries. The author also uses irony of the spoiled college students who spend “Daddy’s money” and discard food that are “unlikely to spoil in any reasonable time (24)” as a device to introduce more profound ideas of the society and culture. Overall, the article is has a didactic tone as Eighner first established credibility and then introduced the values of dumpster diving.
Lars Eighner's "On Dumpster Diving" serves as an informative piece--with a twist. Through plain reading of the text, the audience is able to observe, in simplest terms, an instruction manual intended for an open minded audience willing to listen to a "scavenger" with a tale to tell and a perspective to share. However, as a student of this piece of literature--unintended for myself-- i was able to take a step back from the text and really analyze as a whole the underlying progression of town that is slyly masked by the appearance of an informational essay. Once the author's credibility is established, through definitions, research, and personal experience, i found hints of personal regret and resentment towards the society (in part) that is both young and educated--namely college students. His contempt for these members of society is masked yet not well hidden over the course of his essay. He purposefully deflects personal details about himself or his past (how he became homeless) and, rather, focuses on the stories of others: its what he lives for! Specifically in regards to the young and educated, Eighner condescendingly shifts tones from selflessly explaining to disdainfully describing college students as "carless" "ignorant" and "wastefully", additionally, tacking on the observation that they are most wasteful with "Daddy's money". Overall, the author uses almost vicious descriptions to show his resent for college students in particular. However, he does so in a condescending way, almost in passing--the audience is barely able to pick up on it. His avoidance of self analysis and informative organization disguise his underlying annoyance for the young, perhaps their wastefulness reminds him of a younger version of himself--who did not know what he had until he lost it.
Lars Eighner’s “On Dumpster Diving” is most likely directed at an audience of the well educated in order to teach this social class the benefits of dumpster diving, a concept that, stereotypically, they would not associate with. Eighner pulls the reader in with his sophisticated and somewhat pretentious terminology. His extensive knowledge on “botulism”(22) gives him an immense amount of credibility as it reveals he puts a lot of time and effort into the act of Dumpster Diving. Evidently, he gains credibility, which strengthens his use of ethos. After establishing a sense of authority, Eighner switches gears into his use of pathos when saying, “I began Dumpster diving about a year before I became homeless”(21). The same tone can be seen in Eighner’s honest admittance of living “from the refuse of others”(21). He claims he is “a scavenger”(21). Eighner admits to the raw nature of Dumpster Diving and in doing so, he gains even more of the reader’s trust. Through the techniques of ethos and pathos, Lars Eighner is able to gain the trust of his audience in two different ways; that of education and that of honest, personal experience. By tapping into these two very different parts of the brain, Eighner successfully persuades his readers of the benefits of dumpster diving.
Because my previous post on this blog was premature, I would like to add onto and expand upon what I noticed rhetorically in this text. The language used in the very begging is typical of an educated scholar of sorts who is addressing other educated people--people who would most likely cringe at the thought of diving into a dumpster for livelihood. This is his way of connecting to the audience...right before he most abruptly states that he is a homeless dumpster diver. The way in which he says this (one line between two paragraphs, its content coming from out of the blue) really grabs onto the reader's attention. This entire essay is crafted by ethos, meant to educate people on the details and craft that is dumpster diving. Surprisingly, the tone of the essay is not sad at all (considering the topic at hand). There are subtle jokes placed in the essay, like when he talks about how he is a native Texan so the jalapeños put on the pizza would not dissuade him from eating it. Even his way of talking about his dog and how she will probably go into the trash when she dies because that was where she got her livelihood was not mentioned in a somber tone, but more of a matter-of-fact way.
Lars Eighner’s Dumpster Diving educates its reader about the mindset of a dumpster diver and persuades the reader to take a closer look into the action rather than just passing an automatic judgment on it. Eighner does this when he tries to relate with his reader in the beginning of his story by explaining that he “wrote the Merriam-Webster research service to discover what I could about the word Dumpster” (21). Eighner is relating to an educated and academic audience by bringing this up as an example as to his fascination with dumpsters. Eighner surprises his readers when he blatantly exclaims that he “began dumpster diving about a year after he became homeless” (21). He then further goes on to explain that “finding of objects is becoming something of an urban art” (22). He compares looking through trash for usable items to an art form. Eighner is making this comparison in order to justify his actions by explaining that it is an art form. Eighner works to create the image in the reader’s mind that dumpster diving is not gross and is rather a type of art; someone who is educated and credible can participate in. Eighner compares dumpster divers to the very wealthy by saying that they “both know there is plenty more where what they have came from” (30). He does this in order to illustrate to the reader that a dumpster diver is no better than a millionaire and both are similar in many ways, humanizing the dumpster divers. Eighner is successful in persuading his readers to consider the art of dumpster diving and to realize that dumpster divers are not that much different from wealthy citizens in society.
Lars Eighner successfully achieves the purpose of his essay “On Dumpster Diving” by his establishment of Ethos. His purpose is to teach his audience of educated, wealthy people who are not fans of dumpster diving about the benefits and advantages of dumpster diving, or “scavenging” as he calls it (21). Throughout the essay, Eighner uses sophisticated diction and even scientific logic to explain his point of view. He breaks down eating safely from dumpsters into three basic principles: “using the senses and common sense to evaluate the condition of the found materials, knowing the Dumpsters of a given area and checking them regularly and seeking always to answer the question, ‘Why was this discarded?”’ (22). These principles require logical and intellectual reasoning. Eighner isn’t just pulling out something edible and eating it. He explains that safety precautions are taken. Even by just capitalizing the word “Dumpster,” he gives takes away the filth and disgust people associate with the trash because he makes it a proper noun. Eighner explains the science behind food poisoning and ways to prevent botulism. He lists foods scavengers should be more careful of and signs that a food has botulin, which is a bacterium that causes food poisoning. He states that “heat can break down the botulin, but this requires much more cooking than most people can do to canned goods,” (22). This intellect establishes Ethos because it shows the reader that he knows what he is talking about and isn’t just some hobo digging in the garbage, which is what most of his readers would assume he is simply because it is the connotation that comes along with dumpster diving. He uses instructional diction and organizes this information similarly to a manual. He tells his audience the details that would be most important to them including nutrition, safety, and money saved and then presents these facts in categories. Through his sophisticated and instructional organization, lists, and diction, Eighner establishes Ethos, thereby achieving the purpose of teaching his educated audience about dumpster diving.
The rhetoric of this passage is essential to effectively convincing the audience of the value of dumpster diving, something that the reader is likely to be wary of. The main way the author implements rhetoric to achieve his purpose is seen in the very beginning of the essay. He establishes himself as intellectually credible, educated, and successful. The author achieves this by telling the reader that he wrote the Merriam Webster definition for the word "dumpster," which establishes his academic and intellectual integrity, since one must be both educated and intelligent to a certain degree in order to write an official definition for Merriam Webster. The author maintains academically formal language throughout the essay to maintain the credibility he established in the beginning, despite his content being about his various dumpster diving escapades. The descriptions of his activities that we normally associate with homeless people (who we, society, would not deem credible enough to write an effectively convincing essay) are effective in showing the reader the value of dumpster diving because of the credibility he establishes and maintains throughout the essay.
Paragraph #1 (had to post separately to upload):
Before going into the more specific details of devices and diction used in Eighner’s work as rhetoric, it is important to examine the rhetorical function of the general structure and organization of his piece. Before going into great detail about dumpster diving, the author eases the reader into the idea; first, by abstracting the subject into a more ‘educational’ setting—discussing definition, etymology, and usage—Eighner introduces the subject in a detached, nonabrasive setting and keeps the reader interested in the topic thusly. Once our attention has been captured he eases us into the application of actual diving—referring to it first as a type of “urban art” (22), then bringing up the point that “even respectable employed people” (22) will sometimes dumpster dive for objects, therefore allowing it to be a socially acceptable activity. Structuring it from abstracted activity to applied activity has already brought the reader to accept at some level an activity which, if broached directly without preface, might have been more easily written off and rejected by the reader. Eighner continues on to delve into the less acceptable aspect of dumpster diving: scavenging for food. This too, however, in its organization is ingenious in part: it begins with canned food which “all except the most phobic people would be willing to eat from…even if it came from a Dumpster” (22). By establishing that all normal people would eat canned food from a dumpster, the reader suddenly is no longer so abhorred by the idea of eating from a dumpster—as long as its safe like canned food. But then he begins to relate other foods to canned foods—they all have their little ticks that you have to be aware of, but if you’re careful, it’s all relatively safe. And now, having almost undetectably submerged us into the world of dumpster diving with hardly any resistance the author may begin to educate the reader on all the little details that make dumpster diving what it is, without significant judgment from the reader that would have existed had the topic not been introduced in this way. Eighner uses organizational tactics as persuasion for the validity of dumpster diving.
Paragraph #2:
When examined on a more specific level, Eighner’s diction and word choice are effective in inciting pathos, logos, and ethos for the use of rhetoric in his piece. As we discussed in class, he uses specific language—dissecting etymology and making a point of his correct capitalization of “Dumpster” even though “it was lowercased in almost all the citations Merriam-Webster” (21) used—to establish a certain ethos, some authority as a seemingly educated, well-expressed individual worth listening to at the very beginning of the piece. As we move farther into the piece, he maintains this ethos throughout, reminding us at the very end that lessons he learns from dumpster diving give him “an attitude [he shares] with the very wealthy” (30), thus equating himself to an affluent, successful member of society. He also makes use of of emotional connections to the reader through his word choice saying, “All except the most phobic people would be willing to eat form a can, even if it came from a Dumpster” (22). By the use of the word ‘phobic’, a connotatively negative word, he incites almost a repulsion in the reader to be anyone other than someone willing to eat from a dumpster. The reader does not want to be labeled as “phobic.” He incites this same kind of pathos when he states that people questioning the safety of his food “has always made [him] angry. Of course [he] would not offer [his] companion anything [he] had doubts about” (22). He makes the reader almost sympathize with him, feeling angry as well at anyone who might doubt his credibility as a friend or a scavenger…so why shouldn’t we trust him? Lastly, some examples of his use of logos to persuade the reader: "Eating safely from the Dumpsters involves three principles…and seek[s] always to answer the question, ‘Why was this discarded?’” (22). Eighner chooses specific words to evoke connotations of scientific approach and analysis when dealing with dumpsters. Words like “principles” and phrases like “seeks to answer” are trigger words for science and deep analysis; dumpster diving is a science, it is credible. Later when describing the rewards of dumpster diving he states that “[he] find[s] it refreshing to have work that rewards initiative and effort” (29). Using specific words like “refreshing” and “work” imply firstly that most people do not have work that rewards initiative and effort, because it is refreshing to find work which does, and secondly that dumpster diving could be almost equated to an occupation. Both establish credibility and exclusivity, which in turn evoke an emotional response in the reader as well, almost desiring themselves to become dumpster divers.
“On Dumpster Diving” is a genius essay written by Lars Eighner that informs the reader how one can live off of the waste of others. His sophisticated diction makes it clear that he is intelligent and that he is addressing an educated audience. His audience is clearly made of people who would have originally never considered Dumpster diving as a possibility and probably would have found it disgusting, but Eighner uses rhetoric in this piece to persuade his readers that living out of the Dumpster is totally doable. Right from the beginning, Eighner uses ethos as he informs his readers that he took the initiative to write Merriam-Webster to find out what he could about the Dumpster. His pretentious tone and his action to quell his curiosity shows how intelligent he is and immediately establishes credibility. Ethos is actually used quite often in this essay because he instructs his audience how to scavenge, almost like a teacher. For example, Eighner writes, “But eating from Dumpsters is what separates the dilettanti from the professionals.” Again, his complex diction helps him establish authority, and the manner in which he tells his readers the rules of Dumpster diving shows his usage of ethos.
Ethos, of course, is not Eighner’s only method of persuasion. He also uses logos to convince his audience how sensible Dumpster diving is. In his essay, Eighner provides three principles for eating safely from Dumpsters. These principles represent the logic in his argument, and through them, Eighner’s audience have proof that scavenging through Dumpsters can be done sensibly. Eighner also taps into his readers’ emotion with this essay. He mentions that he often finds pets in the Dumpsters. This makes many readers feel some type of emotion because they find it sad that some people can’t afford to do anything else with their beloved pets that have passed away. He makes it even sadder when he says, “So I suppose when her time comes she too will go into a Dumpster.” He is referring to his dog Lizbeth. This is extremely sad, especially for anyone that has a dog. Readers automatically empathize with him, which is exactly what his goal is. In this way, he uses pathos to get his audience to empathize with him and be more inclined to agree or at least listen to what he has to say.
"On Dumpster Diving," by Lars Eighner, is not an ingenious essay because of what it's written about, but by how it is written. His diction, tone, and rhetorical strategy turn a frankly disgusting topic into something interesting, something that leaves you thinking, "hey, maybe I could do that, too." He speaks in an educated tone and uses refined words to employ ethos to appeal to an educated audience and to earn their attention and respect. He appeals to their sense of pretentiousness, acting almost as if he is "one of them," thus establishing his credibility. He even writes about how he always capitalizes Dumpster and wrote to Merriam-Webster about the name of Dumpsters. Then, quickly, he changes subject, and breaks into "I began Dumpster diving about a year before I became homeless." The sudden shift into the mindset that this academic man, is, in fact, homeless, leaves the reader engrossed and wanting to know more. Eighner doesn't dwell on his homelessness or self-proclaimed "scavenger" status. On the contrary, it's presented factually, almost brusquely. The rest of the essay continues in similar fashion, with Eighner presenting the circumstances of his life factually. He is almost teaching the reader how to Dumpster dive, and the language he uses to do so maintains his credibility throughout the essay.
Lars Eighner uses rhetorical devices and his tone and diction while writing “On Dumpster Driving,” to show his readers a different perspective on dumpsters. Through out out the entire essay Eighner interestingly enough capitalizes “dumpster,” turning it into a proper noun, making the distinction that dumpsters are not “common”. I thought that was an interesting way to show his readers how important dumpsters are to him, when to us living in “the comfortable consumer life,” dumpsters are often associated with dirty thoughts, rotten smells, and images of unwanted things (21). Eighner holds dumpsters to a much higher standard than that of a consumer and he makes his views prevalent through how he talks to the reader. He considers himself to be a “scavenger” rather than an “scrounger,” the difference being that scavengers have to dig deep and find resourceful things, essentially recycling the old while scroungers just dig in people’s trash cans for cans/bottles to turn in for money. Eighner uses the phrase “even respectable employed people will sometimes find something…” to demonstrate that being a dumpster diver isn’t something to be ashamed of, because even “respectable, employed people” may dumpster dive (22). Eighner uses ethos quite a bit to make his reader feel for him and what he has to go through even though he considers it respectable. When Eighner says “As I have no access to health care, I often hoard…” he wants to make the read sympathizes for him and see how he has to try and live without health care (26). Eighner also uses Logos to almost in a way, boast about how good he has become at dumpster diving and how skillful he is, he even says that “from time to time one of [his] companions” will ask him for advice on what is safe to eat and what is not (22). Lastly, using such academic words such as respectable, confidence, avail, intrinsic, pristine, contingency, diligence and so forth, the author illustrates that he is very intelligent and he is educated which is something that would be unexpected of a dumpster diver. Through Eighners use of language, rhetorical devices, tone, and diction the reader comes to ultimately view dumpster diving in a completely new prospective than what one would have started out with, not necessarily better or worse, but just different.
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