David Foster Wallace writes a very thought provoking piece
of literature about a topic that not many people would put too much thought
into: lobster. He travels to Maine to discuss the Maine Lobster Festival, but
goes in depth about the ethics of eating lobster. Throughout this piece of
work, Wallace continuously asks questions hoping to get his readers thinking
about the things that many choose to ignore. He wants the reader to get more
involved within these subjects and by asking questions, he achieves that aspect
of his purpose. He gives his own perspectives on these issues, allowing the
reader to start to form a connection with him.
One question that he proposes is “Why is a primitive, inarticulate form of
suffering less urgent or uncomfortable for the person who’s helping to inflict
it by paying for the food it results in?” (Walter, 16). This question really
engages the reader to contemplate the nature of pain to something that is not
human. He is trying to start a conversation that evolves into something more,
something universal. He wants the reader to feel this connection to him by giving
them his views on these questions, but he does not do it explicitly. He does a
fairly good job of giving generalized opinions, allowing him to develop a
deeper connection with his audience, since they won’t be completely bogged down
by his opinions. One thing that I think
really allows him to connect with his reader are the footnotes that he uses on
most if not all of his pages. The footnotes provide the reader with more side
information as well as elaborating on the issues and opinions that Waller has. By
doing this, none of his claims or arguments are lost to all the opinions that
he might have. Through his reflections,
he continues to keep his audience engaged because of the new questions that
arise. The second to last concluding paragraph blasts his audience with
rhetorical questions, all which have arrived from the reflections that he
has done during his time in Maine.
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