Name_________________________________ In Cold Blood Rhetorical Analysis
In column #1, note passages that reveal Capote’s attitude/tone towards his subject. Cite using MLA format. In column #2,
identify rhetorical strategies. In column #3, explain how the strategy or style helps to convey attitude. Ten entries required
from a variety of sections. Delete model entries.
QUOTATION
“Human brothers who live after us,
Do not harden your hearts against us,
For if you take pity on us poor fellows,
God will sooner have Mercy on you”
(n.p.).
“The land is flat, and the views
are awesomely extensive;
horses, herds of cattle, a white
cluster of grain elevators rising
as gracefully as Greek temples
are visible long before a traveler
reaches them” (3).
RHETORICAL STRATEGY OR STYLE
ELEMENT
EFFECT OR FUNCTION (how the rhetorical device conveys attitude)




Epigraph
Allusion
Apostrophe
Imperative sentence



Simile
Religious diction




This epigraph, which is an allusion to a poem by
Francois Villon, whose own sentence to death was
commuted, suggests that Capote will be making an
argument about capital punishment in the book.
The apostrophe is a direct address to the readers of
both texts; an imperative sentence, it is a call to action.
The comparison of the grain elevators to Greek temples
highlights the importance of farming to this
community.
The word “awesomely” suggests that this is God’s
country.
As a New Yorker, Capote appears to approach his
subject with respect and appreciation.