Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Hi there! Can somebody please tell me where my rhetorical analysis essay stands? I am open to any feedback.
In his 2022 memoir, actor and Chinese immigrant Simu Liu sympathizes with immigrants, and more broadly, anyone dealing with situations out of their control, to accept that change is not always going to look perfect. However, there will always be light on the other side of that ominous wall; all it takes is commitment. Simu Liu accomplishes this through his use of shifting diction, from humorous to serious, and selection of detail
Simu Liu uses shifting diction to develop how feelings of uncertainty always arise when change enters the picture. On one hand, Canada is depicted as an “idyllic paradise” full of “endless affection” (Liu 8-9). This line of comparison shows Liu’s initial excitement for the foreign country. Although he has no control over the situation, Canada seems like the perfect place to start anew, which in Simu Liu’s case, is simply an early new beginning. Simu Liu’s own actions depict his initial excitement, showing how he is “dutifully” studying his English flashcards to prepare for Canada, or how he dressed up in an outfit of “absolute fire” the day his Father arrived. (Liu 26, 39). Both of these instances add on to how this change seemed exciting for Liu as he was willing to go through great efforts to prepare. From earnestly studying English-Chinese flashcards to dressing up in his most exquisite attire to greet his future caretaker, Liu takes measures to prepare for this change, and his language depicts his exciting efforts. However, the shift to uncertainty becomes apparent when Liu’s father actually arrives. Liu uses words such as “foreign,” “disembodied,” and “unknowable” to describe how everything about his father is new. Unlike the exciting “new” of Canada, Liu’s father, the person taking him away from routine, carries a different kind of new, surrounded with an aura of uncertainty, anxiousness, and simply, fear. To Liu, the act of immigrating to Canada became complex. Canada itself carries excitement, but the act of leaving behind everything else carries fear. This complexity is further highlighted by Liu’s selection of detail. Liu chooses to add the detail of “He xing lu” to have the comparison between foreign Canada and the familiarity of China.(Liu 12). Liu chooses to add that his grandparents were “dreading letting [him] go” to show that everybody, not just Liu himself, were anxious of this change. (Liu 35-36). Most significantly, Liu chooses to add his own imaginations regarding his father’s arrival, sharing that he imagined that reuniting with his father would mean “embracing him enthusiastically” without any “reservations” to have the comparison of imagination versus reality. (Liu 64-67). Through these instances of selection of detail, Liu drives home the idea that change was not easy. To him, and even those around him, change was not perfect. Change involved leaving behind familiarity, in return for unknowns. Change meant going “home” with a “foreign” man, leaving behind his preexisting “home” with his “familiar” family. To Liu, change was inevitable, and it was ugly.
But through it all, Simu Liu, the world-famous actor starring in multiple films and tv shows, shows that change is okay. Even the title of his memoir, We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story, shows that immigration was a reason why he was able to become a superhero. Simu Liu wrote this memoir to depict how change, specifically immigration, can be difficult and scary. Yet it takes commitment, finding your place in a new environment, and accepting change to allow oneself to grow and blossom. If Simu Liu had not immigrated, he would not have become the famous Chinese-Canadian actor portraying Shang-Chi. But he did, and it allowed him to become who he is today. His success story shows anybody in the world dealing with change, that change does not have to be a period in one’s sentence. Change can be a comma, because one’s story does not stop telling even when things are different.