Blog #9

Contrastive rhetoric came about with the purpose of teaching English to those whose first language is something other than English. It was taught in order to help people adapt to using English as an everyday language; to be creative, read and write successfully, and to have the ability to express their ideas in text. The ultimate goal is to help a person to fully adapt to using English as a primary language. Contrastive rhetoric teaches a person all aspects of English communication, such as conventions, discussion topics, writer’s authority, forms or writing, and the meaning of evidence. While the author explains what contrastive rhetoric is, he is also trying to shine some new light on the topic. He wishes that teachers will gain a new perspective on the teaching style and realize the other useful ways this style can be used. Contrastive rhetoric was intended to teach English, yet it can be used in other areas of teaching; it can be applied to cultural differences.

I consider Sherman Alexie’s article “I Hated Tonto (still do)” as a contemporary adaptation of contrastive rhetoric. Alexie is trying to bridge the cultural gaps between American Indian culture and the American culture. He grew up wanting to be the traditional white man and disliked his heritage because they were deemed insignificant, and Alexie wanted to be the hero that seduced women with his good looks and charm. In his article he is trying to express how Indians were portrayed and the irony behind it. As a child he loved movies with Indians, but as he grew up he cringed at the stereotypical portrayals of his people. Under all the fuss about movies Alexie is trying to explain how he felt growing up as an American Indian and the cultural differences. This article is an example of contrastive rhetoric because of the comparison of the two cultures and the emphasis on the differences from the eyes of someone considered “different”.