Reading Goal: Find sub-purposes, within the overall purpose of the book, that Roach accomplishes
Writing Goal: Analyze rhetorical strategies Roach uses for her overall purpose and sub-purposes
Death is a topic that makes many people uncomfortable, especially when the topic of religion comes up. Our society today is hesitant to believe in "life after death", or any sort of spiritual, supernatural explanation to what happens after we die. Providing evidence that proves and disproves the existence of an afterlife, author Mary Roach uses exemplification and personal diction to entertain and inform her readers.
The beginning of Spook starts with an aspect of religion many people are familiar with: church, and more directly, the Pope. People all over the world understand the Pope's significance as a religious leader, and even more at least know of the Pope. By using the Pope as a reference and example, readers are able to understand in more detail the afterlife beliefs they already know about or have heard about. Roach then shifts focus to evidence for reincarnation, where a person experiences afterlife on earth, and reaches the best form of afterlife after living many lives and getting rid of bad karma. She delves into researching reincarnation by explaining a trip she took to India to speak with a reincarnation specialist and meet some of his study subjects/clients/patients. the same can be said for her other examples. Since much of Roach's writing is written in a personal, anecdotal way that relies on examples, the book feels very real and makes her evidence seem more credible and informative.
Spook's author also uses personal, very conversational diction to make her nonfiction writing more entertaining. The book reads as if she is explaining the experiences she had while researching afterlives of many cultures, and is not completely serious or stereotypically boring. Each chapter explores a new topic within researching the afterlife, and though the scientific terms could get confusing, they are well explained and easy to follow. Roach's writing reads like something a real person would say while talking, and not some textbook that a student would study about afterlife theories before an exam. Her diction also builds a sort of pathos that makes readers think about the afterlife personally. Roach teaches, but it doesn't feel that way until after you realize you've learned a bunch of new things about, for example, reincarnation. She builds upon beliefs readers already have or consider, both proving and disproving the afterlife, and doesn't take a particularly religious side despite how awkward writing personally about a controversial topic like religion could become.
Mary Roach, the author of Spook, uses both personal, conversational diction and examples to inform and entertain readers with theories on the afterlife. It is refreshing, and doesn't focus on death, so the book is not uncomfortable.
Spook's author also uses personal, very conversational diction to make her nonfiction writing more entertaining. The book reads as if she is explaining the experiences she had while researching afterlives of many cultures, and is not completely serious or stereotypically boring. Each chapter explores a new topic within researching the afterlife, and though the scientific terms could get confusing, they are well explained and easy to follow. Roach's writing reads like something a real person would say while talking, and not some textbook that a student would study about afterlife theories before an exam. Her diction also builds a sort of pathos that makes readers think about the afterlife personally. Roach teaches, but it doesn't feel that way until after you realize you've learned a bunch of new things about, for example, reincarnation. She builds upon beliefs readers already have or consider, both proving and disproving the afterlife, and doesn't take a particularly religious side despite how awkward writing personally about a controversial topic like religion could become.
Mary Roach, the author of Spook, uses both personal, conversational diction and examples to inform and entertain readers with theories on the afterlife. It is refreshing, and doesn't focus on death, so the book is not uncomfortable.
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