Rhetorical Analysis: Rhetorical Devices in “Born a Crime”

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                                                                  Rhetorical Devices in “Born a Crime”

                In his book, Trevor Noah arguably provides an almost-perfect description of the segregation resulting from racism and its consequent impacts. Therefore, there is no doubt that the main theme portrayed in the book is that of racism and its impacts. Trevor uses his life experiences as a mixed-race child whose father was a Swiss and his mother a Xhosa. At his birth, the apartheid regime was at its peak, thereby making his very existence a crime. Though his story is encouraging and rather comical, it provides a background of how difficult people’s lives are made by the separations created based on gender. It can be argued, however, that what makes Trevor’s story so impactful is the way he uses words and literary devices to make the story captivating. The significance of rhetorical devices in the construction of any literary work is highlighted herein, seeing that Trevor’s use of elements such as metaphors and similes make the story so impactful and captivating for the reader. Through these devices, Noah makes rather intense and serious societal issues seem relatable and comical at the same time, thereby eliminating the solemnness that should otherwise prevail in such a story.

                                                                              Rhetorical Analysis

                 As previously stated, what makes Trevor’s story so intriguing is not only its contents but also its use of rhetorical devices such as metaphors and similes. One instance where a metaphor has been used to highlight race and racism is when Trevor states that “...the Xhosa played chess with the white man” (Noah 4-5). This metaphor has been used to show the strategy used by the Xhosa to regain power and establish their dominance over the white man. Rather than approaching the situation in violence, the Xhosa people used their intellectual abilities and calculations to defeat the power imbalances at the time. The reader can see how comparable Xhosa’s strategy is akin to that of chess. Chess is a game that requires intense thinking and analysis of the game and the opponent to help understand all the factors that may lead to a win. For the Xhosa, they needed to understand the white men and find ways of taking power without having to lose lives. Another use of metaphors is when Noah says, “Imagine being thrown out of an airplane” (Noah 31). This metaphor describes the difficulties Noah underwent during the apartheid as a mixed-race child. His experiences were as painful and traumatic as that of being thrown out of a plane and breaking bones. In this metaphor, Trevor shows that there are better ways to handle a situation like this, for instance, using a parachute. This metaphor is compared to Noah’s revelation that other mixed-race children were living abroad. Thus, Trevor wonders whether living abroad could have presented an easier and better life, contrary to the one he was living in. “I became a chameleon” (Noah, 56). Here, Noah compares his tactics for survival to that of a chameleon, that is, camouflage. He knew that he had to fit in with the rest of the group and blend in with everyone. As such, Noah adopted new ways of changing his mannerisms, language, and accent to fit in with every group, seeing that the society he lived in defined people based on their color.

                  Another dominant rhetorical device used in the story is similes. For instance, Trevor states that, “As the gazelle runs from the lions, I ran” (Noah 16). Noah uses a simile in this case to describe his act of running away fervently and determinedly after they were threatened by the minibus driver. His run is compared to that of an antelope that runs away from a predator to save its life. From the way his mother pushed Noah and risked his life, it was obvious to Noah that his life was in danger. Thus, he ran speedily and without looking back, just like an antelope would if it knew that a predator was at its tail. Another simile is used when he states, “It was an ocean of black like someone had opened a tap, and all the black had come pouring out” (Noah 57). Here, Noah describes how vast the black students are at his school, a fact that he had been previously unaware of because he was enrolled in a class of white children. In South Africa, at the time, white and black children used to study in different classes. However, he was unaware of this separation, thus acting so surprised when he learned that his school had black children.

               Conclusively, through the use of metaphors and similes, Trevor Noah helps the reader create an image of what he is trying to describe. The use of these rhetorical devices makes the study so engaging and captivating, so much to make the reader unable to get through with the story. Trevor uses these devices to help the reader understand the concept of race and racing and how it has impacted his life. Indeed, he, as a crime, faced severe difficulties as a mixed-race child in a country so dominated by apartheid. Ergo, such rhetorical devices are imperative in such a story to make it as relatable to the reader as possible.

                                                                            Work Cited

Noah, Trevor. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African childhood. Hachette UK, 2016.