Shame: Rhetorical Analysis

Distinguished activist and comedian, Dick Gregory, in his essay, “Shame,” crafts a story of the first time he remembers feeling ashamed. Gregory’s purpose is to share with his readers the story of how he learned the real meaning of shame, and how it has gone on to affect his life. He achieves this purpose through the use of strong imagery, negatively connotative diction, and the use of figurative language.

Dick Gregory makes use of strong imagery throughout his essay, often describing in great detail his life as a young boy growing up in an impoverished family. Gregory's use of details such as when he describes the day he learned the meaning of shame. He states, “It was on a Thursday. I was sitting in the back of the room, in a seat with a chalk circle drawn around it. The idiot’s seat, the trouble-maker’s seat.” (paragraph 4).  Gregory’s use of imagery puts the reader into the situation Gregory was in as a young boy, and allows them to better understand just how humiliated Gregory felt that day.  Clearly, Dick Gregory’s use of imagery illustrates his argument by displaying the disadvantage he faced.

Gregory’s repeated use of words with strong negative connotations set the reader up to truly understand how his confrontation with his teacher that day impacted his childhood, and even his life. Gregory stresses how shame had overcome his life, becoming omnipresent, a looming cloud over most of his childhood. He describes shame in things such as community outreach efforts, saying, “There was shame in going to the Worthy Boys Annual Christmas Dinner for you and your kind…” (paragraph 28). His use of the strongly negative words “you and your kind” illuminate how alienated he felt because of his family’s social standing. This serves to further Gregory’s purpose by depicting one of the many repercussions present in his life after the day he first felt ashamed.

Author Dick Gregory employs many examples of figurative language in his essay to communicate his purpose to his audience. His use of metaphors such as when he describes himself as “...pregnant with cold and pregnant with shoes that were never bought for me…” (paragraph 5). This advances his purpose by showing the reader how his poverty was something unavoidable, a permanent part of him. Additionally, Gregory expresses his desperation and the gravity of his struggles by saying, “..the whole world heard the teacher that day, we all know you don’t have a Daddy.” (paragraph 28). Evidently, Gregory includes this hyperbole to conclude his essay and give a sense of finality to his audience. The reader sees just how devastating the effects of his teacher's words were, and understands what the meaning of shame is to the author.

    Shame is an essential part of life. It is an emotion that most experience at some point, and something everyone can learn from. By expressing the first time he felt ashamed, Gregory makes a connection with the reader that leaves them with a lasting impression. The many rhetorical devices employed within the essay leave the reader satisfied, and assures the author’s purpose has been communicated.