RLM 1
Angela Reyes, Chelsea Lee, Ali Molaei
Ms. Sweeney
AP English Lang 4
October 14, 2013
The Rattler: A Rhetorical Analysis
When faced with difficult decisions, sometimes necessary but unwanted choices must be made. In “The Rattler,” a farmer is obliged to kill a snake in order to protect the others on his farm. Since “the sport in taking life is a satisfaction [he] can’t feel,” it is likewise his struggle demonstrates the respect he holds for the majestic reptile. Through detail, point of view, and syntax, the narrator captures the man’s appreciative and sympathetic feelings toward sacrificing the snake’s life to fulfill his duty of defending the weak.
The use of detail supplies the reader with a well defined picture of both the snake and the man’s motives and intentions. For example, when the snake rattles his tail, he plays his
"little song of death." The phrase “little song of death" suggests power and aggression, because it insinuates that the snake tries threatening the man. The snake "[shakes] and
[shakes]" while the man tries to kill him as if playing a game, trying to lure its opposition into a trap. On the other hand, after killing the snake, the man describes the scene as "pitiful."
The man "[does] not cut off the snake's rattles," because he does not feel proud of killing a living creature. For the man, their encounter had much more meaning because his respect for nature was making him upset about the result of the showdown but the snake was focused on the spark of adrenaline it had ignited. The narrator implements the story with excellent visuals, which accentuate how the man had to push himself to do the undesirable

RLM 2 after realizing he had no alternative.
In addition, the feelings of both the man and snake are displayed by the author’s use of first person as his point of view. When the man acknowledges he had made “an unprovoked attack” on the snake as if he should not have initially bothered it, the audience is immediately informed that the reptile stands confident by itself, acting as a looming presence oppressing the man. After the snake has been killed, the man demonstrates his humanity and respect for the creature by dealing with the its dead shell as honorably as he can. To him, the aftermath was “pitiful” and “did not cut off the rattles for a trophy” , meaning there was no pride in what he had done. Also, remorse is conveyed when he reflects on how “[he] might have let [the snake] go… self-respecting in departure.” The author’s use of a first person as a perspective informs the reader that this man was not a killer, but was simply protecting others around him.
Moreover, syntax emphasizes the firm conviction of the farmer’s need to do the imperative and the snake’s taunting