Tow #6 - I’m Single, Grieving My Husband’s Death, and Ready to Mingle - (Janine Collins)

In I’m Single, Grieving My Husband’s Death, and Ready to Mingle, Janine Collins attempts to begin a new social life after her husband’s passing. However, this proves to be a more difficult task than she anticipated. Although Collins might not be a well-respected author, her ethos is still apparent as she has experienced the effects of a loved one dying. Her credibility helps strengthen her purpose, which is to show that, although a person might seem fine after their significant other’s death, it is a truly difficult road to travel. Any positivity is likely faked. For this reason, her audience is those who have recently lost loved ones. These people are expected to move on, but Collins’s satire shows them it is perfectly normal to find this difficult. One rhetorical device Collins uses is sarcasm. She uses this to lighten the mood for the audience, who is struggling through grief. For example, she proclaims, ironically, “I’ve got a brand-new cocktail dress and a devastating personal tragedy...so it’s time to hit the dance floor!” It is clear that Collins does not intend her words to be taken seriously - rather, she is attempting to lighten the heavy mood associated with suffering loved ones.Another rhetorical device Collins uses is colloquialism. In another attempt to lighten the heavy mood, she uses slang terms and informal language to appeal to her audience. She writes, “So everyone better watch out for this single gal on the prowl...I’m ready to go a little wild!” This form of text is used by Collins to give her essay a conversational tone. Finally, Collins uses a short-sentence structure to show the importance of certain ideas. The most important sentence of the essay is rather short. She writes, “I miss you every day, Michael.” This line, above else, illuminates that the essay is indeed a satire, as Collins is trying to cope with her husband’s death and show others that it is perfectly acceptable and normal to find it hard. Ultimately, Collins is very successful in achieving her purpose. She appeals successfully to her audience using colloquialism and sarcasm, and she drives her purpose home through her short sentence structure.