Analysis Of Hillbilly Elegy A Memoir Of A Family And...

Every year, there are millions of people that suffer from mental illness, addiction, or both. Not only do the people who have a mental illness or addiction suffer, but so do their families, friends, and loved ones. Therefore, mental illness and addiction are two topics that can easily spark controversy when it comes to two areas of concern: blame and solutions. Many people have strong feelings when it comes to the institutions and processes surrounding mental illness and addiction. Ex-marine, Yale Law School Graduate, and hillbilly-at-heart J.D. Vance wrote a book titled Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis which includes parts his connection to addiction primarily through his mother and his personal view on the†¦show more content†¦Throughout the conclusion of the memoir, he makes his views on the existence of issues in the hillbilly community very prominent. For example, Vance directly states his views on the state of despair within the community of the hill people in this quote: These problems were not created by the government or corporations or anyone else. We created them, and only we can fix them. Another quote that showcases this ideology is I don t know what the answer is, precisely, but I know it starts when we stop blaming Obama or Bush or faceless companies and ask ourselves what we can do to make things better. The fact that Vance consistently reiterates this idea in the conclusion shows that there is an extremely likely chance that Vance strongly believes that issues such as addiction and mental illness and the processes in which they develop are not the result of wrong-doings of the government, but the self-inflicted consequences of a, not only hillbilly, but human tradition of making bad choices. However, direct statements in the conclusion is not the only way that Vance insinuates this belief. Even though Vance directly states his stance in the conclusion, throughout the entirety of the memoir, he uses some of the tools of rhetoric, the art of persuasion, to try to persuade his audience to agree with him. One rhetoric tool that he uses very well is issue control. The three sub-tools of issue control are blame, values, and choice; all of which Vance uses. ForShow MoreRelatedHillbilly Elegy Analysis938 Words   |  4 Pagesglorify the good and ignore the bad in ourselves.† (20) J.D. Vance introduces his readers to a world which many didn’t know existed, the world of white working class people, known as hillbillies, living in Rust Belt towns. Vance gives an inside look by telling stories of his life that are common circumstances in the hillbilly society. But as he says in the quote above, humans, no matter their race, background, or hometown, have a tendency to stretch the truth. Often we avoid putting ourselves or thoseRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Hillbilly E legy Essay1776 Words   |  8 Pagespoorest white American which describes themselves as hillbillies as they reside in the eastern Kentucky. In his personal analysis of culture in crisis of hillbillies, J.D. Vance tries to explain, in his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, what goes on in the lives of people as the economy goes south in a culture that is culturally deceptive, family deceptive, and in a community, whose doctrine of loyalty is heavily guarded. Like every poor Scot-Irish hillbilly in his community, Vance came from being poor, like