Rhetorical Analysis Of Seabiscuit An American Legend

Rhetorical Devices Examined in Seabiscuit: An American Legend How does a scrawny, bitter, and lazy horse become the champion of 33 races and holder of 13 track records? A heroic symbol to the United States, Seabiscuit was the epitome of how persistence, courage, and dedication are enough to transform an underdog into a victorious winner. During the 1930s, when America was still in the grip of the Great Depression, Seabiscuit managed to capture the nation s imagination and unite the country. With the help of the radio, a novel invention which made live broadcasts viable coast to coast, the country was able to follow the tale of the classic underdog and discover how the little horse with a big heart overcame a career ending injury to win†¦show more content†¦His rags-to-riches career as a bicycle salesman turned automobile dealer and then distributor. It also describes the accidental death of his son in a car accident, the collapse of his first marriage, and the introduction o f horse racing to Tijuana in conjunction with the economic effects of Prohibition. Additionally, the reader learns the the circumstances under which Howard met and married his second wife, Marcela, and the unusual chain of events that encouraged Howard’s involvement in horse racing. Another key figure is Seabiscuit’s trainer, Tom Smith, an old cowboy with an intuitive understanding of horse psychology. Smith, a man of few words but a brilliant trainer of horses, learns to approach each horse as an individual and to tailor training methods. These unorthodox training techniques helped cure Seabiscuit of several of his bad habits, including his reckless behavior towards jockeys. Seabiscuit s primary jockey, John â€Å"Red† Pollard, was an impoverished rider struggling to pursue his financially unstable dreams. So desperate to make money, Pollard outworked himself doing strenuous tasks to make it by. Pollard was even rendered blind in his right eye while exercising a horse for only fifty cents. Visually damaged by a clump of dirt that struck him in the head and plagued by injuries to his shoulder and his leg served as stressors that rendered Pollard