The Know-It-All

For my IRB I am reading The Know-It-All by A.J. Jacobs. As I said in my previous blog, this book is broken up into chapters based on each letter of the alphabet. This week I am going to blog about letter D. In this chapter he describes letters from the Encyclopedia Britannica ranging from death to George Darwin.  He also gives us insight about his life such as stories from work and from his home life with his wife Julie.

The purpose of this chapter was to inform the readers about the fourth letter he has read on his journey to become the smartest man in the world and to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. The exigence of this chapter is that he would like to write about all 26 letters in the alphabet and explain his journey through reading each letter. This was just the fourth letter in his long journey. The audience of this book is individuals who enjoy memoirs and personal stories. It is also geared towards individuals who do not need a very interesting drama-like plot or a climax to keep them hooked. A book about a man trying to read the entire Encyclopedia is very interesting, but is not going to be like a soap opera, as this book is compromised mostly of facts.

The three most important rhetorical devices A.J. Jacobs uses are anecdote, satire, and structure. In order to keep the story from being a book solely on example words from the Encyclopedia Britannica, the author adds personal stories to the words and shows the reader how those words connect to his life. For example, under the word disease he talks about how his friends think he is a hypochondriac and recalls times when he was sick. It may seem boring, but these little personal touches add a lot to the story. A.J. Jacobs also utilizes satire throughout this chapter, and the whole book. To offer an example, under the word dance, he talks about a way to spice up the plot of American Idol, and ultimately makes fun of the show. These funny comments make the reader laugh inside and keeps them turning the pages. Lastly, structure is very important in this book. A.J. Jacobs lists the words in alphabetical order. He also bolds the word and then under it provides a brief explanation of that given word. This not only helps the reader organize each word in their minds, but also lets the reader know exactly when he is going to start a new word so all the information does not get meshed up int one.

I think that A.J. Jacobs gets his message across to the reader. He wants to show us one step in his journey, while adding personal stores and humor to lighten up the mood. He certainly does that by connecting the words with personal stories. This makes him more relatable and seem like a normal guy, not a crazy person who wants to read the Encyclopedia Britannica for fun. These personal stories and funny sense of humor make the reader want to turn the pages and read more.