SWA #10

Title: Rhetorical Analysis of Print Articles
Thesis: In Patton Oswalt's "Wake Up, Geek Culture. Time to Die," the use of humor and nostalgia bring readers to believe that in order to allow pop culture's continued existence, we much first let it almost "die."

I.   Nostalgia is a major factor in the author's argument.
   A.   Goes back to "geek culture" from the 1980's to appeal to his audience
      1.   brings up old movies and games (Dungeons & Dragons, Monty Python, Star Wars, etc.)
   B.   Nostalgia concerning childhood memories
      1.   speaks of the social life of the "nerd"
      2.   brings back memories of grade- and high-school times
II.  Humor also plays a big part
   A.   Self deprecating humor
      1.   "waist deep in the hot honey of adolescence"
      2.   "I was never going to play sports, and girls were an uncrackable code"
   B.   Humor about pop culture
      1.   "The LOTR used to be our and only ours simply because of the sheer goddamn thickness of the books"

Conclusion:  Through the use of nostalgia of childhood, humor, and the emotional ties to losing the specialness of loving something that others do not help Patton Oswalt make his case in "Wake Up, Geek Culture. Time to Die."