Imagine this... Up, Simba

Long-winded author George Wallace effectively uses a unique tone and imagery to reach his audience of young, politically involved, Rolling Stone readers in his article, Up, Simba.

As someone who for the most part fits this demographic, I firstly felt his tone pulled me in by using sarcasm. In a generation where instant gratification is often necessary, humor for me is a completely effective way of grabbing attention and communicating a message. In using quotations around things that McCain said, for instance, he emphasizes that he in fact would never take a similar stance. “…it’s what makes McCain’s ‘causes greater than self-interest’ thing easier to swallow.” He implies that he doesn’t fully agree with what the politician is claiming without having to state it directly, which makes him appear more credible in taking a political stance on the situation. I think that for an audience of younger readers, we don’t like to be forced in to thinking a certain way; therefore, Wallace’s tactic here is effective in letting us interpret his ideas and opinions as we choose.

Also, his use of a personal, relaxed tone was successful while I felt like he was speaking directly to me. He didn’t resort to using any fluff to conceal what he was saying but rather communicated it how he saw it. By using things like slang, incomplete sentences and hypothetical questions, an audience would feel more comfortable reading opinions on a highly controversial topic. It doesn’t feel like we’re being forced to read a traditional print textbook but rather something that is relevant and applicable to our own generation and personal lives.

I lastly found his very descriptive imagery to be successful in making the reader envision his exact situation in order to get a better feel for his argument. He will often ask us to “imagine this,” or “try for a moment to feel this,” and follow it up with something that he himself experienced or witnessed. Even though I wouldn’t have initially agreed with all of his claims at first glance, this technique put me at a place where I could see from his own eyes and ultimately sympathize with his case.