Close Reading #2 -Oct.21- "Mr. Romney's Version of Equal Rights"

"Mr. Romney's Version of Equal Rights" http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/18/opinion/mr-romneys-version-of-equal-rights.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

In the article "Mr. Romney's Version of Equal Rights", the author (who is not specified in the article) uses the literary techniques, diction, details and imagery to show the audience how Mitt Romney's position on equal treatment between men and women is harmful to his campaign.

The diction used in the article gives the audience the impression that Mitt Romney is struggling to appeal to voters that are concerned about equality between genders. When the author writes "On Tuesday night, he bumbled his way through a cringe-inducing attempt to graft what he thinks should be 2012 talking points onto his 1952 sensibility.", the word choice they used shows how Romney had stumbled through topics during the presidential debate. The word "bumbled" gives off an awkward feeling, which goes along with "cringe-inducing", which gives off a painful feeling (due to the awkwardness , elevating the awkwardness impression that the audience receives. The author also states that Romney had "fumbled" over the topic of funding planned parenthood. The word fumbled gives off a struggling feeling, that Romney had trouble while trying to take a clear stance, without making himself sound like a bad guy.

Details given in the article show Romney's confusion when it comes to taking a clear stance on a topic. The author first gives Romney's statement about how he believes that people in Washington or employers should not be able to tell a woman whether she should use contraceptives or not. But afterwards the author adds: "Perhaps Mr. Romney forgot that he vetoed a bill as Massachusetts governor in 2005 that would have given women who were raped access to emergency contraception, or that he supported an amendment this year that would have allowed any business to opt out of the contraceptive mandate, or that he has said he would support a state constitutional amendment that would declare that life begins at conception — potentially making some kinds of contraceptives illegal.". By including Romney's past decisions and promises, the author   indirectly states that Romney is clueless about what his stance is on contraceptives. The audience sees through this detail that Romney is unable to make a set choice, which can cause problems if is was to become president, which can cause people to change their vote.

Finally, the imagery in the article shows the audience how "incorrect" Romney's statements are. When the author writes "At this point we could practically hear his political consultants yelling 'Stop!'",  the image shows that his statements are so bad, that the author believes that Romney's consultants would be trying to get him to stop talking. It also gives off a feeling of severity, since his consultants are "yelling" at him. Another image is when the author states "True equality is not satisfied by allowing the little lady to go home early and tend to her children.". This image makes the woman feel small, and dainty, especially with the use of the word little. The image also is similar to what maybe Romney's thoughts on women are, that they are able to work, but they aren't able to for too long since they have to go home and tend to the family. So by using the image, the author is saying that Romney's thoughts on what is right for a working woman are not correct, and in fact are not fair.

Overall, the author is able to show Romney's flaws through his essay using the literary techniques. By doing so, the author is better able to get through to the audience, and perhaps even change their opinion on the presidential candidate.