Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out

SOAPSTone- Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out

Meredith Scroggin

Subject

The subject of Dave Barry’s Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out is the difference between men and women. This difference is illustrated through women always wanting to clean and men always wanting to watch sporting events. Men don’t see dirt like women do and women don’t want to watch sports like men do.

Occasion

Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out was written in 1988. The essay’s time of creation is displayed by the author putting such a great emphasis on the World Series when that’s not usually the sport men care most about. The probable place of the essay’s creation is wherever he wanted it to be created.

The time and place of the essay’s creation influence the essay in no way at all and is irrelevant to his main points.

Audience

Barry’s specific audience for Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out is adults, probably married, with a sense of humor. The audience is identified by dealing with issues that usually only adults would deal with. Anyone could benefit from this essay just because it’s so funny. It’s expressed through his humor.

Purpose

Barry’s purpose in Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out is to entertain the audience. There isn’t any real reason to write such a funny essay except for the fact that it makes people laugh. Part of the humor starts off in the first paragraph when he says “Babies of both sexes have a very low awareness of dirt, others than to think it tastes better than food.” This kind of quote gives it a humorous tone, making the purpose to entertain.

Speaker

Dave Barry, a columnist, believes we should laugh. This value is illustrated through his humor and how he tries to make us laugh while reading his piece.

Dave Barry, a humorist, thinks that men and women are very different. This value is illustrated by how he explains the differences between men and women, shown in the essay.

Tone

Dave Barry exhibits a humorous tone and attitude about the differences between men and women in his essay. These attitudes are expressed by his many jokes throughout the piece.  His tone is humorous, meaning to entertain, and they all link together in this fantastic way.