Washinton Irving

Rosie Charles
AP ENG III
The Devil and Tom Walker


In the particular short story, Irving uses the gothic theme of romanticism. Just like Edgar Allan Poe, Washington Irving’s thought process seems very sick and twisted. In this story, Irving uses the rhetoric triangle in almost all aspects.


Irving used many concepts of the rhetoric triangle. The one that stood out the most to me is imagery. Washington Irving was very detailed in what he wrote, just like most people that wrote back in Irving’s time. For example in the first paragraph, lines 1-7, the environment is being described beautifully. A minor quote for instance: “the land rises abruptly from the water’s edge, into a high ridge on which grow a few scattered oaks of great age and immense size.” This sentence is not only descriptive, but it gives to reader a visual image of what is going on.


“Had an air of starvation.” This is a quote that appeals directly to pathos and figurative language. The author does not literally mean that the environment smells of starvation. He means that the feeling of the environment is sickly like. Another example of figurative language in this short story is this quote: “were as articulate as the bars of a gridiron.” IN this quote the author is speaking of the starving horses and how potent their ribs are. These are prime examples of how talented the author was in using his diction to explain the information that is trying to be provided.


Lastly, is the setting and tone of the story. As we know, the theme is gothic. The setting appeals to the gothic by a mile, but also the tone. The way the words are phrased and the words are used compliments to theme. For example, all of the death in the story appeals to gothic. Also, the specific figurative he uses. It is all dark. For example the quote “looking like alligators, sleeping in the mire.” Alligators are dark: the opposite of happiness.


Irving is an awesome writer who vaguely uses the rhetoric triangle in almost each and every way. Unlike some authors, Irving’s writing was dark, yet hopeful. Also, the main character felt bad afterwards.