Newsweek’s “My Favorite Mistake” featured Joshua Bell, a well-known American violinist, this month. The article described how Joshua Bell restarted a piece after he made a mistake in the beginning of an audition in front of a live audience when he was 12 years old. He auditioned for the experience rather than to win; it was a college-level competition. However, because of his talent, because he did not get flustered, and because he calmly started over, he was able to correct his mistake and win third place. After describing this event, Bell describes the messages he wants his readers to learn from his story: “when you take your mind off worrying about being perfect all the time, sometimes amazing things can happen,” and that “so much of performing is a mind game” (purpose). The second message is specific to performers, but he widens his audience because everyone can learn from the first message. A major rhetorical device Bell uses is colloquial language; his diction is plain and his sentences are short, as if he is speaking to the reader in person rather than writing in a magazine, which allows the audience to connect to his story. Otherwise, the audience might have trouble relating to a nationally-famous, Grammy-winning musician. By using first person and actually quoting Bell, the Newsweek interviewer, Kara Cutruzzula, makes the piece more personal and enjoyable to read. This attracts more people to this piece and also encourages people to read the next “My Favorite Mistake” article she publishes in next month’s magazine. The exigence is apparent as the reader glances through the “Career Arc” timeline that notes the release date of Bell’s next album in 2012. Therefore, another purpose Bell wrote this was to advertise for his new album. Because his story was inspiring, I think Bell did achieve his purpose in leading readers to believe that his music is inspiring as well and in convincing them to listen to his work.
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