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Rhetorical Analysis of Marquart's Midwest

Debra Marquart characterizes the upper Midwest as monotonous in her memoir, despite her love for the region. She describes the landscape as lonely and empty, using exaggeration to portray North Dakota as very boring. However, her nostalgic and mocking tone shows her lasting affection for the Midwest. Marquart also discusses stereotypes that portray Midwesterners as dull, but implies through subtle sarcasm that they are more complex. She references the region's history and surveys to argue it has long been seen as unremarkable, but concludes by expressing the hope her ancestors felt settling there.

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283 views3 pages

Rhetorical Analysis of Marquart's Midwest

Debra Marquart characterizes the upper Midwest as monotonous in her memoir, despite her love for the region. She describes the landscape as lonely and empty, using exaggeration to portray North Dakota as very boring. However, her nostalgic and mocking tone shows her lasting affection for the Midwest. Marquart also discusses stereotypes that portray Midwesterners as dull, but implies through subtle sarcasm that they are more complex. She references the region's history and surveys to argue it has long been seen as unremarkable, but concludes by expressing the hope her ancestors felt settling there.

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Alyssa Plant
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© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Alyssa Plant

Ms. Clark

AP Language

6 May 2019

The Horizontal World Rhetorical Analysis

In the 1800s, the Midwest was considered uninhabitable for people dependent on

agriculture. Although it eventually became rightfully known for having good farmlands, many

still consider the upper Midwest a somewhat unsuitable place due to its plainness, such as Debra

Marquart in her memoir, The Horizontal World. In her writing, Marquart characterizes the upper

Midwest as being monotonous, despite her deep love for the region.

Marquart begins by describing the Midwest to give her readers a basic idea of the dull

landscape. She portrays North Dakota as “lonely” and empty, using a metaphor to compare a

piece of the freeway to a long guitar note. Her use of exaggeration in this metaphor and when she

claims one doesn’t need to keep their hands on the steering wheel to stay on the road add to the

idea that the Midwest, specifically North Dakota, is very boring by giving the reader a clear

image of how monotone the landscape is. This paragraph sets the scene for the rest of the

passage for those who did not know what the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma look

like. However, although she describes the region as being dreary, Marquart’s mocking, yet

reminiscent, tone in her jokes shows her long-lasting love for the Midwest: her childhood home.

Marquart’s jokes have a nostalgic feel that, when combined with her hyperbole, depict the

Midwest as a desolate place that somehow still holds her heart.


As a transition from the region’s landscape to its stereotypes, Marquart relates the two.

She labels the region’s states as being “square states,” saying they create both “tornadoes and

Republicans.” By relating the region’s people to its environment, with “square” describing the

states’ shapes and people, Marquart effectively creates a transition from the landscape being

monotonous to the stereotypes of the people being monotonous.

In the third to fifth paragraphs, Marquart shows how the traditional idea of people in the

upper Midwest is very unimaginative. She illustrates to the audience what American culture’s

view of the Midwest woman is, using examples of the Midwest woman’s portrayal on TV in

“primetime […] dramas” and a quote from Sylvia Wheeler. Her examples work to not only

describe the stereotype, but also to discreetly mock it (“Descent into ruthless behavior”),

implying people in the Midwest are much less dull than thought to be. Her description of the

stereotypical woman widens to a general stereotype portrayed in TV. She uses references to

radio shows, A Prairie Home Companion, and to a film, both of which contain traditional, over-

simplified characters, to show how generic the idea of Midwesterners is. By showing how people

assume upper Midwesterners are characterless using references to popular culture, Marquart adds

to the idea that the Midwest is “square.” However, her subtle sarcasm while describing these

stereotypes shows that she truly loves the people of the Midwest, whom she grew up with.

Finally, after line 35, Marquart uses the region’s history to confirm that the area has

always been “unimpressive.” She uses a quote from a survey of the region, which describes the

area as “dreary,” to prove that people originally saw the area as unexceptional. She begins going

through the upper Midwest’s history, from Jefferson to its partitioning for land grants, showing

that the region doesn’t even have much character in its history, such as by calling the survey easy

due to its monotonous, “behaved” landscape. Her recount of the Midwest’s history overall leads
to an understanding of how the region has been uneventful since the start of time, which

contributes to the ethos and logos of her argument that the Midwest is dull.

During her memoir, Debra Marquart writes of her home-region: the upper Midwest. She

portrays the Midwest as a bland area due to its boring landscape, stereotypical people, and

history. On the other hand, despite her harsh critique of the upper Midwest, she also subtly

shows her tenderness for the Midwest throughout. In the end, Marquart exposes her reminiscent,

loving attitude for the Midwest more, recounting the excitement her ancestors must have felt

when arriving in the region, full of hope.

Common questions

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Marquart's childhood home contributes significantly to her view of the Midwest by anchoring her critique in personal affection. Her reviews of the landscape and stereotypes are framed with affection and nostalgia, suggesting that despite the apparent dullness, the Midwest remains a beloved and integral part of her identity .

Marquart relates the stereotypes of people to the landscape by describing the states as "square," a term that she uses to address both the literal shape of the states and the perceived monotonous personalities of Midwesterners, effectively transitioning from the monotony of the landscape to the stereotypes .

Marquart employs sarcasm and hyperbole as rhetorical strategies to communicate both criticism and affection for the Midwest. Through hyperbolic descriptions of the landscape and people, she humorously critiques the region’s monotony while simultaneously using a mocking but affectionate tone to express her deep-seated love and nostalgia for her childhood home .

Marquart's portrayal of the Midwest’s history contributes to her overall argument by reinforcing the theme of monotony. She argues that the region has lacked significant historical events or character by detailing its partitioning for land grants and referencing surveys that label the area as "dreary," supporting her view of the Midwest as inherently dull .

Debra Marquart uses metaphor and exaggeration in her memoir to emphasize the monotony and dullness of the Upper Midwest landscape. She compares a piece of the freeway to a long guitar note and claims one doesn’t need to keep their hands on the steering wheel to stay on the road, which effectively portrays North Dakota as "lonely" and empty .

Popular culture plays a significant role in reinforcing stereotypes about Midwesterners, as Marquart uses examples from TV shows, radio, and films to illustrate how Midwesterners are often depicted as characterless. By referencing shows like A Prairie Home Companion, Marquart highlights how these simplified portrayals contribute to the stereotype of the Midwest as "square" .

Marquart supports the claim that the Midwest has been viewed as unremarkable by referencing historical surveys that describe the area as "dreary" and by illustrating its uneventful history from Jefferson’s era through partitioning for land grants, indicating that the region’s reputation for monotony is well-established .

Marquart uses nostalgia to contrast the monotonous perception of the Midwest by sharing personal anecdotes that highlight her deep love for the landscape and its people. Her reminiscence about the excitement felt by her ancestors arriving in the region unequivocally expresses a personal connection that defies the blandness she outwardly critiques .

Marquart's use of humor in describing the stereotypes of Midwestern women serves to subtly undermine those stereotypes. By mocking the traditional depiction found in "primetime dramas," she highlights the underestimated complexity of Midwestern women, using humor as a tool to both acknowledge and dismantle stereotypical views .

Marquart incorporates historical context by tracing the Upper Midwest's history from its time under Jefferson to its division for land grants. She uses a historical survey description of the area as "dreary" to highlight that the notion of the Midwest as unexceptional has longstanding roots, consistent with her argument that even the region's history lacks character .

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