The great book called Road Fever by Tim Cahill is about a trip in the American continent. All the chapters in the book describe different situations that happened through the trip that started in Argentina. Tim, the author and the protagonist, narrates his experience of being a foreign in Latin countries and the difficulties of traveling in a truck with his partner. Road Fever presents multiple examples of rhetorical appeals. Firstly, rhetorical appeals are logos, pathos, and ethos. Those rhetorical appeals have the function of using the language or words to effectively persuade the audience. Therefore, the following paragraphs show three examples of logos, pathos, and ethos, and also the effect on the audience or reader. At the beginning of the book, most of the agreements and requirements about the trip were presented. Tim did accept the contract with the company, and he clearly stated that “[he] would not endorse or participate in advertising the truck… [but] if the truck fell apart on the record run, [he is] free to write about it” (Cahill 10). Because Tim gave a reason for when he could write about the characteristics of the truck, the reader can understand that the contract did not say that he could or could not talk about the truck. Therefore, Tim’s reason appeals to logos because the audience believes or understands it. In others words, all the logical arguments appeal to logos by making the reader to comprehend. The appeal was effective because I, as the audience or reader of this book, understood Tim’s argument to write about the features or the result of the truck in the trip.The rhetorical appeal called pathos make a different effect in the audience than logos’ effect. Words that get the audience’s feelings appeal to pathos. The effect on the reader is that he/she can feel an emotion. When Tim said to himself that “Most anytime I leave home, however, the weather turns spitefully glorious…why the hell I would ever want to leave”, he shows that he is not happy with this situation (Cahill 74). Consequently, the words that Tim said about his home town make the reader feel sorrow for him. By reading it, I feel depressed and melancholy because Tim loves his house and the weather there, but he cannot be there all the time that he wants. Therefore, the appeal was truly effective because the audience feel a sentiment by Tim’s words and phrases about his suffering of not being in home.For some people, the faith in God is really important because it completes their lives. For Tim too, he considered a huge part of his beliefs and decisions. One time he said that “You get your inspiration where it falls, and for my part, Michael Morgan’s faith is inspirational” (Cahill 125). By saying this words he is being sincere about what he thinks is inspirational for him that in this case is the father’s faith in God. Therefore, the sincerity of Tim appeals to ethos because the audience can trust the author. I can believe his words because he demonstrates sincerity and honesty when he tells something about his personal life or his job in the trip. The appeal was effective because the reader did trust Tim as the author and the main character of the book.The three rhetorical appeals that were presented in the paragraphs below demonstrate ways to persuade the reader by the author or characters’ words. Logos is author’s arguments that the reader would understand. Pathos is characters’ words that would make the audience feel a sentiment. Ethos is how the reader can believe the author or character, and some of the ways is by the sincerity. Therefore, Road Fever shows logos, pathos, and ethos by Tim words and explanations of the trip from Argentina to Alaska. In conclusion, all reasons, emotions, and sincerity are ways to persuade and make the audience trust and believe in Tim Cahill and his book, Road Fever.
I have wanted to read this for quite some time, but have been a little weary. The thing is, I love Tim Cahill, but all of his writing is short-form journalism style. I was worried that a longer narrative would lose its luster for me and Cahill would drop in my standings. Not at all. The book was delightful. Mostly because of the detail he describes of what it takes to be an adventure writer. As for the adventure itself, the book is truly exciting, with vivid detail of the gorgeous landscapes he traversed and interesting people he met. The book focuses almost exclusively on getting through South and Central America, but that is where all the fun happens. US and Canada took them just a few days, and he devoted about 20 pages to it. A really fun book, and a must-read for anyone harboring plans to take on this type of profession/adventure.
What do You think about Road Fever (1992)?
I've enjoyed each of Tim Cahill's books. He certainly leads an interesting life and writes very compellingly, with humor and insight, about his adventures, and this was no exception. The difference was that his other books are mostly essays, with each chapter covering a different sojourn in some weird, exotic place, whereas this was all about a road trip from the southern tip of South America to the end of the northernmost stretch of road in Alaska. While it's an older book and the information about the dangers of traveling through South and Central America may be somewhat dated (or maybe not!), it certainly didn't make me want to undertake anything even resembling that kind of journey! Still, I could vicariously enjoy the author's highs and share the frustration and pain of his (many) lows, all without leaving the comfort of my chair, and after all, isn't that the point of reading an adventure memoir? I'd definitely recommend his other books. This one may be kind of an acquired taste. :-)
—Debby
I super-loved the first half of this book, which covers the background and preparations for the drive: meeting with Guinness, the business of getting sponsors and doing reconnaisance, security training, and more. Cahill's writing here is lively and quite funny. The second half, consisting of the drive itself, was not as enjoyable by comparison. It may be a structural difficulty: we whiz through the landscape so quickly that there isn't much time to make the kind of detailed observations that would make the experiences more compelling for the reader. There are still interesting parts, but all the descriptions of the landscape got to be a little tedious after a while.
—Jason
A great read. It chronicles the preparation for and the trip of the Guinness Book of World Records longest road trip south to north, Tierra del Fuego Argentina to Prudhoe Bay Alaska. It's such a crazy trip you'd think anyone could write it but Cahill is really really funny. He's clever and he makes interesting observations. He has his issues that he harps on here and there (global warming, clearing of the rainforest, US involvement in foreign gov'ts) but mostly they're funny enough to be forgivable. One of the lines I've committed myself to use again: (background: he's ranting about an unreasonable, mean flight attendant and then repeats a conversation they had. Then he reports: ) "And off she went to have sex with animals. A great, fun read.
—Amri
