Textual analysis methods and applications

Disposable Rocket, Textual Analysis

Textual Analysis- the Disposable Rocket

In "The Disposable Rocket" Updike uses techniques of language to create in the reader an understanding of what it means, to him, to "inhabit a male body." Updike states that "to inhabit a male body, then is to feel somewhat detached from it" and it is this detachment that is clearly conveyed through the piece. The reader is made to feel that he or she is being taught what it is to wear a male body, through the way in which the writer uses language and linguistic techniques. The reader is able to intellectually understanding something of the experience of the male body, through the examples given, but never experiences those sensations as would happen in a less distantly written piece. The form of the essay itself is a tool used to set up the author as an authoritative figure. This essay uses literary techniques, including tone, form, and style, to allow the reader to understand the experience of wearing a male body.

The reader is given a great deal of insight into the male experience through this essay, yet it remains distant from him or her. The tone of the piece is restrained, almost abstract, referring to the male body in terms that verge on clinical, pushing the reader out of an ability to closely identify with what is being discussed. Examples are given when describing certain sensations, but they are very much isolated in the first person, creating a sense of a window into another person's life. The reader is not drawn into the experience, and instead remains an observer, playing into the sense of detachment which Updike implies sums up the male experience. It is this very detachment that is the experience this essay seeks to provide. Just as Updike's body sought to throw itself off high places, without his conscious control, the reader experiences the essay without being part of it. The reader engages in the activity of reading, of perceiving what is being written, but lacks control, lacks even the visceral experience. Updike, then, creates an experience that is a lack of experience, and uses the techniques of his writing to do so.

The fact that the author published the essay under a male name implies that he wears a male body and is thus equipped to discuss what it means to have a physically male form, and how that form effects the way in which one moves through the world. He speaks from experience, and is granted authority because of his male identity. This authoritative tone is further enhanced by the fact that the piece is presented as an essay, rather than a fictional piece. This further encourages the reader to accept the piece as a factual one, rather than something created out of imagination, and thus look more objectively at what is being written. Even the forays into humor, such as the discussion of an erection, are done dispassionately. The reader is not coaxed into feeling any emotional attachment to the writer, but rather remains as an outside observer, being taught by a knowledgeable individual. The writer's authority as a male, and the form of the essay results in a piece that is didactic while being entertaining. The extensive use of anecdotes further gives the essay authority. The writer speaks from experience, thus he must have knowledge of the subject at hand, and thus he must be believable. The form of the essay works to create believability and credibility in the author.