Per page 76, Stein is directing his work towards people who want to understand and are open to different points of view. Stein’s work encourages you to look further into his other pieces and the type of literary style he engages in. He looks to grab the readers ears and use literary devices that grab the attention like over exaggeration to make the reader think differently about the content.
In “In the Defense of Domination” I believe that Stein is intentionally not being an audience friendly writer. He is looking to invoke a response and/or reaction. Many of his statements are offensive and antagonistic and look to prove a point. It is intentional and inviting people to look more deeply at the purpose than the words he’s actually saying. However, Stein’s friendliness as a writer versus a narrator is different.
I believe that Stein sees the gap as being that the readers just don’t understand as these wars are capitalistic in nature and hid behind the bravado of America being a domineering force and the best that this world has to offer, much like the Yankees, which we know to not be true. The power sphere is profiting off of living in wartime due to nationalism and being misinformed.
This piece fills that gap by highlighting the extremes that people believe even if there is evidence to refute it. Stein notes that even if another team defeats the Yankees that it’s a one off and they must’ve been lucky, etc. He also notes the value seen in money as we see him highlight Aaron Rodriguez’s success.
I am unsure of the choice I made because the purpose of this essay is not clearly stated. His use of devices such as sarcasm surely grab attention and draw it to the appropriate areas of the essay that point to larger scale political agendas. Stein makes it hard to understand without further research.
The danger of an essay like this is that it’s unclear in what is hoped to be accomplished. To a reader that doesn’t understand rhetoric, it can encourage behaviors opposite than what is intended.
Dive Into Discourse 