“Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out”

                The subject of Dave Barry’s “Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out” is that men and women are very different in their priorities and what they find important. This difference between the sexes is illustrated with his anecdote about his wife noticing dirt better than him and him caring more about sports than her. These stories allow Barry to illustrate the differences in the sexes by having his wife represent women as a whole and having himself represent men as a whole. The contrast the stories create makes a statement of the difference in priorities of men and women.

                “Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out” was written during 1988. The essay’s time of creation is conveyed by the use of relatively contemporary elements (e.g. the obsession with the World Series, Windex) and the late twentieth century husband-wife dynamic that he and his wife display. The husband-wife dynamic especially enforces this time period because the playfully combative natures of he and his wife are a relatively new development. The probable place of the essay’s creation is America. This is because he is concerned with the World Series, an important American baseball event. The time and place of the essay’s creation influence the essay by creating the correct occasion for this gender difference to make sense. The disagreements he has with his wife only make sense in the context of the time period and place.

                Dave Barry’s specific audience for “Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out” is married men and women in America. The author’s target audience is exhibited by his direct commentary on these married couples and the nature of their differences. This commentary creates a message that would be most well received by married couples who can relate to his anecdotes. The author’s general audience for the essay is Americans in general. The author’s general audience is shown by his description of a marriage dynamic that is very well-known by Americans.

                Dave Barry’s purpose in “Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out” is to entertain the audience by presenting two comical stories. His intent to entertain is manifested by his opening: “The primary between men and women is that women can see extremely small quantities of dirt.” The apparent sarcasm of this statement immediately makes it clear to the audience that he intends to entertain them. The purpose is further revealed by the humorous statement about Pompeii: “[The men] never even noticed the ash until it had for the most part covered the children.” Barry’s obvious lack of factual representation of the story shows that he is merely joking.

                Dave Barry, Pulitzer Prize winner, believes in the importance of a sense of humor. This value is illustrated by his teasing of the differences between men and women. The fact that he pokes fun at such an everyday dynamic helps to show the audience that Barry feels the need to present information in a comical and satirical way. Dave Barry’s use of imagery is evident in the prior quote about Pompeii. The imagery allows the audience to picture this comical scene of Roman children covered in ash.

                Dave Barry articulates a sarcastic and playful attitude about the husband-wife dynamic in “Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out”. These attitudes are expressed with his use of gross exaggerations that mock the situation he is talking about. When he is describing how his wife pays more attention to detail when it concerns cleaning, he uses a hyperbole that equates her attentiveness to an ability to see dirt molecules. This treatment of his subject allows his tone to shine through.


Thank you to Mogwai for creating an album that made writing this essay go by quickly.