Chris Offutt's essay, "Someone Else," is intelligently constructed and simply captivating. The story entertains and sympathizes with readers, but ultimately informs audiences of the psychological damage that comes with sexual abuse and rape. While this story is satisfactorily written, we as the audience only know what the author wants to tell us. This means that there is a purpose and reason behind every word and phrase he chose for this essay. Offutt uses the narrative technique of chronological order to convey his growth from this situation. Also use the tone of denial and submission as a theme to formulate an effective essay. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay When you break down the essay, it is actually the author providing excuses and rationalizations to help him deal with the tragedy that befell him as a child. Some of his excuses consist of: “The fat man listened to me,” “He accepted me,” and “I felt important [because of him]” (140, 142). Yet is there really a way to rationalize or justify rape? The use of the chronological order of events is very important to the effectiveness of the essay. The fact that Offutt chose to introduce his essay by focusing on his parents, who are irrelevant to the true story of sexual abuse, is astonishing. The reason leads to a much bigger picture of the story. He describes his lack of parents and lack of love that created this submissive monster in a young and naive boy. This later came to haunt him, as his submissive character continued in the "fat"'s bedroom. The authors' implicit curiosity about why she was dating this older man in the first place was answered rhetorically through her writing style. He associated with this man because he filled the role of a loving friend or parent and was already conditioned to submit to abusive relationships. The fact that the author refers to the rapist as "the fat man" and never bothers to give a description or even the most basic information, his name, is thought-provoking. The lost identity of the “fatman” constitutes another tendency of submissive behavior that the author later came to terms with. He really shows how submissive he was when he admits that he created this intricate dream to escape his tragic reality. “I had developed the ability to move quickly, to vanish from circumstances and enter a trance state in which I was a prince with a personal garrison at my command, a sumptuous kingdom to rule, and a harem of lovely women” (142). Here we see once again that the author is Someone Else struggling to understand what is right and what is wrong, and who he really is. Even though the author, just like every other teenager in the world, cannot pinpoint who he is, he has effectively evoked the tone of denial for the entire essay. Every word adds tone from start to finish. That's why he always behaved submissively because he never came to terms with his harsh reality. He writes from his youthful perspective, which is why the denial of the situation is so obvious. The fact that he does not refer to the “fatman” by name or even a vague description represents his denial and ignorance of the truth. His ability to create an alternate reality where he is a prince with beautiful women is also part of his denial by running away from what had happened. Although the entire story is told from Offutt's point of view of denial, it soon evolves into acceptance and realization by the end of the essay. Please note: this is just an example. Get one now.