Tag: rhetoric

Step One:

1. The context is millions of men, women, and children are dying in Syria because of the civil war; Americans have become cold and turned against helping the refugees, meanwhile we mourn the loss of a dog to great extent.
2. The purpose is to make the reader think about priorities and what really should come first in this world.
3. All human lives have value, but also that a human’s life is worth every bit as much as a golden retriever’s.
4. Logos: examples of what past presidents have done in situations that are similar to Syria’s; pathos: children and dogs are the two things that touch the hearts of most
5. The article begins somewhat informal, as he talks about his dog and how she would have won the Nobel Peace Prize, but then the tone switches to formal as he gets into foreign policy and almost a political debate about what our government has done in the past that they should be doing now
6. He uses sarcasm when addressing this issue; his exaggerations make the reader think and reflect on their personal values
7. n/a
8. bias might include comparing Syria to the Holocaust which I believe is a slight exaggeration at this time; he uses little evidence that is specifically relevant to Syria, instead he brings in evidence of what past presidents have done, but does not give us specifics on what is actually going on

Step Two:

The most effect strategy to me is comparing something almost everyone loves, dogs, to what everyone should love and care about most, human life. I don’t know if that has a specific name, besides using pathos to connect emotionally to the reader, but I find that this strategy of making an American treasure seem minuscule after juxtaposing it to the most valuable thing on earth makes the reader stop to think.