Jonathan Lockwood
Mr. Gillespie
Writ 101
7 October 2020
Rhetorical Analysis
This Elon Musk tweet: https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1269163651958595584?lang=en
This tweet was composed by Elon Musk, a businessman, engineer, philanthropist, and CEO of space exploration and transportation company SpaceX on June 6, 2020. Elon Musk has been a popular and controversial figure in the spotlight since his recent success with Tesla and SpaceX. He has made many controversial decisions and announcements in the past, such as naming his child X Æ A-XII. Musk’s intended audience of his tweets is usually younger, seemingly early adulthood to mid thirties. This is revealed by his general diction and topics.
Elon Musk presents his view of the situation of how quickly selling marijuana went from being a “major felony” to being not just legal, but an essential business in most of the country. During the COVID-19 global pandemic, some businesses were considered to be essential, which allowed them to stay open despite the restrictions. These essential businesses include restaurants, department stores, and anywhere one could buy something that could be considered essential to live. Musk’s main argument, however, is the fact that most people who were previously imprisoned for selling marijuana when it was a felony to do so are still in prison. Since it is legal and even in some places deemed essential, Musk believes it “Doesn’t [make] sense” and it “isn’t right” for this to be happening.
Elon Musk mostly uses logos in his address of this problem. He argues that it is not logical for people to still be in prison for years for selling marijuana during a time in which it is mostly considered legal and even essential. Logos is the correct appeal for this argument, it is one that requires thought and consideration to understand fully. Musk’s comment on how selling marijuana went from being a felony to not just legal but considered an essential business during the pandemic is a good example of an appeal to logos. One could say that ethos is also an acceptable appeal for this argument because it makes the reader believe that it is unethical to have people in prison for doing something that may be considered legal in the state in which the crime was committed presently.
Elon Musk’s connotation and diction in this tweet is mostly casual and argumentative. Musk wants the reader to analyze and consider his point of view. He also uses casual and unprofessional diction, such as referring to marijuana as it’s slang term, weed.