Rhetorical Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Rhetorical - Essay ExampleIn the course of this paper I will examine the rhetoric employed by Nathan Comp in his denomination entitled An End to the War on Weed? This article suggests that recent changes indicate the status quo with regards to the criminalization of hemp may soon be at an end. Logos is an of the essence(predicate) aspect of Comps argument. He wants to familiarize his argument as eminently reasonable and the alternative to it as foolish. He presents many facts about the status quo which suggest that it is not working. He argues that there is a growing sense that Americas marijuana policy is more harmful than the plant itself . . . However, his reasoning is a bit simplistic. If the status quo is defective, simply bump off the laws creating it, he says, and everything will be enlightend. This argument is a bit childish. As suggested below, legalizing marijuana does not solve the crime puzzles relating to other drugs. He argues that voters no longer seem to care that presidents have admitted to using marijuana. That is an important fact, but all presidents have said it is a negative thing and n angiotensin-converting enzyme support its legalization. If voters were to pick out a stoner as president that might be more definitive. The suggestion is frequently make that marijuana is safer than alcohol, but again little evidence is used to support this claim. Experts are quoted saying The problem is that people still have a perception of harm thats been built up everyplace many years . . . If marijuana were legalized tomorrow, in 10 years these perceptions would be very, very different. This is pure whim and not logic. The evidence is divided on this do it. Nevertheless, this effort to appeal to authority sounds convincing and is useful logos. A great example of Comp employing ethos to recommend his argument is when he speaks about the Obama administrations potential backtracking on a liberalized political science towards marijuana. Comp doe s not believe these actions mean much. He writes, to paraphrase Victor Hugo, not even the strongest government in the world can stop an idea whose time has apparently come. This is a useful quote as it appeals to idealism and faith. It suggests that the people are opposed to the government and that the people have right on their side. By quoting Hugo, Comp sounds more credible, more classical, and more authoritative. This is a good example of using rhetorical ethos to make a point. The paraphrase is slipped into the argument but helps set a persuasive tone. The ethos Comp wants to communicate through this paper is one in which those who support legalization are pragmatists and progressives, and those who oppose it are retrograde and careless. This is a moral issue for Comp. The two sides are divided between good and bad. Pathos is as much a tell apart of Comps argument as any other rhetorical technique. He tries to frighten the reader into believing in his view on legalizing mariju ana. Describing the situation in Mexico, he writes that arguments for legalization have taken on out-of-the-way gravity over the last year, as drug-fueled violence along the Mexican side of border has harebrained fears that the carnage and mayhem will spill over into American cities. Testifying before a House decorate in March, a top Homeland Security official warned that the cartels now represent Americas largest organized-crime threat, having infiltrated at least 230 American cities. He presumes that these facts support the argument for legalization,