Rhetorical Appeals in Editorials - Essay Example

Rhetorical Appeals Starting with the first article, the Charlotte Allen, uses various rhetorical appeals to make his story as convincing and appealing as possible to the readership. For instance, he uses pathos to appeal to the emotions of the reader. He refers to how a father would want to bond with his child despite the separation. He feels an emotional attachment and a sense of responsibility. The readers, especially the male readers, want to empathize with Steven Plotnick, who is being barred from being present in the maternity room when her ex-fiancée gives birth to their daughter (Behrens & Leonard 45). Although the hospitals have their emergency rules as well as total accord privacy to the woman especially since she is in labor-men would feel that they are left out that most laws favor women. Another instance of pathos occurs when the author empathizes with the estranged ex-fiancée, arguing that it would be embarrassing to have a man with whom they have separated being forced to watch her as she goes through the pain of childbirth. Not only would this embarrass her, it would also remind her of their intimate moments before they broke up. Reference to intimacy is another use of pathos (emotional appeal of the reader). Use of ethos occurs since the guest blogger works for a reputable publisher-the Los Angeles Times. The news agency is a reputable newsroom and people would easily believe the credibility and accuracy of the publications (Behrens & Leonard 27). This makes the whole story believable and very appealing to the readership. Use of logos occurs when the author mentions that devoid of emotions and blame-game, it is always the right of hospital management to reserve the right of entry into hospitals. Fathers are always required to wait outside, not to be in the maternity room. Common sense demands that hospital patients’ feelings are respected. Logic would require that as a father, Plotnick is present during birth because he is the father of the unborn baby (Behrens & Leonard 81). This is an example of logos. Use of logos occur when the author argues that the case should have been dismissed; that in fact, there was no need to file a case since the laws are clear: hospital privacy laws deal with communications and records and gives the patient an upper hand (in this case the pregnant woman) as regards their absolute privacy. Use of ethos occurs when the judge Sohail Mohammed refers to the famous Roe vs. Wade reproductive-rights case. He does this because he wants to be categorically clear that this is not a case of father-mother constitutional rights’ discriminations. In brief, logical reasoning maintains that the mother’s privacy wins the day. Use of pathos occurs when fathers feel that the laws have always given women an upper hand. The logic though is that non-medical professionals cannot be allowed entry into an emergency room. In brief, the author makes use of logical reasoning, referring to landmark cases and hospital policies to argue that although the father has a right to see his child, the mother’s absolute privacy prevails (Behrens & Leonard 32). Just like the first article, the second article uses ethos to appeal to the readership. Mark Follman is an experienced author working for the Los Angeles Times. This makes the story to be credible and easily accepted by the readership. After all, these are stories that are well researched. The author mentions that although mass shooting is on the rise, some commentators have the guts to state otherwise. Here, he uses pathos as he evokes the emotions of the reader. “Disturbing incidents,” appeals to the readers’ emotions. The author employs logic when he states that the real solution to mass shooting lies with identifying the complex underlying factors. This is a logical reasoning devoid of emotions or blame games (Behrens & Leonard 25). He seeks to understand why, for instance, cases of in-house violence and gang killings are on the rise. He reinstates his assertions by citing findings from a Harvard School of Public Health. Mary Jones is a respectable and reputable independent investigative journalism firm that offer authoritative and unbiased media coverage on current events. As such, the reader can rely on their stories. Thus, indeed mass shooting must be on the rise, as opposed to the popular belief maintained by commentators. This is a perfect example of ethos. The FBI also corroborates the reports by Mary Jones. The FBI is tasked with investigating crimes such as mass shooting. This is another use of ethos. The author uses pathos to appeal to the reader’s emotions. For instance, he mentions, “outsized psychological impact”. He also uses logos when he adds that mass shooting only forms a negligible proportion compared to overall gun violence. Amy Cohen and Deborah Azrael are reputable researchers who have many years of experience researching about trends of crime (Behrens & Leonard 72). Their inclusion in the story makes the story credible and convincing to the reader. They give a detailed analysis of the crime trends over the years, offering expert opinion on what needs to be addressed and why mass shooting should not be treated as a separate case; rather, it should be related to complex underlying issues such as psychological problems, among other issues. The two editorials use rhetorical appeals to appeal to the readership. For instance, they use logos (logical reasoning); pathos (emotional appeal to the reader); and ethos (credible sources). These rhetorical appeals make their arguments appeal to the readership. They use relevant examples such as the dilemma of the father who is disallowed to be by his ex-fiancée when she delivers their child. They use logic, using facts from reputable sources to back their assertions (Behrens & Leonard 18). They rely on statistics and landmark rulings to offer unbiased opinions. Not only do they involve the reader emotionally, they ensure that they let the reader make sense of what they are writing. Overall, the stories covered different topics, they both employed ethos, pathos, and logos. What is more, they are published by the reputable Los Angeles Times (Behrens & Leonard 38). As such, the reader easily finds them believable, appealing and relevant to the contemporary events. Work Cited Behrens, Laurence, and Leonard J. Rosen. Writing and Reading across the Curriculum. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008. Print Read More