Muslin Miss America, Thoughts on the Article - Essay Example

Short Rhetorical Analysis & Argument The purpose of this essay is to critically analyze a certain article that is about a Muslim becoming Miss America. The paper discusses in detail the objective behind the article and the audience for which it was written. Then it moves onto discuss the strategy that has been used by the author to ensure that the reader finds the article effective. Also, it takes into account the places where the author has made use of logos, ethos and pathos in detail. The latter part of the essay discusses some of the limitations of the essay. The Objective, the Genre and the Strategy Employed It is evident from the tone that is used in the essay that the author has a certain objective behind writing the essay. Obviously, one can only guess what the author might have been thinking before starting with such an article. However there are certain facts that may point to some direction while deriving the reason of this excerpt. It is interesting to note that the article was written by Ahmed Soliman, a Muslim. This fact is important because it makes the article easier to analyze. In my opinion, the article has been written for the Muslims worldwide, especially those that reside in the United States of America. The purpose of the essay, although not directly mentioned, is to arouse in Muslims the feelings for their religion. The notion of a Muslim wearing a bikini and exposing herself to become a beauty queen is something that the author finds appalling and certainly disturbing for the Muslims and that is why he writes about it. The strategy employed by the author is not to directly shun the beauty pageants like Muslim conservatives have done. Instead the way he builds his arguments is quite interesting because he does not directly condemn the practice of exposing oneself. Nor does he criticize the methods and the procedures used in the beauty pageant like others have done. Further, he also does not elaborately write about the importance of covering oneself for the women in Islam as he finds these redundant. On the contrary, he uses his article not to take a definite stance but to make the Muslims ponder over what has become of their religion. Hence the rhetorical strategy used by the author is a provocative-yet-placid one. Ethos, Pathos and Logos According to Braet ethos, pathos and logos are three means of persuasion that are to be used by authors in order to make their article more effective and convincible. (1992). It seems that in his article Soliman has also made use of all three means of persuasions yet it can be seen that pathos is the most widely used. The reason might be that the objective of the article is to stimulate in the Muslims the feelings towards the present state of their religion. Ethos and logos are also used at some instances. Ethos Ethos is used when the author quotes certain personalities. For instance when he uses the quote of Daniel Pipes, the author makes sure that the reader is provided with some information of the person. The stating of Daniel Pipes as an advisor in the campaign of President Guiliani’s is something that adds value to his statement. According to Jilani, in the present situation, the public of the US is not in favor of Obama’s friendly policies towards the Muslims. (2010) For the Americans, in Pipes’s words the selection of a Muslim woman as a beauty queen is affirmative action. This means that Obama’s government is trying to build bridges with the Muslims through this means. The author deliberately makes use of this statement in order to prove the point that the selection of the Arab woman as Miss America does not portray that the Americans have accepted the Muslims. Rather it shows how the Americans make use of the Muslims for the sake of their own politics. The author also uses ethos when he uses quotes Abdrabboh. The woman who happens to be a resident of the US and a Muslim takes the selection in a positive way stating that the achievement of a goal is something that needs to be praised however she does not comment on the exposing of the woman stating that she is no one to judge. By using this statement, the author indirectly gives a message to the Muslims, especially the terrorists. The woman says that God decides what is right or wrong and so no human has a right to judge. Through this statement, the author shows that even though he is not in favor of the treatment of the US towards the Muslims and the resulting disintegration of the Muslim religion, he still does not approve of the ‘terrorists’ who consider it their duty to impose what is good and forbid what is evil. Logos The author has used logos to a lesser extent as compared to ethos and logos; however he has some of his arguments that are based on facts rather than emotional or character appeals. For example he does state what he believes when he says that all of the believers are not uniform. He corroborates this belief by making use of the population of Muslims residing in the world presently. It is quite logical to believe that the 1.4 billion people cannot behave the same way. Pathos Emotional appeal has been widely used in the article. At the very start of the article, the author describes the various vices that the women in such beauty pageants become accustomed to. The mention of the sex tapes and the drugs are two deliberate attempts by the author to portray the competition as something that does not bear fruitful results. Rather the women involved in such beauty pageants are more into things that are not considered ‘respectable’ in many societies. (Mixed Feelings on Beauty Pageants) The author, while building up the article, also appeals to those Muslim women who consider the Islamic covering as something that restricts their freedom. For Solimon, the selection of a Muslim woman relates to these women because for them it is a symbol of freedom and also an acceptance on part of the Americans. However, the ‘acceptance’ felt by these women and Muslims generally is short lived, as it is quickly channeled into the statement of Pipes where the author deliberately emphasizes on the use of Muslims in the American politics. In the end he emotionally appeals to the fathers of Muslim women by stating that he would rather want his daughter to go to the Supreme Court rather than a beauty pageant. The very last statement also serves as a taunt against the Americans and proves to arouse feelings in those Muslims who feel that they are discriminated against. Overall, the article indeed has been written beautifully. The author starts with an introduction that does not make the article very predictable. It is smoothly written and it is made sure that initially the American decision is praised. Different reactions from conservatives and moderates have been given to make sure that the author is not biased towards one side. Also no harsh statements are given which portrays the author as someone who is mature. It is just in the end that the author mildly criticizes the notion of ‘acceptance’ by the Americans among the Muslims by relating his own example. Other than that he does not directly criticizes anything, The article is well written yet it has some constraints. Constraints The article may not be applicable to those Muslims who are not very inclined towards their religion. The article may be thought provoking but it is for those who have at least a little idea of the basic concepts of Islam. For those who do not care, it is worthless. Also, the way the article has been written may be confusing for some of the readers. The reader needs to be very cautious of what the author states. Otherwise, he would be confused in whether the author accepts the decision or condemns it because nothing has been directly mentioned. To conclude, the author through his article makes use of ethos, pathos and logos to convince the Muslims to concentrate on the present situation of their religion. Although the article has certain limitation, the article has been written in a provocative-yet-placid manner which makes it thought provoking but at the same time passive. Rhetorical Argument People generally have mixed feelings towards the status of the women in the US. While some believe them to be independent, others still term them as being dependent on the opposite sex. The first ever Women’s right convention happened in the US in 1848. (Comptons Interactive Encyclopedia, 1994) Since then, there has been an emphasis on the rights of the women. The result of which is that today there is almost no field where the women and the men cannot compete alike. Many women relate that they feel way stronger and independent than before. However Betty Friedan, a women rights activist states "The problem that has no name -- which is simply the fact that American women are kept from growing to their full human capacities -- is taking a far greater toll on the physical and mental health of our country than any known disease." It is indeed true that the women have prospered in the US in terms of the professions they can work side by side with the males. The increasing rape rate of America and the injustice against women however disturbs the people. I, for one matter, might prefer my daughter to not have a job than to get raped. Works Cited A, Braet C. "Ethos, Pathos and Logos in Aristotles Rhetoric: A Re-examination." Aurgumentation 6.3 (1992): 307-20. SpringerLink. Jilani, Zaid. "Right Wing Reacts With Rage To First Muslim American Miss USA: ?An Odd Form Of Affirmative Action? (Updated)." Www.thinkprogress.org. Think Progress, 17 May 2010. Web. 24 May 2010. . Nazza. "Mixed Feelings on Beauty Pageants - Community." Community: Main. Feministing Community, 18 Mar. 2010. Web. 24 May 2010. . Waghorn, Dominic. "A Muslim Miss America? Shock, Horror, Scandal." Sky News. Sky News, 18 May 2010. Web. 24 May 2010. . Women Centre International. "Womens History in America." Comptons Interactive Encyclopedia (1994). Comptons NewMedia, Inc. Print Read More