Ethos And Rhetorical Devices In Governor Cuomo's Speech

Whether abortion should be supported or banned has been a debatable subject in recent times, especially for Catholics. Governor Mario Matthew Cuomo was a Catholic as well as the governor of New York. As he governed New York, Governor Cuomo applied his religion in whatever ways he found possible. However, it was not always possible for him to do that which is why he wrote the speech Religious Beliefs and Public Morality: a Catholic Governor’s Perspective to explain his thoughts on abortion and how it should be handled fairly. To emphasize his reasoning, Governor Cuomo used ethos, pathos, and rhetorical devices. These literary devices gave Mario Matthew Cuomo’s speech, Religious Beliefs and Public Morality” a Catholic Governor 's Perspective, more prestige and gave the reader a better understanding of the topic. On the subject of devices in Governor Cuomo’s speech, his qualification and trustworthiness- or

For example, Governor Cuomo spruced up his speech by saying, “I’ve seen religious leaders scale that wall with all the dexterity of olympic athletes (page one, paragraph two).” This metaphor helped the reader better understand how religious leaders have overcome the separation between church and state; also, the metaphor compares religious leaders to olympic athletes. As well as being a metaphor, the wall is symbolic because the wall represents the separation between church and state. Another example of a rhetorical device that Governor Cuomo used is a hyperbole. “I’ve seen so many candidates in churches and synagogues that I think we should change election day from Tuesdays to Saturdays and Sundays(page one, paragraph two).” This hyperbole helped Governor Cuomo get his point across that many candidates had religious practices. He does not think we should actually change the election day; he uses this to emphasize his