ipl-logo

Fear And Loathing In America By Hunter Thompson

419 Words2 Pages

Gonzo journalism is a style of journalism pioneered by Hunter Thompson (Famighetti, 2007), which is defined by “a lack of objectivity due to the writer's immersion in the subject and often participation in the activity being documented” (Merriam-Webster). In his short story, “Fear and Loathing in America” about the September 11 terrorist attacks, Thompson (2001) writes in the gonzo style of journalism throughout. The piece demonstrates a striking lack of objectivity, which leads to dramatization and speculation. It also demonstrates Thompson’s deep involvement with the events on a personal level.

Thompson’s (2001) lack of objectivity can be seen throughout the piece; he describes the events as “scenes of destruction and utter devastation coming out of New York on the TV” (para. 1). According to Famighetti (2007), “For Thompson, journalism could not be a neutral transmitter of information, especially during a tumultuous moment” (para. 1). Thompson’s unobjective words, coupled with his belief that journalism should not be neutral, supports the idea that this short story is a piece of gonzo journalism. …show more content…

6) and “This is going to be a very expensive war, and Victory is not guaranteed” (para. 10). This is emblematic of gonzo journalism, described by Famighetti (2007) as “an eccentric vision defined by fear of what might come, and loathing of what we are already facing” (para.

Show More
Related
771 Words | 4 Pages

During a meeting of the 1960 Women’s National Press Club, journalists from across the United States offered a chance for a well-known journalist and politician by the name of Clare Boothe Luce to speak about the significance of journalistic integrity. During this speech, she criticized the tendency of the press to write false articles about catchy new stories to gain popularity and more money from people reading them; however, she also knew that her topic would be a rather controversial one to speak about, so she prepared well. In the opening of her speech, Luce utilizes a variety of rhetorical devices and strategies to not only persuade her audience to listen to her message and hear her out but take it in stride as well as improve upon themselves

Read More
917 Words | 4 Pages

Stories are no longer respectable and virtuous as they were at modern journalism’s beginning. Thus, by journalists Fallows and Rothman have named the media as unethical. Another way that modern journalists have transformed today’s media is that the media now relies on the popularity of its stories and articles. Journalist Jack Shafer uses his article, “The Rise and the Fall of the Obama Media Romance” as an example of popular opinion reflecting

Read More
1329 Words | 6 Pages

Children have grown up alongside their parents for generations, and humans have accepted the fact that parents greatly shape the growth of children. The memoir The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls and the novel The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas both explore a young girl’s journey through adolescence. Throughout each novel, influences such as parents and peers drive the development of Starr in The Hate U Give and Jeannette in The Glass Castle. However, in 1998 Malcolm Gladwell (a writer for The New Yorker) wrote and article about Judith Harris who proposed a theory that “peers trump parents” (Gladwell PAGE) as influences on children. Other parts of this theory were that genes of parents matter more than actual parenting style, and that kids try

Read More
1793 Words | 8 Pages

Two Days in October is a documentary that covers the multidimensional story of the battle of Ong Thanh in Vietnam and the student protests at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This film shows examples of different techniques used that assist journalists when telling the story of October, 1967. The way they tell the story of the of the student protest at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the front line of the Vietnam War exposes some of the nuances and demonstrates that the topic was not as simplistic as people viewed it at the time. While using similar techniques to what was used in the documentary “Two Days in October”, Journalists of today can also demonstrate the complexity of multidimensional stories. These are stories that are not black and white, but that look at everyone’s perspective and ideals.

Read More
1094 Words | 5 Pages

Sam Roberts in the article A Decade of Fear argues that McCarthyism turned Americans against each other. Roberts supports his claim by illustrating fear, describing betrayal, and comparing it to other United States internal conflicts. The author’s purpose is to point out a vulnerable period of American history in order to demonstrate that Americans felt prey to McCarthy’s negative propaganda. The author writes in a cynical tone for an educated audience. I strongly agree with Robert’s claim.

Read More
1626 Words | 7 Pages

Rumors cause controversy in every society no matter what the day and age is. This is very true for the case of Joseph McCarthy in the Red Scare. In this article about the Red Scare involving Joseph McCarthy the 1950’s It is reported that “During the speech, McCarthy held up a list of people he claimed were known traitors. McCarthy never made the list of names public.

Read More
497 Words | 2 Pages

“Fear keeps us focused on the past and worried about the future.” The main character of the short story “The Terror” by Junot Diaz would agree with this because he is stuck in a cycle of fear after getting beaten up. He got into a fight with a group of brothers and was paralyzed with fear for a long time after that. The author uses the character's actions and his feelings to show that the only way to conquer fear is to stand up to fear itself.

Read More
975 Words | 4 Pages

Gopnik creates an argument about the problems of American history and its truthfulness. Specifically the Revolutionary War, he enlightens the truths of the violence and gore of the time period. Using characters like the Whigs and the Patriots he sheds light on the true story. As America moves forward throughout history he argues the importance of stop glorifying what truly was a horror. Contrasting Gopnik

Read More
1000 Words | 4 Pages

Slanted Perspectives Authors of a long-form piece of journalism, while unable to completely remove bias, can substantially minimise it by employing facts, direct quotations, and a disciplined use (or disuse) of hyperbolic and implicative language. In Johann Hari’s “The Hunting of Billie Holiday,” Hari depicts a relatively unbiased version of the events surrounding the Federal Bureau of Narcotics’ pursuit of the famous African-American singer, Billie Holiday. The article frequently references specific events and individuals in its account and employs frequent use of direct quotations from primary sources such as FBN internal memos and New York Times articles (Hari, Politico). One particularly striking example is a quotation from George White,

Read More
223 Words | 1 Pages

In the book Dawn by Eli Wiesel, Elisha is talking about how he wanted to hate John Dawson for the because of the terrorist but he is not sure that is his reason. When John asks he why he hates him Elisha is not sure why. So Elisha decides to ask himself why is he doing this to reassure himself that is what he doing is right.

Read More
711 Words | 3 Pages

It is common to fear a challenge or obstacle that stands in one's way, Nelson Mandela's quote, "I learned that courage is not the absence of fear but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear" reminds us that true courage is not a lack of fear, but rather the ability to overcome it. It is not about avoiding fear, but about facing it head on and prevailing. The short story “The Terror” by Junot Diaz is a great example of the quote.

Read More
380 Words | 2 Pages

In his essay, Goodman lays out his argument about the decline of foreign journalism and a possible solution –crowd sourcing –for increasing the amount of foreign journalism in US media. Citing the power of the internet and social media technology, Goodman proposes enabling the average citizen to collect “testimonials, snap shots, and video clips”as a “genuine reporting tool,”though he also expresses reservations about these developments. To build his argument, Goodman deploys repetition, contrast, and direct appeals to his audiences through his use of we. These rhetorical strategies allow Goodman to call attention to a central contradiction and rally colleagues to this cause.

Read More
811 Words | 4 Pages

This approach made a sizable impact upon the journalism world and inspired a whole new generation of writers to take a different approach to their work that creates a more personal and subjective approach to writing. Essentially, Thompson redefined what journalism can be and the power that it can hold on the people reading

Read More
356 Words | 2 Pages

In the opening of her speech at the Women’s National Press Club, journalist and politician Clare Boothe Luce pokes fun at the irony of her situation, analyzes what journalism truly is, and highlights the difficulties of journalism as a whole in order to encourage her audience to “bear with” her, as she criticizes the faults of the American press. Perchance. Luce makes her first point in the beginning of the speech by poking fun at the irony of the speech itself. “I stand here at this rostrum invited to throw rocks at you.

Read More
745 Words | 3 Pages

American journalist and politician, Clare Boothe Luce, in her opening speech at the 1960 Women’s National Press Club meeting, prepares her audience, qualifying and defending her forthcoming criticism. Luce’s purpose is to provoke thought in the journalist’s minds on what journalism is really about at its core. She adopts a frank and humorous tone to best capture the attention of her intended audience of female journalists. Through, appealing to the ethos, logos, and pathos with flattery, syllogism, and rhetorical questioning to prepare the audience for her message: “the tendency of the American press to sacrifice journalistic integrity in favor of the perceived public demand for sensationalist stories.” In the first paragraph of her speech, Luce assures the audience that “[she is] happy and flattered to be a guest of honor…”

Read More

More about Fear And Loathing In America By Hunter Thompson

Related Topics

Open Document