Princess Diana Rhetorical Analysis

Rhetorical Analysis Princess Diana was brought into the British royal throne in 1981 and was made the center of attention after marrying Prince Charles. Her popularity only increased when she died in a car crash in 1997. Following this tragedy, many people raced to get the details or give their side of the story of her death. When writing or speaking about a disaster such as this one it is imperative that the author or speaker build their credibility, present valid information, successfully employ emotional appeals, and organize their thoughts properly. Some sources managed to write a rhetorically effective essay by perfecting these strategies; however, some failed to do the same. An example of weak source is “Princess Diana Dies in Paris Crash” news report by the BBC. Ethos fits the standard because the BBC usually provides trusted news from the United Kingdom. However, this report is biased and uses pathos in a way that the news should not. People trust the news to present the facts and offer both sides of the story without over-using pathos, but this article clearly blames the paparazzi and the audience is manipulated to feel sad about her loss by the author’s diction. When the reporter uses a quote by Princess Diana’s brother

Firstly, she is a British monarch and was Princess Diana’s mother-in-law, making her one that could speak with authority on the subject. She even says, “as your Queen and as a grandmother,”(Queen Elizabeth 29) to let us know that she has a high position but that she is still just a person and can be unhappy about what happened. Queen Elizabeth goes on to strengthen her ethos by giving facts about Princess Diana that someone that did not know her well could have given. This account ties in with her logos very well because she is giving information about Princess Diana that the audience would not have known