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Rhetoric Techniques In Sarah Koenig's Serial

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Sarah Koenig, the host and producer of the popular podcast “Serial” is known for her engaging storytelling style and ability to use rhetorical devices and tools of persuasion to keep listeners interested and invested in the story she is telling. As a journalist and narrative storyteller, Koenig’s goal is to present a well-researched and balanced account of the events she is discussing and to use her skills as a writer and communicator to convey that information in a way that is compelling and engaging to her audience. But what Koenig fails to do is back up her conveyed idea of being a credible authority figure and also fails to provide a large amount of necessary information, while rambling on for unnecessary amounts of time about information that can be easily summed up shorter. Tactics like these show how she receives more listening time, viewership, and money. One technique she employs is the use of rhetorical questions, which allow her to guide the listener's thinking and lead them toward a particular conclusion. For example, Koenig might ask, "Could Adnan really have killed Hae Min Lee?" This question prompts the listener to …show more content…

For example, she might downplay evidence that doesn't fit her narrative or emphasize certain details that support her interpretation of events. This can lead to a biased representation of the case and may not give the listener a complete and accurate understanding of what happened. For example, in episode 5 of Serial. Sarah Koenig continues to talk about cell phone towers and patterns they found for 50 minutes, and it ends up being a dead lead when little is concluded from the tower's information. When in reality this topic could’ve been summed up and shortened greatly to make time for something else, either something already mentioned or time for something new she hadn’t yet

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