Rhetorical Analysis: Diana, Princess Of Wales

Diana, Princess of Wales, was at the height of popularity at the time of her death. During Diana’s life as a princess, her philanthropy, as well as her scandal-plagued marriage, was broadcasted worldwide. At the young age of thirty-six, Diana was tragically killed in a car crash in Paris. Following Princess Diana’s death, the British Broadcasting Company released a news story providing rhetorically effective information. While the BBC was rhetorically effective, Queen Elizabeth and Wikipedia shared selections lacking rhetorical effectiveness, the most rhetorically effective amongst the selections was the eulogy the Earl of Spencer gave at Diana’s funeral. The British Broadcasting Company immediately proves to be rhetorically effective by establishing ethos. The BBC is a trustworthy newscast station and is given creditability to share

In her speech, the Queen recounts memories involving Diana’s life and her sons. Queen Elizabeth commits a logical fallacy when she uses appeal to pathos in order to gain rhetoric but remains ineffective. Queen Elizabeth’s visual appearance takes away from her appeal to pathos. She appears on television looking emotionless and not at all mournful of Diana’s death. On paper Queen Elizabeth’s speech appeals to pathos but, when given on television, her appearance causes her appeal to pathos to drop. In addition to Queen Elizabeth’s speech, Wikipedia’s Princess Diana entry lacks rhetorical components, providing a selection that is not rhetorically effective. First of all, Wikipedia is not credible. It is known amongst people that Wikipedia’s information may be changed, especially at the time the Princess Diana entry was accessed in 2006. The speaker of Wikipedia’s entry is not one person alone, but anyone who may have added or changed information. Multiple unaccredited speakers create an unreliable source with a substantial lack of