Rhetorical Analysis Of Drunk History

Host, Derek Waters, in two of the videos, “Drunk History: Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parks” and “Drunk History: John Adams vs. Thomas Jefferson,” engages with inebriated guest who recount the history of the U.S. The purpose of the first is to portray the contribution of Colvin and Parks to the Bus Boycott by having an intoxicated woman narrate the story. The second depicts the deterioration of Adams and Jefferson’s friendship during the 1800 election which is reiterated by a tipsy man. The first video adopts a sympathy tone in order to elicit a similar emotion from discriminatory experiences in the adult viewers. In the second video, it adopts a ridiculous tone in order to convey amusement in the adult viewers. In addition, The Onion, in their

For example, logos is used through inductive reasoning which is when “[people] use firsthand observations to form general conclusions” (Austin 652). The narrator applies logos by chronologically describing how Colvin refuses to give up her seat to a white woman which leads to the NAACP using Parks to reenact the same scene and start the bus boycott (“Claudette Colvin”). Since Colvin was thrown off for not moving for a white woman, it would most likely happen again, exhibiting inductive reasoning. Furthermore, pathos is demonstrated by appealing to “the emotional aspects of [the] issue” (Austin 661). The video invokes a feeling of sympathy and anger for Colvin and Parks because they were treated unfairly and thrown off the bus for not moving for a white person (“Claudette Colvin”). This makes the viewer want the two women to receive justice for how they are treated. Finally, ethos is not portrayed well during this video because the narrator lacks the persuasiveness necessary to “communicate to [her] audience that [she is] the sort of person who should be believed” (Austin 664). The narrator is intoxicated while telling the story, and this may cause the viewer to question whether or not the narrator is telling the truth. Also, the narrator’s intelligence may be questioned because she cusses, since she could use more educated words. Using a

For example, the video uses logos by “making an inductive leap” by having the viewer “use specific observations as the basis of a general conclusion” (Austin 656). The video illustrates how almost every news station reports on stories by following a common sequence. The report has a general overview of the information, then they provide footage, witnesses, a reporter live at the scene, statistics and experts, emails, and tips. Moreover, the video appeals to pathos via humor by ridiculing other news reports. This makes it “more likely [for viewers] to be motivated to adopt an opinion…when logical appeals are combined with appeals that work on an emotional level” (Austin 661). Humor brings forth the reality that the layout of the stories are generally all the same and usually provide meaningless information. Finally, ethos is presented well in this video through the appearance of the speakers and how they present their information. Given that ethos “refers to the persuasion through the audience’s perception of the speaker” (Austin 664), the video presents the speaker as someone who is credible. The main orators wear suits and ties, thus making them appealing, and they speak with eloquence which makes them appear intelligent when presenting the information. On the other hand, they cuss during the video; however, their confidence in speaking overshadows that