Author Barbara Smith addresses the events that evolved in the city of Los Angeles on March 3, 1991, regarding police brutality towards a black man Rodney King, before handcuffing King after a high-speed chase. Across the nation resonated a shock wave of unbelieve as the police officers involved were acquitted which sparked a violent movement in the local community (39). Barbara Smith took the opportunity to provide a rhetorical response in her book titled, “The Truth That Never Hurts” (42). Barbara Smith’s writings in an excerpt from her book describe similar factual events of violence and oppression through history, in our nation, that has left a residue of incivility, her response is verbal as she speaks through her written text. A myriad
During the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King, Jr. fought to end racism through peaceful protesting. He points this out in his speeches and more specifically in his book Stride Towards Freedom. King is trying to persuade his audience to act with nonviolent resistance in order to make a change. To persuade his audience he describes acquiescence, violence, and nonviolent resistance: these are the three ways of dealing with oppression. As he describes these three ways of dealing with oppression, he also uses them to highlight rhetorical devices such as ethos, pathos, and logos.
“We are wrong to think of democracy as a gift of freedom it is really a kind of discipline that avails freedom.” (Steele 458) Shelby Steele is an author, professor, and well known commentator on race relations. He has a Ph.D. in English, an M.A. in sociology, and has written several books on racial issues. He focuses mostly on race relations and the issues that ensue from racial biased programs. His mother and father were both active for the civil rights movement and the things they did during it made an impression on his values, the article he wrote displays these values.
Speeches are used to commemorate points of history, and inform the general public of the product of their history but what makes a speech so impacting on it’s audience? Rhetorical devices give speeches and works of literature a way that can convey feelings or ideas to a viewer. When addressing during times of war or chaos, people such as Ronald Reagan, Abraham Lincoln, and Winston Churchill used these terms to better connect with their audience. Without these tools of the english language, dialogue and literature would be all the more dull and unappealing. However, with these useful instruments, writers and speakers can better communicate through some of the many rhetorical devices.
Ford's insights prompted me to reconsider my own views on the tension between security imperatives and individual freedoms, prompting a deeper examination of the complexities at play. In addition to Ford's article, supplemental sources further enriched my understanding of the Korematsu case and its
Emma Marris uses many types of persuasive elements in her essay “Emma Marris: In Defense of Everglade Pythons”. In her writing she persuades her readers that the pythons should be allowed to be in the everglades since it is not their fault that they are there in the first place. She uses metaphors to relate to the reader and word choice to enhance her writing.
In Michael Levin's The Case for Torture, Levin provides an argument in which he discusses the significance of inflicting torture to perpetrators as a way of punishment. In his argument, he dispenses a critical approach into what he believes justifies torture in certain situations. Torture is assumed to be banned in our culture and the thought of it takes society back to the brutal ages. He argues that societies that are enlightened reject torture and the authoritative figure that engage in its application risk the displeasure of the United States. In his perspective, he provides instances in which wrongdoers put the lives of innocent people at risk and discusses the aspect of death and idealism.
Aldous Huxley’s text, Brave New World, will leave you questioning your perspective on life and it’s choices. Within the novel, curious readers can see that government control over all in an attempt to create a utopia, can sometimes have a counter effect, creating a dystopia. Wielding it’s tool of conformity, The World State has forced its ideology into the minds of its people at a young age, in hopes of avoiding rebellion. In many ways this is how our society functions in the real world. The genre of Huxley's text may be fiction, but the society fabricated in Brave New World may not be so fictional after all.
When it comes down to security, who can the people trust? Surveillance systems are a popular type of security that can either be effective or ineffective. In her article, “Trading Liberty for Illusions”, published in Free Inquiry, Spring, 2002, Wendy Kaminer, a lawyer, argues that Americans are extremely frightened of the security that they are given, which makes it impossible for them to question the false security that is being traded for their freedom. On the other hand, an article called, “If Looks Could Kill”, published in The Economist magazine in September 2010, The Economist claims that surveillance systems are being enhanced, but will never be perfected. Both of these articles use evidence, in order to make their articles reliable.
Rhetorical Analysis: Tolerance and Peace Mother Teresa was a Roman Catholic Nun who devoted her life to God and helping those who were less fortunate. Although she spent time all around the world, Mother Teresa was known for her work in Calcutta. Furthermore she also founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta.
The United States is made up of some of the most diverse and interesting cultures in the world. Jamila Lyiscott proves this by showing her different dialects and how they are all equally important. Lyiscott believes that the way she speaks towards her parents, towards her friends, and towards her colleagues are all one in the same. Throughout the entirety of her speech, Lyiscott changes up her vocal patterns and dialects so that the audience can understand first hand what each of these dialects are. When she talks about her father, Lyiscott uses her native tongue, when she talks to her fellow neighbors and close friends she switches it up to a more urbanized dialect, and when she is in school she masks the other two dialects with a professional sounding language.
Similarly, these individuals who are in favor of balancing liberty over security also reference the ongoing IRS scandal, and how this also raises concerns about the concentration and abuse of power when it comes to government surveillance, (Sterner, 2014). All things considered, these people who side with civil liberties and believe that it trumps national security measures; generally hold a consensus that our constitution should protect us from these overreaching aspects of government surveillance. In addition to that, they fear that if such measure are not controlled properly we may become a society that has a government which holds all too much power and control; resulting in pushing the limits, just like we saw in the course materials on George Orwell’s 1984 and also just like we saw in the course materials on Plato’s critique of democracy.
Introduction: While freedom as a concept feels fairly intuitive, nuances in interpretation can change the basis of an argument. John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government and Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America do not define liberty in precisely the same way, which in turn guides two different visions in how a government should function. When examining a core concept in an argument, it is important to inquire to whether its treatment is adequate. Is either definition of liberty sufficient, and does either author’s envisioned government adequately address liberty in that system? This paper will argue that Locke’s definition of liberty remains in the literal sphere while Tocqueville’s is more conceptual, but neither Locke’s nor Tocqueville’s
Award winning writer, George Orwell, in his dystopian novel, 1984, Winston and O’Brien debate the nature of reality. Winston and O’Brien’s purpose is to persuade each other to believe their own beliefs of truth and reality. They adopt an aggressive tone in order to convey their beliefs about what is real is true. In George Orwell’s 1984, Winston and O’Brien use a variety of different rhetorical strategies and appeals such as parallel structure, pathos, and logos in order to persuade each other about the validity of memories and doublethink; however, each character’s argument contains flaw in logic. Winston debates with O’Brien that truth and reality are individual and connected to our memories.
However, Mill’s harm principle indicates the latter. He justifies state interference into citizen lives as a means of preventing said citizens from harming each other. The state has an obligation to ensure the safety of its people. The government achieves this by monitoring the information of its citizens as a preventative caution. I concluded that while surveillance did infringe on liberty, concessions were necessary for security.
