Rhetorical Analysis Of Traub's Claim

Traub uses several argumentative techniques in an attempt to strengthen his claim. Some of these techniques include the Aristotelian components of persuasive arguments. One critical point that is argued in this article is the importance of the newspaper comic strip. In the second paragraph, Traub mentions that comic strips hold a certain weight of social and cultural importance. He then qualifies his own argument by stating that even though the comic portion of the newspaper may not bear the same political value as the rest of the newspaper as a whole, it is certainly still significant. In detail, Traub goes on throughout the rest of the article to explain why he believes this is true. Because he choses to qualify his argument, Traub

Appealing to the reader’s emotions is often an exceptional way to persuade a person or group of people. This is widely prevalent in all of Traub’s article. For instance, in paragraph eight, Traub vividly describes one of his childhood memories that was centered around newspaper comic strips. By taking the time to share his personal life, the reader is able to build a personal connection to Traub and then begins to think of memories they have that involve old newspaper comics and are bombarded with feelings of nostalgia. Here, pathos is very useful in proving Traub’s claim because by the end of the article, the reader will be in complete agreement that newspaper comic strips are a treasure and will soon be a thing of the past. Another instance of pathos is seen in paragraphs three and eleven when Traub references characters and their different personalities from several newspaper comics. By doing this, Traub is effectively appealing to both his intended audience and those who are not adamant newspaper comic strip followers. This is because he is able to effectively point out that every person has a comic strip character that they can relate to, and even gives several examples. Pathos is seen again in Traub’s writing in paragraphs five, six, and seven. When Traub mentions the uniqueness that comes only with

For example, some readers may view his story-telling and reminiscing as a sign of self-centeredness. While Traub’s personal tales bring intense emotion to the article, some may feel that it lacks some credibility due to the absence of outside opinion. As a result, this can weaken the ethos aspect of the persuasive argument. Another way that Traub’s heavy reliance on pathos can weaken his argument deals with the audience that he is speaking to. Because Traub often refers to sweet memories that involve old newspaper comic strips, he is specifically pleasing an audience that has spent some time of their life reading them. Therefore, his argument is more effective on those who are familiar with comics he mentions in paragraphs four and eleven. Even though this could potentially happen, Traub’s use of pathos ultimately strengthens his claim because it builds a relationship with the audience over the sharing of emotions.

As a whole, Leo Traub offers ample evidence to support his argument. Though the evidence he brings is entirely based on emotional opinion, Traub gives his audience a sense of credibility that certainly helps his case. Ultimately, Leo Traub’s article, “The great American comic strip: an endangered species,” uses efficient personal evidence to promote pathos and provides a sense of credibility to the audience to prove