ipl-logo

Robert Epstein Rhetorical Devices

1403 Words6 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The impact of social media on election

Rhetorical Essay: 1

The author, Robert Epstein, has a background in psychology and behavioral research. He is the author of 15 books and the former editor-in-chief of Psychology Today. In this article he ha taken the stance that the Internet can and is being used to manipulate people in their thoughts, feelings, and actions. The author provides research to prove his point that the Internet is causing a change in our society. He talks about how the internet can influence us on how we vote in this upcoming election and how it can be taken and used to “spy” on what we are doing in our day to day life. The rhetorical devices that he has used in his article really help to build credibility and trust among the readers. He uses some of these devices to instill fear of the unknown to gain more interest. The rhetorical devices that he uses the most are Appeal to Fear, Allusion, Appeal to Authority, and Logical Reasoning. These four main devices thrust forward his point in the manipulation that the Internet can cause. The first main device that is used is presented at the very beginning of the article. Fear is being instilled in the reader from the very start. The author lists and summarizes a few pieces that are know for brilliant technology uses and over force of the government that weighs on the country’s citizens. These are works that most people know about …show more content…

The four rhetorical devices are used to inform, convince, instill fear, and raise awareness to the fact that people can be swayed, that elections can be swayed. The author has woven these devices into the article seamlessly and really makes an effort to show the reader his view. Everything he does creates credibility and by the end of the article the reader is convinced that the Internet truly can be

Show More
Related
232 Words | 1 Pages

Saunders also conveys how business marketing tactics breed cruelty and vanity in society’s elites. The lack of ethics fuels a sense of superiority in product users through brutal subjugation of those who don’t use them. In this society, violent imagery is commonplace and immoral behavior is encouraged to sell products. Society pardons characters like Kevin for their actions because they are winners who are propagating the consumerist message (they help sell the product). This vindication is further illustrated in the third vignette when an orange’s polite questioning of a Slap-of-Wack bar is answered by violent stabbing.

Read More
689 Words | 3 Pages

The author combines a serious nature with a sarcastic tone to both prove her argument and demean the underlying story. The serious tone is most noticeable whenever she discusses group polarization. It is easily understood that she believes the internet is causing problems by creating a new form of group polarization known as cyber polarization. However, when the author addresses the story of President Obama, she brings back a sarcastic tone indicating her support of our leader. She intended this sarcasm to subtly say that those who believed the stories about President Obama were uniformed extremist.

Read More
415 Words | 2 Pages

Harrison’s egotistic character in “Harrison Bergeron” evolves into a clustered ball of power and control. Throughout the passage from Kurt Vonnegut, the narrator aims to reveal the “emperor” the character Harrison wishes to be. Vonnegut discloses a tone of negativity at the beginning of the story, pertaining Harrison’s character complexion. This negativity originates from the dystopian society’s view of Harrison’s essential arrogance.

Read More
676 Words | 3 Pages

In Niccolo Machiavelli's book, The Prince (1513), he evaluates on how a prince can be a successful leader. Machiavelli’s purpose of this guidebook was to construct his argument to the rising ruler Giuliano de Medici for when he comes to power in Florence. He adopts a casual but authoritative tone in order to convince the prince that Machiavelli’s evaluation on how to be the best prince, is the right thing for the prince to do without coming off as he knows more than the prince or is trying to intimidate him.. Machiavelli’s reference to previous rulers and whether their tactics failed or succeeded helps to benefit his credibility along with his allusion to historic text. He appeals to our logic by simply stating a prince can only do what is within his power to control, and his use of an analogy furthers his argument.

Read More
1075 Words | 5 Pages

A rhetorical analysis of: “For many restaurant workers, fair conditions not on menu”, an editorial published in February, 2014 by The Boston Globe, reveals the author’s use of classic rhetorical appeals to be heavily supported with facts, including focused logos arguments. “For many restaurant workers, fair conditions not on menu” is a Boston Globe editorial published in February 2014 by author/editor Kathleen Kingsbury. Kingsbury is a Pulitzer prize winning author and is currently the deputy managing editor (The Boston Globe). “For many restaurant workers, fair conditions not on menu” aims to inform the reader of the hardships that minimum wage restaurant workers in the United States have to face and steps that could be taken to solve these issues. The article focuses in on the wage gap,

Read More
429 Words | 2 Pages

Mark Twain, an 18th century humorist, was known for his critical and satirical writing. In one of his most famous essays, “ Fenimore Coopers Literary Offenses” Twain addresses Coopers inability to realistically develop a “situation” and his failure to effectively back up his stories in order for them to be more plausible. To dramatically convey his unimpressed and sarcastic attitude, he applies biting diction, metaphors and hypophora throughout this work . By continuously using biting diction, Twain develops a mocking tone towards Fenimore Cooper’s incapability to create even the simplest of storylines. In the title of the work a sarcastic tone is evident; the word choice is utilized to reinforce the argument stating how Coopers work is an offense to the world of literature.

Read More
972 Words | 4 Pages

Rhetorical Analysis In the article “Is Google Making us Stupid?”, author Nicholas Carr expresses his idea that the internet is taking over society and our thinking process. Google is affecting our abilities to read books, longer articles, and even older writings. Carr believes that we have become so accustomed to the ways of the internet, and we are relying on Google 's ability to sort through the details for us so we don 't have to, in order to get the information we find necessary more efficiently. He finds that this process has become almost too handy, and that it is corrupting us from becoming better educated.

Read More
448 Words | 2 Pages

Maria W. Stewart Analysis In this excerpt of a lecture given by Maria W. Stewart in the year 1832, she has a strong point: Although the African Americans in the northern colonies were free, they were not treated equal as the white people were. Stewart uses a variety of rhetorical strategies to bring her point in the situation, such as argument, compare and contrast, and appeal to ethos. Along with the persistent and serious tone, it is clear that she sees the unfair treatment of African Americans a major problem.

Read More
434 Words | 2 Pages

Our way of thinking is beginning to change to the way that computers do. Advancements are made everyday. These new advancements are attempting to make life in general easier for everyone. Nicholas Carr makes the claim that, “as the internet because our primary source of the information it is affecting our ability to read books and other long narratives.” Carr suggests that using the internet is altering the way that our minds operate.

Read More
1303 Words | 6 Pages

The internet could be the most valuable invention that was made in the modern age. With the force of the web individuals basically can do anything. From learning how to cook to building a car. The possibility is endless. The modernization of the internet can have positive and negative effects on the world.

Read More
492 Words | 2 Pages

He starts his argument by telling us the effect the internet has had on him and others he has come across. The internet has changed his train of thought and his ability to focus and concentrate. He believes our brains have been reprogramed over time to adjust to the speed and convenience of the internet. Our ability to retain and digest traditional media has also been compromised since we are used to receiving information so rapidly. This is a strong opening argument for his essay.

Read More
842 Words | 4 Pages

In President Bush’s address to the nation, he uses many rhetorical devices. A rhetorical device is a literary device that is used to persuade the audience to support the argument made. Bush’s address uses Ethos, Logos, and Pathos. They were invented and studied by the famous greek philosopher Aristotle. Ethos appeals to credibility, Logos appeals to logic or reason, and Pathos appeals to the audience’s feelings.

Read More
953 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout the novel Tuesday’s With Morrie, the author, Mitch Albom, reflects on his Tuesday meetings with his old professor, now consumed with a terminal illness, and, using many rhetorical choices, reveals “The Meaning of Life,” which they discussed profusely and divided into several categories. Topics such as Death, Emotions, Aging, Money, Culture, and more are all discussed in their weekly conferences, Morrie passing his wisdom on to one of his favor students. And Albom, writing about their talks, uses numerous rhetoric devices to discuss this wisdom. As Morrie Schwartz, dying of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), speaks with Albom, the two talk about Death.

Read More
673 Words | 3 Pages

Often known as the Father of American Literature to many educated individuals, Ralph Waldo Emerson in his oration “The American Scholar” brilliantly provides a sublime example of how Emerson earned his title through the appliance of diction, syntax, allusions, and many other rhetorical devices and strategies. Indicated towards his highly educated audience, the Phi Beta Kappa Society, Emerson introduces the idea that the common class and common concepts of everyday life are becoming the future of art and literature through purpose, credibility, and tone. As many great writers, Emerson does not simply tell about his idea, but instead uses rhetorical strategies to help show his central point, one such strategy being purpose. Being focused on informing his audience of the coming days, the use of purpose can be

Read More
912 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More

More about Robert Epstein Rhetorical Devices

Related Topics

Open Document