Rhetorical Analysis Essay -- Argumentative Essays Rhetoric

Rhetorical Analysis In a persuasive essay, rhetorical appeals are a very important tool to influence the audience toward the author’s perspective. The three rhetorical appeals, which were first developed by Aristotle, are pathos, logos, and ethos. Pathos appeals to the emotions of the audience, logos appeals to the facts or evidence and ethos exhibits the credibility of the writer. William Bennett is a well-respected man in the political world. He served as Secretary of Education and Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities under President Ronald Reagan and Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under President George H.W. Bush. His essay entitled â€Å"Leave Marriage Alone,† which was published in Newsweek, June 3, 1996, is a response to an article written by Andrew Sullivan advocating same-sex marriage. Using rhetorical analysis I will determine whether or not this essay is effective and why. Bennett is a conservative republican who is a strong advocate for family values. The purpose of Bennett’s essay is to expose the downside of Andrew Sullivan’s argument in favor of same-sex marriage. He wants to persuade those who have read Sullivan’s essay to side with him. His audience seems to be primarily middle-aged heterosexuals who already take his stance on the topic. Bennett’s essay is clear, concise and to the point. He talks about the key issues from the first sentence in the first paragraph. The structure of his essay is deductive, beginning with â€Å"the two key issues that divide proponents and opponents of same sex marriage. The first is weather legally recognizing same-sex unions would strengthen or weaken the instition. The second has to do with the basic understanding of mar... ...etorical appeal will help to expose fallacies in the writers’ own argument. William Bennett has some good arguments but his lack of rhetorical appeal weakens his essay. He writes from the point of view of a bullheaded politician who shows little consideration for his opposition. He exhibits no appeal to emotion and comes off cold and without compassion. He gives no facts or statistics behind his arguments, just generalizations about a group of people it seems he knows very little about. All in all, Bennett’s essay is very feeble because he chose to ignore the literary laws Aristotle founded many centuries earlier. This essay is proof that these laws are truly effective. Works Cited: Gruber, Sibylle, Ed. et al. Constructing Others, Constructing Ourselves. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt, 2002. Bennett, William. â€Å"Leave Marriage Alone.† Gruber 29-30.