Rhetorical Analysis Of Ethos
Body: analysis of key rhetorical themes
Ethos Appeals:
In typical Lange style, the address to the Oxford Union opened with the effective use of humour which built his credibility via ethos rhetorical appeal. This approach instantly set the tone of the speech, engaging the audience, and effectively highlighted the clear differences in opinion between New Zealand and both the US and UK, on the nuclear issue. Leading up to the debate both US and UK political circles had been vocal in the disapproval of New Zealand’s position (Hubbard, 2005). According to Lange, “Margaret Thatcher sent a note through her High Commissioner, which he delivered to me, asking me not to do it. And that sealed it…I decided definitely to go.” (Russel, 1996 p.95; Lange, 2005). Lange’s acknowledgement to the US president (Ronald Reagan) and the British Prime Minister (Margaret Thatcher), who he was yet to meet, communicated two messages. Firstly, that he implicitly acknowledged and contrasted the opposing positions; and secondly that he did not particularly care for these opposing views and would not be …show more content…
Lange effectively frames the argument as the collective ‘we’ [153-159]. Through the logic of mutually assured destruction, Lange effectively argues that ‘we’ are all stakeholders in this issue and “there is a community of interest which binds us all to common ground” [169-171]. Later in the speech, Lange blurs the definition of ‘we’ to mean New Zealand and ‘they’ as the United States. This effectively contrasts the ‘they’ who build nuclear weapons do so for their own defence, but have it in their hands to determine the fate of us all (the ‘we’). This form of rhetoric frames both Lange and New Zealand as a concerned citizen of the world, establishes the moral high ground, and appeals to both primary and secondary audience sense of the common good and global community
Ethos Appeals:
In typical Lange style, the address to the Oxford Union opened with the effective use of humour which built his credibility via ethos rhetorical appeal. This approach instantly set the tone of the speech, engaging the audience, and effectively highlighted the clear differences in opinion between New Zealand and both the US and UK, on the nuclear issue. Leading up to the debate both US and UK political circles had been vocal in the disapproval of New Zealand’s position (Hubbard, 2005). According to Lange, “Margaret Thatcher sent a note through her High Commissioner, which he delivered to me, asking me not to do it. And that sealed it…I decided definitely to go.” (Russel, 1996 p.95; Lange, 2005). Lange’s acknowledgement to the US president (Ronald Reagan) and the British Prime Minister (Margaret Thatcher), who he was yet to meet, communicated two messages. Firstly, that he implicitly acknowledged and contrasted the opposing positions; and secondly that he did not particularly care for these opposing views and would not be …show more content…
Lange effectively frames the argument as the collective ‘we’ [153-159]. Through the logic of mutually assured destruction, Lange effectively argues that ‘we’ are all stakeholders in this issue and “there is a community of interest which binds us all to common ground” [169-171]. Later in the speech, Lange blurs the definition of ‘we’ to mean New Zealand and ‘they’ as the United States. This effectively contrasts the ‘they’ who build nuclear weapons do so for their own defence, but have it in their hands to determine the fate of us all (the ‘we’). This form of rhetoric frames both Lange and New Zealand as a concerned citizen of the world, establishes the moral high ground, and appeals to both primary and secondary audience sense of the common good and global community