Rhetorical Analysis Of 'Lowering The Flag'

Believe it or not saying goodbye is difficult to do. Everyone has said a goodbye once or more in their life and they are never easy. The article “Lowering the Flag” by Charles Krauthammer, published on June 25, 2015 in the Washington Post, addresses the issue of saying goodbye to something that is a significant part of the United States. Krauthammer begins his piece with the heartbreaking massacre that took place in a Charleston church then writes about how gun control has not made any improvement and finally moves into expressing that many want the Confederate flag to be removed. Krauthammer’s article is effective because he uses pathos to capture the heart of the reader, he is a credible writer that has a tone that is professional yet questions
He uses his words to talk about how forgiveness was evident. Krauthammer reveals that, “within 48 hours of the murder of their loved ones, they spoke of redemption and reconciliation and even forgiveness of the killer himself. It was an astonishingly moving expression of Christian charity,” (Krauthammer, 2015, para. 9). The author provides a detailed description of how the families responded to the one who ended their life. He uses the words “Christian charity” and “redemption and reconciliation” which generates an emotional response because it shows how forgiving the families where to someone who killed people that were close to them. Krauthammer gives the readers a chance to realize that even after something so horrific there is still sense of mercy that the families gave the
Krauthammer writes a great logical point when he states, “You can largely ban guns in Canada where the founding document gives the purpose of confederation as the achievement of ‘peace, order and good government.’ Harder to disarm a nation whose founding purpose is ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,’” (Krauthammer, 2015, para. 5). Krauthammer’s statement about the contrast of the founding documents between Canada and the United States makes logical sense. The reason why it is valid is because he knows that ridding America of their freedom such as guns, it will cause many to rise against the government (Krauthammer, 2015). It is like taking a toy away from a baby, they are going to scream. He also questions about if taking the Confederate flag down, would it really have stopped the fatal shooting. By asking that question he brings a different light on his opinion of the topic of bringing the flag down. The author mentions that bringing the Confederate flags down would cause problems, (Krauthammer,