Rhetorical Analysisfinal draft
Wilfried Akakpovi
Professor Joel Hawkes
English 135
8 June 7, 2015 word count: 849
Rhetorical Analysis:
The article “Tarmageddon”, written by Andrew Nikiforuk, elaborates about the negative effects of the tar sands on Canada. In his essay, Nikiforuk mainly makes use of the logos appeal repeatedly to get his point across to the reader. The author also makes use of the other two rhetorical appeals to get to the reader. While the author uses logos in the essay to appeal to the audience, he missuses it as he uses it to appeal to the reader’s emotions rather than using it to make a logical argument. This is shown through his word choices and name calling through the essay.
The author does a good job of using pathos to appeal the audience’s emotions. From the very beginning of the essay he introduces the way Canada used to be regarded as a “good” country with mostly positive aspects until the fast rise of the tar sands. By introducing Canada as a country which was formerly a positive one but that is not one anymore, the author directly appeals to the emotions of the true Canadians that really care about their country. The author goes on by saying that the tar sands energy “has not only blackened the country’s environmental reputation, but also dramatically undermined its political and economic character.” In this quote, the author appeals to all the Canadians, whether they care about the reputation of their country or not, they feel some concerns as the author is claiming that there is an economical problem due to this energy project. The fact that the audience already starts feeling concerned about any of the aspect mentioned by the author shows how he makes good use of pathos to support his argument.
However successful the author’s appeal to logos, his essay relies too much on emotional appeal to the reader. When the author talks about the negative effects of the world’s largest energy project, the reader almost feels like he or she is being manipulated
Professor Joel Hawkes
English 135
8 June 7, 2015 word count: 849
Rhetorical Analysis:
The article “Tarmageddon”, written by Andrew Nikiforuk, elaborates about the negative effects of the tar sands on Canada. In his essay, Nikiforuk mainly makes use of the logos appeal repeatedly to get his point across to the reader. The author also makes use of the other two rhetorical appeals to get to the reader. While the author uses logos in the essay to appeal to the audience, he missuses it as he uses it to appeal to the reader’s emotions rather than using it to make a logical argument. This is shown through his word choices and name calling through the essay.
The author does a good job of using pathos to appeal the audience’s emotions. From the very beginning of the essay he introduces the way Canada used to be regarded as a “good” country with mostly positive aspects until the fast rise of the tar sands. By introducing Canada as a country which was formerly a positive one but that is not one anymore, the author directly appeals to the emotions of the true Canadians that really care about their country. The author goes on by saying that the tar sands energy “has not only blackened the country’s environmental reputation, but also dramatically undermined its political and economic character.” In this quote, the author appeals to all the Canadians, whether they care about the reputation of their country or not, they feel some concerns as the author is claiming that there is an economical problem due to this energy project. The fact that the audience already starts feeling concerned about any of the aspect mentioned by the author shows how he makes good use of pathos to support his argument.
However successful the author’s appeal to logos, his essay relies too much on emotional appeal to the reader. When the author talks about the negative effects of the world’s largest energy project, the reader almost feels like he or she is being manipulated