Rhetorical Analysis of Gabriel Giffords: A Sentates in the Gun Lobby's

...

emotional appeal. Phrases like “…lives ended in a hail of bullets,” “…grieving parents whose children were murdered at Sandy Hook,” and words like “Massacre” (Giffords, 2013). This diction creates a tone of discouragement within the article, and makes the reader want to create change, which is the exact purpose of this article. When appealing to emotions come people need facts the Rhetorical appeal logos does just that.

The final and least present rhetorical element is logos. According to Purdue Owl, logos is defined as: “logic or reasoning” (Sproat, et al., 2012, para. 2). Rather than list a series of facts of statistics and numbers to the reader Giffords chose to focus on the emotional response and her own credibility. She imply some numerical values of interest groups like the NRA are scaring our legislators into making decisions that do not reflect the wishes of the cititzens “$25 million on contributions, lobbying, and outside spending” (2013, para. 4). This is a great example of logos as it uses numbers and acts about the NRA controlling the senators with money. Based on an article found about the NRA it says, “Previous research has shown that PAC contributions from the National Rifle Association as well as letters and lobbying by Handgun Control, Inc. significantly affected Congressional voting on the Firearms Owners Protection Act of 1986, holding constant ideology, party, constituency characteristics, and a proxy for prior position on the issue” (Langbein, 1993). This isn’t the first time the NRA has influenced congress with contributions, but maybe Giffords is the first to confront them about it.

Now think back to the situation with the gun pointed at the student’s head. Giffords was once in that same exact situation with the trigger pulled just like the high school student, but she survived to tell the tale. With outcome that situation Giffords was in, she wanted change she wanted something like that to never happen again to people. The senators didn’t listen to her though, and that fueled her to write this article. Her use of rhetorical appeals ethos, logos, and pathos was to attract and help the public learn of this un American action and to begin change for the better.

References

LANGBEIN, L. I. (1993). PACs, lobbies, and political conflict: The case of gun control. Public Choice, 77(3), 551-572. Retrieved from: https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=21144890&site=eds-live&scope=site

Sproat, E., Driscoll, D. L., & Brizee, A. (2012, April 27). Aristole’s Rhetorical Situation

Retrieved from https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/resources/625/03/

S Amdt 715 – Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act – Key Vote.

Retrieved from Vote Smart, http://votesmart.org/bill/20704/public-safety-and-second-amendment-rights-protection-act-of-2015#.WJeX5YWcGM8

Giffords, G. (2013, April 17). A Senate in the Gun Lobby’s Grip. The New York Times.

Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/18/opinion/a-senate-in-the-gun-lobbys-grip.html