Revenge is an act of retaliation for injuries or wrongdoings, to exact the person who has been wronged. The goal of revenge usually consists of forcing the wrongdoer to suffer the same pain that was originally inflicted. Some belief that nothing good can come from revenge, that it will only cause a vendetta or series of violent acts that could spiral out of control. Thankfully that’s exactly what happens to V, the main character in V for Vendatta. V, is a dedicated man set on freeing his fellow citizens from those who have terrorized them into a conformed oppressed society. During the first ten minutes of the movie or so, he takes over a news station and broadcast’s a speech. This speech alerts the citizens about his thoughts and plans regarding the government, parliament, and the 5th of November.
V’s message, an elaborate scheme designed to overthrow the oppressing government was simple yet complex. Throughout his speech he uses a slue of argumentations and a few of Aristotle’s modes of persuasions. In using these types of argumentations and persuasions he is encouraging the public to rise up and take action and revolt.
The first place we encounter these provocations are within the first few sentences.
He is asking the people of the community to pardon him for the interruption of their daily schedule to listen to a few thoughts of his. This is a classic example of Pathos. He is using his apologetic tone to make them feel sorry for him. But he takes no time getting to the point. In his next few sentences he is asking them to remember the fifth of November. This is a “means to an end” argument because he is asking them to act, to remember. Ethos is where a character tries to establish credibility. This is exactly what V does when he starts talking about words and their meanings, how words offer truth to those who are willing to listen. This lets us see the man behind the mask, so to speak.
Later on, in his speech, he uses a type of argument known as evaluation. Evaluation is the study of preferences. He uses this by referring to the government and the crimes it’s committing on its people. He is asking the good people of Britain who are to blame for the way the things are being done. Who’s to blame for the way the citizens are being treated? V’s answer is that some are more responsible than others but the real culprits are the people of Britain themselves. The reason this falls under the category of preferences is because he is placing blame on the people. Who have stood by and watched the government take over, and rule in an unjust and cruel manner.
After getting to their vulnerable side he uses Forensic Argumentation and Pathos to appeal to their better nature. By using his sympathetic tone he tells them he understands why they did nothing. He understands why they stood their and watched their country become overtaken by the heartless government. He understands why they were afraid. This, in combination with charging the government of no better than an oppressing intolerant parliament, becomes the reasoning behind his whole message. That is time that they show the government the purpose of a government. To help the people, not bully them into a submitted state of mind.
After his thought provoking speech, he uses one last argumentation to further relate to the people. The argument he chooses is a means to an end. He asks them if they know of the cruelty, oppression, intolerance and injustice, which this government has inflicted upon them, to mark this day. For in a year they will all stand outside the gates of parliament and give them a fifth of November that shall never, ever be forgotten.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
P1:
--you have a few spelling errors and minor grammatical mistakes; proofread before posting to clear up these
--your thesis sentence does what it is supposed to do: mention the rhetorical strategies you plan to discuss in your essay
P2:
--avoid "we"
--you mention several elements in this paragraph; tone and pathos relate to one another--even the means to an end relates, but mentioning ethos overloads your paragraph a bit
--also, no need to define ethos; however, I think you were on to something when you began discussing ethos, but you left me hanging when you said, "This lets us see the man behind the mask..." What does "this" refer to and how does "this" give me a glimpse of the man behind the mask. needs more explanation.
P3:
--no need to say, "he uses a type of argument known as evaluation." Why? 1) not everyone knows this type as evaluation--different teachers teach it differently--for instance, i was taught that it was called a praise/blame argument and others taught me it was called a character argument--the word evaluation sums up both of those in my opinion; 2) no need to write in an informative tone--your goal is not to teach your audience new terms, your goal is to use the framework I provided to understand the argument and point out how the speaker creates a desired effect within his audience using rhetorical strategies; 3)phrasing words in this nature contributes to the "shopping list effect"
--once again, no need to define words
--avoid contractions ("it is" instead of "it's")
--last sentence is a fragment that should be tacked onto the prior sentence
--no need to mention that this argument "falls under the category of preferences"--simply justify your analysis by using textual support
P4:
--you describe the tone as "sympathetic;" look up the word "empathetic" and tell me if you think it describes the tone better than "sympathetic"
P5:
--writing "one last argument" sounds less rigid than "one last argumentation"
--although you claim that V is making a means to end argument, you do not directly connect V with the end he is trying to achieve.
PROS: good topic sentences; you have a very good understanding of the basic layout of an argument. you're ready for the next few steps
CONS: see above
Post a Comment