Rhetorical Analysis Of Al Gore's 'Climate Of Denial'

Environment Change: A Rhetorical Analysis on Rush Limbaugh’s “The Environmental Mindset”. In Rush Limbaugh’s “The environmental mindset”, Limbaugh introduces us to a very conservative view on environment change and how we have little to no effect on our climate(Limbaugh). In Rush’s article, he writes in a way to persuade people such as right wing conservatives, upper-middle class caucasian males, and politicians that can reinforce his notions. He solely relies on logos throughout the article, using no other credible sources other than himself with ethos and scarcely appealing to emotions in pathos.

Describing the tons of people worried and fearful about our government. Although whenever Gore explores the impact of media and also the American authorities on the mass consciousness of American individuals. One among the most important concepts Al Gore promotes in his book is that the concept

He believes laws are not absolute and are easily broken by members of society. He indicates that the only way to fix this environmental problem is to persuade the members. He says “You can’t change these things with laws. You must change people’s minds.” (Quinn, 152).

When it comes to the topic of Climate change in the presidential campaign, most of us will agree that the Republicans need to concentrate on climate change and give it top most priority since climate change is indeed one of the leading concerns in world economics and politics today. The latest results from the UTA Energy Poll show that more than three out of every four Americans think climate change is occurring (Poll: 76…). In a recent poll, it was found that 59% of Republicans changed their views regarding climate change which is up from the previous poll of 47% (Davenport). Whereas most Republicans are convinced that the issue of climate change should be a priority for all the government in the USA, there are still a few Republican presidential

Gore goes on to admit that he has “tried - once - almost every drug.” This appeals to ethos, for it enhances his credibility. He has experience with drugs, is knowledgable about them, and overall is a

Pathos is an appeal to the audience’s emotions. Logos is an appeal to the audience’s logic. Each author uses all three kinds of rhetoric to persuade the audience to believe in their views on sustainability. Let’s take a look at Wendell Berry’s ‘“It All Turns on Affection”: 2012 Jefferson Lecture”’. Berry uses rhetoric to stress the importance that humans need to respect the Earth and take steps to learn and take care of it.

In “Why Bother?” an article published in the New York Times Magazine, commentator Michael Pollan questions the severity that contributes to environmental problem and how an individual should attempt to make an impact regardless of the miniscule effect it will have presently and in the future. Pollan discusses how an individual's endeavors remain unnoticed when taking into account the consequences of one’s environmentally friendly actions. The concept of being named a liberal is discussed and its correlation towards one's decisions in changing one’s manner. Implementing laws that would promote green behavior is a drastic step to help the environment, but they would be very simple so everyone can comply.

This allows him to promote an aspect of ethos or his importance on the view of climate control. He appeals this sense of importance by associating with higher officials by writing “Support Bill McKibben and his organization” (Hansen, 2009 p.435). He supports this view and association by writing “McKibben has done remarkable job of helping young people” (Hansen, 2009 p4 .435). This association and support of a certain government official allows him to show a strong view on climate change, as well as promotes a change of government control that is more supportive of his view. At the very end of the essay Hanson (2009) changes his assertion for importance and puts the importance on the reader.

Jimmy Carter, a former US president effectively incorporates logos – facts and evidence, pathos – appealing word choice and emotion, and ethos – credibility to build his persuasive argument. Carter strives to contend that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should not be developed for industry. First, throughout the article, there are many situations where Jimmy Carter incorporates facts and examples. For example, he states, “The Arctic Refuge might provide 1 to 2 percent of the oil our country consumes each day.” By using such numbers, Carter forces the reader to evaluate the situation by recognizing the difference between an insignificant financial income and enormous damage to the territory.

He not only has passion for the environment, nonetheless is also factual(logos) in his articles by using numbers and referring to other articles. In both Up Sh*t Creek (with a Paddle) and Learning to Surf,

Professor Jack Hall, a paleoclimatologist, discovered drastic climate changes which he believed would affect the world population. He, therefore, voiced out about the problem during a press conference with the world’s leaders in New Delhi. Unfortunately, the American vice president, Raymond Becker, did not heed his advice until matters were out of control. "Our economy is every bit as fragile as the environment (Strieber, 2004)," the vice president says, dismissing Jack 's sensational claims. Due to the advancement of technology in the United States, there were several greenhouse gases responsible for global warming, and the citizens of United States contributed to the emission of these gases in many ways.

In 1962, Rachel Carson, author of the book, “Silent Spring” paints the image of a disgusting world filled with contamination that is not too far away for the citizens of America in 1962. A world filled with waste and chemicals due to the lack of knowledge that humankind has about the environment would hurt the air, Earth, rivers, and seas, causing both the environment and the human race to be in danger. Carson idealizes change in the environment through use of an abundance of rhetorical devices. Carson utilizes devices such as, imagery, logos, pathos through childhood, compare contrast organization, and shifts in persona. By using rhetorical devices, Carson reveals the truth about the contamination and waste in the environment.

In the early 2000 Al Gore once said, “The planet is in distress and all the attention is on Paris Hilton.” In the same theme, Michael Pollan writes, “Why Bother?”, an article from The New York Times Magazine published in 2008 telling Americans they are too consumed with themselves and maintain a “cheap-energy mind”. And here, in 2016 climate change is seriously happening and the nation is still not addressing the gravity of the issue and why we should indeed bother to make changes. It is time that this nation discerns that climate change is real and it is happening as we speak. Climate change is a threat to each and every one of us and imperative to the survival of life on this planet.

His choice of words and arguments are chosen wisely to engage the

Evidence + Argument Lewinsky uses a diverse mix of ethos, logos and pathos to make her persuasive point that we cannot sit idly by when cyberbullying occurs right in front of us. Ethos, as discussed in the previous section, is a speaker’s credibility. Ethos is not something automatic, it must be established and actively cultivated by the presenter (Keith & Lundberg 39). Logos and pathos are evidence and emotional appeals, respectively, and form the core of the speech’s content (Beebe & Beebe 203). The personal narratives that Lewinsky weaves are able to effectively connect with both of those core concepts, especially as she defines exactly what the consequences were.