Rhetorical Analysis Of The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

SAT PRACTICE ESSAY: JIMMY CARTER

Whether or not the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should be developed for industry is a national concern. In this passage, Jimmy Carter builds an argument to persuade his audience that the Refuge not be developed for industry. Cater effectively builds a persuasive argument using various rhetorical strategies, however his argument may be made stronger in several ways.
As early as the second paragraph, Carter uses pathos, or emotion to connect with his audience. He effectively uses vivid imagery with phrases such as, “ancient Caribou trails”, “brilliant mosaic of wildflowers, mosses, and lichens,” and “braided rivers that meander toward the Beaufort Sea.” This helps to captivate the audience and makes them feel attached to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. When he later puts the image of his refuge being destroyed, the audience feels hurt, or angry. He craftily uses contrasting words such as “forever destroy”, “disturb… animals,” and “tragedy”. This helps to introduce the idea of turning the Refuge into industrial development as very negative and something that must never happen.

Carter mentions his past presidency to remind his audience of his former position, which makes himself sound credible, thus making his argument stronger. He says that while he was president, he signed an act that “safeguarded more than 100 million acres of national parks, refuges, and forests in ALaska.” This leads the audience to believe that he is the “good guy” and has done his share in helping to protect the land. He then says what has happened since he left office using negatively connotated words such as “failed”, “tremendous opposition”, and “struggle to safeguard.” With this, Carter tries to gain the trust of the audience by making it seem as if he is reliable and trustworthy, and what is happening now is