There is a wide variety of rhetorical strategies and methods, which can be used to strengthen the position of the speaker and persuade the audience. One of these methods is apophasis when the speaker says something while denying it. A form of apophasis is used by Donna Freitas (2013) when she says, “we think of college as a place where kids, perhaps free from their parent’s watchful eyes for the first time, can experiment sexually. Yet, my little adventure almost two decades ago seems innocent compared with hookup culture.” She implies that the culture of hookup derived from a relatively innocent and healthy process of socialization. However, she denies that the current state of that culture is appropriate and healthy. The use of apophasis helps Freitas better convey her ideas as it emphasizes the problem and makes the criticism sound unbiased. Freitas also uses such persuasive appeal as logos, as she relies on information collected during a social study. The use of statistical data and facts is one of the most effective techniques of persuasion. However, it may significantly depend on the credibility of the source.
Freedman also utilizes a wide range of rhetorical strategies and persuasive appeals in order to convey his ideas better and persuade the reader. For instance, he uses logos to emphasize that unprocessed food may cause obesity. He relies on personal findings that a Vegan Cheesy Salad Booster contains a large amount of fat and calories, which may cause obesity. These facts provide relatively effective rational reasoning as they may be easily verified by the reader. He also uses such rhetorical technique as exclamatio, which expresses a bright emotion of the author. Freedman (2014) says, “Thanks, McDonald’s!” emphasizing the fact that their smoothie was much cheaper and prepared faster. This technique helps Freedman drag attention and increase credibility, as such an emotional expression shows his sincere concern regarding the issue.
David Freedman, in his article How Junk Food Can End Obesity, talks about various misconceptions regarding healthy food that are common in society. Even though the broad opinion that junk food is bad, unhealthy, and causes obesity, Freedman provides a comprehensive article that may change people’s minds. He uses a significant number of rhetorical methods combined with persuasive appeals. Such a professional approach increases the overall effectiveness of Freedman’s argument. It may persuade not only people who are unfamiliar with the subject but also experts with sufficient knowledge about healthy nutrition. Freedman sets a complicated goal of defending a relatively unpopular point of view and succeeds in it.
In order to achieve that goal, he relies significantly on all three persuasive appeal methods, including ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos or ethical appeal is closely linked with the writer’s own character. Even though Freedman does not provide information about his qualification, he relies considerably on personal experience. The article starts with examples of Freedman’s experience, which gives his words good sense (Freedman, 2014). He also uses pathos to appeal to the reader’s emotions, such as a sense of security. For instance, on page 74, Freedman (2014) implies that processed food is safe by saying that “the results of all the scrutiny of processed food are hardly scary.” Finally, he constantly uses logos throughout the article by providing statistical facts and scientific evidence. For example, the author cites several credible researchers on page 82 in order to support his claims. Freedman achieves high argument effectiveness by implementing different types of appeals throughout the article.
References
Freedman, D. H. (2014). How junk food can end obesity. The Atlantic. Web.
Freitas, D. (2013). Time to stop hooking up. (you know you want to.). The Washington Post. Web.