Sunday, September 27, 2015

TOW #3- The Pope Throws Down for Religious Freedom


The Pope’s arrival in America this past week has been the talk of the town. The media is buzzing, trains and tickets are sold out, classes are canceled. The article The Pope Throws Down for Religious Freedom gives information about the Pope’s speech in Philadelphia. Emma Green, the author, is the managing editor of The Atlantic and writes mainly about religion and politics; which gives her credibility as the author of this article because she has had experience with writing about topics similar to this. It is evident through Green’s writing that her purpose is to simplify and further explain the Pope’s message from this speech so that Americans can better understand and readjust their behaviors accordingly.

Green’s most effective rhetorical strategy is the employment of direct quotes. By quoting the Pope’s speech, Green appeals to ethos by showing that she isn’t simply making up information about what the Pope’s message was. After the quote, she often continues to explain the meaning or significance of what he said and then asserts her own opinion. Because she has already established ethos, stating her opinion is effective because she has already convinced the reader that her message has worth. Green speaks about the geometrical metaphor utilized by Pope Francis that communicates his message: religious freedom is imperative. She quotes his words and then says: “Unfortunately, there were no graphical aids to help those in the audience who lost Francis at the geometry imagery…” (Green). This satirical statement effectively draws in her readers through the use of humor. Overall, Green’s use of direct quotes to establish ethos and then the assertion of her own opinion was effective in accomplishing her purpose of further explaining the Pope’s message about religious freedom so that Americans can better understand and readjust their behaviors accordingly.


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