What Were You Thinking!
Anthony Duong
University of Texas at El Paso
Abstract
Lauren C. is a blogger that expresses her opinion and shares it with anyone who is willing to read her blog. She has written various blogs on different topics but has focused on the work of artist/illustrator Gary Brookins in three to four of her blogs. In this particular blog she addresses the issue that artist Gary Brookins provides with is illustration. Within her blog she uses rhetoric appeals to argue her point.
What Were You Thinking!
“Have you no SHAME?!” The title alone is striking. Lauren C., a graduate student, blogs about various topics that peak her interest with strong sarcasm. She expresses her opinion using a strange approach to the rhetoric appeals; sarcastic tones on serious topics. In this particular blog she uses ethos, logos, and pathos to express her opinion on a visual illustrated by Gary Brookins.
The visual itself is the first thing that you see as you begin to read the blog. It portrays a dog-man with a pyramid of his prescription drug bottles balancing in his hands. The caption of the visual states, “I don’t have to go to Egypt to see a Great Pyramid.” The picture alone says many things. The author’s name in the top left corner shows its credibility because of the comics’ status on the newspaper. The logos of the visual can be portrayed in the text of the visual as well as the perspective. The perspective of the visual is like looking at a portrait. This allows the author to get his message through to the audience. Both the perspective and the text, reference to the growing problem of prescription drug addiction as well as giving an inside look to how drug addicts think. This logos appeal of the visual then leads to a pathos appeal. It gives the audience an emotional view of how drugs can affect ones life.
Immediately after the visual the author begins her blog using the rhetoric appeals. In her opening sentences Lauren uses ethos and logos by referencing previous blogs that she has written with direct links as well as informing us of the common trend of prescription drug use. The following sentence is a rhetoric question that points out the position of where the visual is found its message. Hinting to the attraction that the comic section has on children. She then uses common sense and pathos in the question to strengthen her argument. She firmly states, “why does Gary Brookins feel it is in any way appropriate to celebrate this on the comics page?” and follows with the extreme pathos statement: “THINK OF THE CHILDREN, FOR GOD'S SAKE.”(Lauren, 2008). The bold letters clearly expresses her emotion, and the statement itself can have an emotional effect on the audience. The rest of the paragraph is filled with statements that verbally attack the visual; using sarcasm and emotion to describe it and its message that she received from analyzing it. As a whole the paragraph is very pathos heavy, but its used in such a way that may not even be an intentional use of pathos. The author herself seems very emotional, using statements such as, “Besides the fact that the concept of a giant, old mutant-dog-man who has so many health problems, that he can no longer even leave his house, for fear of forgetting an important dosage is incredibly depressing. He's so pathetic, he is forced to use the ubiquitous prescription bottles littering his household to build props for his escapist fantasies (enhanced by the contents of the bottles.”(Lauren, 2008). This emotional, yet rational, writing may persuade the audience to feel the same way she does. Or it may even evoke the exact opposite emotion; readers may even disagree with her.
The next paragraph is very logos heavy. She uses information from the FDA website in order to prevent children from misusing their prescription drugs. She provides links for the FDA as well as a list of what to do to prevent addiction of the drugs. Her use of logos here is very strong the information she uses is from a government agency. Although her logos is strong, there isn’t any other information, to further her argument. Although there is a lack of it, she effectively uses the information she does provide to support her argument. She presents safety precautions in response to the visual that, in her opinion, gives children the message to use prescription drugs however they want. Her concluding sentences to this logos paragraph are extremely sarcastic, but at the same time she addresses the problem by crediting the FDA. She states, “I know, kids, I know. It's CONFUSING to be told not to share, and I know Mommy crushes up your Ritalin into yogurt so she doesn't have to explain what's wrong with you, even though you know all your teachers and peers hate you and that yogurt tastes damn funny, but the FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION knows what it's talking about. Just play it safe.”(Lauren, 2008). Her use of capital letters here are more for emphasis rather than raw emotion.
Her final paragraph consists of nothing but sarcastic emotional remarks towards the illustrator of the visual. The result is yet another unintended use of pathos. Again her use of words and emotion can persuade the audience to side with her. She structures her sentences so rationally and logically that they make a good argument about the visual and the illustrator. From this, the audience can relate to what she is arguing thus agreeing with her.
Her overall ethos is not very strong. The author herself is just a graduate student that writes on various topics in her blog called “Blonde and Thinner.” Her blogs usually include a visual and her opinion on the visual. She may have some reputation as “blogger” but professionally she hardly has any. On this particular blog her ethos is both weakened and strengthened because of her tone, perspective, and information. The use of strong emotion in her writing made the blog very biased, thus weakening her ethos. However, she strengthens her ethos at the same time. Although the blog is very biased, her credibility goes up by the way she argues the topic. As she presents her opinion of the visual, she states the risk that children might misuse their prescription drugs with the message of the photo. After stating her argument she puts information from the FDA to help prevent the abuse of the prescription drugs. In using the approved information, her credibility goes up. As a follow up she stays true to herself and puts sarcastic remarks against the author of the picture. She effectively argues her point throughout her blog, continuously bashing the picture/author with common logic and sarcastic remarks.
Together, the visual and the text of the blog complement each other by helping Lauren C. argue her opinion effectively. It gives the audience a understanding of the argument that she makes. Without the visual, the audience would have a much more difficult time trying to relate to what she was arguing. The audience would also be lost on what the topic of the blog is. The visual is used as a building block for the entire blog. Without it, the purpose of the blog would not exist.
As an overview of the entire blog, Lauren C. made use of all three rhetoric appeals. She was heavily pathos driven, whether it was intentional or not, with some logos influence. Her ethos use was mainly for references to either herself or for other agencies. Her sarcastic tone may sound almost insulting however she is addressing a serious problem. It would be best not to take her too seriously because, again, she is only a graduate student. However, this is a nice blog to read as entertainment.
References:
Lauren C. (May 28, 2008) Pluggers: Have You No SHAME?! Retrieved from
http://blonderandthinner.blogspot.com/2008/05/pluggers-have-you-no-
shame.html
