A Rhetorical Analysis of Government should create stricter gun laws

Gun Violence Becoming Uncontrollable?

On January 26^th, 2011, Megan Weintraut wrote the article, Government should create stricter gun laws for the Ithacan, explaining her thoughts on why the government needs to create stricter gun laws throughout the United States. Weintraut makes multiple points that are strongly incorporated throughout her essay in order to achieve a specific goal of awareness.  She does this through the usage of rhetorical appeals, rhetiorical situation, and the ability to cover all parts that are needed in an argument.

            Rhetorical appeals are constantly being used throughout this editorial. Most Americans believe that guns and violence are problems to being with, so stating we need change is appealing to logos, or the logical sense. Another way she manages to incorporate rhetorical appeals is by mentioning events such as the Virginia Tech shooting or Columbine High School (paragraph 6). By doing this, she is making her readers reach down into their feelings as their emotions come out, remembering loses that occurred on those days. What hit me the most as a reader is looking at all of the statistics she gives in her essay, creating ethos. At one point, Megan states, “ In 2006 alone, firearms were involved in 68% of murders, and more than 90% of today’s gang-related homicides involve guns” (paragraph 3). These three appeals of logos, pathos, and ethos are powerfully used in Megan’s article to obtain reasoning. 

            Not only does Megan use appeals to reach her point, but she uses rhetorical situation as well. Rhetorical Situation focuses on her audience, occasion, and the purpose of the argument. The audiences of this article are readers of the Ithacan newspaper.  It effectively reaches it’s audience because a typical college student would like to know that he or she is safe from gun violence and that their country is trying to do something about it. Being made obvious by previous usage in my essay, the type of argument this is, or its occasion, is an editorial submission. Also, It seems to have been written solely because of the school shootings that have taken place in the past. Being an article, Megan had to make sure that her purpose was clearly stated, knowing many people would be reading it. In my opinion, the purpose of this article is to solely demand that our government regulates the number of guns and ammo that can be purchased at one time. Of course covering appeals and rhetorical situation is always important, but having all parts of an argument is crucial to a strong argument.

            To have all of the parts of an argument included, Megan had to make sure that she stated a claim, gave reasons, provided evidence to support those reasons, and acknowledge other views at the same time. Her claim was stated in the second paragraph of the argument when she says, “ American citizens can live their daily lives easily and securely without the use of arms” (paragraph 2). Weintraut provided dominant reasons such as video games and the availability of guns and ammo to support her theory. Of course, she made sure to provide evidence for each of these reasons including the game Grand Theft Auto, being how kids are rewarded for killing police offers, and that in every state except four, there is no limit to how many guns or how much ammunition can be bought at a single time. The most essential part of an argument that really makes the reader appreciate Megan’s argument is how she acknowledges that the country has made some efforts to help in the past,  but just not enough. This is shown in her evidence when she states, “ Only four states (California, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia) limit their citizens to one gun purchase per 30 days” (paragraph 5). By showing respect for what the government has already done to stop gun violence in the past, readers of the article might be more inclined to being open to her thoughts as well. All of the parts of an argument that are used by Weintraut are a huge factor as to why this is such a strong article.

            In all, the article on the need for stricter gun laws by Megan Weintraut is insightful and full of everything that is necessary for an impactful argument. By using appeals, rhetorical situations, and the parts of an argument, Weintraut achieved the capability to intrigue her audience to listen to her opinion on the subject given.