NYT arguments

NYT arguments

1. “I, like you, care deeply about the safety of children,” said the executive, Robert A. Eckert, in testimony before a Senate subcommittee.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/12/business/12cnd-toys.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

This argumentation is based on Ethos and Pathos. Argumentation by reputation (or Ethos), because he works in a company which depends on credibility and kids’ satisfaction. Another reason why this is Ethos is because of his highly ranked position on this company (Mattel). He also uses Pathos (or feelings) when he talks about how he cares about children safety. The creation of this feeling combined with his reputation creates a powerful argument.


2. “But if he thought -- or even hoped -- that the standing-room crowd of media was there to talk about the Chargers, he failed to prepare in the manner that has made him one of the most successful coaches in the history of the league.”
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/sports/AP-FBN-NFL-Spying.html?hp
This statement uses Logos to argument because it requires common sense to know that he wasn’t being interviewed for his upcoming game but for what he did. This quote uses a bit of humour combined with this common logic or “brain” to state a clear point. I personally think that the strongest arguments come from the use of logic or Logos. Although with Logos alone it is hardly possible to win, I think that Logos is the base for any argument.

3. “The draft, the work of the House Education Committee chairman, George Miller of California, contains some good reforms as well. But those ideas would be wasted if states, schools and teachers were not held accountable for the quality of the education they provide. Not only do America’s businesses need better-educated workers, the country needs better-educated citizens as well. And America’s children all deserve a sound education.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/12/opinion/12wed3.htm

This paragraph uses Logos because it says logical things. They are smart and intelligent but logical. He says that America deserves better-educated people and that the ideas presented should not be wasted. This is a smart but simple argument with the use of Logos.


4. “My son was a soldier in his heart from the age of 5,”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/12/washington/12cnd-troops.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1189649155-exzDSmktU4a+VEhE5jXhOQ

This sentence expresses pain and sadness from the death of the soldier and it uses Pathos to support it. By the use of feelings and manipulation of emotions, the mother convinces everyone about the suffering she is having and although it may not be intention. I’d say that people end up knowing her grief and understanding her pain.

5. “But he wasn’t any mindless robot,” said the sergeant’s father, Richard Gray. Sergeant Gray leaves a wife, Jessica, and a daughter, Ava, born in April. He is also survived by a brother and sister.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/12/washington/12cnd-troops.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1189649155-exzDSmktU4a+VEhE5jXhOQ

I took this quote from the same text and I think it is the same as the other one. Unintentionally, the father uses Pathos to manipulate the audience and to convince them about the problems in Iraq and the danger that all the soldiers face in their everyday life.