TOW #16 – "Politics" by Aristotle

In his book Politics, Aristotle attempts to define the ideal government within which inhabitants should be ruled. In order to best define the ideal government as applicable to circa 330 BCE, Aristotle effectively employs synecdoche and juxtaposition to demonstrate the advantages of an involved community. Describing the ideal leader, Aristotle states, “For every ruler who has been trained by the law judges well; and it would surely seem strange that a person should see better with two eyes, or hear better with two ears, or act better with two hands or feet, than many with many” (Aristotle 86). Relating to oligarchy, Aristotle essentially states that with the advisement of a council, a government may be more likely to prosper as opposed to under a single individual’s direction. He uses different parts of the body, relating to sight, hearing, and touch, to emphasize that a leader’s actions are subject to one’s own circumstances. Furthermore, he continues this use of synecdoche to suggest that involvement of “many [people]” contributes to a full, balanced government offering multiple perspectives and advantages. Additionally, Aristotle employs juxtaposition to show contrast between oligarchy and democracy; a distinction Aristotle deems relevant to his purpose. “Therefore we should rather say,” he recognizes, “that democracy is the form of government in which the free are rulers, and oligarchy in which the rich; it is only an accident that the free are the many and the rich are the few” (Aristotle 93). Identifying the importance of wealth of a leader, Aristotle composes an argument that a true democracy is one in which all inhabitants, inconsequential to wealth or possession or status, maintain an equal level of participation in governmental affairs. While written before modern developments to political science, this excerpt from Politics appeals to logos, as a government structured around the powerless is truly one of the people. Moreover, via his employment of synecdoche and juxtaposition of rich versus poor, Aristotle proposes a coherent argument to the effectiveness of government, of community.

Works Cited

Aristotle. Politics. New York, NY, Barnes &Amp; Noble, Inc., 2005.

TOW #15 – “The Optimism of Barack Obama”

Less than a week before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, the Editorial Board of the New York Times published an article, The Optimism of Barack Obama, regarding the presidency of Barack Obama. Suggesting he is “one of the most popular presidents in recent decades,” (Board 1) the Editorial Board employs strong diction and statistical information to drive his argument to Americans that President Barack Obama was a progressive leader over his two terms in office. Connecting this presidency to President-elect Donald Trump, the board states, “the bigotry that president-elect Donald Trump capitalized on during his run for office [showed that] simply electing a black president would not magically dispel the prejudices that have dogged the country since its inception,” (Board 2) suggesting that while Obama’s presidency itself was progressive, it does not mean the nation has been automatically healed. With these connections, the Editorial Board includes the wording “magically dispel” in order to define what is expected of a president. Furthermore, the Editorial Board includes statistical data to remind Americans of some of President Obama’s accomplishments: “preserving or creating an average of 1.6 million jobs a year for four years” (Board 3) and “[reducing] Americans without insurance to a record low 9.1 percent in 2015” (Board 4). With this data, the Editorial Board produces a strong appeal to logos, logically proving several aspects of Obama’s presidency that defined him as a successful leader that Americans needed. The Editorial Board’s strong diction and use of statistical information assists to evoke emotions of patriotism in Americans, allowing the board to continue extensively on the beneficial impacts Obama has had on the nation. Moreover, given the identified rhetorical devices above, the Editorial Board demonstrated a focused argument to Americans that Obama’s optimism and leadership made him an effective executive to direct the nation.

Works Cited

Board, Editorial. “The Optimism of Barack Obama.” The New York Times, 15 Jan. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/01/14/opinion/sunday/the-optimism-of-barack-obama.html?ref=topics&_r=0, p. 10.

TOW #14 – “Cold War relic, present day threat”

Charles Krauthammer, a writer for the Washington Post and winner of the National Magazine Award for Essays and Criticism in 1984, wrote Cold War relic, present day threat to comment on practical solutions to the large threat North Korea poses to the United States of America. Krauthammer produces an effective argument through his rhetoric, including elements of listing and hyperbole to emphasize his argument. While Krauthammer recognizes that the United States’ “options are stark,” (Krauthammer) he continues to suggest multiple plans of action, including “preemptive attack,” (Krauthammer) shooting the test ICBM, and leveraging China. While he only provides a minimal addition to expand upon each of these possible plans, listing alternative routes shows how United States intervention in North Korea could be effective in deterring the threat they pose. Additionally, Krauthammer employs hyperbole to exaggerate to Americans the need for intervention in the first place. He claims that “[supporting Japan in acquiring nuclear weapons] is a radical step that goes against our general policy of nonproliferation. But the point is to halt proliferation to the infinitely more dangerous regime in North Korea” (Krauthammer). While North Korea poses a very large threat to the United States, Krauthammer employs hyperbole in his rhetoric via phrases like “infinitely more dangerous” to stress the enormous threat that North Korea poses with nuclear weaponry. Furthermore, he discusses the possibility of the United States violating this policy of nonproliferation as a “radical step” (Krauthammer) that can be taken if other plans were proven ineffective. Krauthammer’s editorial takes a very serious tone as it suggests nuclear armaments to counteract North Korea, but his employment of listing and hyperbole contributes to his purpose of describing the importance of United States action in North Korea. While military action is a very complicated and difficult process, Krauthammer proves a convincing argument to all Americans that governmental action can—and should—take place.

Works Cited

Krauthammer, Charles. “Cold War Relic, Present-Day Threat.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 5 Jan. 2017, www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/cold-war-relic-present-day-threat/2017/01/05/623c720e-d384-11e6-9cb0-54ab630851e8_story.html?utm_term=.a660d3b6baad.