Most people probably do not have a problem with pornography and might even suggest that it is harmless. In their view, it’s just two people making love and there is a certain beauty in that sometimes. However, in the article “Pornography”, Margaret Atwood shows how this pornography is not as harmless as it may appear. First and foremost, Atwood desires to make her definition of pornography clear – i.e. “women getting their nipples snipped off with garden shears, having meat hooks stuck into their vaginas, being disembowled” (pg 586 Paragraph 2). Basically, she means violent and sometimes demeaning forms of sexual encounters that are on display. Secondly, she shows the reader what harm can be found in allowing this to exist in the world; this
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It’s the exact point she tries to convey throughout the article from her anecdotes to examples of inevitable consequences. One consequence explained with emphasis was that “boys learn their concept of masculinity from other men…boys feel that in order to be normal, admirable, and masculine they will have to be rapists” (pg 589 Paragraph 3). This argument is effective because it has been common knowledge that the younger generations learn from looking and observing the world around them. Knowing that, it is very easy to agree with her statement on how pornography will effect them. However, what is ineffective in her article is her usage of “studies.” In the same paragraph, Atwood talks about a study that essentially says boys in the young adult era are the primary market for all pornography. While statistics normally help an argument, Atwood never states where the studies came from or who they were conducted by. This happens a few times through-out her article and makes it difficult to trust her credibility on the subject when it seems to be bias against men. In any case, these unconfirmed studies are only what Atwood uses for logos. When she uses pathos to appeal to emotion she is much more effective in her convincing that pornography is
It’s the exact point she tries to convey throughout the article from her anecdotes to examples of inevitable consequences. One consequence explained with emphasis was that “boys learn their concept of masculinity from other men…boys feel that in order to be normal, admirable, and masculine they will have to be rapists” (pg 589 Paragraph 3). This argument is effective because it has been common knowledge that the younger generations learn from looking and observing the world around them. Knowing that, it is very easy to agree with her statement on how pornography will effect them. However, what is ineffective in her article is her usage of “studies.” In the same paragraph, Atwood talks about a study that essentially says boys in the young adult era are the primary market for all pornography. While statistics normally help an argument, Atwood never states where the studies came from or who they were conducted by. This happens a few times through-out her article and makes it difficult to trust her credibility on the subject when it seems to be bias against men. In any case, these unconfirmed studies are only what Atwood uses for logos. When she uses pathos to appeal to emotion she is much more effective in her convincing that pornography is