Gore's Argument Analysis

The effects of fear on people and how people can be manipulated by fear are Gore’s main points in the excerpt from The Assault on Reason. Gore argues these points most effectively through his demonstration of his expertise. Both his use of personal experience and scientific research exemplify that his argument is well thought out and researched. Other interesting features of his argument that relate to his illustration of his expertise and strengthen his argument are his use of historical examples and yoking, which is the tying together ideas to evoke an emotional response. The most important aspect of Gore’s argument is his demonstration of his expertise. One of the main points in Gore’s argument is that there needs to be healthy balance between fear and reason. One way that Gore argues for this aspect of his argument is with references to scientific research. Gore …show more content…
He uses an example from when he was a boy when he learned how to hypnotize chickens. He uses this in conjunction with a scientific source that states “the immobility response is strongly influenced by fear (36)” to tie his anecdote about the chicken back to his point about fear. His personal example adds to his expertise by demonstrating that he has firsthand experience with the effects of fear on the brain, although with chickens. These parts of the excerpt come from a part about how television influences people’s thoughts and numbs their minds, and he ties this into more of his personal experience. Gore says “I remember times in my youth when I spent hours in front of a TV without noticing how much time had passed. My own experience tells me that extended television watching can be mind numbing (36).” By stating his personal experience watching TV for long sessions, he adds a relatable aspect to the massive amount of scientific research he references to prove his end statement about television’s mind numbing