Speaking Ill Of Hugh Hefner Rhetorical Analysis

An idealistic lifestyle has a wide variety of definitions, but for many, that involves being perpetually surrounded by models in minimal clothing. Hugh Hefner is the ‘perfect’ ladies man— an individual flocked by women living in an extravagant home. While some believe Hefner’s lifestyle is the pure manifestation of heaven, others see his unprecedented behavior as absolutely sickening. In Ross Douthat’s, “Speaking Ill of Hugh Hefner” he is thoroughly described as a repulsive human-being. Douthat uses persuasive prose in order to create an accurate image of the “grotesque” life Hefner chose to lead. Ross Douthat is an author for The New York Times, and a Harvard University graduate, thus reinforcing his credibility as a knowledgeable person. Though Douthat is a male writer, his ability to disregard the enticing life that Hefner enjoyed provides a more impartial standpoint. From fastidious word choice and persuasive counter arguments to a great sense of inclusivity, Douthat’s substantial use of rhetoric keeps a reader's eyes glued to the screen.
Douthat begins the article describing Hefner as, “a pornographer and chauvinist who got …show more content…
He immediately establishes Hefner as an extreme patriarch who gratified the sexualization of women. Douthat outlines Hefner as someone who abused the differences between men and women and criticizes his clothing, “pathetic orgies,” and complete playboy style. He intentionally creates a monster out of Hefner in order to further contradict any previous respect the audience may have had for the notorious playboy. Douthat describes Hefner as an atrocious leader of his grotto whose, “bodyguards shooed male celebrities away from his paid harem and the skull grinned beneath his papery skin.” (Douthat). This is a relatively evocative way to describe someone who has maintained more sexual partners than many will have in the entireties of their lives times