Trighton Warren
Mrs. Grilli
AP Lang Period 3
3 August 2015
“Amusing Ourselves to Death” Summer Assignment When writing any novel, the first chapter is extremely important because it must be written in such a way that it gives the reader a reason to read the book. In “Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business” by Neil Postman, Postman effectively uses different rhetorical devices to get his message across. In Postman’s first chapter, “The Medium is the Metaphor”, Postman identifies the “discourse” of generations and compares our country’s ambitions to the city of Las Vegas. Postman uses this comparison between the nation’s character and Las Vegas because both the character and famous city are “entirely devoted to the idea of entertainment” (3). For Postman to make his comparison credible and accepted by his readers, he follows his claim with a multitude of relatable situations that prove that the world is focused on being amused and amusing others. In this way, Postman establishes logos in his argument with an abundance of relevant factual examples in …show more content…
Postman simply concludes that “The nature of discourse is changing as the demarcation line between what is show business and what is not becomes harder to see with each passing day” (98). This exhibits Postman’s point of society’s tendency of combining both serious and business-oriented matter with that of which is only intended to entertain the viewers. Television, as Postman feels, causes the problem that everything communicated through television is meant to amuse, even news and political discussions. Postman believes that religious and political leaders, academic and medical teachers and even newscasters prioritize showmanship over actual content and
Mrs. Grilli
AP Lang Period 3
3 August 2015
“Amusing Ourselves to Death” Summer Assignment When writing any novel, the first chapter is extremely important because it must be written in such a way that it gives the reader a reason to read the book. In “Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business” by Neil Postman, Postman effectively uses different rhetorical devices to get his message across. In Postman’s first chapter, “The Medium is the Metaphor”, Postman identifies the “discourse” of generations and compares our country’s ambitions to the city of Las Vegas. Postman uses this comparison between the nation’s character and Las Vegas because both the character and famous city are “entirely devoted to the idea of entertainment” (3). For Postman to make his comparison credible and accepted by his readers, he follows his claim with a multitude of relatable situations that prove that the world is focused on being amused and amusing others. In this way, Postman establishes logos in his argument with an abundance of relevant factual examples in …show more content…
Postman simply concludes that “The nature of discourse is changing as the demarcation line between what is show business and what is not becomes harder to see with each passing day” (98). This exhibits Postman’s point of society’s tendency of combining both serious and business-oriented matter with that of which is only intended to entertain the viewers. Television, as Postman feels, causes the problem that everything communicated through television is meant to amuse, even news and political discussions. Postman believes that religious and political leaders, academic and medical teachers and even newscasters prioritize showmanship over actual content and