Glenn Beck, a constitutional conservative and a television host, confronts the hot issue of Black Lives Matter and whether it is a valid movement in his September 7, 2016 article, “Empathy for Black Lives Matter.” During a time of mass protests, riots, and police shootings of black citizens, Beck defends his position that the voices in the Black Lives Matter movement should be heard, and thus, he receives a lot of backlash from other conservatives. In defense of his opinion, and through the use of emotional appeals and parallel structure, Beck’s article successfully argues that all Americans should listen to each other and are prompted by his use of rhetorical questions to think more deeply about the issues Americans are facing. With tension
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Questions directed at the reader help personalize the issues and encourage a deeper level of thinking about the issues at hand. Beck claims at the beginning of the article in retaliation to the criticism he’s received, “How dare I try to understand the ‘other side?’”(Beck 1). Also, he asks the reader, “But as people, wouldn’t we all benefit from trying to empathize with people we disagree with?”(Beck 2). Both rhetorical questions make the reader think about how ridiculous it is to not try to think about how other people feel, and, therefore, try to persuade them to find a different perspective. Beck also uses rhetorical questions at the very end of his article. He questions, “Which path will we take? Which one will you?”(Beck 13). This is a classic technique of a call to action to make the reader reconsider their perspective and act on what the writer was trying to prove. Beck’s rhetorical questions are effective in persuading his readers to rethink their morals and contemplate his arguments.
Beck successfully persuades the reader that the voice of everyone matters, no matter his or her previous views. He does not only use these rhetorical techniques in his article “Empathy for Black Lives Matter,” but he also uses them everyday on The Blaze, where he is a television host, trying to sway others to his side. Beck’s use of emotion, repetition to show importance, and rhetorical questions demonstrate why “Empathy for Black Lives Matter” is a great example of a persuasive
Questions directed at the reader help personalize the issues and encourage a deeper level of thinking about the issues at hand. Beck claims at the beginning of the article in retaliation to the criticism he’s received, “How dare I try to understand the ‘other side?’”(Beck 1). Also, he asks the reader, “But as people, wouldn’t we all benefit from trying to empathize with people we disagree with?”(Beck 2). Both rhetorical questions make the reader think about how ridiculous it is to not try to think about how other people feel, and, therefore, try to persuade them to find a different perspective. Beck also uses rhetorical questions at the very end of his article. He questions, “Which path will we take? Which one will you?”(Beck 13). This is a classic technique of a call to action to make the reader reconsider their perspective and act on what the writer was trying to prove. Beck’s rhetorical questions are effective in persuading his readers to rethink their morals and contemplate his arguments.
Beck successfully persuades the reader that the voice of everyone matters, no matter his or her previous views. He does not only use these rhetorical techniques in his article “Empathy for Black Lives Matter,” but he also uses them everyday on The Blaze, where he is a television host, trying to sway others to his side. Beck’s use of emotion, repetition to show importance, and rhetorical questions demonstrate why “Empathy for Black Lives Matter” is a great example of a persuasive