Boyd 1 Nancy Boyd Professor Gonsior Writing 1010 13 September 2013 Syria In Joel Brinkleys article about the

events happening in Syria, he uses many rhetorical skills to show his opinion on how the United States should intervene. Certainly, he is aware that it is a controversial subject. Therefore, he uses different strategies to make a clear, well-grounded argument. The author wrote this at the peak of the anxiety people were feeling over Syria, which makes the article much more impactful for the people who read it. In Its only a Matter of Time before the U.S. Intervenes in Syria The author uses facts, fear and word choice to convince the reader that it is in the United States best interest to intervene. The author uses many facts to back up his opinion that isolationism is not an intelligent choice at this time for the United States regarding Syria. He shows the statistic that 40% of Syrian land is controlled by al-Qaida. This is an example of him using logos and influencing the reader by arguing his point by appealing to the readers logic. Toward the end of the article, Brinkley mostly states many facts about the Syrian government and how al-Qaida is controlling the country. He goes very in depth with these facts, so it is safe to say that his intended audience is politically informed adults. All of the facts he presents are also a way for him to build ethos. Showing how knowledgeable he is on the subject makes the reader trust him and believe the claims he makes.

Boyd 2 Another piece of information the author uses to further his purpose is that people

become afraid of war and conflict with other countries. He uses this to his advantage by using that fear to persuade people into thinking that his ideas are the safest route to take. In the second paragraph he takes note of the chemical-weapons attacks that killed hundreds of people and injured thousands more to create pathos and make the reader afraid and also sympathetic toward the victims. He mentions Afghanistan, knowing that people would like to avoid another time in war, like the time spent over there. Brinkley talks of the chemical weapons Syria possesses to make the reader afraid of being the victim of these himself. He wrote these hoping that the feelings of fear would make the reader agree that action from the United States needs to be taken. Lastly, the author uses diction to persuade people to agree with him on his opinion of how the United States should react to Syria. He describes Assad as ruthless. This gives the reader the connotation of an evil villain that needs to be taken down! He wants this connotation in the readers mind so they agree with him that the United States should intervene against this ruthless entity. He talks about al-Qaida taking over Syria slowly but surely. This gives the reader a feeling of tension and the expectation that something bad will happen soon, like the feeling one gets watching a horror movie. He also describes the problem in Syria to be swelling, spreading. The obvious connotation from this is a painful wound. People want wounds to heal quickly. Brinkley tells the reader that the wound will heal quickest if his ideas are taken into consideration. Brinkley is a very keen author. He knows his audience, a politically informed adult, and writes at the level that is suitable for one. He chose the perfect context to write the article for it to have an effective impact. His purpose, to persuade the reader into

3 Boyd 1 believing that the United States intervention with Syria is absolutely necessary, was clear. He tried to make his purpose met through a number of rhetorical strategies, including facts, fear and word choice.