Bridger Brownlee

Mr. Shields
English 1010
2 April 2020

Rhetorical Analysis on “Why Do Cartoon Villains Speak in Foreign Accents?” by Isabel

Fattal

Isabel Fattal’s article, “Why Do Cartoon Villains Speak in Foreign Accents?” was

published on January 4, 2018, and appeared in The Atlantic. This article was written in response

to a study conducted by Calvin Gidney, a sociolinguist and professor in child study and human

development at Tufts University, and Julie Dobrow, a senior lecturer at Tufts. The study was

conducted to find language patterns in animated kid’s television shows and analyze how those

patterns affect a child's developing mind. Fattal’s article explains the process and outcomes of

the study and puts them into a coherent story for the reader. Fattal’s article is persuasive because

she pulls specific examples from the study which show that some of the shows children are

exposed to are full of cultural bias. She uses the rhetorical strategies of ethos, logos, and pathos

to educate her intended audience, parents, on the shows their children are watching and the

negative effects it can have on them.

Fattal appeals to the rhetorical strategy of logos by providing specific symbols from

television shows and movies that most people of Fattal’s intended audience might have seen

before. One of the main examples brought up in the beginning of the article comes from The

Lion King. In the scene where Scar accuses Simba of being a “murderer!”, Fattal says, “the final

“r” in his declaration floats up into a sky bursting with lightning, and it’s hard to imagine it

sounding quite as monstrous in another tone.” This relates to the author's appeal to reasoning

because by giving this example, we can see that there is a clear distinction of what makes Scar

the villain. Scar’s accent is British English. Fattal suggests that if Scar didn’t have his accent
then he would not be as recognizable as the evil one because people are accustomed to hearing

foreign accents as evil. “A modern-day example is Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, the bad guy in

Phineas and Ferb who speaks in a german(ish) accent.” Fattal provides this example to solidify

the author’s appeal to logic and reasoning because unlike her previous example of cultural bias

in The Lion King, which aired in 1994, Phineas and Ferb aired from 2007 to 2015. This shows

her audience that this isn't just an era-specific problem. By providing this present-day example

readers know that this is an ongoing situation that has shaped how villains are portrayed in

television and how we fill our shows with cultural bias. Fattal shows her logic and reasoning to

her audience by providing these specific, past and present, examples.

Fattal increases her credibility by quoting and explaining the findings of the study

conducted by Gidney and Dobrow. Fattal says that “Gidney and Dobrow had a team of coders

analyze 323 animated TV characters using measures such as ethnic and gender identification,

physical appearance, hero/villain status, and linguistic markers… the study found that most of

the heroic characters in their research sample were American-sounding; only two heroes had

foreign accents.” First of all, this is Fattal telling us that the study conducted was more than a

side project, Gidney and Dobrow had brought in actual computer coders which tested and

analyzed a large sample pool which lets us know that the results are more than a coincidence.

Interestingly, out of this very large group of candidates, only two of the hero characters did not

have American accents. This supports the author's claim of shows being riddled with cultural

bias. She follows this data from the study with another finding, “The study found that British is

the foreign accent most commonly used for villains, due to a stereotype that connects British

English and intelligence. German and Slavic accents are also commonly used for villains.

Henchmen or assistants to villains often spoke in dialects associated with low socioeconomic
status.” Fattal builds her ethos by citing this information because these results found by

professional linguists tie into her own claim of T.V. show antagonists having foreign accents and

how those characters are affecting how young children perceive diversity in the United States.

The author builds her credibility by quoting and citing the work of these professionals and their

scientific study on the matter.

Not only does Fattel boost her credibility by citing this study and providing accurate

examples to appeal to her logic and reasoning but, she also provides her own research on the

matter. Fattal says, “Research has shown that kids use TV as a key source of information about

other ethnic groups, as well as about their own ethnic and racial identities.” In her article, she

cites this “research,” of TV as a key resource to a book titled Children & Television: Images in a

Changing Sociocultural World, by Sherryl Browne Graves. By using more than one

professional's findings on the subject that agrees with her own, it increases her credibility. Not

only that, but this also appeals to her sense of logos by providing another example of logical

proof and rational appeal. Fattal also cites Lippi-Green, an American writer, when saying that

TV is a “Spoonful of sugar...because children learn through repetition.” This further develops the

author's sense of ethos by calling to an entirely different field of language, being that Lippi-

Green is a writer rather than a sociolinguist. By including two different points outside the study,

she solidifies her ethos and logos.

In a critical sense of speaking, Fattal is lacking in one area: she rarely shows her pathos in

the article. The ethos and logos are done very well, however to really tie everything together and

persuade her audience to the fullest extent, the third rhetorical strategy and appeal to emotion is

what she needs. Her writing is still very strong, but the next step for her would be her sense of

pathos and how the minds of children are being affected in a bad way.
 In conclusion, the article provides a coherent story while also explaining the process and

outcomes of a major scientific study. While persuasively using much of the logos and ethos

strategies, it inclines the reader to agree with the author's argument that TV shows are full of

cultural bias and affect children's young developing minds. At the end of the article, it says, “If a

parent or sibling or caregiver is there with a child watching television or a film, this…can make

anything into an educational experience.” Even though there is not much we can currently do to

help with this situation, the author lets us know we can still make the most out of it. By

effectively using all of the rhetorical strategies, Fattal’s argument comes across as a clear and

important matter.

Works Cited:

- Fattal, Isabel. “Why Do Cartoon Villains Speak in Foreign Accents?” The Atlantic,

Atlantic Media Company, 4 Jan. 2018,

www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/01/why-do-cartoon-villains-speak-in-

foreign-accents/549527/.

WC:1110