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May 14, 2020
Persuasive Literary Strategies in I’m The NRA Advert

The contemporary society is full debates on a number of issues affecting the general

populace of a given geographical setting. Such issues in the United States range from gun

violence, right to abortion, racial profiling, Ebonics and smoking among many others. These

issues are often presented in an argumentative or a persuasive manner for purposes of putting the

overall intended points or ideas across. Politicians often seek the approval of the electorate by

spanning arguments based on their personal philosophies or by issuing certain persuasive pieces

intended to win the hearts of voters. Business entities also endeavor to reach their customers by

appealing to them in a persuasive manner within advertisements which more than seek to explain

why customers should consider their products or services as opposed to those offered by their

competitors. In the process of persuasion, several rhetorical strategies are usually employed to

effectively control the general ideology being fronted by a given narrative. It these rhetorical

strategies that determine whether the intended audience will be convinced enough to agree with

ideologies being propagated in the long run. This paper seeks to explore the effectiveness of

rhetorical strategies and persuasion employed in the ‘I’m The NRA’ advert by the former

governor of Oregon, the late Victor Atiyeh. The paper will additional analyze the ways through

which the advert appeal to general audience, especially gun dealers and owners who may find the

advert very appropriate.

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Gun control has elicited a number of controversial debates in the United States over the

years. Recent mass shootings in the U.S such as those of El Paso and Dayton have further

propelled proponents of gun control in the U.S close in on organizations like the National Rifles

Association (Epstein, Astor and Hakim). Gun dealers have to go past the gun control proponents

in if they are to convince their customers and supporters to buy in their ideas and opinions. The

National Rifles Association (NRA) has been steadfast in enforcing the right to own guns, as

provided for in the second Amendment of the United States Constitution. The advert ‘I’m The

NRA’ is a very important piece for gun lobbyists and dealers alike as it carries an important

persuasive piece of information that many gun owners would find appealing in a number of

ways.

I’m The NRA advert is a persuasive piece of writing that seeks to implore the audience to

be members of the National Rifles Association. To begin with, the advert employs an empathetic

strategy by introducing Governor Atiyeh as Grandfather. This statement enables to reader to

relate to the governor, who was a gun collector, at a personal level by viewing him a family man

and whose idea one should be inclined to listen to for that matter. Knowing how important the

institution of a family is within the cultural construct of the United States is, the advert thus

employs the use of ethos as a literary strategy to put the intended information across the reader to

internalize and consequently be persuaded accordingly. Furthermore, the advert explores the

credibility of the person putting across the advert which is enforced by the fact that he is

introduced as governor, senator and former businessman. The personal portfolio of the Victor

Atiyeh draws the reader to the advert as it speaks to his accomplishments in the Public Service

and fronts him as a person who can be trusted. According to an article by The New York Times

produced at the time of his death, Victor George Atiyeh served as the Governor of the State of
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Oregon between the years 1979 and 1987 during which he pulled the state through one of the

worst economic recessions since the Great Depression of WW1 (TheAssociatedPress). Exploring

the credibility of the governor in the advert represents the use of ethos as a literary style seeking

to persuade the reader to take a keen interest in the idea being put across.

The advert I’m The NRA makes use appeals to the emotions of the reader in a number of

ways. The mere mention of some of the renowned American political figures such as George

Washington and Abraham Lincoln links the reader to struggle for independence and the

American Civil war respectively. This elicits strong emotions in the minds of the readers (NRA).

Everyone knows that the struggle for independence and the American Civil war involved the use

of rifles, a phenomenon that makes the mention of the two popular political figures in American

history very symbolic in the NRA advert. The advert thus succinctly makes use of pathos as a

literary strategy, which further draws the reader emotionally to the general idea being propagated

by the advert. The use of pathos is also re-enforced by the introduction the life history of the

Governor. According to the advert, Victor Atiyeh became a gun enthusiast when he was still a

college student and pursued being a gun collector as a hobby throughout his lifetime (NRA). By

providing the details leading to him becoming a member of the NRA, the advert evokes an

emotional appeal to the reader might be drawn to the story that sounds ordinary and applicable to

American college students who are pro-gun ownership. Pathos as a literary strategy is explored

extensively in this regard.

In conclusion, the advert I’m the NRA effectively persuades the reader by

comprehensively employing the use of pathos and ethos to draw the reader to the main objective,

which is being a member of the National Rifles Association. Using the name of the former

governor of Oregon enhances and re-enforces the credibility of the message being passed to the
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audience which further convinces the reader of the advert that being a member of the NRA is a

good thing-use of ethos. Referring to the governor as grandfather and providing an introductory

piece to his early life when he became a gun collector serves as an emotional appeal to the

reader, highlighting the effective use of pathos as a literary strategy. For a touchy subject like

gun control, gun dealers must use peculiar persuasive strategies in reaching out to gun owners ,

gun collectors and those who oppose gun control if their message to reach the intended audience

accordingly.

Works cited
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Epstein, Reid J, Maggie Astor and Danny Hakim. The New York Times:. 4 August 2019.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/04/us/politics/gun-control-laws-mass-shootings.html.

14 May 2020.

NRA. Amazon.com:Magazine Print Ad 1983 NRA - National Rifle Association - Victor Atiyeh.

1983. https://www.amazon.com/Magazine-Print-1983-NRA-

Association/dp/B07MTK47Z7. 14 May 2020.

TheAssociatedPress. The New York Times:V. G. Atiyeh, 91, Ex-Governor; Led Oregon Through

Recession. 22 July 2014. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/23/us/victor-g-atiyeh-

governor-who-guided-oregon-through-recession-dies-at-91.html. 14 May 2020.