Since ancient time ethos, pathos, and logos have been primary rhetorical categories. Aristotle defined them as basic modes of persuasion adding argumentative force to a speech. Nowadays these devices remain an integral part of any persuasive text. This paper is aimed at the analysis of persuasive techniques implementation in the article I Will Never Know Why by Susan Klebold.
The article touches upon teenage violence, one of the most painful problems of contemporary American society. Susan Klebold, whose son Dylan committed a massacre at his school, recalls the events of that tragic day and tries to reflect upon the reasons that could have made a seemingly inoffensive boy become a ruthless killer.
The article is organized according to the traditional logical scheme. It starts with an introduction and then develops into the main body and finishes with a conclusion. It is in the main body that ethical, pathetic, and logical appeals are especially apparent.
A short opening paragraph establishes a strong extrinsic ethos of the author. Susan Klebold is introduced as a credible witness, whose words are the best testimony the reader needs. The ethical appeal is intensified by emphasizing the fact that everything written beneath is an objective, though perhaps a somewhat emotional description of facts, and that it is a look from within that can be provided only by a participant of events. Moreover, the author’s view is defined as a ‘chilling new perspective’ implying that some details of the story have been concealed from the public for a long time, and this article is the only source revealing the truth in all its unsightliness. A long period separating the tragedy and the writing of the article adds credibility to the author since the reader can suppose that she has already overcome the shock and can give an unprejudiced assessment of the events.
The author’s intrinsic ethos is also strong enough. Susan Klebold writes that during the years following the tragedy she has been conducting profound research on suicide. She provides statistics, examples from authoritative sources, and combines them with her personal observations. In some cases, the narrative style becomes close to scientific, which largely contributes to the author’s credibility. The author also exercises her authority as a researcher by giving the reader advice about dealing with suicidal states.
The author skillfully uses a pathetic appeal. The title establishes the atmosphere of the article. Judging by it, the reader is likely to form an idea about the general mood of the story. The phrase ‘I will never know why’ invokes an association with something tragic, and from the very beginning, the reader can assume that the author will try to share an exceedingly unpleasant experience.
Susan Klebold addresses the readers’ emotions by relating those details of her personal life that she has been reluctant to recall for years. The confidential tone creates a sense of the author’s identity with the audience. The pathetic is to a great extent achieved due to the usage of direct speech and drawing a parallel between the life before and after the tragedy, thus appealing to the reader’s sense of pity and parental affection. For instance, at the beginning of the article, the description of the author’s usual working day is suddenly replaced by disastrous news. Casual tone, in which the author explains peculiarities of her job, abruptly becomes highly emotional, sometimes almost hysterical. This effect is chiefly achieved by using various stylistic devices, including similes (“it felt as though millions of tiny needles were pricking at my skin”), hyperboles (“he has torn the house apart”), and rhetorical questions (“Were we at war?”). Syntactical parallelism also contributes to the growing tension and increases emotional impact (“My heart pounded in my ears. My hands began shaking”). Diction in these cases is informal and emotionally colored expressions are widely used. Describing her psychological state, the author appeals to the reader’s empathy. The strong antithesis between the description of Dylan as a child and that of his crime appeals wakes the reader’s sy