Capital Punishment
The argument over capital punishment has continued to go on for a long time. Everyone has a different opinion on what they think is right. In the two articles; one written by Edward J. Koch called "Death and Justice" and the other written by Jacob Weisberg titled "This is Your Death" they both try to persuade their audience into agreeing with their argument on the death penalty. I am going to show what rhetorical devices each author uses in their arguments, such as audience, ethos, pathos, logos. I am also going to explain which one is more effective to the intended audience and why. The purpose of the first article written by Edward J. Koch is trying to persuade people to think capital punishment works effectively. His audience in the article is directed towards people against capital punishment, people who don't have an opinion on it, and for anyone else interested in the topic. I think he does a good job affecting his intended audience by using three main rhetorical devices. Many logical statements are used by the author, which applies to logos. First, Koch says in the article, "Life is indeed precious, and I believe the death penalty helps to affirm this fact. Had the death penalty been a real possibility in the m
I have weighed their objections carefully. Secondly Weisberg says that, "It is punishing people with death, not the manner in which they are killed, that is the true issue here; that capital punishment is to be opposed not simply because it is cruel, but because it is wrong"(748). Opponents of the death penalty frequently cite the sixth of the Ten Commandments in an attempt to prove that capital punishment is divinely proscribed. This helps his readers to believe what he is arguing because he has knowledge on the subject. How much more credible can you get you might ask. He says that the death penalty will affect the killer's decision. Both of these articles had good points that worked well towards their argument but it was clear to see that the first article had a better overall statement. Edward Koch used a statement that we protect guilty lives; we give up innocent lives in exchange. Another statement Koch makes in the article is this, "The only way to assure that convicted murderers do not kill again is with the death penalty. "When we protect guilty lives, we give up innocent lives in exchange" (740). This is logical because it doesn't matter what method is used, mistakes can happen any time. This is a very logical statement saying that if the killer knows they will get the death penalty before killing someone instead of knowing it after, that it would affect their decision. Koch worked 22 years for public services including being a congressman and mayor, and this makes him a highly respected and credible person. It is clear to see that the author had well thought out, logical ideas supporting the death penalty, but he doesn't end there with his argument he uses ethos as his strongest case. Showing the different ways that have been used throughout history is interesting in itself but it goes into detail on how each was done and how gruesome they are.
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Acceptance Essays
