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 minds of these murderers, they might well have stayed their hand. They might have shown moral awareness before their victims died, and not after" (736). 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.
             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. In a recent case in New Jersey, a man named Richard Biegenwald was freed from prison after serving 18 years for murder; since his release he has been convicted of committing four murders&...