Examples Of O Brien's Emotional Appeal

Furthermore, a topic such as war can stir up ample emotions for the author and the reader.
O’Brien evokes an appeal to emotions throughout the excerpt to convey his condemnation for how the war eternally scarred those involved. O’Brien intended to manipulate an emotional response by stating that the war was “a kind of emptiness, a dullness of desire and intellect.” The reader could gather that the war was lonely, and O’Brien implied that to further reflect his disdainful attitude toward the war. For these soldiers to constantly feel alone, it is easy to sympathize with their situation. As O’Brien emphasized the solitude and “endless march” on the solders, his discontent with the war increases. His emotional appeal was appropriately scattered

to clearly demonstrate that he felt guilty for how these soldiers would have difficulty coping with the mental aftermath of the war. O’Brien saw the detriment by describing that these soldiers eternally “shared the weight of memory.” The psychological scars from the war trauma would be difficult to alleviate. Likewise, a phrase such as “they carried their own lives,” emited a meaning that these soldiers were in such tiresome conditions that their mental state dictated whether they lived another day. That phrase carried heavy emotional baggage from the author because it is frank and terse. Every word of it stemmed from the author’s growing anger, and at that point in the excerpt, it is clear that the author despised the war. O’Brien recognized that these men would have difficulty sharing what they saw, did, and consequently, “would never be at a loss of things to carry.” These soldiers would never heal mentally, and O’Brien would condole them for their service. By using this logical fallacy, O’Brien hoped to have his reader comprehend the mass injustice these soldiers experienced, and the government was at fault for it.