Human beings are assaulted on a daily basis. Some are attacked with bombs and guns while others may be attacked with harsh words and/or degrading tweets. Although these methods are on opposite ends of the spectrum, they both carry serious implications. This is evident by the attacks recently made on Comedy Central’s host of The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert. This program has been a part of the Comedy Central network for over nine years. In this segment called “Who’s Attacking Me Now,” there is one main rhetorical device that is used to prove that the show had no need to be canceled. First, Colbert utilizes the device of hyperbole in order to illustrate that everything that happened was a complete exaggeration. As defined by Merriam Webster, …show more content…
a hyperbole is a type of “language that describes something as better or worse than it really is.” In the opening moments of the segment, there are multiple images of death and destruction. From the withering of the rose to New York being covered in ice, this imagery conveys a sense of death. Usually when one thinks about these images they become filled with emotions of sadness or despair. However, in this case it is presented as comical. Because of the extreme nature of these images, it is ridiculous to compare things so serious to something so insignificant. Colbert does this in order to show that his program was “almost” a goner. This use of exaggeration is helpful to Colbert and helps to reiterate the obvious point that Colbert does not need to be canceled. Also, Colbert uses the exaggeration of figurative language periodically throughout his broadcast to show that he is larger and stronger than others including those who were attacking him on twitter.
Colbert compares himself to a chicken wing through the use of a simile. Colbert says, “ the inter-webs tried to swallow me whole” but “I got lodged in its throat and it hacked me back up like a hastily chewed chicken wing.” This is a hyperbolic comparison because Colbert and the chewed up chicken wing have absolutely nothing in common. A chicken wing is food and Colbert on the other hand is not. Unless, there is some cannibalism involved. Both of these cause uncomfortable situations. Eating something and then chocking on it is very painful. However, cannibalism is just an uncomfortable …show more content…
situation. In this clip “Who’s Attacking Me Now,” Colbert uses the crashing of the Malaysian flight number 370 to relate to the potential crash of his show.
Colbert states that “CNN took a break from their airline coverage” to cover his story. This however is not true. Colbert simply changed the headline of the CNN broadcast in question to fit his program. With this, Colbert is able to make fun of all of the coverage that the crash got. At the end of the program, Colbert also compares himself to Jesus. This comparison is fitting because in the same way that Jesus was buried for three days and then rose again, Colbert was technically canceled for three days. His recording schedule was to blame for this. Because of this, he was not able to defend himself or even comment on what was going on for three whole days. So, in the sense of things he was canceled. By comparing himself to Jesus, he comes off as arrogant. Jesus to some people is their Lord and Savior. And to some people they might even say that Colbert is their Jesus, in the way that they religiously follow his show. Some might not like him because of this comment but again he is in the comedy business for a reason. This high comparison also makes Colbert seem to be above other people. When one has enough arrogance to compare themselves to Christ it shows that some little tweet incident cannot get them down. Jesus went through hell before he died. With this statement Colbert is saying that he is willing to go through hell before he
lets his show go down, and it definitely will not go down because of a tweet. As seen in this analysis, Stephen Colbert utilizes the rhetorical device of hyperbole in order to show that his program The Colbert Report had no reason to be canceled. Colbert is a hired comedian of sorts and it is his job to poke fun at news stories. Since it is his daily job viewers should have realized that he was not being blatantly racist or anything like that. He was simply trying to get people to see how we have become too quick to pass judgment and make decisions. Human beings have come to overlook things unless they are in flashing neon lights. Colbert was simply trying to prove that his organization was no less racist than that of the Redskins. People need to realize that his show is on Comedy Central and that everything said on that network should be taken cum grano salis.
South Park is an animated TV series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, which first aired on Comedy Central in 1997. The show features four boys Eric Cartman, Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick. South Park has been seen as one of the most controversial shows due to its raunchy humor and obscene depiction of characters in the show. South Park deals with many current issues in the news surrounding anything from in politics to religion. In dealing with these issues South Park involves adult comedy that parodies current issues going on in the United States and around the world. South Park also uses many other rhetorical deceives, such as
In 102 Minutes, Chapter 7, authors Dwyer and Flynn use ethos, logos, and pathos to appeal to the readers’ consciences, minds and hearts regarding what happened to the people inside the Twin Towers on 9/11. Of particular interest are the following uses of the three appeals.
Paul Krugman’s humorous rhetoric both entertains and informs the reader towards America’s consistent uneducated assumptions of other countries. He opens with a critical approach of the Republican Candidate, Jeb Bush and his comment about French work weeks. Krugman immediately shot down Bush’s argument and referred him as “french toast”, in order to describe the weight of the outcome on his campaign in a joking manner. He inserts an interjection and utilizes common speech to convey straight messages about his possible political standing in the presidential race and elaborates on how groundless his statements were about the French work ethic. Krugman’s sour critique then moves onto yet another Republican, Ben Carson. Although there weren’t any
A fresh recruit to a discarded system is Mr. Jaime Escalante. In the film, Stand and Deliver, he had to adapt in his environment in James A. Garfield High School when, without prior notice, he was assigned to teach Mathematics instead of Computer. Quickly, as he set foot in the classroom, he had, most probably, a better discernment in human behavior. The reality of the high school he was employed in, he understood and tried to completely remove the universal gap between a traditional teacher and a disregarded student.
A town, a team, a dream. Friday Night lights document the 1988 football season of Permian High School in Odessa, Texas. Bissinger explores the various themes of the novel and uses conceit to colorfully describe the contrasting attitudes towards sports and academics. In the small town of Odessa bases Fridays nights in the fall are dedicated to Permian football. As a result of the obsessive attitude towards football a ridiculous amount of pressure is thrusted upon the coaches and players. Bissinger tackled the many problems in the town such as extreme pressure to perform, racism, and the relationship between parent and child. While Bissinger had several preconceived notions, he was ultimately proven wrong and through analysis of themes and incorporation of comparisons in the form of conceits he was able to develop his understanding of the town and accurately depict the events that transpired.
In the book Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer wrote about Christopher McCandless, a nature lover in search for independence, in a mysterious and hopeful experience. Even though Krakauer tells us McCandless was going to die from the beginning, he still gave him a chance for survival. As a reader I wanted McCandless to survive. In Into the Wild, Krakauer gave McCandless a unique perspective. He was a smart and unique person that wanted to be completely free from society. Krakauer included comments from people that said McCandless was crazy, and his death was his own mistake. However, Krakauer is able to make him seem like a brave person. The connections between other hikers and himself helped in the explanation of McCandless’s rational actions. Krakauer is able to make McCandless look like a normal person, but unique from this generation. In order for Krakauer to make Christopher McCandless not look like a crazy person, but a special person, I will analyze the persuading style that Krakauer used in Into the Wild that made us believe McCandless was a regular young adult.
Comedian Jon Stewart gives a speech on the Daily Show during the “Rally to Restore Sanity/Fear”. He wants the viewers of the Daily Show to realize the difference between the real and fake threats and to take a humorous perspective on most of America’s “problems”. Stewart also emphasizes to his audience not to take every person on the media by his word and not to overreact to everything they hear. He uses metaphors, comparisons, and hypothetical examples to get his point across.
The Letter from Birmingham Jail was written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in April of 1963. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of several civil rights activists who were arrested in Birmingham Alabama, after protesting against racial injustices in Alabama. Dr. King wrote this letter in response to a statement titled A Call for Unity, which was published on Good Friday by eight of his fellow clergymen from Alabama. Dr. King uses his letter to eloquently refute the article. In the letter dr. king uses many vivid logos, ethos, and pathos to get his point across. Dr. King writes things in his letter that if any other person even dared to write the people would consider them crazy.
Politics is dirty and competitive and has not changed between 1879 and 2018. It is a complex system of jargon, charm, facts, and lies. Mark Twain’s “The Presidential Candidate” satirically expresses the essence of both old-world and modern politics as a presidential candidate who blatantly tells the truth of his wrongdoings. As a politician, one must be an open book. Their life must be truthfully written on the pages for the readers to analyze and evaluate their credibility as leaders. “The Presidential Candidate” resonates both in 1879 and 2018 with his use of humor, use of diction and use of subtlety.
According to A Novel Approach to Politics “Questions about the very nature of reality seem to be common in fiction of all sorts.” Especially, The Boondocks, a fictional cartoon, uses satire to describe real events that happen in society. The episode I tuned into was “The Trial of R. Kelly”, which explained how R. Kelly won his trial and the views of the people about his case. In the episode, the people outside the court house showed different cognitive frameworks of how they view R. Kelly situation. In other words, the media made sense of the reality of R. Kelly situation in different ways because of the media wanted to select certain information. In this paper, I will explain how the media exemplified mediated reality and agreement reality in the “The Trial of R. Kelly” episode of The Boondocks.
Pollan’s article provides a solid base to the conversation, defining what to do in order to eat healthy. Holding this concept of eating healthy, Joe Pinsker in “Why So Many Rich Kids Come to Enjoy the Taste of Healthier Foods” enters into the conversation and questions the connection of difference in families’ income and how healthy children eat (129-132). He argues that how much families earn largely affect how healthy children eat — income is one of the most important factors preventing people from eating healthy (129-132). In his article, Pinsker utilizes a study done by Caitlin Daniel to illustrate that level of income does affect children’s diet (130). In Daniel’s research, among 75 Boston-area parents, those rich families value children’s healthy diet more than food wasted when children refused to accept those healthier but
In an article published by “Journal of Blacks in Higher Education” Lawrence states that “even though I am always troubled by public use of the term nigger, the most uniquely hateful words in the American vocabulary. And yet I would never criticize Chris Rock for when, where and how he uses it” (Lawrence 84). The reason why the writer in the article stated the he do not criticize Chris Rock for using the word Nigga he fell as if American is ‘censoring and policing black creative and expression” (Lawrence 84). Racial slurs can be positive in the African American culture because it is an image that project how black can become better parents for their kids at home and role models, how education is very important and good work ethics. “On the other hand the significance of Mr. Richards’ upheaval is about more than terrible drama strategy. Jamie Masada, the proprietor of the Laugh Factory, and Paul Mooney, a black humorist who used to compose for Richard Pryor, have joined legislators and activists, including the Democrat of California, in requiring a conclusion to the utilization of what they call the N word by everybody including blacks” ( Allen 1). This is why individual in America looks at racial slurs differently because its interpretation black culture and black entertainment depending on how they perceive the jokes.
The movie trailer “Rio 2”, shows a great deal of pathos, ethos, and logos. These rhetorical appeals are hidden throughout the movie trailer; however, they can be recognized if paying attention to the details and montage of the video. I am attracted to this type of movies due to the positive life messages and the innocent, but funny personifications from the characters; therefore, the following rhetorical analysis will give a brief explanation of the scenes, point out the characteristics of persuasive appeals and how people can be easily persuaded by using this technique, and my own interpretation of the message presented in the trailer.
It is not very often that a person has his own national television show, radio show, and two books that have been on the "New York Times Best Seller List." Rush Limbaugh happens to be one of these unique people, his radio show is popular, his television show has the largest audience for a program of its type and his new book is one of the best of its kind. Limbaugh always backed up his comments with facts or statistics. While the book was informative and factual, it was also very humorous. See, I Told You So was definitely a conservative use of 363 pages.Without question, Rush Limbaugh is a spokesperson for a conservative majority within the United States. His book follows what he says on his radio and television programs, which is a conservative and republican view on issues.
Peyser, Marc. “The Truthiness Teller; Stephen Colbert Loves This Country Like he Loves Himself. Comedy Central’s Hot News Anchor is a Goofy Caricature of Our Blustery Culture. But he’s Starting to Make Sense.” Newsweek 13 February 2006: 50