Summary Of Hitchens The Lovely Stones

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Parts of the sculptures that used to belong to the Parthenon are now residing within Britain’s Museum, and Christopher Hitchens argues that they be returned to Greece through his work entitled “The Lovely Stones.” Hitchens builds his argument by utilizing a short history of the incident and rhetorical questions. Hitchen’s recounts the history of why the sculptures landed in Britain’s hands in the first place—British ambassador Lord Elgin is the culprit, having sold “half the cast… [in order to] pay off his many debts.” In starting his claim with the short summary of the incident, Hitchen is able to enlighten the audience that Britain is wrongfully withholding the sculpture from its rightful owner; Greece is robbed from one of its finest works. …show more content…

Through the use of analogy with the Mona Lisa, Hitchens inquires the following question: “Would there not be a general wish to see what [the sculptures] might look life if re-united?” By generalizing the public’s opinion in the matter, he drags the audience into agreeing to the thinking that it’s only logical for one to be curious to how the entirety of the sculpture is. He also adds to this by later stating that “for the first time in centuries, how the Parthenon sculptures looked to the citizens of the old” will be shown in the new Acropolis Museum. This prompts the audience, and Britain, to see that the people are being deprived of witnessing the beauty of the sculptures that are currently under Britain’s possession hold. Because of its use of pathos, Hitchens is able to develop his argument for he’s prompting a response from the audience through it—the injustice done among the citizens of the world. It guilts people into facing the reality of as time passes, more and more people aren’t able to see such things within their lifetime. This that not only is it a crime consisting of the legal ties to the sculptures, but also of a responsibility where it’s only morally right to return these sculptures to Greece in order for others to witness its unification with its rightful

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