The Ethnic Theory Of Plane Crash Rhetorical Analysis Essay

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Why do planes crash? Most people answer this question with statements revolving around the plane having mechanical issues; this is rarely the case. In “The Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes,” Malcolm Gladwell shows how communication, or lack thereof, plays a much larger role in crashes by making an appeal to the reader’s emotions, also called pathos, via imagery, syntax, and storytelling.
Gladwell makes a pathos appeal in the first paragraph of the essay using imagery by painting a picture in our mind of the daily routine for the Captain of Korean Flight 801. He allows the reader to relate to the captain by saying things such as, “he went to the gym for an hour, then came home and studied the flight plan” and “he napped and ate lunch.” The normalcy of all these things makes it appear Gladwell isn’t doing much to emotionally affect the reader, but the regularity …show more content…

He preludes the use of dialogue by using syntax that foreshadows the devastating plane crash. He uses long drawn out sentences to set up the scene but then ends the paragraph with one abrupt, disgruntling sentence: “But it’s too late.” This sentence brings emotions of doubt before the reader even begins reading the dialogue. The dialogue begins with a conversation between the captain, first officer, and first engineer. They are confused and wondering how they missed the approach. Just as the captain says, “Go around,” the ground proximity warning system kicks in and states “one hundred feet.” As this system kicks on the reader gets the feeling that this is the beginning of the end and a sense of hopelessness sets in. Gladwell quickens the buildup of emotion by using syntax and continuing the countdown of the warning system from “fifty” to “forty” to “twenty” and then “[the sound of initial impact].” This final string of sounds causes the reader to be more deeply moved and feel as if they can almost hear the crash happening.

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