The Outsiders

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In this essay the five Rhetorical concepts will be defined, examples will be used from the movie The Outsiders directed by Francis Ford Cappola. Logos is an appeal to logic, and is a way of persuading an audience by reason. Ethos is an appeal to ethics, and it is a means of convincing someone of the character or credibility of the persuader. Pathos is an appeal to emotion, and is a way of convincing an audience of an argument by creating an emotional response. Telos is the end of a goal-oriented process, also an ultimate object or aim. Kairos is the opportune time and/or place, the right or appropriate time to say or do the right or appropriate thing. The Kairos of the movie is in the 1960’s in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There are two rival gangs labeled the Socials who are the wealthy kids from the South Zone. The Greasers are the less fortunate, they are the poor kids from the North Zone. One of the main Kairos is when Ponyboy Curtis and Johnny are attacked at a park by the rivalry gang, Johnny ends up stabbing and killing the guy who was drowning Ponyboy. They leave out of town and hide in an abandoned church in Windrixville. When they return from the store from getting food they notice the church is on fire and realize there are children trapped. In this movie the Telos is to show that it doesn’t matter where you’re from, you can still become a hero. Ponyboy and Johnny along with Dallas helped save the kids. Ponyboy and Johnny risked their lives the most. They both were burned, Johnny had several third degree burns and a broken back, and Ponyboy had slight burns. Even though Johnny killed a guy in order to save his friend Ponyboy, it doesn’t make him a bad person, because it was self-defense. When Johnny died, he was seen as a hero ... ... middle of paper ... ...ly emotional that it was considered a suicide, because he knew he would get shot if he didn’t drop his weapon. This shows how people sometimes are after a tragedy, not everyone handles a situation well like Ponyboy, who controlled himself. Before Johnny died from his severe burns and broken back he gave Ponyboy a book, Gone With The Wind, he found a note from Ponyboy saying “stay gold”. Ponyboy’s friendship with Johnny is so strong that he is persuaded to write an English assignment about his experiences. Johnny mentions that saving the children was worth sacrificing his own life. Johnny thinks sacrificing his life for the children is worth his life, because they still have their whole life to live and Johnny was going to get arrested if he would have lived. Johnny wants Ponyboy to do better for himself, and he believes he can achieve anything because he is strong.

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