Rhetorical Analysis Of An End To The War On Weed

A Rhetorical Analysis

In the article, “An End to the War on Weed”, Nathan Comp talks about how the legalization of marijuana has become a movement that has gained momentum in the past few decades and how, over the years, the number of people in favor of legalization has significantly increased. In this article, Comp seems to effectively use rhetoric to get his point across. The article is divided into three sections, and Comp uses ethos, logos and pathos throughout the article in order to make his point. In the first section, Comp paraphrases something said by Victor Hugo to establish his ethos. By quoting Victor Hugo, Comp is coming across as well read and this gives him more credibility as a writer. In the same section, Comp uses statistical data to establish his logos. He states that “In 1969, just 12 percent of Americans favored legalizing marijuana, the Holy Grail of cannabis advocates; this number had tripled by 2005, according to a Gallup poll. Barely three years later, another poll showed 44 percent of Americans support legalization” (Comp 1). These kind of factual statistics support Comp’s thesis that the movement to legalize marijuana is gaining momentum. Comp also cites numerous sources that support his ethos. In the first section of the
He says that times have changed over the years, because when Bill Clinton was asked if he had ever smoke marijuana, he denied it. George W. Bush evaded the question until tapes surfaced in 2005 of him and he had to acknowledge past marijuana use. However when Barak Obama admitted to using marijuana and cocaine in the past, voters were largely unconcerned. In this way, Comp is using pathos to persuade readers as he is using political affiliations to convince his readers. A supporter of George Bush will see that marijuana is not so bad if Bush smoked it in the past and a supporter of Barak Obama will think the same