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Watching TV Makes You Smarter

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Watching TV Makes You Smarter
Rhetorical Analysis

Shonda Rhimes “Sweet Baby” Scandal Episode first appeared on ABC in April 5 2012. In this episode she aims to convince her readers of the importance of self-reputation over individuality. Through the character of the newest client of Olivia Pope & Associates, 27-year-old decorated war hero, Sully St. James encounters the battle between what matters to him the most and how others portray him when he stumbles into the office of Olivia Pope distraught explaining that he didn't kill his girlfriend. He claims to be innocent, but is in desperate need of help from Olivia Pope and Associate to clear his name from the strong evidence pointing towards him. The Olivia Pope associates agree to take on the case under one condition-“do not lie.” The use of imagery, repetition, and contradictions are techniques Rhimes uses to create a strong, convincing TV Show.
Rhimes begins the TV show with the image of a desperate man covered in blood and crying to convey her overall message. This acclaims to the fact that at first James is in need of his innocence proven right but later seeks a different route. This imagery strongly correlates to the use of pathos because it allows the reader to feel sorry for the man who had recently found his girlfriend dead but is at the same time afraid of being pointed as guilty for her murder. Secondly she presents us with the scene of him in his army uniform that depicts him as a man of honor that would only be “an idiot if he shot his girlfriend and then ran.” This appeals to logos because credibility is given to the character of James as a serving man to his country. Imagery such as these are essential to the understanding of the writer’s points to come across. It allows the reader to relate the outcomes of the TV show.
Shortly after capturing the reader’s attention with the use of imagery she continues on to use repetition. One example she uses is when James consistently repeats, “She was my best friend.” Initially one

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