Bruce Watson: Rhetorical Analysis Of The President And The Lunatic
Nicholas Barnaba
Mr. Threston
AP U.S. History II
23 September 2013
The President and the Lunatic The President and the Lunatic is an article featured in American Heritage magazine in the spring of 2011 by Bruce Watson. Watson writes about the assassination of President James Garfield and the ensuing trial of his murderer, Charles Guiteau. At around 10:00 a.m. on July 2, 1881, Garfield was shot twice in the arm and back by a disillusioned federal office seeker. Guiteau attempted the assassination in an act of “divine inspiration” in order to force Vice President Chester Arthur into presidency. He believed that once he would be acquitted, he would be elected president. With a particularly unusual hereditary and adulthood, including the abandonment of his father, death of his mother, participation in the Oneida community, and Guiteau’s believed thought that pleading insanity would be a plausible option. However, after several days of arguing between the prosecution and the defendants, Guiteau was ruled guilty and sentenced to be hanged. The author explains both sides of the debate and presents sufficient reasons for believing he was guilty and for believing he was not guilty for insanity. …show more content…
Watson used multiple quotations that were likely from primary sources such as Guiteau’s autobiography that he wrote in jail. However, some quotes may have been taken indirectly or orally and may not have been completely accurate. Since this article is about a relatively recent time period, the quotes are more likely to be written down in a primary source and are therefore more accurate. Still, there are several generalizations in this article including the assumption that not many American citizens know the names of the presidential assassins besides John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey
Mr. Threston
AP U.S. History II
23 September 2013
The President and the Lunatic The President and the Lunatic is an article featured in American Heritage magazine in the spring of 2011 by Bruce Watson. Watson writes about the assassination of President James Garfield and the ensuing trial of his murderer, Charles Guiteau. At around 10:00 a.m. on July 2, 1881, Garfield was shot twice in the arm and back by a disillusioned federal office seeker. Guiteau attempted the assassination in an act of “divine inspiration” in order to force Vice President Chester Arthur into presidency. He believed that once he would be acquitted, he would be elected president. With a particularly unusual hereditary and adulthood, including the abandonment of his father, death of his mother, participation in the Oneida community, and Guiteau’s believed thought that pleading insanity would be a plausible option. However, after several days of arguing between the prosecution and the defendants, Guiteau was ruled guilty and sentenced to be hanged. The author explains both sides of the debate and presents sufficient reasons for believing he was guilty and for believing he was not guilty for insanity. …show more content…
Watson used multiple quotations that were likely from primary sources such as Guiteau’s autobiography that he wrote in jail. However, some quotes may have been taken indirectly or orally and may not have been completely accurate. Since this article is about a relatively recent time period, the quotes are more likely to be written down in a primary source and are therefore more accurate. Still, there are several generalizations in this article including the assumption that not many American citizens know the names of the presidential assassins besides John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey