Rhetorical Analysis
Rhetorical Analysis of “Invincible Ignorance”
Flowers, Jazmin
January 26,2013
ENG105
M.Zafonte
“Invincible Ignorance” by Thomas Sowell appeared in The Bismarck Tribune as apart of his syndicated column on December 24, 2012. Are gun control laws effective? Are guns really the problem? Or is it people that are the problem? Sowell answers each of these questions and states his opinion strong and clear. His tone, diction and background all play roles in his rhetorical strategy for his article. Gun control was a huge topic in the year 2012 and continues to be as we move into 2013.
On December 14, 2012 there was a mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut where 20 students and six educators were killed. The shooter was said to be armed with a “military-style rifle and two handguns”("Connecticut school shooting:," 2012) . This shooting along with many more in the past have brought about the topic of gun control. The Newtown shooting of course instilled fear in parents, for 20 innocent children were killed, and they will fight for stricter gun control laws.
Sowell believes that “guns are not the problem, people are the problem”(Sowell, 2012). When he says people, he doesn 't mean just those who improperly use guns but also those who find it their business to get gun control laws passed no matter what. There are two types of specific gun control advocates personalities that Sowell mentions. There are the “innocent ignorance”(Sowell, 2012) and then there are the “invincible, dogmatic and self-righteous ignorance”(Sowell, 2012) that both come out when these mass shootings occur. He calls them ignorant based on the fact that throughout the world and throughout time there has been gun control laws placed and murder rates have actually increased. Countries such as Russia, Brazil, and Mexico all have strict gun control laws and there murder rates are much higher than the United States.
Sowell gives parents the call to write for they are worried for
Flowers, Jazmin
January 26,2013
ENG105
M.Zafonte
“Invincible Ignorance” by Thomas Sowell appeared in The Bismarck Tribune as apart of his syndicated column on December 24, 2012. Are gun control laws effective? Are guns really the problem? Or is it people that are the problem? Sowell answers each of these questions and states his opinion strong and clear. His tone, diction and background all play roles in his rhetorical strategy for his article. Gun control was a huge topic in the year 2012 and continues to be as we move into 2013.
On December 14, 2012 there was a mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut where 20 students and six educators were killed. The shooter was said to be armed with a “military-style rifle and two handguns”("Connecticut school shooting:," 2012) . This shooting along with many more in the past have brought about the topic of gun control. The Newtown shooting of course instilled fear in parents, for 20 innocent children were killed, and they will fight for stricter gun control laws.
Sowell believes that “guns are not the problem, people are the problem”(Sowell, 2012). When he says people, he doesn 't mean just those who improperly use guns but also those who find it their business to get gun control laws passed no matter what. There are two types of specific gun control advocates personalities that Sowell mentions. There are the “innocent ignorance”(Sowell, 2012) and then there are the “invincible, dogmatic and self-righteous ignorance”(Sowell, 2012) that both come out when these mass shootings occur. He calls them ignorant based on the fact that throughout the world and throughout time there has been gun control laws placed and murder rates have actually increased. Countries such as Russia, Brazil, and Mexico all have strict gun control laws and there murder rates are much higher than the United States.
Sowell gives parents the call to write for they are worried for
References: Sowell, T. (2012, December 24). Invincible ignorance. The Bismarck Tribune. Retrieved January 17,2013, from www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/lnacademic Connecticut school shooting: survivor says gunman shouted 'let me in '. (2012, December 18). Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9752006/Connecticut-school-shooting-survivor-says-gunman-shouted-Let-me-in.html