Preview

Rhetorical Analysis- Global Climate Change

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
754 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Rhetorical Analysis- Global Climate Change
ENG 101-14
McKella Koho
Prof. Moonwomon
September 5, 2011

“We Can’t Wish Away Climate Change”
Al Gore

In 2010, Al Gore wrote an opinion piece in The New York Times claiming that global warming is a matter our generation must concentrate on in order to halt the rapid increases of change to our planet’s climate. He creates a strong, convincing argument by addressing and exemplifying issues pertaining to global climate change. Al Gore, the forty-fifth vice president of the United States, is one of the top political figures that advocates environmental issues. He is known for taking action to control gas emissions that scientists say are changing the world’s climate. Al gore received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, which helped to establish his credibility, or ethos. He projects an impression to his audience that his argument is worth listening to because of his background and passion for our planet’s wellness. He provides a strong ethical appeal by calling attention to notable differences that the earth has encountered throughout time. Gore opens his article with a dramatic approach, drawing the reader in by the serious tone he portrays, stating it’d be an “enormous relief if the recent attacks on global warming indicated that we do not face a calamity requiring preventive measures to protect human civilization as we know it.” Gore strictly focuses on “the reality of danger we are courting” and the causes and effects of this topic. Gore portrays pathos throughout his argument, stating his personal beliefs and ideas. In the beginning of his article, he exclaims, “But what a burden would be lifted!” He notes, “we would no longer have to worry that our grandchildren would one day look back on us as a criminal generation that had selfishly and blithely ignored clear warnings that their fate was in our hands”- a statement that strikes a nerve to the reader, drawing attention to the safety of

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    McKibben explains global warming as the “single greatest challenge human civilization has ever faced” (McKibben 2007). Global warming has caused dangerous…

    • 274 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Al Gore is a politician and environmentalist that gave his speech “Climate Emergency” at Yale School of Forestry in 2004. He also presented it during the presidential campaign that same year. He argues that the Earth’s environment is in fact vulnerable, and that humans have a big impact on it. In his speech he uses scientific facts, statistics, maps, and graphs to demonstrate. Gore explains why he used the title “Climate Emergency”, “it is intended to convey what it conveys- that this is a crisis with an unusual sense of urgency attached to it, and we should see it as an emergency. The fact that we don’t, or that most people don’t is part of what I want to cover here” (Gore, 861)…

    • 323 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Al Gore’s presentation on global warming has opened minds across the globe. He has set a level of awareness and elevated thinking through any reasonable person’s logic concerning the well being of the planet. The theory has developed into facts, and consumers are making a conscious effort at the cash register by purchasing more “Earth- friendly” merchandise. Rather than conflict with the environment, consumer decisions and responsibilities play a major role in the prosperity and future of our planet.…

    • 342 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gore vs. Suzuki

    • 926 Words
    • 4 Pages

    This web that Suzuki speaks of has been built up and perfected over millions of years. Every single aspect of nature has found a way to evolve and mold its way of living to depend on every single other aspect. This includes, whether we know it or not, human beings. Gore sees the world from a different, more statistical lens. In his eyes, though we are part of this earth and ecosystem, we are not made up of the elements, but rather are inhabitants of this planet for a short while. He gives the impression that humankind is not actually part of the ecosystem, just an outside force, or separate entity, acting upon it. No matter the perception of our place on the planet, both writers agree on the fact that humans are throwing the balance of the earth off kilter and see us as without a doubt the number one cause of the decline in the biosphere’s diversity and climate change in general. The two men also mutually share the understanding that the detached, shortsighted way of living in which we live today has only recently been adopted by society. Suzuki depicts the way in which our “ancient understanding… has been shattered” (429), while Gore outlines the “new relationship between humankind and the earth” (460) in their respective writings.…

    • 926 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth,” Al Gore offers a rallying cry to his audience in an attempt to gather support to help fight the Earth’s climate crisis. In order to do this, he presents his audience with a variety of facts on the issue of global warming and provides stories on his background experiences as an environmentalist. He details his experiences studying global warming, his involvement with environmental Senate hearings that led nowhere, and he lays out solid facts about the Earth’s atmospheric issues to ascertain his credibility as an environmentalist. For example, he references the failure of the Kyoto Treaty to appeal to Congress and how it may have helped significantly reduce carbon emissions…

    • 455 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Brad Zimmerman

    • 863 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Cited: An Inconvenient Truth: A Global Warning. Dir. Davis Guggenheim. Perf. Al Gore. Paramount, 2006.…

    • 863 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Former vice-president Albert Gore, the world’s leading environmental reform advocate, is prime example of one incapable of change. The author of An Inconvenient Truth urges civilians to think about the environment, warning that the human race is on the brink of an inevitable environmental disaster. With his beliefs, Gore should also follow a green lifestyle. Gore is simply a hypocrite, however, as his own practices are nothing like his beliefs. Residing in a twenty room mansion, Gore and his family consume twice the annual energy usage of a typical household in the United States. He…

    • 374 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Daniel Botkin and Al Gore have very different views on the issues of global warming. Botkin contends that the scare tactics used by Gore and many similar thinking environmentalists are simply a desperate means intended to alarm the public and force governments to take actions that are unnecessary and misdirected. Gore alleges that immediate action is necessary to avoid increases in the plant and animal extinction and the spread of diseases. Botkin admits that global warming is a fact, but as a scientist, he cannot agree on the severity and negative effects of the condition. While both men present compelling different arguments for their views on global warming, Gore has seized the attention of the public laymen by writing books and articles carefully aimed at this segment of the population, producing and Academy Award winning film on the subject, and winning the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2007 for his work in behalf of the issue. Botkin has continued to direct his position to the academic and scientific communities by writing textbooks and scientific articles and avoiding the public debate. Both men accept the fact that global warming exists, but Botkin renounces the gloom and doom predictions of gore and other environmentalists and contends that scientific evidence does not support the fatal forecasts of Gore and his fellow alarmists.…

    • 1006 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The purpose of the text is to inform appropriately the reader about the issue of the climate change as well as convince it to take action in order to prevent this change to happen.…

    • 246 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    For my call to action speech in 11th grade using Monroe's motivated sequence, I decided to draft an essay concerning the proof of global warming, its impacts, and what needs to be done in response. "A Treatise on Global Warming and It's Impacts" was perfect for capturing the audience's attention, and the scope of the situation the essay addressed allowed for a powerful motivational paper. The problem was the research. Either the sources were outdated and came from skeptical websites, or the evidence proving global cooling was disproved by the same source in a later paragraph. For example, the website SkepticalScience quotes scientist Matt Vooro and others for predicting imminent cooling due to data that suggests the leveling off of warmer temperatures yet dismisses their claims after evaluating that their field was not climate science and that an overwhelming amount of data contradicted the trend Vooro predicted in support of global warming.…

    • 452 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Becoming a Spanish Teacher

    • 1128 Words
    • 5 Pages

    2. Al Gore is saying that global warming is a reality and that there is evidence to it. He says that we can actually help solve this problem. The photographs showed in the article are images of what is happening with the world. “Ten Things to do to Help Stop Global Warming” contribute to Al Gore’s argument by telling how we can help solve the issue. In contrast, Christopher C. Horner describes the climate change as something that is not a big deal and it’s something normal. I think Al Gore is right because I believe that global warming is a problem and it’s real. Horner makes me doubt about everything he says because his tone is kind of annoying and it seems like even he is trying too hard to convince people.…

    • 1128 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The topic of climate change has been a major debate among politician. On Tuesday, September 22,2009 President Obama gave a speech regarding climate change at the United Nation. Within his speech, the president builds an argument that nations must join together to combat the impact of climate change. The author uses reasons about the effects of climate change, what tactics they tried to reduce climate change, additional challenges they still need to overcome and diction choices to strengthen the persuasiveness and effectiveness of his argument.…

    • 593 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Al Gore's Speeches

    • 5079 Words
    • 21 Pages

    lt was an honor to work with Carol Browner on environmental policies in the last administration and I am grateful for her leadership of Environment 2004. I want to thank Peter for his leadership as Executive Director of MoveOn.org Civic Action and I appreciate all of those who have worked in the trenches with both of these organizations that are co-sponsoring today’s speech.…

    • 5079 Words
    • 21 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The earth is experiencing ecological and environmental issues caused by global warming. The earth is changing drastically and it is up to the American people to get up and do something about it. Why Bother? written by Michael Pollan opens the reader's eyes in a compelling way to global warming and other related environmental issues. Pollan uses rhetorical strategies such as the use of current and past events, pathos, and ethos to persuade his readers “to bother” (312) and start thinking more about the environmental issues that involves everyone. Pollan tries to persuade his reader by looking at these global issues from many different standpoints.…

    • 916 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    about the truth

    • 1015 Words
    • 3 Pages

    We go back to another educational experience Al Gore had, this one with a great teacher.� The teacher�s name was Roger Ravelle, the first scientist to measure CO2 in Earth�s atmosphere.� And even then, almost 40 years ago, Ravelle already presented evidence to Al�s college class that the levels of CO2 in the entire atmosphere were rising.� He projected all that into the future.� These projections really got the teacher, and Al, worried.…

    • 1015 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays