Rhetorical Analysis of Four Modes
Book
Brown, Dan. Angels and Demons. New York: Washington Square P, 2006.
I first learned of the CERN when I read Angels and Demons for a class I took in high school called Studies in Popular Literature. Dan Brown’s mysterious thriller finds its conflict circling around the power of CERN and its powerful particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). While the facts concerning the LHC are not completely accurate, the concept of the powerful machine and its surrounding controversies are portrayed vividly. While it is possible that the LHC will create antimatter, this is not the main reason for which it was created. Also, it is quite unlikely that it would be possible to remove such microscopic amounts of antimatter from the LHC’s vacuum. The overall purpose of this story is to present conversation between religion and science in a creative and stimulating fashion. While I often struggle to place labels on the particular audiences sought by authors, Angels and Demons seems to speak to middle class, educated, suburb-inhabiting men. This is not necessarily a reflection of the audience that is actually entertained by Dan Brown’s novel; it is more so a projection of which crowd, based on generalization, this book would appeal most to.
The success of Angels and Demons can be attributed to the skillful way in which Dan Brown incorporated rhetorical appeals into his book. He appeals to ethos by addressing the conflict, or conversation, that exists between science and religion. He appeals to pathos through the relationships formed between characters. Two obvious examples are the initial murder of our Victoria’s father, and the developing relationship between Robert and Victoria throughout the adventure. Logos is a very significant part of the complex plot woven by Dan Brown. The progression of the plot is completely dependent upon deciphering ambigrams and using logic and prior knowledge to further knowledge regarding the mystery of the murder. Angels and Demons was a bestseller, which shows just how effectively Dan Brown appeals rhetorically to his audience. It is a thoroughly engaging and enjoyable adventure to follow. Finally, while scientific explanations are dramatized and, for the most part, inaccurate, Angels and Demons is a nice introduction to CERN and is an interesting representation of the conflicts that have arisen between science and religion.
Art
Ryan, David. LHC. 2008. Mark Moore Gallery, New York.
David Ryan’s LHC is an abstract painting of a commonly shown aerial shot of the LHC. Ryan’s work shows another point of view of the project. I believe Ryan’s purpose in creating such a frivolous yet complex work was to portray how those qualities might show themselves in the actual LHC project. The juxtaposition of complexity and frivolity is of great significance because it addresses all the controversies surrounding this very basic desire to discover where we came from. “LHC’ appeals greatly to upper middle class, educated, urban-living men. However, the initial frivolous quality of the work makes it more universal than the subject of the LHC might otherwise be.
Ethos shows itself in this work through its classification as a reaction to the LHC. The LHC has raised much concern and provoked much curiosity, two qualities that very likely inspired Ryan to paint “LHC”. Pathos is appealed to in the confusing, frivolous quality of the work. The frivolity raises a sense of innocence, a contradiction that causes one to feel intrigued to study the work at greater length. The incredible thing about Ryan’s work is how thrown together it looks at first glance. However, if you were to look closely and take the time to truly ponder the work, you would observe the incredibly precise manner in which he constructed his work. It is this crucial aspect of his work that appeals to logos. In actuality, his work is precise much like CERN’s LHC. The rhetorical appeals of Ryan’s work are incredibly effective. “LHC” is visually appealing and its intricacies are fascinating to ponder. David Ryan’s work is a great representation of alternate views of the LHC. “LHC” appeals rhetorically in a different way than the other modes. It is a much more artistic view of the scientific and concrete idea of the LHC.
Movie
Back to the Future. Dir. Robert Zemeckis. Perf. Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd. VHS. 1985.
Back to the Future addresses the aspect of CERN’s LHC project that is playing around with new technologies. Back to the Future is a representation of both the dangers and benefits that can come from new scientific discoveries and opportunities. Scientists are hopeful that the LHC will fill the missing pieces in the Big Bang Theory. Both the LHC project and Back to the Future entertain a curiosity regarding the past. Therefore, the overall purpose of this film is to get its audience thinking about technology and the basic desire to know the truth about where we come from. The intended audience for this film is most likely elementary to middle school-aged, boys.
Back to the Future appeals to ethos with its central theme of playing around with things we don’t know about by going back in time and changing the future. Many of us have experienced things we wish we could go back in time and change; Back to the Future gives us an opportunity to see what might happen if we were allowed such power over our lives, and why it might be dangerous. However, this is still a comical, whimsical, and childish film, which is where the appeal to pathos comes into play. Commonly, technology is considered a very dry topic that is addressed solely based on mechanical needs. Back to the Future overrides such dryness with comedy and the development of human relationships as a crucial part of the plot. Logos appears in the mathematical calculations and logic used by the professor to figure out how to travel through time. The great popularity of this film shows how effective these rhetorical appeals are. The audience is enthralled by this demonstration of a light-hearted attitude toward new and unknown aspects of science.
Song
Barras, Will. "Large Hadron Rap." By Will Barras. Large Hadron Rap. YouTube. 2008. 2008
The “Large Hadron Rap” explains, through rapping, the inner-workings of CERN and the entire LHC project. It’s overall purpose, therefore, is to inform the public about CERN and how the various parts of the LHC function. This song’s audience can primarily be found in teenagers interested in science since that is the crowd to who rap appeals most.
Ethos is appealed to in a similar way as in Back to the Future; the quality of “rap” implies a playful approach to a serious and new technology. Scholars who fear the power of the LHC might not find this song to be helpful in the research process. On the other hand, pathos is greatly appealed to due to the humorous quality of this education tool. Logos is appealed to in the general content of the rap. The lyrics are entirely educational; they explain the inner workings of CERN and the LHC very logically. The humor makes this an effective and helpful educational tool for anyone seeking basic information on the structure and function of CERN and its many projects. The Rap’s effectiveness at fulfilling its purpose as an alternate approach to conventional teaching methods shows what an effective rhetorical tool it is.
