Essay Database

Kris Hall June 21, 1999 "Federal Courts, the System that Shagged Me" Peter McWilliams, both an aids and cancer victim, is a self-published, best-selling author. In July 1998 he was arrested and charged with being the ringleader of a conspiracy to grow and distribute medical marijuana. As a condition of his pre-trial release, he cannot smoke marijuana even though proposition 215 states that he can for his illnesses. The magazine article, detailing his dilemma in HighTimes, (June 1999), uses clever …

…ripping apart the opponent's ethos , which becomes his own. His audience is made up of the subculture, a culture that is under constant oppression and disdain by the mainstream. By pointing out the mainstream's shortcomings he provides somewhat a fuel for the fire, a way to connect with his audience in retaliation. This article shows how rhetoric is cleverly used but under a guise of simplicity. Straightforwardness – proven to be an effective form of persuasion.