Link: http://time.com/5272331/let-us-now-punish-famous-men/
Diction 1. The amount of words that serve to establish emotion in this piece is surprisingly sparse. In the first paragraph, the word "claims" immediately hints towards a feeling is disdain towards the justice system for its empty promises. In the fifth, "burden" brings a somewhat somber feel to the piece, making readers know the issue is one without an easy or even well liked solution, while "exact" shows that author Jill Filipovic desperately wants to see justice served to these men. "Muddled" in the sixth brings back the somber tone, while also showing Jill feels somewhat hopeless, feeling nothing can be done. "Compensate" in the ninth, meanwhile, is more forceful, used to argue the accused should find a new way to live their lives without their prior influence. 2. Filipovic seems extremely attached to the topic of forgiveness. In addition to the above mentioned words, the author has a history writing, reporting, and commenting on feminist issues, such as the #MeToo movement. Beyond this, though, she goes into great detail when she argues for her point; this can be seen in paragraph 3, where she claims most accused harassers face little to no punishments. She then lists Donald Trump winning the presidency and Mike Tyson's ongoing career as examples. This detail also applies to her solution on paragraph 9, where she states men should make amends, and lists examples of this, like asking women "How can I right this wrong?" and leading quiet lives. 3. The tone in this piece is somewhat assertive, with many words giving off a feeling of self-confidence. Words like "devote" in the context if its sentence, for instance, let readers know the author has a solution in mind, and truly believes it to be the best one. Another common tone would one that's rather disapproving, mainly of the legal system that allows abusers and harassers to get off with no punishment. "Infinitely" in the sixth paragraph, in context, is used to claim the system is arguably more harmful to society than those they persecute. This can also be seen in the word "rare", describing how often these men face punishment, and is used to induce guilt in the system. Devices 1. Allusion-One allusion is made in the second paragraph is made towards Bill Cosby's trials. Filipovic uses it as a subtle argument, which will later become the central thesis of the article: while some men have faced legal repercussions for their misconduct, most not only don't face them, but still maintain their prior status fairly unaffected by the controversy. Tone 1. Besides the words mentioned above that set her tone, as well as her own history with subjects such as these, there are a few other details that show the author's tone; for one, the examples of punishments and instances of people getting off the hook, mainly the former, are rather serious in their nature: for example, paragraph 4 mentions how some men could face punishments like "going to jail, being on probation or spending...life on a sex-offender registry", rather sad to think about, but its usage is needed to put the severity of their actions in legal context. Another detail could be the solutions; as mentioned above, the general tone of the piece is fairly assertive and serious. These solutions, however, are somewhat hopeful, offering the men a chance at a better life despite their misdeeds. Purpose 1. The portions of the story which speak to the purpose are: paragraph 2, which sets what the author considers to be the main issue (abusers retaining their influence) and facing small consequences, giving readers an understanding of the topic; paragraph 3's final 3 sentences, which give examples of men who apply to the claim in the prior section, backing up the argument with evidence; paragraph 8, which argues that the accused deserve to lose their clout, as punishment for their actions, which gives the readers another argument; paragraph 9 gives a solution to the dilemma of the accused and their influence, believing they should try to make things right by giving up their influence in exchange for a more simple life; and the final paragraph, which sums up the whole article, condensing the info into a small bit for readers. 2. The goal is to argue the men at the center of the #MeToo movement don't deserve to "make a comeback". 3. The worth of the goal is pretty high; in addition to being a hot button topic at the time, it addresses an alternative to the failing legal system, which has faced increasing amounts of scrutiny for its inaction on the topic. Appeals 1. The beginning section of the article (paragraphs 1-5) is mostly organized in a traditionally linear structure, with the exception of paragraph 1. Rather than serve as the intro to the topic, it poses a question, one which is essential to the argument, which is whether or not those who face no consequences for their actions deserve to make a comeback. From this point, it follows the structure of paragraph 2 introducing the topic, 3 giving context to 2's argument, and so on. The middle section, paragraph 6, is less connected to the main argument of why the harassers don't need to rebound, but more of an acknowledgement, in this case one of the legal system's failings and limitations in these instances; Filipovic later goes on to argue that "having people pay no penalties at all, despite huge...evidence against them, seems...worse". The final 5 paragraphs are her less of a summarization and more of a solution to the issue: paragraph 9 is perhaps the best example of this, as the whole paragraph is just her elaborating on her solution. 2. Jill Filipovic mostly uses current examples of harassers and their current life situations as evidence; for example, she mentions Bill Cosby's trial in the 2nd paragraph, and the NY Attorney General's resignation in the third. Aside from that, no other evidence is used. 3. Filipovic's argument is largely solid: the order in which her points are brought up, while not particularly common, is effective enough, the solution she presents-harassers accepting never getting their positions back-is well argued for, and the evidence she presents is relevant. However, the one fault is the evidence, or lack of. While the instances of the harassers' lives is effective, more evidence would serve to address alternative points of view, like an example if a case where a harasser was prosecuted. Not to mention, the examples of the men's situations is confined entirely to the 3rd and 4th paragraphs, but using an example of an accused abuser trying to right their wrongs, as mentioned in paragraph 9, would strengthen the effectiveness of her solution.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |