We always
know bad people to be the ones who lie, cheat, and steal. The good people are
the ones who look out for each other,
who are kind and caring. However in today’s society as well as in human beings
in general, it is impossible to be categorized as good or bad. Doctor’s push
drugs to get money, politicians lie to make money and get power, and even
parents and teachers make bad decisions that harm the children they should be
taking care of. This does not mean that there aren’t any doctors who want to
save lives regardless of their paycheck, or politicians who want to change the
world for the better, or even teachers and parents who want to educate, care,
and propel future generations forward. It simply means that there are shades of
grey between the black and white walls we all see so clearly, and it is our
duty to look for them and determine the morality of their cause. In these
passages written by scientist Edward O. Wilson. Wilson tries to manipulate the
reader into believing that
environmentalists or conservationists have a hidden agenda and are ultimately
just shoving it down our throats in order to benefit themselves as well as the
economy. Edward O. Wilson conveys his beliefs thorough use of diction, syntax,
as well as ethos.
In Wilson’s first paragraph he
already illustrates his feelings towards environmentalists through use of
diction. “The wackos have a broad and mostly hidden agenda that always comes
from the left.” Throughout the entire passage he chooses specific words such as
“wackos” or “hypocrites” or even “beaurocrats” when referring to the
environmentalists in order to push his main point: that these people have their
own agenda and are really pushing an unproductive discussion down peoples
throats in order to sway them politically. By using these words to describe the
environmentalists he is using over the top diction as well as character assassination and painting a
picture of these people that is ugly and negative to sway the reader into
believing that this is the reality of who these people are.
Throughout this passage Edward O. Wilson also
uses syntax by asking questions and then answering them himself. For example,
“what exactly are they trying to conserve?”, to point out the question,
followed by , “their own selfish interests, for sure, not the natural
environment,” in order to answer the question and instill beliefs in his
readers heads. Another example is when he says :how to get power? Is what
theyre thinking.” By structuring his sentences in a way in which he asks a
controversial question and then provides the answer with his own personal
opinions, he does not allow the reader to fully think for themselves,
especially if they are not educated on this particular topic, thus causing them
to be persuaded into agreeing with Wilson’s main points.
Edward O.
Wilson also understands that it is in most of human’s nature to fight what is
wrong and stand by what is right. In knowing this, he employs a strong use of
ethos to show how conservationists or environmentalists are unethical people.
This is a tactic he employs in almost every sentence. “They keep their right
wing political agenda hidden when downgrading climate change and species
extinction, but for them economic growth is always the ultimate, and maybe the
only goal.” He emphasizes in every sentence the ethics and the morality of what
environmentalists are actually doing and what they truly believe in. Here
Wilson understands that every human being longs for a revolution whether they
know it or not, by pointing out the ways in which the environmentalists are
wronging the general public through lies, he sparks that place within every
reader that wishes to fight for what is right, tempting them to stay focused
and listen to what he has to say.
It is clear
that Edward O. Wilson is not a fan of environmentalists and believes the topic
to be unproductive. He conveys that through his satire by using many rhetorical
devices such as diction, syntax, and ethos. Though many would not agree with
what he is saying, the truth is that we need people to question the morality of
causes. If they don’t we would live in a highly unjust world. There have always
been people, the most obvious being politicians, who have covered up their bad
intentions with good ones, therefore it is important to question things, and
have a voice, not one that is given to you through articles, teachers or
parents, but one that is truly your own and is able to convey your beliefs to
the world.
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