To End the Abuse, She Grabbed a Knife
Nicholas Kristof uses this article to address the issue of domestic violence against women and how to handle it. Although the article is more informative than persuading, there is a clear attitude against domestic violence. He makes this argument using rhetorical devices such as a warning tone, short sentences, ethos and logos. The article begins with ethos as Kristof retells a woman's account of domestic violence. By using personal accounts, Kristof builds his credibility and let's readers know he has done proper research on the topic. These accounts also show readers that domestic violence is a real and prevalent problem in society that affects real women. Kristof's argument is also strengthened by his use of logos throughout the article. Using facts and statistics such as "American women are twice as likely to suffer domestic as breast cancer". With these facts, readers can get a more logical perspective and understand the magnitude of domestic violence more clearly. Readers get an idea of how Kristof feels through his use of short sentences; the syntax emphasizes his main points and attitudes about domestic violence. For example, while retelling a personal account, he writes, " She stabbed her boyfriend once. He died." This simple syntax illustrates how unsympathetic Kristof is towards the death of the woman's former boyfriend. Later in the article, he writes that "this is not a fringe concern" which lets readers better understand the importance of this topic. One of the most powerful devices was the overall warning tone being used throughout the article. Kristof creates this tone by using phrases such as "until it becomes a murder investigation" and "before a victim becomes a corpse". These warnings provide readers with incentive to fight against domestic violence because they are so blunt and negative. When writing this, Kristof wanted readers to be able to understand why domestic violence needs to be addressed with more priority and he sends the message with the creation of credibility, logos, simple syntax and cautionary tone.