The morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, was a day in U.S. history that could never be forgotten. With 2,996 people killed and over 6,000 people injured causing at least 10 billion dollars in infrastructure and property damage, 9/11 is one of the most searched Wikipedia pages in the world. The purpose of this Wikipedia page is to create an unbiased source that breaks down exactly what took place on this tragic day. This Wikipedia page includes conventions of an introduction explaining the style objectives which allows the audience to understand the formal language used to support the purpose of creating a serious tone. This Wikipedia page starts with a brief summary of the topic which allows for the audience to recognize the usefulness of the source in a short amount of time. A color summary table with examples on the right side follows the summary. This convention breaks down the event into main topics, which in this case is background, attacks, aftermath, effects, investigations, rebuilding, and memorials. The writers of this page would say the purpose of this tactic is to make this complicated topic easier to understand with a simpler way of navigating the page. Underneath each of these main topics, there are subtopics which provide the audience with more depth to the situation.
Speaking of the audience many people would assume that Wikipedia pages can be addressed to any person; however, that is not quite true. Besides the fact that people without Internet and technology wouldn't be able to access these sources, this specific page regarding the September 11 attack can be seen to address people who are interested in learning about the event. Many other sources touching on the September 11 attacks include bias without even realizing it. However, the purpose of this Wikipedia page is to contribute factual evidence with credibility. For example, when the page addresses al- Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, many other sites can easily attack them and portray them in a negative light. However, this Wikipedia article is able to address these men in a neutral way. “Although al-Qaeda’s leader, Osama bin Laden, initially denied any involvement, in 2004 he claimed responsibility for the attacks.” The writers are dispassionate and objective free from favor toward either or any side which builds on Wikipedia’s credibility as a whole because they realize Wikipedia is an international site. This wikipedia page builds its credibility (ethos) through its accuracy of information, the appropriateness of the images provided with the article, as well as the appropriateness of the style and focus of this article. For example, along the right side of this Wikipedia page are images of not only Osama bin Laden but also the events, collapse of the Towers, the North face of Two World Trade Center, and finally plume seen from space by NASA. These images are credible because the authors cite the factual evidence and provide the audiences with reliable sources at the bottom of the page. The purpose of this is to allow the audience to trust and rely on the facts they are being presented with. Pathos is another rhetorical appeal used frequently through Wikipedia’s convention of a gallery of images. For example, the writers provide the audience with many images underneath the casualties section that target the audience’s emotions of sadness and despair. The image of the German Shepherd dog working to uncover survivors at the site of the collapsed World Trade Center recreates the event that provokes an emotional response from the audience. The purpose of this is the writers want their audience to feel this event on a personal level whether they knew about this event or not, prior to reading the Wikipedia page. Building off the images provided, the writers include factual evidence to depict what is taking place in some of the more important images. For example, underneath the causalities paragraph it states, “At least 200 people fell or jumped to their deaths from the burning towers (as exemplified in the photograph The Falling Man), landing on the streets and rooftops of adjacent buildings hundreds of feet below.” The writers included rational proof which is depicted as logos. It accomplishes its purpose of portraying deductive reasoning because it is moving from a generalization to a specific case. The overall effect of including these conventions to support the three appeals is to not only display efficiently selected data but also to inform the audience in a formal manner to gain initial, derived, and terminal credibility.
2 Comments
Riley O'Donnell
3/7/2018 04:38:26 pm
Great analysis, Amanda! You had a very strong introduction that prepared the reader for exactly what you wanted to debrief for the Wikipedia page you chose. I specifically liked how you discussed the reason behind the main topics used were to make the complicated topic easier to understand for the audience. Pathos is very important when discussing 9/11, and the hyperlink to the part of the Wikipedia page where German Shepherd dogs are working really takes a toll on the reader’s emotions. You went into great depth to think like the writer of the Wikipedia page and your analysis really proves the rhetoric found in the online source.
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sarah
3/8/2018 07:55:27 am
AWESOME! your introduction sets up your RAB perfectly. I noticed 2 things in specific that I really liked about your RAB. The first being all of the hyperlinks in the page. I did not think to do that for my RAB. it gives great proof for what you are talking about. Next I like when you talked about the picture of the dog. You didn't touch on it a lot, but the point you made was awesome with connecting emotions with the audience.
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