Question

literary / text elements persuasive appeals
directions: read the passage below, excerpted from president george h. w. bush’s 1990 speech announcing the beginning of the first iraq war. then, answer the questions.
1 (1) just 2 hours ago, allied air forces began an attack on military targets in iraq and kuwait. (2) these attacks continue as i speak. (3) this conflict started august 2nd when the dictator of iraq invaded a small and helpless neighbor (4) kuwait—a member of the arab league and a member of the united nations—was crushed, its people, brutalized. (5) five months ago, saddam hussein started this cruel war against kuwait. (6) tonight, the battle has been joined. (7) we have no choice but to drive saddam from kuwait by force.
2 (8) saddam was warned over and over again to comply with the will of the united nations: leave kuwait, or be driven out. (9) saddam has arrogantly rejected all warnings. (10) instead, he tried to make this a dispute between iraq and the united states of america. (11) well, he failed. (12) tonight, 28 nations—countries from 5 continents, europe and asia, africa, and the arab league—have forces in the gulf area standing shoulder to shoulder against saddam hussein. (13) these countries had hoped the use of force could be avoided. (14) regrettably, we now believe only force will make him leave.
3 (15) no president can easily commit our sons and daughters to war. (16) they are the nation’s finest. (17) ours is an all-volunteer force, magnificently trained, highly motivated. (18) the troops know why they’re there. (19) listen to hollywood huddleston, marine lance corporal. (20) he says, “let’s free these people, so we can go home and be free again.” (21) and he’s right. (22) the terrible crimes and tortures committed by saddam’s henchmen against the innocent people of kuwait are an affront to mankind and a challenge to the freedom of all.

1. restate president bush’s claim.

1. in paragraph 1, which sentences contain appeals to pathos? write the sentence numbers, and provide examples of language to support your answer.

1. explain how pathos is used in paragraph 3 to support the claim.

1. in paragraph 3, how does president bush use an appeal to ethos?

a. he appeals to emotion by quoting a marine lance corporal.
b. he appeals to authority by quoting a marine lance corporal.

Explanation:

1. The core claim is derived from the speech's purpose: justifying military force to remove Saddam Hussein from Kuwait, as he ignored warnings and attacked a vulnerable neighbor.
2. Pathos appeals to emotion; in paragraph 1, language framing Kuwait as helpless, its people crushed/brutalized, and the war as cruel evokes sympathy and anger.
3. In paragraph 3, pathos is used by highlighting the humanity of U.S. troops and the suffering of Kuwaitis, which connects the audience's empathy to the need for military action.
4. Ethos appeals to credibility/authority; quoting a serving Marine (a member of the military executing the action) adds authentic, trustworthy perspective to the argument.

Answer:

1. Saddam Hussein must be driven out of Kuwait by military force, as he unjustly invaded the vulnerable nation, ignored international warnings, and left no other choice for the U.S. and allied forces.
2. Sentences (3), (4), (5). Examples: "small and helpless neighbor", "crushed, its people brutalized", "cruel war".
3. Bush uses pathos by first emphasizing the valor and sacrifice of U.S. troops (calling them "the Nation's finest" and sharing a soldier's personal desire to free Kuwaitis), then highlighting the "terrible crimes and tortures" of Saddam's regime against innocent Kuwaitis. This evokes empathy for both the troops and the Kuwaiti people, framing the military action as a moral, compassionate necessity to support the claim that force is justified.
4. b. He appeals to authority by quoting a Marine lance corporal.