Following NBC News site
A Brief Analysis of the Rhetorical Devices in NBC New
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/senate-intel-committee-subpoenas-michael-flynn-russia-probe-n757661
The article above is about Michael Flynn's position in thee Russian sacndal. The diction the author, Phil McCausland, used in the article is formal diction. McCausland didn't put much emotion into the article, he didn't put his personal standings or positions on the situation into the article. This made the diction more formal, he would write sentences like "Burr and Warner have said they considered their committee's subpoena power as an available recourse", which gives the article its professional-like diction. It also gives the article its matter-of-fact tone by being so unemotional. Another rhetorical device McCausland uses is simple syntax. Most of the sentence are declarative, singular subject-verb sentences. He uses this to easily get the information across to the audience and to make the article as short as possible so the reader doesn't lose interest. He is trying to make the audience remember his article. The tone of the article, as mentioned above, is matter-of-fact. This is because the author doesn't use much, if any, emotion in the writing. His sentence are comprise of merely the facts, "This is the first time the Intelligence Committee has used its subpoena power since the joint inquiry into the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and it's the first time it has subpoenaed documents since the 1970s, a Senate historian told NBC News". Although the article isn't very emotional, it is full of facts that fill the reader with knowledge. The lack of emotion in the writing causes the tone to be matter-of-fact. The purpose of the article is to inform the people of the possibility of the national security adviser being involved with the possible Russian scandal during the election. There are many parts of the article such as "Former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates testified on Monday that she told the Trump administration that Flynn had been compromised and could be potentially "blackmailed by the Russians"", that are informing the reader of the activities in Washington DC. Having the reader understand whats happening in the country's capital is the main goal and if that goal is achieved it can have a big impact on the readers view of the government and the people who are in it. The purpose of this article has great value because it could possibly alter how the people see government officials. The beginning of the article talks about the situation and how the Senate Intelligence Committee subpoenaed Flynn. Through the middle of the article it names the reason Flynn is in the position he's in and what is being done about the accusations. The end of the article talks about other politicians, like 44th President Barack Obama's, attempts at warning President Trump on hiring Flynn as the national security adviser. It talks about the problems that have been caused by the President eventually deciding to hire Flynn anyways. McCausland uses lots of quotes form countless other politicians and how they feel about the subject. He also uses facts, such as "This is the first time the Intelligence Committee has used its subpoena power since the joint inquiry into the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and it's the first time it has subpoenaed documents since the 1970s, a Senate historian told NBC News", to compare this conflict to past conflicts. The argument is strong because all though there is not emotional connection, there are so many different facts and pieces of evidence that back up the authors claims and the things he is talking about.
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My name is Stephanie Crisfield. I am a junior at North Cobb High School and this is my blog that is dedicated to analyzing NBC News. Welcome!
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