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Rhetorical Analysis Of Carlton W. Reeves

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Rhetorical Analysis Of Carlton W. Reeves
In 2015, Carlton W. Reeves, a U.S Mississippi District Court judge talks about how racist brutalism is in its wake again. Reeves is on the verge of giving his sentence about a murder case where an African American, James Craig Anderson, was murdered by three young men named: Deryl Paul Dedmon, Dylan Wade Butler, and John Aaron Rice. The murder of Anderson is a part of resurgence of black killing that happened before in Mississippi. Reeves extensively used the three rhetorical appeals: ethos, logos, and pathos. The Judge illustrates how the past is being brought back to Mississippi, uses statistics about the torture of the African Americans, and personal stories to argue that the white male murders are just repeating history by bringing back …show more content…
Racism cuts across a myriad of social aspects as Carlton Reeves puts it, "hate comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors and from this case, we know it comes from different sexes and ages” (Reeves, 2015). During his arguments, Reeves adds details that allow the audience to feel emotional. For instance, he places a small detail about how Anderson was killed 4 days before his birthday, which makes the reader feel sensitive about the incident. Funny enough, the brutality of Anderson was conducted by the people who we expect should fight it in the society. All the three are full-blown youths and of the new generation. Deryl Paul is 22, John Rice is 21, and Wade Butler is 23. After strangling him to death, they also ran a truck over him and walked away chanting slogans of white power. Reeves finishes by giving his verdict. A verdict that is neither based on racism nor personal ego, a verdict that guarantees justice to the oppressor and the oppressed in equal magnitudes. Above all, a verdict that goes beyond the rule of law to express its emotional appeal with the three murderers by wishing them that they find peace. Above all, the sensitivity of the critical humanity issue it touches on and the prerequisite conditions leading to the unfolding of events. All these evoke emotions of sympathy towards the slain men and the black fraternity as well. Reeves’s emotional speech goes further to wish Anderson's mother well. The three murderers he wishes that they will soon find justice. This choice of words appeals to the reader’s

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