Robert Wrights Article the Evolution Of Despair :: essays research papers fc

Robert Wrights Article "The Evolution of Despair"Robert Wright is the science writer for Time Magazine. Because hewrites for this popular magazine, he enjoys the attention of many readers wholook to him to go away them with the latest news from the scientific community.After reading The Evolution of Despair, an article written by Wright, I cameunder the impression that he is both reporter and commentator, but notexplicitly so. Wright utilizes a variety of rhetorical tools to establish trustand confidence in his readers, thereupon interjecting his own opinions withoutarousing suspicion.The articles first paragraph is a perfective aspect example of how a writer canestablish intimacy with his reader. The following example demonstrates Wrightsuse of first person and emotional appeal"Whether burdened by an overwhelming flurry of daily commitments or stifled by asense of social isolation whether mired for hours in a sense of lifes pointlessness or beset for days by unresolved anxiety whether deprived by longworkweeks from quality time with offspring or drowning in measuring time withthem whatever the source of stress, we at times get the feeling that modernlife isnt what we were designed for" (1).Everyone, at some point, has experienced the feelings that Wrightdescribes. And with the pronoun we Wright tells his readers, Yes, I impartbeen through the same things. This sort of statement is like a token of goodwill. The readers feel that Wright understands their plight and thus are morelikely to beware to what he has to say.With this trust established, Wright moves on to the task of buildingconfidence in his readers. He lives up to his title of science writer byproviding various statistics ("As of 1993, 37% of Americans felt they couldtrust most people, down from 58% in 1960" (4).) and reporting the findings ofnumerous professors and scientists ("The anthropo-logist Phillip Walker hasstudied the bones of more than 5,000 children from hu ndreds of preindustrialcultures, dating second to 4,000 B.C." (2).). This serves a three-fold purpose1) to give credibility to the article, 2) to provide subject matter on whichWright can comment, and 3) to indirectly establish the moral character of Wright.On this coda point, explicit endorsement of Wright by these respectedauthorities is absent and unnecessary. The mere appearance of support fromthese sources is sufficient enough to suggest the validity of his views.Wrights persuasive draw near is a method that an aspiring orator mightadopt. Instead of the written word, this article might be presented orally. Itis no difficult task to imagine Wright rest before a podium, addressing a