Essay on rhetorical analysis

Submitted By JamesBolin81
Words: 595
Pages: 3

In the article “college, death and consequences” by Heather Charles, it discusses how “43 students will not outlive the consequences” (Charles). The death of an NIU freshman (David Bogenberger) which was caused by alcoholic poisoning did not go unheard. Not only will the 43 students have to deal with the fact that they helped contribute to the death of their fellow 19 year old classmate, but they also have to endure legal issues, such as lawsuits. Of the 43 students who participated, 22 of them face criminal charges and 17 others are “accused of misdemeanor hazing and face possible jail sentences of up to 364 days” (Charles). Heather uses a variety of appeals to relate to her audience. She mainly focuses on logos and leads out to pathos in the end describing how none of the students would’ve been in a situation this drastic, had they have made smarter decisions.
Early in Heathers article she states that David’s blood alcohol level was .40. At .07, it is illegal for a citizen to operate a motorized vehicle. He being so young and having such a high alcohol level could only spell disaster. Heather states that “for each of them, even David, there is no undoing what happened” (Charles). Luckily for the 43 student who survived this immature deadly ordeal, DeKalb County has found these students innocent. Heather is trying to infuse in students minds everywhere, that even though the 43 acquaintances were found innocent, they still have to live with the fact that they killed their best friend and they would have been able to save him have they made one simple phone call. Or to not have drank that night at all, and now because of this incident, the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and NIU (liabilities) are defendants.
Heather then does a slow transition in her article over to pathos. She states that “david Bogenberger never again will apply for a job or be googled by a prospective blind date, or have his background examined in future decades for car loans, mortgages, memberships, or security clearances. The other 43, though, never will be able to hide from online records and references that will long outlive them. What she is doing here, is that she is basically making the audience feel sympathy for both the parents of David, and the 43 students who experienced this horrific ordeal. She