Rhetorical Analysis The New York Times Editorial Board recently published an article expressing its opinion on the issue of court politicization. Kansas Republicans have demanded the expulsion of four State Supreme Court judges due to the panel exceeding the limits of the state Constitution. The Editorial Board wishes to generate a sense of resentment towards right-wing politicians in their quest to meddle with judicial independence and create support for the accused judges. Nevertheless, the article fails to convey the author's yearning for citizen participation through the misuse of rhetorical devices such as logos and formal diction. One can aptly find logical appeals throughout the article and while its abundance is not the concern, the …show more content…
As a consequence, the article is inconsistent with its poignant use of formal diction. In particular, the author writes, ”This time Republican officials expect that a flood of out-of-state political money - untraceable under loose campaign laws - will be drawn to the fight” (The EB 4). Hyphenated compound words such as “out-of-state” are more colloquial and should be avoided in any literary work that discuss sophisticated issues. The fusion of both styles is apparent throughout as the author continually repeats the odd technique of placing informal words in the middle of formal sentences. For example, the author articulates that, “Judges are particularly vulnerable to the kind of attacks and distortions common in big-money political campaigns because of their independence” (The EB 7). The confusion stems from the erratic usage of the technique and the awkward addition of a new term without an appropriate explanation. The author needs to strive for the perfect balance to achieve optimal persuasion for its intended audience. There is a plethora of rhetorical devices in the article that attempts to sway the public opinion on the idea that the judicial branch is justly independent in order to maintain the integrity of the law. The author falls short in its enigmatic congregation of logos appeals and misguided use of formal diction. Its main objective of getting the readers rationally involved is replaced by the confusion the article itself