Note – Late posting due to cable / internet problems for at least a week. I fixed it!! All by myself!!
TEXAS LADY JUANITA
Today we will explore a Rhetorical Device used to make an extravagant overstatement. Such an overstatement is called HYPERBOLE. Sadly, most assume that such a bold statement is a true statement and is more than likely not true. HYPERBOLE is used to affect the emotions of the reader in extremes.
Today’s article clip is from the New York Times article, “Child Vaccinations Plummet 63 Percent, a New Hurdle for N.Y.C. Schools,” By Eliza Shapiro. She is accurately reporting what New York’s Mayor DeBlasio said. It is Mr. DeBlasio who is using HYPERBOLE to instill fear into parents: “The pieces unfortunately start to fit together in a way that should cause parents real concern,” Mr. DeBlasio said in his daily news briefing. Unvaccinated children, he said, could be “at greater threat of contracting a disease that could then put them at a greater threat of contracting Covid.”
To quote N Y Governor Cuomo, in a separate article, “Thankfully, this new syndrome is still quite rare and it is treatable, and most kids who develop it fully recover.” New York state has a population of almost 20 million; 1.7 million are children seventeen and under. The article stated there have only been about 102 cases. This article can be found https://nyti.ms/3cKC7GQ This article is very exhaustive in information regarding this new syndrome that doctors believe might be attributable to the Covid virus. In this article I found no reference of the regular school vaccinations helping children to not contract the Covid virus. Mayor DeBlasio stating otherwise is irresponsible; and one can only conclude he either does not know what he is talking about, or he was using it as HYPERBOLE to instill fear.
There are about 50 types of Rhetorical Devices that authors use much too often as persuasive deceit. Rhetoric persuades rather than prove logically, and factually. Some similar devices to Hyperbole, and in today’s example some are synonymous:
~Slippery Slope – Arguing that because x happens, then y and/or z will also happen.
~Proof Surrogate – Expression in place of actual evidence or authority.
~Scare Tactics – Frightening scenario instead of facts to persuade someone to see it your way.
~Loaded Question – Question that rests on one or more unwarranted or unjustified assumptions.
~Appeal to Ignorance – Lack of evidence against a claim doesn’t mean the claim gets any positive points.
It is very important to become familiar with these devices so you can recognize them when they are used to fool you in some way.
Copyright © 2020 by Juanita Holloway-Walters
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