Effective/ Ineffective Rhetoric

EFFECTIVE RHETORIC

http://articles.latimes.com/2008/nov/16/local/me-dam16

This article by Nancy Vogel of the L.A. Times was well written from the fact that it incorporated strong facts and even stronger emotion on discussing the decision of the Auburn Dam. Expressive quotes such as “They’ll build Auburn Dam, right after Sacramento is flooded to 7 feet and people have died” from Joe Sullivan, president of the Sacramento County Taxpayers League and “Reclamation has failed to meet these deadlines and subsequently failed to diligently pursue a request for an extension of time,” stated by the State Water Resources Board shows the reader the emotion that surrounds the Auburn Dam. Nancy Vogel also incorporated the facts that the federal government was supposed to finish the dam by 1975 and put all the water to “beneficial use” by 2000, that he proposed plug on the gold-sprinkled American River northeast of Sacramento has been declared dead many times since Congress authorized it in 1965, and the nation’s taxpayers have sunk $325 million into the project, with little to show beyond stacks of reports and a scarred canyon where construction was halted in 1975. These facts show that Nancy performed a thorough investigation into the Auburn Dam and produced a well-written article about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MegttFTBFU

The Laos Dam video found on youtube.com was a great piece of rhetoric in the sense that it was filled with facts, gave various point of views, and a range of interviews with different sources. The use of maps in showing locations of Laos in Southeast Asia allows the viewer to see the exact setting and sight of the dam. I particularly found it interesting that the country of Laos is more interested in creating revenue from hydroelectricity and allowing portions of its native people to find other ways of surviving while only offering them $200. Emotionally, I find this very indicative of how society is changing these days.

INEFFECTIVE RHETORIC

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7046-hydroelectric-powers-dirty-secret-revealed.html

The article “Hydroelectric power's dirty secret revealed “by Duncan Graham-Rowe should throw up a red flag to the reader by beginning with “Contrary to popular belief, hydroelectric power can seriously damage the climate.” First off, Mr. Rowe does not write for the NY Times or has not collected a Nobel Peace Award and therefore needs to establish credibility before leading off with such a bold statement. While I will give credit to Mr. Rowe for raising a good issue, he only validates his article with the the one source of Philip Fearnside. This is not sufficient when arguing an important topic such as the disadvantages of hydro dams when they are believed by many to be a good alternative in conserving energy and resources. Most of the facts that were related to his argument involved only the dams in Brazil. As we all know, Brazil has a much different climate than other parts of the world which can factor into false readings of emmisions into the environment. Mr. Rowe might be onto something but he needs to present better facts, more credible sources, and more in depth research to the reader if he wants to be convincing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEdM6Ys6spA

If not for the title, I think the viewer would first be in confusion as to what was actually leaking. Once the Tetan Dam was finally mentioned, the narrator never tells of the dam’s location and why in fact it started leaking, which eventually led to the dam breaking. Besides the fact of the narrator’s emotionless monotone voice, half the video was dedicated to the two fishermen that were swept away by the rushing water. While I feel sympathy for the people who lost their lives, the video could have gave the viewer a much more in depth look into what really happened that day to the Teton Dam.