http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/08/opinion/sunday/nicholas-kristof-winds-of-war-in-gaza.html
Rhetorical Precis
Nicholas Kristof, in his "Winds of War in Gaza" (New York Times, 7 March 2015), asserts that Gaza is held under an unjust siege by Israel and Egypt, the quality of life there is subpar, and many innocent civilians are at a disadvantage under the stranglehold of the bordering, more powerful countries. He uses the pathos appeal by bringing in the story of 8-year old Rabah, who dreams of being a doctor but has no shoes to wear, and dreams of having toys to play with but because he does not, he plays with the remains of the rockets Israel fires in his neighborhood. Kristof proceeds to use anecdote to show that even though Hamas is the only threat coming from Gaza, the innocent citizens are being unfairly targeted. His purpose is to persuade the reader that what is going on in the Middle East is unjust, and his audience is everyone in the United States, as he pleads in the last paragraph for help from the United States to urge the surrounding countries to ease their blockade.
Personal Response
A great man once said: "There are two sides to every story." While Kristof's piece evokes some sympathetic feelings for the Gazans and their suffering, I know personally that there is much more to this picture. Since 2005, rockets have been fired into Israel non-stop, especially in small towns such as Sderot and Ashkelon. There have been over 11,000 rockets fired, with only 15 seconds to find shelter when the alarm is heard around the area. In 2014, Israel invented the technological juggernaut Iron Dome, a rocket interceptor which successfully blocks incoming rockets if it detects that the rocket will land in a populated area.
Many times in these situations, the more powerful force is believed to be the "bad guy" because they impose their will on the underdog. Just because Gaza does not have the resources to defend themselves and attack Israel properly, they cannot expect to host one of the most dangerous terrorist organizations in the world, Hamas, and go untouched by the affected countries. It is unfortunate that Gazans are living under low quality conditions, but instead of doing everything in their power to fix Israel, they should maybe look at their own country and see if they are doing things to help their own cause.
Note about precis: Need to mention tone. You could also have mentioned that the anecdote is used to appeal to pathos.
ReplyDeleteThis is a difficult topic to choose to argue. Great men for decades have been unable to solve this problem. I don't think you really addressed Kristof's argument other than to say "oh well" and to blame the victims. Think about the little boy, Rabah. What can he do about his situation? He can't oust Hamas. Is ok that his life be forfeited? Is it ok to kill him just because other innocent Israelis have also been killed? You say they should "look at their own country." What do you suggest they do differently?