rhetorical analysis

Clay Gross

B3

Rhetorical Analysis

            The article I chose to dissect is called “Rodeo Vests: Adequate Safety Devices” by Paula Lavigne.  The author shows their credibility by having the article posted on ESPN’s website and containing many credible sources from well-known rodeo professionals inside the article.  Having the article posted on ESPN’s website shows it’s credible by itself because ESPN is respected as the highest competition of sports news.  The purpose of this article is to create questions inside the safety of competitors in rodeo.  The main part of safety expressed in this article is of the protective gear used to protect the competitors from 1800 pounds of fury.  The author believes that the gear used is not adequate enough for the danger in the sport.  The author also uses emotional appeal to help persuade the reader about the importance of safety gear in rodeo.  She uses the death of a bull rider and the help of the mother of that bull rider to help express the emotional stress.  “But on July 9, 2010, Derickson-Hall was less than two weeks away from competing in the National High School Finals Rodeo in Wyoming when he was killed by a bull's hoof that came down on his chest during a ride at a rodeo in Valemount, British Columbia.”(Paula Livigne, PG 1)  The author also uses logos to state many facts that show the danger in riding a bull without a helmet.  These facts also show that the rodeo protective vest hasn’t been proven to truly save the competitor from a bulls force on his chest.  The author also uses interviews in her article from well-known cowboys associated with professional rodeo, which can have a major affect on the reader.  I feel like the author is preparing this article for younger bull riders and bull riders parents and trying to get them to pay attention to the safety gear.  The purpose of this article is to save the lives of future rodeo contestants, through the knowledge of rodeo protective gear. 

Lavigne, Paula. "Rodeo Participants Increasingly Wearing Protective Gear but to Unknown Benefit, Study Shows - ESPN." ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports. Web. 06 Dec. 2011. <http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=6674104>.