The article in question dwells upon representation of Islam in Western media. Sairra Patel (1999) claims that Western media provide a distorted image of Islam and the role of Muslim women, which leads to Muslims’ marginalization and alienation. It is necessary to note that Patel (1999) uses a variety of tools of persuasion and provides her arguments in a concise and comprehensive manner. This makes the article a successful persuasive essay.
The major idea of the article is misrepresentation of Muslims. The author uses a very strong beginning to support her point. Patel (1999) illustrates the way Muslims are depicted with reference to a reputable British source where a violent act was ascribed to Muslims (though it was conducted by a group of Christians). The author also provides a number of other examples of misrepresentation of Islam or Muslims’ life and traditions (Patel, 1999). Real life examples are regarded as some of the most effective tools of persuasion (Brock & Green, 2005). The author supports her claim with the help of real life situations, which makes her claim plausible. Importantly, the examples are very appealing as they are associated with the most burning issues concerning Islam. Thus, when writing about misrepresentation of Islam, the author mentions violent acts during a peaceful demonstration. When writing about women, Patel (1999) mentions the right to own property or the tradition to wear hijab.
Apart from, specific examples, Patel (1999) extensively employs ethos and pathos. The author refer to reputable sources only, such as Qur’an, Goethe, Thomas Carlyle, BBC, Today, The Telegraph, etc. The use of ethos is another persuasion device which is very effective (Brock & Green, 2005). The author refers to reliable sources to make the reader understand that many people share her views. Admittedly, this is an effective tool as the author shows that the article is a result of a thorough research. The author appeals to the readers’ emotions by focusing on the most burning issues. Another successful device is a rhetoric question employed at the end of the article. The author forces the reader to answer the question and come to certain conclusions (the author’s conclusions).
Finally, it is important to note that the article is written in a concise form. The form is one of the central components of effective persuasion (Brock & Green, 2005). Each argument is provided in a separate paragraph, which makes it easier to perceive. The article is also easy to follow. Each argument provided supports the major claim of the author. It is also noteworthy that each paragraph is a logical continuation of the previous one. The concise form helps the reader focus on the author’s claim and the article’s major idea.
On balance, it is possible to note that the article in question is an example of a successful persuasive essay where some of the most effective persuasion tools are employed. The author manages to provide strong arguments in a very concise way, which is an effective way to support her claim.
Reference List
Brock, T.C., & Green, M.C. (2005). Persuasion: Psychological insights and perspectives. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishing.
Patel, S. (1999). The media and its representation of Islam and Muslim women. Web.