Rhetorical Strategies

When an author wants to persuade an audience, he or she will utilize rhetorical strategies. Rhetorical strategies mainly consist of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. Ethos is the author's use of their own credibility, Pathos makes an appeal to emotions, and Logos appeals to reason and logic. Authors may also use strategies such as word choice, imagery, and metaphors. Likewise, In Steroids, Sports and the Ethics of Winning, Michael Dillingham uses effective rhetorical strategies, such as ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade his audience against the use of steroids.

Dillingham uses effective strategies such as questions, word choice, similes, etc. to enforce his argument. Dillingham begins his argument with a rhetorical question that completely leans toward his point of view, which is steroids are ethically wrong. He asks, "Why, ethically, does the use of steroids in sports bother us" (635). By using pathos in this question, the audience must question from the opposing point of view of steroids. Therefore, whether the audience is for or against steroids, the question makes the audience think from the opposing point of view of steroids. Dillingham also uses strong language and word choice. He uses words that have negative connotative and denotative meaning towards the use of steroids. Negative words such as cancer, emotional problems, and physical problems push the audience away from steroids, which also makes this strategy pathos (635).

Moreover, the author uses imagery and similes that people can relate to, and he supports them by using the word "we." An example is used in paragraph six where Dillingham uses the simile that "we" tolerate people using steroids just as "we" tolerate people beating each other's brains out in boxing (635). By using the word "we," the author appeals to the audience's emotions, which is pathos. This example is significant because it makes his point seem like everyone agrees with him.

Dillingham continues to attack the strategy of pathos to strengthen his argument. Dillingham applies a sarcastic tone to use the opposing side of his argument. In paragraph four, he poses a question asking why people use steroids, and responding with a sarcastic tone he answers, "They make you bigger, faster, and stronger. And they work perfectly well in anybody who's training heavily" (635). This strategy makes fun of the opposing point of view, which in turn, strengthens his argument. In paragraph 9, Dillingham compares steroid use to youthful decisions. "If I just do this for a period of my life, I'll be fine," he says (635). A person for steroids reading this essay sees the comparison of steroid use to youthful decisions and is turned off. No steroid user wants to be compared to a child. Right after this metaphor is used, he compares youthful delusions to Russian roulette, which is a game of risk (635). As a whole, Dillingham is saying through metaphors, that steroids are one huge risk. In general, metaphors are commonly used strategies that reach out to readers in different ways.

In paragraph eight, the author describes how parents, coaches, and institutions are in denial that their athletes or children are using steroids (635). This form of pathos expresses how steroids are more common than people want to believe, and most people do not want to accept the fact that their cohorts are using them. He wants to get across that steroids are real and many