Leonardo Dicaprio: Rhetorical Analysis

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The climate conditions surrounding our Earth have been a topical debate in America for decades, ranging from arguments declaring that global warming is a myth, to others stating that it will be the cause of our timely demise. Subsequently, on September 23 2014, the actor Leonardo Dicaprio spoke at the United Nations Climate Summit to express his concerns about the state of our planet. Moreover, Dicaprio uses logos to suggest that global warming is a genuine threat to the future of our ecosystem.
With this in mind, it is important to note that Dicaprio has been devoted to promoting environmental awareness since the formation of his non-profit organization, the Leonardo Dicaprio Foundation. Shortly after the filming of Titanic he founded his …show more content…

He notes that, “ [w]e are seeing extreme weather events, and the West Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets melting at unprecedented rates, decades ahead of scientific projections” ( The Daily Conversation). Here Dicaprio use logos to back up his claims that the Earth is rapidly deteriorating. In doing this, he is able to strengthen and increase the validity of his speech, despite the fact that he is not a reliable source. In fact, scientists have discovered that, “[o]cean warming accounts for about 93% of the total increase in energy storage in the climate system from 1971 to 2010” (Blunden & Arndt ). It is important to note that this increase alters Earth’s natural equilibrium, which forces temperature fluctuation. Dicaprio is attempting to get across that when this happens it makes it more likely for natural disasters to occur, which inherently damages the …show more content…

He demanded that, “[w]e need to put a price tag on carbon emissions, and eliminate government subsidies for oil, coal,and gas companies. For the economy itself will die if our eco-systems collapse” (The Daily Conversation). Dicaprio weakens his argument here by making a hasty generalization. He is claiming that if we do not do A (taxation on carbon emissions and eliminate government subsidies) then B (our eco-systems will collapse) will happen. He is basing his conclusion without presenting relevant facts and is providing insufficient evidence to back up his claim. Not only that, but several were quick to criticize Dicaprio's statement, due to the lifestyle he leads. In a report by Mike Ciandella, he notes that shortly after Dicaprio’s speech at the UN he, “had flown to Brazil on a private plane to borrow an oil billionaire’s 470-foot yacht” ( Ciandella). This hypocrisy also weakens his argument due the fact that his actions discredit what he preaching. Not only that, but it takes away from the overall effectiveness of the claims that he is

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