Elnor Frankel Rhetorical Analysis

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As long as “skinny sells” (Frankel 434), nothing else matters. That is essentially what the fashion industry and all large modeling agencies in the United States stand by. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of these companies demonstrate little to no concern of the influence that their models have on young girls, causing bodily insecurities to form into harmful and often times life-threatening disorders. The ever-growing Western culture has entered many Eurasian countries over the years, and Israel, among many, have taken large steps to put an end to the invasive influence that thin models have on young Israeli women. Elinor Frankel effectively executes her argument through reference placement, rhetorical questioning, gathered statistics, …show more content…

Frankel introduces this matter by indicating that “each year 280 people die in the United States” (Frankel 433) due to an eating disorder. Hooking her audience with a statistic that grabs the reader’s attention is one of the many elements that Frankel demonstrated effectively. Techniques like these are never black or white, however. Each argumentative strategy Frankel and virtually all writers present each have their own unique blend within the three rhetorical appeals. When the reader learns that the “average model weighs 23% less than the average women” (Frankel 434), it primarily appeals to their logical judgment, but it also possesses a slight pathological component, giving the reader a sense of sympathy and …show more content…

More often than not, attempts by the writer to appeal to a reader’s sense to pathos is not completely straightforward; rather, it is embedded within the lines of the text. Frankel states that “nobody [modeling agencies] takes responsibility, and as long as skinny sells, nothing is probably going to change” (Frankel 434). This provides the reader with a sense of grief, coming to the conclusion that maybe this matter may be too difficult or too complicated to resolve. It is important to note that Frankel does not directly state that this is something the reader should be concerned about and make an attempt to fix on behalf of the nation. Instead, she simply presents the matter in such a way that makes it appear that this is the cruel reality of the problem and that there is no choice but to accept and deal with it. In turn, the reader feels there is a lack of justice and that there must be some way to get around it. And sure enough, Frankel states that Israel works towards coming up with a “different solution to try to protect young girls, boys, women and men” (Frankel 434). This element to Frankel’s style in this passage was the most effective technique she demonstrated to further argue her position on the topic, pulling her audience in a more emotional way rather than in a logical and informative

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