A Rhetorical Analysis Of Bring Back Flogging By Jeff Jacoby

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In the article “Bring Back Flogging” Jeff Jacoby writes that prison inmates are given a disservice more than people who used to be flogged in the 1600s. Flogging was a punishment that used for a wide variety of crimes and was usually done publicly with the victim being whipped an appointed number of times. Jacoby writes that flogging is a more educational experience than going to jail because it is an experience that the criminal will never forget. He goes on to say that another reason why prisons are obsolete is because they are so expensive and often times the prisoners do not come out reformed. He claims that prisons are a place that criminals can sharpen their skills and learn from each other so that they can perform even more heinous acts. Not only are inmates becoming better criminals but they also see their crimes as “status symbols” (197) the more despicable the crime the more respect from other inmates. The author writes that if the punishment for even small crimes were as severe a flogging then the measure of status would, over time, disappear. The article “Bring Back Flogging” by Jeff Jacoby writes about an unpopular topic through rational …show more content…

That the author not only has the right to say what they are but that their reasoning is the logical choice. In Jeff Jacoby’s work “Bring back Flogging” he tries to establish credit by starting his article by listing occurrences in the past when people were flogged and then announces what his real purpose is. By opening with a history of flogging instead of giving his position right away Jacoby widens his audience to readers with a different position. Readers will get invested in the argument before the meat of the article and will be more inclined to continue reading. Jacoby’s article is, however, one-sided; he doesn’t write the whole argument so it is difficult for his audience to draw their own

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