Rhetorical Analysis of “Tarmageddon: Dirty oil is turning Canada into a corrupt petro-state” and “Ethical Oil: the Puppet rap”

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The discussion on Alberta’s oil is gaining traction among certain groups in Canada. According to Andrew Nikiforuk’s “Tarmageddon: Dirty oil is turning Canada into a corrupt petro-state,” the continuous development of the Alberta tar sands is only serving to adversely impact Canada’s political, economical, and environmental capacities. The article argues that unless the subject of the Alberta tar sands is addressed as poisonous to the nation, Canada will become overwhelmed and unstable. In a similar regard “Ethical Oil: the Puppet Rap” by Caitlin Dodd, David Henderson-Hean, Kai Nagata, Spencer Powell and Emile Scott, is a satirical rap portraying the Ethical Oil group and spokespeople in a negative light. The video targets environmentally inclined individuals and groups, and brings to their attention some logical fallacies surrounding claims made by the Ethical Oil campaign. Although both pieces address the debate over oil happening in Canada and, they use different methods to satisfy their purpose.“Tarmageddon…” uses a persuasive and argumentative approach while “Ethical Oil…” relies on satire and amusement. Both pieces employ the use of pathos to persuade their audiences, the use of which is stronger in “Tarmageddon…” leading to its more effective use of rhetorical strategies.
Nikiforuk’s article is written to argue a point and persuade the audience, non-specialist individuals, to his claim. There are many methods used to achieve this. Starting in the introduction Canada is glorified for what it used to be known for, then that image is quickly juxtaposed with the now dark and destabilized country because of the developing tar sands (Nikiforuk 211). This introduction, which uses pathos by using strong words to evoke negative e...

... middle of paper ...

... methods that all rely on pathos. Nikiforuk’s article successfully grabs the reader’s attention and emotion from the beginning and maintains it throughout the text by his skillful use of rhetorical strategies.

Works Cited

“Contact.” Kathryn Marshall. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
Dodd, Caitlin, David Henderson-Hean, Kai Nagata, Spencer Powell, and Emile Scott. “Ethical Oil: the Puppet Rap.” Online video clip. Youtube. Youtube, 15 Mar. 2012. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
Nikiforuk, Andrew. “Tarmageddon: Dirty oil is turning Canada into a corrupt petro-state.” The Active Reader: Strategies For Academic Reading and Writing, 2nd Ed. Eric Henderson. Don Mills, ON: Oxford UP. 211 – 13. Print.
“Pipeline debate heats up EthicalOil & Sierra Club CBC January 11, 2012.” Online video clip. Youtube. Youtube, 18 Dec. 2012. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.

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