The following is a recent column by Maureen Dowd. She provides some harsh commentary on the recent White House party crashers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/02/opinion/02dowd.html?_r=1&ref=opinion
Your task is to:
a) identify at least two rhetorical devices
b) Describe the effect the devices have on you as a reader
c) provide your opinion. Consider the question-who is to blame for the security breach?
Responses due Saturday December 5th by midnight.
PS-I have enjoyed your recent responses! Your analysis and writing have improved. I am quite proud of you!
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In this thought provoking article, created by Maureen Dowd, she uses several rhetorical devices. She incorporates concrete and abstact language, analogies, and sarcasm, in her writing to give a strong sense of her ideas and opinions on the issue of party crashers. This use of language urges me to think as a reader and pay close attention to the points she is trying to portray.
ReplyDeleteIn this article, I believe that Maureeen Dowd is trying to express the fact that there have been many party crashers within the White House for a long period of time. She is conveying the message that these party crashers have been active members or invited to the White House long before these recent party crashers. Maureen Dowd states that Barack Obama is a party crasher condidering he has broken historical barriers and crashed the White House part of priveleged white guys with a monopoly of power. In other words these party crashers are breaking traditional methods and ways of doing things in Washington, by trying new things and taking people out of their comfort zones.
In fact, Dowd expresses that there are so many party crashers that if congress investigated social climbing and party crashing in Washington, there would be no time for anything else.The security breach is the responsibility of those who oppose these party crashers and mix personal feeling with their job to protect these political figures.
-Lorina Kegler
Maureen Dowd discusses The Salahis, the two notorious party crashers of the most recent White House dinner. Dowd uses figurative language, including the use of metaphors and similes, and a sarcastic voice to convey her evident disgust towards the actions of the "fakes" a.k.a. The Sahilis. Dowd also states through the use of figurative language that the ultimate party crasher is Barack Obama because he broke through countless years of the historical barriers in our country. As a reader, I was interested in what she had to say because she exhibited a mastery of figurative language, metaphorical devices inclusive, and incorporated her thoughts in a sarcastic, yet humorous manner.
ReplyDeleteThe fault of the security breach lies with the Secret Service. This was a high class event and there should have been more attentiveness and less carelessness exhibited. Furthermore, individuals should not be let in to White House Events, or any event for that matter without invitation, and just because they are "insistent".
In the article written by Maureen Dowd, she uses several literary devices to convey about her opinion about the party crashers. She uses sarcasm by using quotations around certain words or sentences, and metaphoric phrases such as, "work the angles and milk their connections to better insinuate their way to the inner circle." She implies how the party crashers try to receive an invite from people they may know in the inner circle. So basically, party crashers try to tag along or fit in because this is the only way they can get in. But it doesn't always work out this way, which is why they end up crashing the party.
ReplyDeleteAs a reader, the devices that Maureen Dowduses catches my attention, and I understand how she feels through her choice of language and diction. The blame for security breach is those who oppose the party crashers because they are not doing their job by preventing them from getting in.
-Tara Harris
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ReplyDeleteMaureen Dowd cleverly used rhetorical devices in order to convey her message to the readers. In the first line alone, she used a sarcastic understatement when referring to the Salahis' Congressional hearing as an "exclusive Washington gathering." This device tunes me in and creates a force that requires me to keep reading. Dowd also uses several analogies when deferring the blame off of the Salahis, by comparing them with equally ruthless Americans. This causes my mind to start formulating its own opinions and rebuttals to her argument.
ReplyDeleteBlame for this situation can be passed through everybody in the White House at the time of the incident. However, the true blame is designated for an industry that seems to appear where ever one turns. The media is at fault. This huge industry portrays an exclusive social gratification reserved for those in the limelight. How is the notoriety-seeking mind suppose to react when the media has brainwashed them to sprint on any fast track to fame? Yes, you can blame the obvious suspects, like the Salahis, the Secret Service, or the White House staffers. But once these factors are removed, the media will still be there raising the next infamous party-crashers of America.
This article uses such rhetorical devices as sarcasm and analogies. As a reader, seeing these devices used evokes emotions that one would normally have when having a profound conversation of this extent. I feel as if the blame of the security brecch should be put on the secret service since they are in charge of keeping the White House secure at all times. If all spaces were secured, Mr. and Mrs. Salahi would nto have crashed the President's party.
ReplyDeleteIn this article/culture critique created by Maureen Dowd, she uses several rhetorical devices, the most prominent being sarcasm, and her use of analogies. She incorporates her voice through these rhetorical devices to give a strong sense of her opinion on the issue at hand. This use of language captures my attention, and makes me think about what I’m reading. In this article Maureen Dowd parallels Americans history of breaking barriers, and going outside of the box to achieve goals, to the couple who crashed the formal dinner party. Her use of the above listed rhetorical devices ties her opinion and parallels together seamlessly
ReplyDeleteI think that without a doubt the blame on the breach goes to security. They are trained for these exact situations, if these were not just inconspicuous party crashers, but actual threats to the safety of the President, there would be many sleepless nights of the security guards with selective working habits. I actually believe that someone was paid off for the “oversight” I can believe any other way that it would be plausible for this situation to occur.
-Joseph Fiddmont
The article contains sarcasm and figurative language in reference to the "White House party Crashers."The author uses sarcasm when refering to the invitation given to the Salahi's and the secret service, and figurative language when refering to the "gate" in which the "crashers" passed.
ReplyDeleteI found the way the author used these devices to be humerous and witty. Stating that the gate was "mystical" is making a mockery of the securtity that is enacted at the White House. I find it ridiculous to how the Secret Service failed to do their job effieciently. I place the blaim of the crashers soley on the Secret Service, because if they were completing their job adequately, this whole situation could have been avoided.
From reading the article by Maureen Dowd, I notice sarcasm and metaphor as two of the many rhetorical devices that she used in her article.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the article,I was very interested and really agreed with alot of what Maureen said about the party crashers.I even found her opinion artcle very entertaining and funny with the quote about the Salahi's being invited to a Washington gethering, but it's not the kind of gathering they would want to go to, the gathering being a congressional hearing for their party crashiong Obama's dinner.
I believe the blame should go on the security more than anything for letting the Salahi's enter the party without an invitaion. They are to blame because what if the two crashers were there to harm President Barack Obama,Vice President Biden, or the guests of honor the Prime Minister of India and his wife. This incident should be an example for tighter security so that something like party crashers can never happen again.
Maureen Dowd uses clever rhetorical devices to evoke a particular feeling in her audeince. Her witty wordplay caused me to laugh, but still conveyed her point. Her satiric title, "Who's Sari Now?" jokes about the evident mistakes made by security at the White House, President Obama's assistant, Desiree Rogers, and the infamous party crashers. This pun alludes to the Indian garment, sari, since the presidential dinner was supposed to be for Indian guests. Dowd displays her disgust for the America's recent obsession with social climbing by alluding to artistic refernces;comparing Warhol to James Whistler, illustrating how pop culture is now the commplace in American society.
ReplyDeleteHer use of rhetoric makes her argument even stronger. I feel obliged to agree with her because her strong language persuaded me to side with her point of view. I concur with her statement that "We live in an age obsessed with 'reality' and overrun by fakers." Danie Webster once said, "the world is governed by apperances than by realties." It seems as if he was speaking about today's generation. These social climbers try to pull of extravagant expeditions, when they really do not belong in that certain social arena. I feel that people should stick with reality, and not the false reality that is spoon fed to us on tv shows, but the reality that everyone will not be a social elitist, no matter how hard they try to "fake the funk", as the ambassadors for pop culture would say.
There are many literary devices that Maureen Dawd uses such as sarcasm and figurative language to convey her opinions regarding the party crashers. While reading this article I became more interested because of the different devices that was put forth such as her use of similes and metaphors. I think that the blame should be on the Secret Service because it was their duty to watch the White House at all times. If it wasn't for that then this whole situation could have been prevented.
ReplyDelete-Re'Nada Smith
Journalist Maureen Down used many rhetorical devices such as metaphors, figurative language, and sarcasm. The use of these devices affected me in such a way that my reading experience of the article was much more enjoyable. Dowd portrays her voice through the use of these devices, and I was not only able to get information but also get personality through the use of her witty language and sarcastic tone.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, the security breach is the fault of the famed Secret Service. As we have seen it's downfalls in the past, this situation was the worst of all, because ANYONE could have been the 'party crashers' coming into the White House and being so close to the U.S. President. From assassination attempts to actual assassinations, the Secret Service has seen it's fair share of problems. However, Dowd is right, this is a time when President Obama needs the MOST protection, but isn't receiving the least amount required to ensure his safety. Dowd notes that the Secret Service turned down some of the most famous celebrities at the door of the White House for not having the proper invitation, so the crashing was simply an overlook of the Secret Service.
Some of the rhetorical devices that Maureen Dowd uses are analogies, sarcasm, allusion, figurative language, and hubris. As a reader I am intrigued and interested by what she has to say because her points are interesting. She also has a knack for appealing to my love of comedy.
ReplyDeleteShe explains her point of view in a way that expresses an important observation on society. The Sahali's are the new breed of people all looking for their 15 minutes of fame in whatever way possible, even if that means putting the President of the United States security at stake. Although she is right in this observation, I think it is unfair to put president Obama in the same league as the people. Obama is no party crasher, the party is obviously his and now he can pretty much go to whatever party he wants now. Obama is a tremendously important and popular figurehead in society and the people around him want to just bask in the glow of his success.
This explains how his staff could be so distracted when they need to be doing their jobs. The incident just proved how incompetent the Secret Service is. The fact that they couldn't effectively make sure that the president was safe raises many red flags. Our president deserves better than a bunch of second rate security staff as his protectors. Those party crashes should have never made it passed the gate, no matter what their intent was. I'm disappointed in the way the White House is being run and I think that Obama needs to discipline his staff.