Rhetorical Analysis: Christopher Hitchens’s “Believe Me, It’s Torture”

Rhetorical Analysis: Christopher Hitchens’s “Believe Me, It’s Torture”

Christopher Hitchens’s article “Believe Me, It’s Torture” was published in the August 2008 issue ofVanity Fair. 7[DU1] years after the 9/11 mishap Christopher Hitchens dares to examine [DU2] the topic of “water boarding”. “Simulation” of being drown as water is poured in the enemy’s face inflicts as a method of extracting information is debated.[DU3] His argument presents a thorough diagnosis of the situation[DU4] . He allows the audience to review both sides of the debate, but at the same time holds his stance firm. The claim is clearly understood as he obtains aid from the use of ethos, pathos, and logos in his writing to persuade the selected readers of his viewpoint.

Vanity Fair is a magazine that lures a wide range of readers as it features entertainment, celebrity gossip, as well as world affairs and politics. The decision to have published this article created a bigger impact and attracted a larger population than if it would have been reported through a much scholarly journal.[DU5] Obtaining a large range of the American population allowed him to defend his stance in a much sensitive approach, disclosing both sides of the situation to accommodate different perspectives the audience might have[DU6] . Tone was another quality Hitchens needed to be apprehensive about.[DU7] He did not lay out his reasoning with aggression but carefully demonstrated his opinion while validating opposing views. He presented himself to a general diverse group of Americans who came from different educational backgrounds. Hitchens adjusted his choice of words into a generic American language. He refrained himself from writing a complex article and rather looked at the matter broadly.[DU8]

Christopher Hitchens’s begins by first stating his opinion, “Here is the most chilling way I can find of stating the matter,” which directly declares how he feels about the act of water boarding. Hitchens’s clearly disagrees and perceives the idea of water boarding [DU9] as a horrific and deadly event that promotes torture. In order to obtain credibility (ethos) toward this wide arrangement of people who will be analyzing his “fact”, he submits himself to the act. No one can now argue if Hitchens really has the right to proclaim his own view on this subject[DU10] . The water boarding exercise starts as his hands abruptly become buckled by a belt and eyesight is blinded by a black hood. After being led to an unfamiliar room he is then tied onto a board and has rush of water going up his nose. He states that at a point he could not distinguish whether he was inhaling or exhaling because of the fabric clamped on his face. This causes panic and after a few seconds he is relieved. Hitchens’s proceeds with his description of the encounter, exposes every detail of that circumstance and effectively allows the the diverse group of readers to create a congruent believable scenario.[DU11]

Word choice comes into play in order to thoroughly attract maximum readers as well as evoke emotion (pathos) from the readers. Using a universal language he was able to effectively communicate and emerge a response from a wider span of people. As he lays out the unpleasant effects after the encounter with water boarding, he insures the audience allows themselves to experience the same, “I have since woken up trying topush the bedcovers off my face….I found myself clawing at the air with horrible sensation of smothering and claustrophobia.” [DU12]

...