Analyzing Rhetorical Strategies in "How Photojournalism Killed Kevin Carter"

Note: After attempting to write two separate entries for the first two rhetorical strategies, it made more sense to combine them because of the intense nature of the text.

Appeals to Credibility and Character/Emotion: The photojournalist grew up in South Africa during apartheid. This fact was accompanied by personal anecdotes about him; both increase the credibility of his character, experience, and dedication. Word choice (words like sickening and horror are used) for the obvious effect it would have on the reader. There is no reference to the author's expertise, but the article is not geared toward the analysis or interpretation of new material, but to the skill of the featured photographer. The visual arrangement of the photographs is such that you are faced with large color photos of the work of the dead photographer. Very effectively appeals to the sense of compassion of the reading audience. People are more hesitant to make the wrong conclusions about someone if they feel empathy for them. The author does seem biased on an emotional level, but because of the lesser-known facts she provided for the story, it doesn't hurt her credibility.


Appears to Logic: In addition to providing photos taken in situations that were obviously dangerous, disturbing, and unpredictable, to illustrate how such situations can lead to emotional trauma, there are many examples given of how the photojournalist reacted to his experience. The tone of the text is somber, but not formal. Interviews with friends of the photojournalist confirmed that he was anything but emotionally detached, and how he was prevented by the threat of harm or even death from giving aid to any of the Sudanese people. Including children. Rather than employing a logical fallacy to get her point across, she aims to debunk the fallacies, particularly ad hominem, surrounding the death of Mr. Carter.