The Science of Debate John M Barry presents a solid argument while on the topic of influenza and science
in his well crafted essay. First, Barry presents a case which causes
the reader to contemplate the fact of uncertainty, which ironically
brings out some uncertainty for the reader. With a simple "if a equals
b..." type ofargument Barry soon makes his statement that science is
the very subject in which people need to understand certainty to fully
grasp the subject. Barry complements the job and the nature of a
scientists job as well. He then states a quote from a french scientist
which studied in the 19th century. Barry's argument soon becomes extremely legitimate.
The key example that Barry used in his first paragraph was that which
described how great scientists, even Einstein himself, were trained to
believe that all work that they had discovered up to their final
breathe they take may be all proven wrong. This trulyexemplifies the
attitude that one must have in order to be a scientist. Barry's well
organized essay exemplifies that with a combination of background
information and simple metaphorical philosophies, athorough argument may be achievable. After the first paragraph, the author starts to break away from the literal sense and turns his argument into an all out metaphorical, almost "deep" perspective. This paragraph, which uses the wilderness and dangers in the real world then transforms into his next argument which nicely flows with the feel of the essay. The second half of Barry's essay is somewhat paradoxical as he causes the reader to confuse themselves over questions that call for intelligence and reason. This rhetorical device truly causes the reader to think about the previousarguments stated and brings a sense of sudden shock to the argument. Even though these examples don't pertain directly to the argument, they still are an allusion to the overall cause of the essay. As the essay concludes, the author breaks back to some of his original points, right before summarizing his argument in a classic fashion. The author states the same facts, but with a sense of stronger confidence, as he is now ending his argument with something for the reader to think about. His essay again uses irony, as he states that some people lack confidence, which goes back all the way to his original argument about doubt. This is ironic because he is using such confidence in his final statements, as briefly described before. Barry's essay definitely describes both sides, and he uses the antitheses to almost juxtapose, or place side by side for comparison, the two sides of argument. His side is clearly stated, however, throughout his essay. Barry's list of rhetorical devices used in this essay may not be extensive number wise, but this just shows how powerful a simple rhetorical device can be if used properly in a piece of literature. Barry's use of the metaphor was mastered in its most plain and simple form in his middle passages. his use of the metaphor was combined with a sense of paradox as he asks questions for the audience to ponder. Barry follows the traditional argumentative formula as he wraps up his essay with a repeat of his main statements and opinions. His use of irony concludes the essay andsuccessfully convinces the reader to consider his point of view on the respective topic. |