Rhetorical Analysis of “ASU Cannot Pick and Choose Who Gets Free Speech”

Imagine going to a school where your voices are not heard equally. The article “ASU cannot pick and choose who gets to have free speech” focuses on upholding justice for free speech for all individuals that go to schools, mainly focusing on Arizona State University. This article was written by Adam Zilberman and was published on November 30th, 2023 for The State Press. In this article, he argues that universities should not enforce free speech based on the identity of the person or the context; even if it may be controversial, every member of ASU should have free speech. He continues saying that ASU members should not have a fear of censorship or discrimination when expressing their opinions. He wrote this article using many rhetorical devices such as ethos, logos, pathos, telos, and kairos. 

Furthermore, Adam Zilberman uses pathos in his article to appeal to the emotions of his readers. Pathos is a strong rhetorical appeal because it helps persuade ASU members to feel scared, anxious, and discomfort. Zilberman uses this appeal by showing personal stories that touch the audience's heart, or highlighting unfairness and mistreatment of free speech enforcement. The author mainly uses this appeal to give the audience a look at how students in ASU are being treated differently through free speech. In the quote, “Since ASU strongly supports free speech, you'd think she'd be given the same respect as Joe Arpaio, Charlie Kirk and several other controversial figures invited to speak on campus… ASU canceled the event the night before it was scheduled to take place” (Zilberman, 2023, para 16) he describes the feelings of frustration and hopelessness that people at ASU have to face when their voices are being silenced. This evokes the audience's empathy and support for free speech.

Next rhetorical appeal we have is telos. Telos is like the main idea, it is the purpose. The telos in the article “ASU cannot pick and choose who gets to have free speech”is to argue that Arizona State University should uphold the principle of free speech for all individuals, including stakeholders, professors, students, etc. The author uses this rhetorical device by focusing on the purpose and goal of the article. Also, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a consistent and fair approach to free speech ensures that no one is unfairly silenced. This aligns with the democratic value of protecting freedom of expression, the first amendment of the constitution. In the article the purpose is given away just by its title, “ASU cannot pick and choose who gets free speech”. The title gives it away because just by reading the title you can analyze that the article is about ASU and free speech.

Last of most, kairos is about understanding the context and waiting for the right time to deliver a message effectively. Kairos is important because the timing and context of a message can affect how it's understood. For example, an author needs to present the argument at the right moment so that he or she has a better chance of persuading their audience. Adam Zilberman employs kairos in "ASU cannot pick and choose who gets free speech" by bringing up the subject of free speech at a crucial point in time, when discussions surrounding it are very relevant and controversial.

My initial reaction to the article “ASU Cannot Pick and Choose Who Gets to have Free Speech” was interesting because it was argumentative and persuasive. The argument part comes from the fact that the author argues the principle of free speech to all individuals. He argues that free speech is one of the fundamental values of freedom of expression. With this argument Adam Zilberman is persuading that everyone should be able to freely express themselves without being discriminated against. He is appealing that the ASU community should let individuals express their own opinions even if they are talking about controversial or unpopular topics. Zilberman is urging ASU to not pick and choose who gets to have free speech but let every individual say what they want. I acknowledge that my bias to having free speech influences my reaction to this article. I agree that universities should be a place where all individuals are heard; a university cannot say they acknowledge everyone when they are clearly not giving everyone a chance to say their own thoughts.

To sum up everything that has been stated, in the article, “ASU cannot pick and choose who gets free speech”, Adam Zilberman uses many rhetorical devices to make his argument stronger and help persuade the audience more. Analyzing articles is important because it helps understand the arguments, deeper meanings, and intentions of the type of word choices the author uses. Analyzing articles has many implications; such as, enhancing your critical thinking, having a better understanding, making you a more informed and engaged reader.