Rhetorical Analysis: Protesting Racial Injustices

Trump used a lot of pathos in his argument starting out by calling players who kneel “son of a bitch”. This caused a lot of outrage from not only the NFL but players, fans, and many other Americans. He sprinkles in phrases like “faith and family are the true centers of American life” and “We worship the government--not God”. This didn’t really have anything to do with his argument but it’s obvious he was trying to reach out to families and conservative audiences. He ends his speech by telling his audience “I understand the people of Alabama. I feel like I’m from Alabama”. This is his effort to feel connected with his audience and convince them to understand his argument. By Marissa Glover

Muhammad Ali's major argument in this interview is his emphasis on the racism in America that has occurred in previous history, his experiences with racism, and how those experiences have shaped his perspective on race and his personal beliefs. Race/Racism was a very touchy and often difficult subject to talk about back then and even in today's America, it's still pretty difficult to try and bring up in conversation. However, in this interview, Ali managed to address the subject by giving his perspective on the subject and sharing personal anecdotes. Ali shares an experience where he was rejected of service in a downtown restaurant because he was black; despite the fact that he had "fought for this country" and won an Olympic gold medal. Of course, Ali felt extremely disrespected by their lack of respect for him which he claims aided in his conversion to Islam. Ali also states that no woman- whether they are black, white, from a different country, etc.- can relat...

The main argument President Trump is trying to make is that NFL players need to get fired for kneeling during the national anthem. He thinks this demonstration is disrespectful and one of the leading causes of the NFL ratings being so low. The movement was started last year when Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem to protest the racial injustice occurring in our country specifically in law enforcement. Some Americans found this movement offensive to both the flag and soldiers who fought for our country. The stasis that Trump uses in his speech is consequence and action. The consequence of the players “disrespecting” the flag is leading to public outrage mainly from Conservatives. Because of this outrage, the NFL is losing money from certain fans who don’t see eye to eye with Kaepernick’s views. Trump is also urging America to take action by simply not watching the games on television and walking out the stadium if they see a player kneel. By Marissa Glover

Since Colin Kaepernick’s protest of the American flag, many people have followed in his footsteps and continued to kneel for the flag. He is now a free agent after ending his contract with the 49ers earlier this year. Kaepernick has continued to face criticism for his actions, but he has continued to advocate for victims of police brutality through social media. A year after Colin Kaepernick first knelt during a game, President Trump brought this to media attention in a rally in Alabama. He then went to Twitter to condemn football players who stand. Although he does not have a history with attacking the NFL, I believe he felt it would help reach out to his fan base because they mostly agre e with him. He received much backlash from this from NFL players and coaches and from the general public through social media. After his rally, many players decided to take a kneel to oppose Trump. Although their intentions were good, they also may not have been protesting for the right re...

In Colin Kaepernick’s press conference, he talks about why he will not stand during the national anthem. Kaepernick says he will not stand for the national anthem because America is not giving all of its citizens freedom, justice, and equal opportunity. Kaepernick believes that he should not stand up for a flag that represents an unjust nation. He says that he will stand up once he believe the nation is just for all people. Kaepernick did not give a specific thing that he wants to see change that will cause him to stand. Kaepernick is primarily doing this in order to bring awareness to the people who are being suppressed. He specifically mentions his distaste for the the police force. He believes the police force does not get enough training and that they are one of the biggest culprits of suppression, and this can be seen most blatantly in police brutality against African Americans. Kaepernick did not use any statistics, but he used common knowledge that African Americans experience ...

In his interview with Michael Parkinson, Ali blatantly explains the ingrained racism that overflows 1960s society through the depiction of angels, derogatory terms centered around black versus white, and even the names of dessert foods. Ali recalls asking his mother “Why is the Lord’s Supper all white men?” and “angels are white...what happened to all the black angels?”.  From a young age Ali notes that even in widely-used depictions of an afterlife, African Americans were innately subordinated and reminded of that ideology by religious images .  Furthermore, Ali questions the racist undertone of the English language, directing his audience’s attention to the use of the word “ blackmail ” to denote a criminal offense.  While criticisms may mark this as an overly-critical analysis of the our language, he makes a logical argument that the word “black” carries a negative connotation that the word “white” does not.  Furthering his point, Ali points towards the name of tw...

The major argument made by Colin Kaepernick in this press interview is his concern over the issue of police brutality among the African-American community and his desire to bring awareness among those who are ignorant to the issue.  History  has shown that there has always been tension between African-Americans and law enforcement. Movements such as the Black Panther Party and the Civil Rights Movements were known for protesting against injustices such as police brutality. Even efforts such as Black Lives Matter, are seen today doing such protests. It's funny how history has a tendency to repeat itself. Throughout the interview, Kaepernick clearly expresses his concern and frustration over the issue. He stated many times that he had seen the police brutality occur multiple times among the African-American community and that he feels that the United States and its flag don't represent their citizens as a collective.  Kaepernick stated multiple times throughout the video ...

Ali fills his interview with Michael Parkinson in 1971 with repeated appeals to pathos, more commonly understood as the appeal to emotion. Ali shares his perspective as an African American boxer during a time when racism ran rampant, along with being a celebrity that opposed war due to his religious observance. Primarily, Ali surveys the racist backlash he faced as a young, African American and unproven boxer that spoke on social change.  Ali relays the common sentiments he received from Americans, disgustedly stating their phrases “ the n****r talks too much”. Additionally, Ali spoke out against the Vietnam War, refusing to be drafted into the military because it conflicted with his devout following of Islam. Nationwide, people across the nation that lived religiously-devoted lives would sympathize with Ali’s anti-war sentiments as a part  his religion.  Ali sharing his religious reasoning for his anti-war stance, states that Islam does not “ take the lives of humans unl...

Colin Kaepernick is a respected football player who played for the San Francisco 49ers until early 2017. He uses his fame and his appearances on national television to speak up for other people’s rights. Although he stated in the interview that he did not feel like he had ever been oppressed, he knew countless other people who had and wanted to show solidarity with them (2:50-3:10). As an African American man, he understands personally how racial profiling and police brutality can affect people’s lives. When he was in college, police drew guns at him and his roommate, two of the few black people in their neighborhood, because they thought they were doing something illegal even though they were only moving out of their house (8:40-9:00). His personal experiences highlight the fact that Kaepernick has a lot of credibility and knowledge about the issue of police violence and brutality. By Ellie Pearson

The audience that Colin Kaepernick is trying to reach out to in his movement is all Americans, specifically the caucasian Americans who don’t understand what the Black Lives Matter movement is all about. He’s also speaking to military veterans and government officials who take his movement as disrespect to our country. Kaepernick states, “Going back to the military thing, it’s a freedom that men and women who have fought for this country have given me this opportunity by the contributions they have made.” He’s saying how freedom of speech allows him to make others aware of this problem. He’s sincere with his argument “I want to understand further, let’s talk”, he’s encouraging other people to converse with him and try to understand what his argument is. By Marissa Glover

In this press interview, Colin Kaepernick gave a passionate explanation as to why he refuses to stand during the National Anthem. Throughout the interview, Kaepernick expressed his frustration by emphasizing the fact that, along with police brutality, there are many other injustices he has witnessed that occur among people of color. In the beginning (1:20-1:39), Kaepernick says this specific statement, " ...cops are getting paid leave for killing people[of color]... ". I feel as if this statement evokes a feeling of sympathy for those who have died due to instances such as police brutality. It could even make one question, "What if that person was a family member or friend of mine?". Another way Kaepernick makes an appeal to emotion is when he states "...this stand isn't for me... it's for people who don't have a voice..." (2:50-3:21). This statement evokes the feeling of hope and trust in Kaepernick and his promises to induce change. I feel th...

Ethos is the author’s character and credibility, in addition to an appeal ethics.  Muhammad Ali used his notoriety as a famous American professional boxer to escort social change as a Civil Rights activist.  In 1964, Muhammad Ali changed his name from Cassius Clay after converting to Islam, abandoning his “slave name”, as he referred to his former name.  Ali continued to serve as an icon for counterculture, refusing to be drafted into the military due to his religious opposition to war.  Ali was later arrested for draft evasion, only to be successfully appealed in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1971.  Muhammad Ali utilized his identity as a double minority, as an African American Muslim, in of the least accepting times in United States history, and his position as the greatest heavyweight boxer at the time to become polarizing figure to jumpstart the Civil Rights movement. By Brennan Maher

In this video, Colin Kaepernick addressed the press after the first game he kneeled during the National Anthem to protest police brutality against African Americans. Kaepernick started this protest during the summer of 2016, when police brutality was at a high, with two men, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile , being killed by police within a day of each other. Since the death of Michael Brown in 2014, people all over the country have started to protest police brutality against people of color. This includes the development of the Black Lives Matter movement, which have protested the unfair treatment of African Americans. Kaepernick received a lot of backlash for kneeling but he continued to do it because he felt it was the best way to spread his message on the field. This silent protest evolved this year when President Trump criticized players who knelt and called for them to be fired by the National Football League. In response, football players around the country have knelt or do...

By the time of this interview, Ali was already an established boxer and political figure . Ali had won the title of heavyweight champion twice and was an Olympic gold medalist. This interview was only a few months after Ali had won back his title against Joe Frazier. Ali had also, famously, refused to be drafted already, making him a political figure. During Ali’s forced hiatus from boxing, he gave hundreds of anti-war speeches at college campuses. After Ali converted to Islam and joined the Nation of Islam, he started to preach his views on race and Civil Rights. At the time of this interview, most of the major Civil Rights Movement moments had already passed, but racism was still a major issue. 1971 was the perfect time for this interview because everything had already happened. Ali used this interview to inform the world what has happened. He also used this interview to state his views on race and racism because they were still relevant. By Justin De Burgo By Justin De Burgo...

In Muhammad Ali’s 1971 interview with Michael Parkinson, there were a few audiences that Ali was speaking to. Ali’s intended audiences were Michael Parkinson, England, America, and the rest of world. Michael Parkinson was the person giving the interview, so it makes sense to view him and his audience as the primary audience. Michael Parkinson worked for BBC, so his primary audience was the people of England. Ali was primarily talking to Michael Parkinson and the people of England. Naturally, America is one of the audiences because that is what Ali is mostly talking about. America was more of a secondary audience because Ali was not being interviewed in America or by an American channel. Thanks to technology and popularity of this interview, the rest of the world was able to this interview too. The rest of the world was the tertiary audience. Ali was telling Michael Parkinson, England, America, and the rest of the world what it was like to be an African American athlete and  Muslim...