The Age Of Spectacle Is Upon Us Rhetorical Analysis

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David Brooks, a New York Times political Op-Ed columnist with a penchant for making morality-based arguments, wrote the article titled “The Age of Spectacle Is Upon Us” in response to a, at the time, recent event involving two unlikely groups: the Dodgers baseball team and the Catholic church. The reason why these two seemingly unrelated groups got into a small controversy together is due to the Dodgers inviting a group that advocates, not exclusively, for LQBTQ rights called the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (SPI). This would cause a lot of backlash among the Christian community and the Catholic church, as they believe that the SPI goes against their beliefs. Brooks appears to be speaking directly to those involved in sports, particularly baseball, but his argument …show more content…
Brooks uses an analogy to describe the interactions between the two as clashing “spheres”, spheres referring to areas of influence where each area has its own beliefs and rules. The author believes that it is wrong to have these spheres involve each other, as it could be devastating to each sphere. Brooks points out the impracticality of two spheres joining together while also nudging the reader towards the belief that it is immoral. Throughout the article, Brooks doesn’t take any sides and seems to be neutral, but introduces a disappointed tone after introducing the idea of spheres to express his discontent with the situation. Brooks effectively demonstrates his proficiency in rhetoric through his presentation of information and separation of opinion from fact. In the beginning, Brooks presented the situation between the Dodgers and SPI in an objective, neutral manner before abruptly switching to a disapproving tone towards their collaboration. This allows the reader to create an opinion on the topic before gaining a new perspective on the situation through Brooks’