April 14, 2017

There are many articles on the Internet that either support or object to the protests held on Presidents Day. An interesting observation about the two articles that I have found in my search is how they persuade their intended audience. Both articles opened my eyes to differing viewpoints about the “Not My President Day” rallies and if the rallies were a success or just complete failures.    

The first article in my search discussed how the “Not My President Day” rallies dishonored Presidents Day. This article persuades the reader that Presidents Day is an honorable day.  The article states that during the Great Depression Presidents Day reassured the nation all would be okay. The reader is lead to believe that Presidents Day honors the leaders that inspire us through good and bad times. The next persuasive effort that is used in this article is the transition to the second paragraph. The author reflects on the important past of Presidents Day and transports the reader to present day showing how times differ. The reader is convinced that Presidents Day is now disgraced. Another persuasive tactic wants to separate the anti-Trump population for the rest of the American population. The author claims that these protesters are just a group demonstrating their dislike for Trump. This article would offend non-Trump supporters but encourage Trump supporters showing that this article is right leaning. The article then expands on all protests that have occurred during and after the Trump election in a belittling way. This is persuasive to a reader because the author is not just saying these specific protests are unsuccessful but also the whole anti-Trump movement in general is a failure.

            The next article that I discovered was a right leaning piece that supported the “Not My Presidents Day” protests with an interesting use of language. This article described the protests as an “artistic resistance to the Trump administration”.  A reader can relate to this catching statement, therefore making it persuasive. This article does not only target anti-Trump supporters; it targets anti-Trump supporters who are artists, musicians, and musicians. This is an interesting persuasive technique because the author is not just targeting the general group but a specific group within the ant-Trump population. The article persuades other artists to join the movement by explaining how the protests help people express their feelings through art. Finally another persuasive technique found in the article and many other right leaning articles is to encourage various groups to join in the Presidents Day rallies by communicating the various rallies locations. If a person reading this piece feels inspired they are one click away from joining the anti-Trump movement.

            Both of these articles differ in their viewpoint about the protests that were held on Presidents Day and use interesting techniques to persuade. The main point of the first article was not only were Americans disgracing their current president in addition to the President Day holiday in general. In the second article the author persuades the reader by targeting a specific group in the general anti-Trump population. Both of these articles did an exceptional job in persuading their target audiences.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/not-my-president-rallies-dishonor-presidents-day/article/2615320
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/02/16/not-my-presidents-day-artists-and-performers-resist-trump-feb-20-events