"Veil of Fears" Unveiled (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

Analytic Snapshot

Genre: This is obviously a persuasive essay.

Purpose: The author intends to change public opinion and in so doing influence the actions of the government.

Central Message: Unfounded feminist targeting of Muslim veils will only drive more Muslims to support radical fundamentalists.

World View and Assumptions: The author believes that the leftists are wrong (at least on this issue), and that conservatives will accept any effort to demonize extreme feminists. He both has respect for Muslims and believes that the majority of his audience does not know much about them. He agrees with the Muslims and perhaps the majority of the population in saying that American morality is declining. All the same, he believes that most of American values should be eventually shared by the world at large.

Use of Tools and Evidence: The rather crude name of one of the author's sources (I'm sure you know which one) casts doubt as to whether it is really a common example, and not just an extreme case. I think that the author understood the source to be extreme, but I'm still not sure that it helped his case, as it is possible to find a newspaper article that says almost anything as long as you search hard enough. He next makes a connection between the attempt by the leaders of Iran and Afghanistan to end Muslim practices concerning women and the fact that both countries ended up revolting and forming fundamentalist regimes. No evidence if provided to support this claim, yet because he states it as fact, the thought remains with the reader (whether or not the reader agrees with it). Throughout the paper, the author acknowledges what his opponents are talking about, and then goes on to say that those cases are rare, or that the media is not interpreting the situation correctly. This attempt at procatalepsis in addressing the opposing arguments helps to enforce his point that he is right and they are wrong. His main focuses are on ethos and logos, where he tries to establish the logic of his argument while also declaring himself to be the authority on the subject by acting as “teacher” to the reader. One of the ways that he accomplishes his goals of being logical, disproving his opponents, and teaching his reader is to explain the reasons for the Muslim marriage system and how it actually benefits women. The author also tries to take advantage of his audience by targeting two objects that are easy for conservatives to see demonized: extreme feminists and immoral media. This is easy for his audience to agree to, yet there does seem to be something a bit calculated about it.