analyze the strategies that Pink employs to make his argument persuasive, and analyze how he appeals to his audience based upon the use of those strategies.
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Aristotelian Appeals: Logos, Ethos, and Pathos Whenever you read an argument, ask yourself, “Is this persuasive? Why?” There are many ways to appeal to an audience. Among them are appealing to logos, ethos, and pathos. These appeals are identifiable in almost all arguments.
To Appeal to LOGOS (logic, reasoning)
To Develop ETHOS (character, ethics)
To Appeal to PATHOS (emotion)
: the argument itself; the reasoning the author uses; logical evidence
: how an author builds credibility & trustworthiness
: words or passages an author uses to activate audience emotions
Types of LOGOS Appeals
Ways to Develop ETHOS
Types of PATHOS Appeals
Theories/scientific facts
Indicated meanings or reasons (because…)
Literal or historical analogies
Definitions
Factual data & statistics
Quotations
Citations from experts & authorities
Informed opinions
Examples (real life examples)
Personal anecdotes
Author’s profession/ background
Author’s publication
Appearing sincere, fair minded, knowledgeable
Conceding to opposition where appropriate
Morally/ethically likeable
Appropriate language for audience and subject
Appropriate vocabulary
Correct grammar
Professional format
Knowledgeable
Emotionally loaded language
Vivid descriptions
Emotional examples
Anecdotes, testimonies, or narratives about emotional experiences or events
Figurative language
Emotional tone (humor, sarcasm, disappointment, excitement, etc.)
Effect on Audience
Effect on Audience
Effect on Audience Evokes a cognitive, rational response. Readers get a sense of, “Oh, that makes sense” or “Hmm, that really doesn’t prove anything.”
Helps reader to see the author as reliable, trustworthy, competent, and credible. The reader might respect the author or his/her views.
Evokes an emotional response. Persuasion by emotion. (usually evoking fear, sympathy, empathy, anger,)
How to Talk About It
How to Talk About It
How to Talk About It The author appeals to logos by defining relevant terms and then supports his claim with numerous citations from authorities. The author’s use of statistics and expert testimony are very convincing logos appeals.
Through his use of scientific terminology, the author builds his ethos by demonstrating expertise. The author’s ethos is effectively developed as readers see that he is sympathetic to the struggles minorities face.
When referencing 9/11, the author is appealing to pathos. Here, he is eliciting both sadness and anger from his readers. The author’s description of the child with cancer was a very persuasive appeal to pathos.
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Logos: Loosely defined, logos refers to the use of logic, reason, facts, statistics, data, and numbers. Very often, logos seems tangible and touchable, so much more real and “true” than other rhetorical strategies that it does not seem like a persuasive strategy at all. See the discussion on Aristotelian Appeals in the textbook.
How and why does the author or speaker chose logos?
How does the author show there are good reasons to support his or her argument?
What kinds of evidence does he or she use?
Ethos: Aristotle’s term ethos refers to the credibility, character or personality of the speaker or author or someone else connected to the argument. Ethos brings up questions of ethics and trust between the speaker or author and the audience. How is the speaker or author building credibility for the argument? How and why is the speaker or author trying to get the audience to trust her or him? See the discussion on Aristotelian Appeals in the textbook.
Aristotle says that a speaker builds credibility by demonstrating that he or she is fair, knowledgeable about a
topic, trustworthy, and considerate.
What specifically does the author do to obtain the reader’s trust? How does he or she show fairness?
Understanding of the topic? Trustworthy? Considerate of the reader’s needs?
How does she construct credibility for her argument?
Pathos: Pathos refers to feelings. The author or speaker wants her audience to feel the same emotions she is feeling, whether or not they agree on the actual topic. That way, because they feel the same emotions, they are more likely to agree with the author later on. See the discussion on Aristotelian Appeals in the textbook.
What specific emotions does the author evoke?
How does she do it?
How does the author use these emotions as a tool to persuade the audience?
Introduction to Rhetorical Strategies Writers don’t just randomly sit down and talk about a topic. They first consider the point that they want to make—the argument. Next, they consider their audience. Finally, they consider the best way to construct that argument and convince or persuade an audience, often a very particular audience. What types of evidence will they use? What tone will they adopt? What strategies will be most persuasive for that audience? Rhetorical strategies are tools that help writers craft language to have an effect on readers. Strategies are means of persuasion, a way of using language to get readers’ attention and agreement. I will often ask you discuss the rhetorical strategies used within a text. When I do, it’s not enough to simply identify those strategies and state that they are there. Your goal is to discuss how they function, why an author might have chosen the strategy and content, and how the strategy and content combined influence the audience. In your writing or your discussion, you will need to ask and answer certain questions. Why does the author choose to use that strategy in that place? What does he or she want to evoke in the reader? How do these strategies help the author build his or her argument? How do these strategies emphasize the claims the author makes or the evidence he or she uses? When describing why a strategy is used, you may also want to consider alternative strategies, and think about how they would work differently. It might be helpful to consider what would happen if the strategy were left out – what difference would it make to the argument? This may help you figure out why the particular strategy was chosen.
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Rhetorical Analysis Paragraph(s) Outline (one approach, but not the only) When Discussing Rhetorical Strategies, Remember to:
1. Identify a rhetorical strategy in the text and state the main reason why the author uses that rhetorical strategy. If you cannot identify or name a particular strategy in the passage you analyze, it is okay to describe what the author does, but you need some grounding, some focus.
2. Provide an example of the strategy by quoting a section of the text that represents that strategy; if you are identifying an organizational structure or linking parts of a text, either quote exemplary sections of that text that represent the important point and the strategy, or paraphrase/explain what the author says/does. A salient quote, one that represents the most important part of a text you wish you highlight, helps you discuss and analyze the strategy.
3. Describe how the strategy works. 4. Describe why the strategy is used – what purpose does it accomplish? Does it achieve an ethos appeal, pathos appeal,
logos appeal, or perhaps all three? The best strategies make utilize all three appeals. 5. Always include a discussion of how this strategy helps the author develop and support the argument.
The following is a list of commonly used strategies and questions that will help you consider why the author may have chosen to use those strategies. Anecdote/Narration: Recounts an event.
Is the narrator trying to report or recount an anecdote, an experience, or an event? Is it telling a story?
How does this narrative illustrate or clarify the claim or argument?
What effect might this story have on the audience?
How does this narrative further the argument?
Antithesis: A special kind of distribution that emphasizes binary opposites—an either/or strategy that denies middle ground and polarizes the argument. It’s not a compromise figure of speech; it’s a two-sided expeditio.
How does a parallel structure or either or argument influence the debate or frame an issue?
How does the exclusion of middle ground amplify a particular idea?
In what way does the opposition or contrast support the argument?
Example: (1) “I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state sweltering with the injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.”—MLK, Jr. (2) “To err is human; to forgive divine.”— Alexander Pope in his “An Essay on Criticism”
Authorities or “big names”: Frequently an author will quote from a famous person or well-known authority on the topic being discussed.
How does this appeal to authority build trust in her argument that the consensus can be trusted? How might
this authority appeal to a specific audience?
How does this appeal tap into assumptions about scientific method
What does the authority focus on, how is he or she acknowledged in their respective fields, and what effect
does this have on the author’s argument?
Cause and effect analysis: analyzes why something happens and describes the consequences of a string of events.
Does the author examine past events or their outcomes?
Is the purpose to inform, speculate, or argue about why an identifiable fact happens the way it does?
This can be included in a small section of a paragraph or be used to create a larger organizational structure.
Example: Although demographic shifts, stepped-up world trade, unemployment, and especially the advance of
technology all have had an effect on the shape of the job market, middle-level jobs have been disappearing
ultimately as a result of the ways in which technological gains are being distributed. When a machine replaces a
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production worker, both the firm and consumers as a group benefit. The loss falls mainly on the worker who is
displaced. If that loss is generalized to millions of high-paid workers, they suffer as a group, and the economy as a
whole suffers a loss of worker purchasing power. Thus the lack of a mechanism to distribute some of the
financial gains from technology to the work force comes back to haunt the entire economy.
Commonplaces: Also known as hidden assumptions, hidden beliefs, and ideologies. Commonplaces include assumptions, many of them unconscious, that groups of people hold in common.
What hidden assumptions or beliefs does the speaker have about the topic? How is the speaker or author
appealing to the hidden assumptions of the audience?
Who is the intended audience of this piece? What are some assumptions of this intended audience?
Example: (this is a joke that plays on a commonplace) A young Catholic woman told her friend, “I told my
husband to buy all the Viagra he can find.” Her Jewish friend replied, “I told my husband to buy all the stock in
Pfizer he can find.”
Comparison and Contrast: Discusses similarities and differences.
Does the text contain two or more related subjects?
How are they alike? Different?
How does this comparison further the argument or a claim?
This can be a small part of a paragraph or a larger organizational structure.
Example: "Must a powerful fairy like myself condescend to explain her doings to you who are no better than an
ant by comparison, though you think yourself a great king?" (Andrew Lang, "The Wonderful Sheep." The Blue
Fairy Book, 1889.
Definition: When authors define certain words, these definitions are specifically formulated for the specific purpose he or she has in mind. In addition, these definitions are crafted uniquely for the intended audience. By using definition, you make something clear or distinct.
Who is the intended audience?
Does the text focus on any abstract, specialized, or new terms that need further explanation so the readers understand the point?
How has the speaker or author chosen to define these terms for the audience?
What effect might this definition have on the audience, or how does this definition help further the
argument? How does this definition create a framework of understanding?
Example: “Creativity—which I define as the process of having original ideas that have value—more often than
not comes about through the interaction of different disciplinary ways of seeing things.”--Ken Robinson’s
“Schools Kill Creativity.”
Description: Details sensory perceptions of a person, place, or thing.
Does a person, place, or thing play a prominent role in the text?
Does the tone, pacing, or overall purpose of the essay benefit from sensory details?
What emotions might these details evoke in the audience? (See Pathos)
How does this description help the author further the argument?
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Example: “Johansen and his men landed at a sloping mud-bank on this monstrous Acropolis, and clambered
slipperily up over titan oozy blocks which could have been no mortal staircase. The very sun of heaven seemed
distorted when viewed through the polarizing miasma welling out from this sea-soaked perversion, and twisted
menace and suspense lurked leeringly in those crazily elusive angles of carven rock where a second glance showed
concavity after the first showed convexity.” –The Call of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft
Division and classification: Divides a whole into parts or sorts related items into categories.
Is the author trying to explain a broad and complicated subject?
Does it benefit the text to reduce this subject to more manageable parts to focus the discussion? Example: “People looking to lose weight have a few options: exercise, diet, weight loss pills, and surgery. Exercising involves going to a gym, working out at home, or joining some sort of class or sports team. Those who are dieting can talk to a doctor about a plan for them. Weight loss pills can be taken, if proper precautions and directions are followed. Individuals who are severely overweight can talk to a doctor about having surgery to lose the weight that they need.”
Exemplification: Provides examples or cases in point.
What examples, facts, statistics, cases in point, personal experiences, anecdotes, or interview questions does the author add to illustrate claims or illuminate the argument?
What effect might these have on the reader?
Identification: This is rhetorician Kenneth Burke’s term for the act of “identifying” with another person who shares your values or beliefs. Many speakers or authors try to identify with an audience or convince an audience to identify with them and their argument.
How does the author build a connection between himself or herself and the audience? Example: "MAXIM is here to make your life better in every way! Hot women, cool cars, cold beer, high tech toys, hilarious jokes, intense sports action, . . . in short, your life will be SUPERSIZED."
Metaphors, analogies, similes: An analogy compares two parallel terms or situations in which the traits of one situation are argued to be similar to another—often one relatively firm and concrete, and the other less familiar and concrete. This allows the author to use concrete, easily understood ideas, to clarify a less obvious point. Similarly, metaphors and similes help an author frame the argument. They encourage the audience to pay attention to some elements of a situation and ignore others, or they assign the characteristics of one thing to another. For example, see “The Power of Green” by Thomas Friedman in this reader.
What two things are being compared?
How does this comparison help an audience view the argument in a new way? How does this frame shape
the argument and your understanding?
Analogy Example: “Last year’s profile of the stock index looks like a roller-coaster ride at your local amusement park.”
Metaphor Example: “Time is but a stream that I go a’fishing in.”—Henry David Thoreau
“It is a government of wolves over sheep.”—Thomas Jefferson Personification: the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.
What human characteristic or trait is attributed to a nonhuman object, and what does that trait or characteristic suggest about the object?
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What details about that trait influence the way you think about the object? Parable: An analogy expressed in a simple symbolic story, a common preaching vehicle.
How does the parable support a part of the argument?
What detail in the parable is important for the argument?
What does the parable represent in relation to the overall argument? Example: There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, "Morning, boys. How's the water?" And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, "What the hell is water?"—David Foster Wallace, “Kenyon Commencement Address”
Precedent: When an author or speaker argues from precedent, he or she references a previous situation, one that can be compared to the author’s situation.
Does the author reference any historic instances that he or she claims are similar to the one being discussed?
What details about this historic situation help the author’s argument?
Prolepsis (Counterargument/Rebuttal): Anticipating the opposition’s best argument and addressing it in advance.
Readers interact with the texts they read, and often that interaction includes disagreement or asking questions
of the text.
Authors can counter disagreement by answering anticipating the opposition and introducing it within the text.
Authors then respond to it.
Process analysis: Explains to the reader how to do something or how something happens.
Were any portions of the text more clear because concrete directions about a certain process were included?
How does this help the author develop the argument?
Rhetorical question: A question designed to have one correct answer. The author leads you into a position rather than stating it explicitly.
What is the most obvious answer to this question?
Why is it important to have the reader answer this question? How does it help the author persuade the
audience?
Rule of Justice: (from The New Rhetoric, by Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca) a special kind of argument by analogy that “requires giving identical treatment to beings or situation of the same kind” (218). This strategy compels comparison.
Example: You let the other student submit late work, so you need to let me submit late work. Other Strategies:
Emotionally loaded language
Loaded language
Emotional examples
Figurative language
Emotional tone (humor, sarcasm, disappointment, excitement, etc.)
Framing
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Structure and Organization It is important to consider the organization of information and strategies in any text.
How does this structure or organization help strength the argument?
What headings or titles does the author use? How do these strengthen the argument?
Some elements of structure to consider:
Type of Organization:
Topical: The argument is organized according to subtopics, like describing a baby’s bubble bath first in terms of the soap used, then the water conditions, and lastly the type of towels.
Chronological: The argument is organized to describe information in time order, like a baseball game from the first pitch to the last at-bat.
Spatial: The argument follows a visual direction, such as describing a house from the inside to the outside, or a person from their head down to their toes.
Problem – Solution: The argument presents a problem and a possible solution, such as making coffee at home to avoid spending extra money.
Cause and effect: Describes the relationship between the cause or catalyst of an event and the effect, like identifying over-consumption of candy as the cause of tooth decay.
Logical Order of Information:
Inductive: Moving from one specific example to draw a general conclusion.
Deductive: Moving from a generalized theory or assumption to decide the causes or characteristics of a specific example or event.
Linear: The argument is told in linear order, scaffolding information or reasoning.
Circular: Supporting the argument using assumptions or information from the argument itself.
Recursive: The text consistently moves forward, but circles back on specific points in the process.
Samples Paragraphs from Rhetorical Strategy Papers Sometimes it’s helpful to take a look at how other students write about strategies. Here are some excerpts from papers that analyze rhetorical strategies. Rhetorical Analysis of Rifkin’s use of Rebuttals
In “A Change of Heart About Animals,” a 2003 editorial published in the Los Angeles Times, Jeremy Rifkin argues that new research calls into question many of the boundaries commonly thought to exist between humans and other animals, and as a consequence humans should expand their empathy for animals and treat them better. To support this argument Rifkin points to studies suggesting that animals can acquire language, use tools, exhibit self-awareness, anticipate death, and pass on knowledge from one generation to the next. One strategy Rifkin employs to persuade his readers is to describe some of the most common objections typically raised against the idea that animals and humans share essential traits, along with rebuttals to these objections. For example, Rifkin notes that “philosophers and animal behaviorists have long argued that other animals are not capable of self-awareness because they lack a sense of individualism.” He acknowledges that “scientists have long believed” that unlike humans, animals cannot comprehend their death, and that “until very recently” scientists assumed animal behavior was based on instinct rather than learned experience. Rifkin responds to these objections, presenting counter evidence and counter claims based on new studies that he suggests undermine previous understandings of animals.
This is an important strategy, for Rifkin likely knows that many of his readers come to his article assuming that fundamental differences exist between humans and animals, and when presented with an argument suggesting otherwise, would raise precisely the objections Rifkin describes. By making objections to his argument a prominent part of his text, and spending so much space responding to them, Rifkin is better
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able to win over his audience. Dealing with common assumptions and objections to his position is crucial to getting his audience to accept his main argument. It removes what would otherwise be a major obstacle to his audience accepting his claims. If he did not include this strategy, it is likely that these objections would occur to many readers, and they might reject his argument. Spending so much time considering opposing points of view also makes Rifkin appear balanced and fair minded, and thus may incline readers to trust him. Lastly, the way Rifkin presents objections to his argument is important strategically. Rifkin presents opposing views almost exclusively in terms of “past research” that has been superseded by more up to date work. It seems likely that some contemporary research exists that is at odds with Rifkin’s position, yet Rifkin does not discuss this, instead presenting disagreement in terms of old, outdated studies versus new, correct ones. Since many readers are likely to assume that the more up to date scientific research is, the more likely it is to be true, then associating objections with past research increases the likelihood they are seen as invalid. Rhetorical Analysis of Rifkin’s Word Choice
One strategy Rifkin employs to build the argument that animals should be treated more like humans is his subtle use of animal names when introducing data. When he offers new research about the problem solving abilities of New Caledonian crows, for example, Rifkin cleverly describes how “Abel, the more dominant male…stole Betty’s hook” in order to obtain a better feeding tool. Rifkin, of course, could have chosen to ignore the bird’s test-subject names – which in all likelihood, were arbitrarily assigned by lab technicians and remain of little importance to the conclusions of the experiment – but by including them, he bestows a human quality to the animals beyond what the data suggests. He repeats this technique twice more to the same effect, once when introducing “Koko, the 300 pound gorilla,” who displays close-to-human intelligence and an impressive sign language vocabulary, and again when describing an “Orangutan named Chantek,” whose use of a mirror displays human-like self awareness. Surely the data alone make the argument that animals are, by turns, capable of human qualities of problem-solving, communication, learning, and self- awareness. By offering the names of the test animals, though, he imbues them with greater individuality, personality, and dignity. Giving the animals human names invites readers to think of them in terms usually reserved only for human beings. This strategy establishes a relationship of similarity between the animals mentioned and ourselves. The more human animals seem, the more it follows that they should be treated with the empathy and dignity we assume all humans deserve. This strategy thus helps advance Rifkin’s claim that we should “expand and deepen our empathy to include the broader community of creatures with whom we share the earth.” Rhetorical Analysis in Carter’s “Call Off the Global Drug War”
Another of the most effective strategies of this text is a narration in which Carter recalls working with those who fit his definition of people did no harm to others but were imprisoned anyway. He recounts, “A few years ago I worked side by side for four months with a group of prison inmates. They were intelligent and dedicated young men, each preparing for a productive life after the completion of his sentence. More than half of them were in prison for drug-related crimes” (Carter). Carter states that even though these inmates were imprisoned for being involved with drugs, they are still smart people who made bad decisions that ended up ruining their lives because poor policies. Because of his sympathy towards these inmates, this narration can be classified as a strong pathos appeal. His sympathizing could convince the moderate to liberal audience that he is a good judge of character despite any kind of background, and as a result, Carter’s intended audience might begin to feel the same sympathy. This further helps his argument that criminals should be rehabilitated instead of only imprisoned for their crime. If the intended audience begins to feel sympathy for these people, they could begin to think that these people need had the chance to turn their life around. As a result, these “criminals” could become productive members of society instead of draining tax income. This quote could also count as an ethos appeal because Jimmy Carter is giving a first-hand account of the people that he has seen and interacted with. Because Carter was the 39th president of the United States, he is probably seen as a good judge of character, and the audience members who agree with his
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perspective would trust the words of a former president and support his view. They could consider his experience and change their point of views regarding the drug policy.
Rhetorical analysis of Pink’s use of identification.
Pink utilizes identification to make an ethos appeal that sets precedence for his proposition. In the beginning of the speech, Pink shares that he is a lawyer. He also explains that he was in the bottom ten percent of his class and has never practiced law in his entire life. Though it may seem that Pink is hurting his credibility, he is actually making himself appear more relatable. This is an ethos appeal. Therefore, Pink understands the workings of business law and knows how to present a case, but is communicating from the perspective of ordinary, well-educated man. Pink has never practiced law, which means that he has yet to be tainted by the notoriously untrustworthy profession of law. This is important, as many businessmen are still very cautious in the risky economic climate of 2009. Pink utilizes precedent in two ways. The first is that he establishes that he is lawyer, which means that he is well versed in arguing cases; this gives cause to believe that he will truthfully present his case, eliminating any causes for doubt. This allows the audience to immediately trust that Pink will deliver a strong case, even before it has been presented, which is an appeal to ethos (strengthening his character). The second way Pink uses precedence is in the various examples he uses throughout his speech, all of which he organizes as proof before making a claim. Therefore, he demonstrates other companies’ success and compares it to the success those in the audience could have for their own companies if they implement a similar, lucrative business model.
Rhetorical Analysis of Pink’s use of a precedent and an authority in business combined (strongest analysis).
Pink utilizes a humorous anecdote about being a lawyer to amplify the precedent that he uses as evidence. In
addition to providing scientific studies from well-known scientists and prestigious institutions and universities, he cites examples of businesses that have successfully incorporated a management model that allows for the self-direction and autonomy of employees, which he claims leads to higher performance, engagement, and creativity in the workplace. Two of those companies are well known companies whose successes are impossible to ignore: Wikipedia and Google. To support the assertion that self-direction leads to higher performance and a more successful company, Pink cites Google, “where engineers can … spend 20 percent of their time working on anything they want. They have autonomy over their time, their task, their team, [and] their technique.” Incorporating Google as support for autonomy in the work place is highly effective because managers, executives, and business owners, those that have the power and incentive to increase performance and motivation in their employees, will typically only rely on successful management models. No executive or business owner is going to risk his or her business by trying a hypothetical approach to management that relinquishes power and directive. But Google, a massive corporation that continues to release service after service, ranks as one of the most successful and innovative internet companies of our time. This form of precedent makes a strong case for Pink’s argument, because many businesses can only dream of being as successful as Google, and Google’s success stems from their management model: “And at Google, as many of you know, about half of the products are birthed during that 20 Percent Time: things like Gmail, Orkut, Google News.” These numbers demonstrate how effective autonomy in the workplace can be. And because these examples set successful forms of precedent, this evidence is likely to appeal to those business men and women who want to see results. This precedent makes the argument that much more compelling and directly appeals to and identifies with those that can incorporate this change.
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FRAMES & FRAMING Frames are typically constructed through the use of metaphors, definitions, narratives, categories and metalinguistic commentary. They are used to get an audience to attend to certain elements of a situation and ignore others; to construct a particular way of seeing an issue, event, person or group, and to shape the way an audience understands the context of communication. They can have persuasive effects. Exercise: construct what you think are the major frames used to discuss homelessness One Event: Three Frames, Three Solutions1
Charlotte Ryan, author of Prime Time Activism, offers a good example of how one event can be framed in many ways, with a profound impact on the event's meaning. Consider the following three different versions of one news story:
1. "An infant left sleeping in his crib was bitten repeatedly by rats while his 16-year-old mother went to cash her welfare check."
2. "An eight-month-old South End boy was treated yesterday after being bitten by rats while sleeping in his crib. Tenants said that repeated requests for extermination had been ignored by the landlord. He claimed that the tenants did not properly dispose of their garbage."
3. "Rats bit eight-month old Michael Burns five times yesterday as he napped in his crib. Burns is the latest victim of a rat epidemic plaguing inner-city neighborhoods. A Public Health Department spokesperson explained that federal and state cutbacks forced short-staffing at rat control and housing inspection programs."
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http://www.c3.ucla.edu/toolbox/terms-concepts/strategic-frame-analysis/strategic-communication-terms
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