President Bush is TIME MagazineÆs Person of the Year
It may come as a shock to some that President George W. Bush was recently named TIME magazineÆs ôPerson of the Yearö for 2004. Their thesis: George W. Bush is named Person of the Year ôfor sticking to his guns (both literally and figuratively), for reshaping the rules of politics to fit his ten-gallon-hat style of leadership and for setting the global agenda whether the world likes it or notö (Dickerson and Gibbs 5).
In order to convince their readers that President Bush is worthy of this title, the authors must be sensitive to the broad spectrum of opinions held by their audience about President Bush. By using ethos û appealing to oneÆs character; pathos û appealing to oneÆs emotions; and logos û appealing to oneÆs reason, the authors are able to draw the reader away from his or her preconceived political leanings and more toward accepting the authorsÆ argument. They accomplish this objective by including anecdotes about Bush, his presidency, and his campaign that support these elements of persuasion.
Perhaps the most overarching theme of the article was the focus on BushÆs character and how it differs from the typical politician. In doing so, this inherently appeals to the character of the reader û the ethos. Primarily, the authors offer many examples of Bush remaining true to his convictions, despite contradicting opinions from advisors or polls (44-45). In fact, Bush, himself, made character the issue in the election by ôbetting the ranchö that what the American people wanted was strong and decisive leadership û something his opponent had a hard time convincing the American public he could provide (Dickerson and Gibbs 40).
In attempting to persuade the reader by appealing to emotion û the pathos û Dickerson and Gibbs argue that Bush was, in effect, still the ôoutsiderö in Washington, despite being the incumbent, and very much the ...