Neo-Aristotelian Analysis
The Reverend Al Sharpton’s Speech for a Call to Justice,
Regarding the Death of Trayvon Martin on March 22, 2012
It is not surprising there has been an abundance of recent media coverage and criticism regarding the events and circumstances surrounding the death of Trayvon Martin by the volunteer citizen neighborhood watch captain, George Zimmerman, in Florida over a month ago. This tragic event was further brought into the spotlight by The Reverend Al Sharpton, at a rally held on March 22, 2012, were he gave a speech to a large audience about the injustice of Trayvon’s death. There have been a number of critics to his speech that feel he is espousing dangerous rhetoric about the issue of justice, as it relates to the events that transpired, raising the ugly term racism as a catalyst.
Racial incidents have occurred throughout American history, with more extreme public events like the Rodney King beating by police officers, the O.J. Simpson trial, Kent State killings incident, and the Watts Riots in Los Angeles making headlines and causing racial tensions throughout America. This event may, or already has, risen to that same level of notoriety.
I propose to explore Reverend Al Sharpton’s speech utilizing a Neo-Aristotelian analysis to identify the character, or ethos of Reverend Sharpton, where and why this took place and the style of arguments he used with his audience. While the Neo-Aristotelian theory was the first formal method for analyzing this type of artifact, and dates back to 1925 to an essay written by Herbert A. Wichelns, it still offers a basic foundation in rhetorical criticism. Most scholars feel that the limitations and restrictions on the style used by Neo-Aristotelian, or the traditional method as it is often termed today, still provides a foundation for analysis. This traditional method tends to focus on a limited amount of factors, explored in this critique of the Reverends speech. According to the student textbook Rhetorical Criticism, (Foss, 2009, p. 23), “…neo-Aristotelianism excludes all evaluations other than the speech’s potential for evoking intended response from an immediate, specified audience.” Another key limitation to this traditional type of criticism is that it does not allow one to differentiate non-rational from rational critique. Finally, this type of analysis is thought to be self-fulfilling because the analysis uses a standard list of categories for its analysis. To use a metaphor, this investigation will utilize an old fashion slide rule, instead of a calculator, to analyze the question, “Did the rhetor use the available means of persuasion to evoke the intended response from the audience?”
The Circumstances
The city of Sanford is located just north of Orlando, Florida and is comprised of 53,000 people, with 57% being white and 30% black. Florida is among 21 states with a “Stand Your Ground Law” that gives wide latitude for citizens to use deadly force in protecting their rights rather than retreat during a fight. This law protects you, not only within the home, but anywhere a person is located.
Within Sanford is a gated community that has experienced a number of intrusions and burglaries.
On February 26, 2012, Trayvon Martin was with his father, Tracy Martin, visiting the father’s fiancé in the gated community experiencing intrusions. On that evening around 7pm, Trayvon was returning from a 7-Eleven with a bag of Skittles and an ice-tea to watch the NBA All-Star game with his little step-brother. Trayvon is a black 17 year-old weighing about 150 pounds and standing six feet one inch tall, wearing a dark hoodie, who had just been suspended from high school that week for possession of trace amounts of marijuana at school.
That night on patrol in the neighborhood was a volunteer watch captain, George Zimmerman, who was carrying a black Kel-Tec PF-9 9mm semi-automatic pistol, in a holster on his waistband. The gun was licensed and Zimmerman had a permit to carry this weapon. Zimmerman weights about 190 pounds and stands five feet nine inches tall. Zimmerman is a 28 year old of white and Latino mix.
A call is made to 911 by Zimmerman when he comes across Trayvon walking through the gated community. Zimmerman said on the 911 tape, “This guy looks like he's up to no good. Or he's on drugs or something. It's raining and he's just walking around, looking about."
The 911 officer responded saying, "OK, and this guy… is he black, white or Hispanic?"
"He looks black," Zimmerman said.
The 911 dispatcher informs Zimmerman to stop following Trayvon that police will be on their way. Minutes later Trayvon is shot by Zimmerman, who claims self defense during a struggle with Trayvon, shortly after that call. Trayvon is killed and Zimmerman is left with a wound to the back of his head and blood coming from his noise, according to paramedics who treated Zimmerman at the scene.
There is a surveillance tape produced by police, with sound that hears someone screaming for help and then records the shot from this incident. Two separate investigators from the American College of forensic Examination Internationally have opposite claims of whose voice is on the tape.
Police investigators release Zimmerman at the scene, for lack of evidence that he was not acting in self-defense. A month later, Police Chief Bill Lee Jr. temporally resigned over this investigation and Governor Rick Scott appoints a Special Prosecutor, Angela Corey, from Jacksonville, Florida, to open a formal investigation. The FBI has also opened up an investigation about this incident as well as the US Department of Justice, who is looking into civil rights violations.
Neo-Aristotelian Analysis of Reverend Sharpton’s Speech
1. Who is speaking (the persona)
The Reverend Al Sharpton is a renowned veteran civil rights leader and the host of "Politics Daily" on NBC’s news outlet, MSNBC. In 2004 he unsuccessfully ran for President of the United States. He was born in 1954 in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised during a chaotic period of racial tensions and social changes in America. Reverend Sharpton is also President of the National Action Network (NAN), a well-known and established civil rights organization. Although, he grew up decades after the abolishment of slavery, the 1960’s was a period of racial civil unrest and public incidents.
At the age of four, Al Sharpton preached his first sermon at the Washington Temple Church of God & Christ in Brooklyn and was licensed as a minister at age nine by Bishop F.D. Washington. By age 13 he was already involved in civil rights and was appointed by the Reverend Jesse Jackson as a youth director for a New York group founded by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. At age 16 Reverend Sharpton founded the National Youth Movement to promote voter registration and cultural awareness.
Reverend Sharpton attended public schools and college, and was awarded an honorary degree from the A.P Clay Bible College. He has founded and directed progressive civil rights organizations throughout his career and had a focus on eliciting political strength for people of color. In 1994, he was baptized a member of Bethany Baptist Church, where he is still a member today, although his preaching and sermons are delivered throughout this country and worldwide on occasion.
While most kids are growing up on the streets of New York playing sports and riding bikes, Reverend Sharpton was enthralled with civil rights issues and rubbing shoulders with leaders like Dr. King and Jessie Jackson. He not only was an observer of the civil rights issues of the past 50 years, he was an active participant from the age of four. This is the core of the individual, a strong religious belief for equality for all men, regardless of color, and promoting the political means to achieve that equality through speeches, rallies, events and modern media methods. This is the persona of the Reverend Al Sharpton.
2. What's the occasion (justification)?
This artifact takes place in Sanford, Florida, where Trayvon Martin was killed. This rally is a call to action of any and all the resources available to investigate the death of Trayvon and to secure the arrest of George Zimmerman who killed him.
3. Who is the audience?
This artifact, a speech by Reverend Al Sharpton, was directed to several audiences simultaneously. It was directed at the family, friends, neighbors, and local supporters of the tragic death of Trayvon. Also in attendance at this rally were over 8,000 people, dominantly of black ethnicity, showing up for this rally to hear the message from Reverend Sharpton. However, there was also choreographed an intense media conglomerate to secure an audience of millions of people through the use of television, news, internet, radio, blogs, facebook and twitter. The number of microphones set up on the podium gives evidence to the orchestration of seeking this secondary audience.
4. What is the rhetor's claim?
Reverend Sharpton makes claims that justice for Trayvon’s death is not being handled appropriately by the local police, governmental agencies or politicians. He claims that a killer is free that should be immediately arrested and sitting in court handcuffed behind his back. He also claims that this incident was done because of racisms on the part of George Zimmerman and that justice has not been forthwith because of racism on the part of city officials. He claims that those supporting Trayvon will never leave or stop supporting this injustice, until Zimmerman is incarcerated.
5. What is the logical appeal (logos)?
The Reverend’s appeal to the audience is that the facts are simple and logical. An upstanding youth of seventeen was merely walking home from a 7-Eleven and was sought out by a racist individual, for no apparent reason other than the color of his skin and wearing a dark hoodie, and was shot in the back of the head. He purports that the local officer and the Chief of Police were also racially biased and let Zimmerman go because it was a simple case of a white person killing a black person. Reverend Sharpton suggests that the “Stand Your Ground Law” in effect in Florida gives racist citizens the ability to kill people of color without cause and avoid prosecution.
6. Inductive, deductive reasoning?
The Reverend uses both inductive and deductive reasoning in his examples. Inductively he contends that if you are racist, and encounter a person of a different color your will respond in a specific way recognized by all racist individuals. He does not go so far as to say all white people are racist of black people wearing hoodie’s, but comes close to a deductive syllogism in his call for not accepting this stereotyping any longer. He uses enthymemes like, “Don’t talk to us like were stupid”, throughout this artifact to support his appeal.
7. What is it's credible appeal (ethos)?
The character of Reverend Sharpton is above reproach within his circle of influence and most generally amongst people nationally. He is thought of in the same light as individuals like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who cares passionately for people and the rights of freedom for all. He exhumes control through his mannerisms and by previous experience in supporting those who have been wronged or are downtrodden, without judgment of them. Within the black community, he is considered one of the most powerful and respected leaders in America today. When he offers opinions they become very powerful in persuasion because of his status and ethos.
8. What is it's emotional appeal (pathos)?
Reverend Sharpton used a very profound emotional strategy in this artifact. He announced to the audience that he was attending this event just hours after the death of his own mother, with the comment that this is where she would want him to be. He also made a point that kids are suppose to bury their mothers, and that mothers should never have to bury her child, as in the case of Trayvon. This is about as powerful of a pathos statement one could make bringing up the death of a mother and a child in the artifact. Love of family is a very strong pathos appeal.
He uses another powerful appeal when he starts a collection for Trayvon’s parents so they will not have to worry about financial issues while dealing with this injustice. He provides his own pledge of $2,500 and secures immediate pledges of over $20,000 from members in his group on the podium. Then Reverend Sharpton passes a bucket throughout the crowd for collecting money, to show the world that they can “finance our own movement.”
There are numerous emotional appeals as Reverend Sharpton begins creating his new “movement.”
9. What is the artifact's structure?
It appears that Reverend Sharpton is speaking from memory, off the cuff and without notes. He covers a wide range of issues and topics but the overall structure is to promote action to this cause and to create a new movement.
10. How does language impact the goal of meaning?
This artifact begins with Reverend Sharpton offering a chant that the crowd responds to, “No Justice… No Piece.” This is repeated several times and is the first words issued by him. The language and meaning is clear, this is a call to action for the cause of justice for Trayvon Martin. His speech is slow almost staccato in delivery pounding home points of his campaign. He evokes the audience to respond with approval to his demand for justice. The words are simple and direct, appropriate to any education or intellect level of an audience. He is speaking to them as if they were one, not a lecture to them. The delivery is clear we are all in this together. Justice for Trayvon, and to bring about the arrest of Zimmerman, must be accomplished. We are here to create a movement.
11. If spoken, how is the artifact delivered?
It is a very straight forward, yet powerful delivery. Emotion is evoked but not displayed by Reverend Sharpton. Even when he is talking about the death of his mother he maintains complete composure and control. This is the delivery by a man with a purpose.
12. Was the intended effect met?
The intended effect for this artifact was to rally the audience in attendance and the audience watching to band together behind a cry for justice for Trayvon and the calling for the arrest of George Zimmerman. It was also a rally of passion to a cause and for a new movement. The cause is for injustice to blacks and people of color to end across the country. There was also an intention to create a movement within the black community of solidarity and unity against stereotyping of blacks just because of color, clothes, or even common habits perceived as threats by whites. I view this artifact to have even a greater function, that of a coming together as one people for a common political agenda against their perception (real or unreal), of a crisis of injustice against black citizens in general. There was a tone that people of color are never able to receive equal or fair treatment by whites in this nation. This was a new rallying cry to once again create a movement for that purpose. The actions of the crowd in attendance at this rally would support that Reverend Sharpton’s message achieved its goal.
Why I chose this artifact:
I was a young teenager, living less than two blocks away from the Watts Riots in Los Angeles during the 1960’s racial tension period. After the eruption of fires that we could see from our second story windows, and hearing rioters shooting and shouting in the streets, while destroying homes, burning cars and buildings, my family packed us all up and we left town in fear for our life. After hearing the Reverend Al Sharpton’s speech on March 22, 2012, I felt that his dialogue could lead to similar eruptions if his rhetoric was interrupted by his audience incorrectly, or possibly that was his intention.
References
Foss, S. K. (2009). Rhetorical criticism, exploration and practice. (4th ed.). Long Grove: Waveland Pr Inc.
