Introduction
The Virginia House of Delegates has been at the forefront in discussing issues related to gun control measures through the engaging in discussions and debates with respect to gun violence. Recently, Virginia State has experienced an increase in school shootings and cases of gun violence, which is an aspect that creates a major safety concern in the society. The increase in such cases is associated with the escalating levels of gun ownership, where majority of the citizens in the State tend to own a firearm. The right to own a firearm has enabled more people in Virginia to own at least one firearm thus resulting to unappropriated use. In that case, the Virginia House of Delegates capitalized on addressing the issue in order to make proper amendments that concerns gun control measures. Addressing the issue will play an important role enhancing safety in the society and ensuring that firearms are used positively for security purposes.
Description of Artifact
Delegate Nick Freitas is an American politician and member of the Virginia House of Delegates. Delegate Nick was elected in 2015 to represent the 30 th District considering his passion in the political career. Since becoming a member of the Virginia House of delegates, Nick engages in discussions and debates that capitalizing on enhancing the livelihoods of the citizens by promoting aspects such as safety and proper governance. The courage and passion of the delegate to address matter influencing the welfare of the citizens has contributed in his engagement in debates that seek to identify primary factors that contribute to certain issues in the society. Delegate Nick is described as an individual with firm arguments concerning the issue of gun control measures in the society and the factors that contribute to the increase in gun violence and school shootings thus influencing the overall safety of children within the learning institutions.
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Delegate Nick who is a supporter of the non-interventionist foreign policy claiming that the U.S constitution plays a major role in dictating it engaged in a debated focusing on the 2 nd amendment. The debate capitalized on the issue of gun control measures that are implemented to reduce cases involving gun violence within learning institutions. In March 2018, delegate Nick delivered a fiery speech that focused on challenging the discussions and debased concerning the issue of gun control measures as part on reducing gun violence in the society and dealing with school shootings. In his speech, the delegate opposed the proposal of further gun control measures without focusing on understating the key issues that contribute to an increase in gun violence in schools. Considering his arguments and presentation of his opposing opinions regarding the gun control proposal, the speech attracted approximately 13million views for his position in defending the second amendment.
Neo-Aristotelian Method of Analysis
The core principle of the Neo-Aristotelian method entails rhetorical criticism, which focuses on the centrality of the audience in a given situation. According to Foss (2017), the implementation of the given approach focuses on creating a comparison on the means of persuasion used by the speaker in the presentation of the speech. The Neo-Aristotelian criticism provides an avenue for determining whether the speaker use an appropriate means of persuasion that would help in evoking responses from the audience regarding the issue presented. The analysis and the comparison of the persuasion means help in determining whether the orator implemented the use of rhetorical questions techniques and instruments in the delivery of speech to the audience. According to Shen (2013), the use of Neo-Aristotelian criticism plays an essential role in analyzing the communication techniques used by the speaker during the delivery of a given message to the audience.
The application of the Neo-Aristotelian criticism in delegate Nick Freitas’s speech on second amendment will focus on the analysis of the situation and arguments presented by the speaker using the rhetoric canons. The rhetoric canons, which are developed by Aristotle to enhance the criticism process, include the organization of a speech, the invention, delivery, style, and memory based on their impact on the audience (Snow, 2017). The research question focuses on determining whether the speaker implied proper use of available means of persuasion to evoke the intended response from the audience. In that case, the mentioned rhetoric canons will provide a platform for making a proper determination on the use of the persuasion means and communication approaches to deliver information to the audience. The analysis will assist in understanding the point of view of the audience based on the impact of each of the canon on the audience. Following the analysis of the speech through the Neo-Aristotelian method, the paper will focus on determining whether Nick was in a position to use best available means of persuasion in the process of evoking a favorable decision from the audience.
Application
The situation
Delegate Nick Freitas delivered his speech in the Virginia House of Delegates during the second amendment. The delegate addressed the House following debates and discussions concerning the issue of increased gun violence and school shootings that were attributed to the lack of proper gun control measures. The debates therefore contributed to implementation of a proposal that sought to amend gun control measures in order to deal with the rising issue of school shooting within the state of Virginia. Delegate Nick rose on the floor of the house to oppose the further gun control measures put in place by presenting key elements of considerations that would be necessary to point out in order to understand the issue. During the speech, the audience paid attention to the speaker noting down key points of his arguments, which were crucial in the debate of the gun control (VAHouse Dems, 2018). The delegates uploaded the speech, which was a sign of support for his proper presentation of arguments relating to the issue.
Speaker
According to VAHouse Dems (2018), Delegate Nick Freitas is an outspoken individual that focuses on the analysis of facts before making conclusions on any given issue. The delegate who is described as having the conservative voting record and libertarian streak focuses much of his attention to the issue of public safety and the promoting the rights of the public. The delegate is aggressive in making his points clear on issues affecting the public, which is an aspect that earned him his current position in the Virginia House of Delegates.
Invention
The presentation of the speech by Nick Freitas was initiated by his individual decisions to oppose the proposals on gun control citing in other key aspects that would be relevant to consider with the aim of enhancing safety of children within the school environments. Nick capitalizes on establishing ethos with the aim of gaining credibility with the audience through the presentation of facts concerning issues that increases the engagement in gun violence and school shootings among the gun owners. Nick uses examples to convince the audience that making gun control amendments may not necessary help in solving the issue but looking deeper into the issue may help in understanding that the issue is more than just the control measures put in place.
Arrangement
The presentation of the speech by Nick in the House of Delegates provides evidence of a proper organization considering that he carefully presented his thoughts and arguments in a manner that would allow the audience to have an understanding of the discussion. He capitalizes on organizing the speech in a way that included real life examples such as the illustration of a false dilemma to convey proper information to the audience. Additionally, the use of rhetorical questions helped in indicating that the speaker intended to create some form of interaction that would engage the audience in understanding the issue he was presenting.
Delivery
During the presentation of the speech, the speaker focused on the use of an appropriate tone that helped in ensuring that the audience has an understanding of the ideas and facts he presented with regard to the issue of increased school shootings. The speaker focused on the flow of ideas and maintained an eye contact with the audience in order to capitalize on remaining interactive.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Neo-Aristotelian criticism provides an avenue for determining whether the speaker use an appropriate means of persuasion that would help in evoking responses from the audience. The presentation of the speech by delegate Nick Freitas who is an outspoken individual that focuses on the analysis of facts concerning the issue of school shootings and gun violence. The application of the Neo-Aristotelian criticism in Nick’s speech on the second amendment focuses on the analysis of the situation and arguments presented by the speaker using the rhetoric canons. The analysis assist in understanding the point of view of the audience based on the impact of each of the canon on the audience. Additionally, the analysis of the speech through the Neo-Aristotelian method focused on determining whether Nick was in a position to use best available means of persuasion in the process of evoking a favorable decision from the audience.
References
Foss, S. K. (2017). Rhetorical criticism: Exploration and practice . Waveland Press.
Shen, D. (2013). Implied author, authorial audience, and context: Form and history in Neo-Aristotelian rhetorical theory. Narrative , 21 (2), 140-158.
Snow, N. E. (2017). Neo-Aristotelian Virtue Ethics. The Oxford Handbook of Virtue , 321-345.
VAHouse Dems. (2018). Delegate Nick Freitas Speech on Floor of House of Delegates. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqqJKChKRzI
