Analysis on "Don't Fight Flames With Flames" 11.19.16

          The article "Don't Fight Flames With Flames" is about arguments on social media. The author's viewpoint on this topic is that a person could never win an argument on social media. I agree with this point of view because of my own experience. Although I have never gotten into an argument on social media, I have seen many, and most of them didn't end well and never really ended at all. The author's point of view is pretty understandable in the real world. All humans have an opinion about something and not everyone agrees with these opinions, which is why not everyone is vocal about it. However, with social media, people feel protected behind a screen, which causes them to be more vocal and have more hateful comments. With all these different opinions clashing, it is hard for a single person to win an argument online.

          This article is effectively developed through the use of rhetorical devices, such as imagery and word choice. An example of imagery is when the author states, "My phone lit up like flashing Christmas lights as hate-filled messages were hurled at me." Through this statement, the author gives the reader an image of how fast the hate comments were coming. This helps make his argument more effective because it shows that with all these messages coming at once, it is hard for a single person to respond to all of them and try to prove his or her point. Another use of imagery is when the author compares an argument online with an argument between a husband and a wife. This helps effectively develop the author's argument because it creates a visual image of an argument on social media for those who don't use it. The author uses a lot of word choice to develop his argument. One of his word choice is "constructive conversation." By using the word "constructive," the author says that an educational argument is difficult to have online, which connects back to his original argument that an argument on social media could never be won. This connects to his argument because in an constructive conversation, people would try to understand each other's point of view and try to come to a consensus, but if an argument is not constructive, the argument would go on and on with no one actually winning. Another example of word choice is the word "abort." The author uses word this to emphasize how heated an online argument would be and that the best option would be to "abort" the argument instead of trying to win it. Through the use of imagery and word choice, the author effectively builds his argument.