TOW #4 "Tea Party Leaders Announce Support For Deal In Exchange For Malia Obama"

This week I read an article from The Onion reporting a (fake) offer from the Tea Party concerning the government shutdown. According to the article, the Tea Party said they would agree to the budget bill if they were delivered President Obama's firstborn daughter. The article, like all those published by The Onion, is obviously satirical in nature. Being a fairly liberal website, it is not surprising to see The Onion making fun of the very conservative Tea Party in the midst of political stalemate that caused the government shutdown this past week. This article appeals mainly to pathos through its use of humor. The author of this article uses extreme exaggeration; his or her characterization of the Tea Party leaders is reminiscent of the archetypal sorcerer or witch character in fairy tales. For example, the article states: "'The girl. Bring us the girl,” said Congressman Steve King (R-IA)... 'The bill may pass, but the firstborn shall be ours.' 'Heed our bidding,' added an unblinking Phil Gingrey (R-GA). 'And thy wish shall be granted'" (p. 3). The idea of a trade for the firstborn child is an allusion to such stories as Rapunzel and Rumpelstiltskin. This connects the leaders to the creepy witch antagonists and thus, as politicians, makes them seem ridiculous. However, the article is not built solely on pathos: ethos is automatically established in this case because The Onion is a well-known satirical website. Obviously no one expects their articles to be true, but they can expect a good laugh and a striking political statement. I think the purpose of this article is to point out the stubbornness of Tea Party politicians concerning the failed attempt to pass a new budget and make those politicians seem ridiculous. Through the use of exaggeration and illusion to appeal to the pathos of the audience through humor, while also maintaining it's ethos as a leading source of satire, this article easily achieves its purpose.

The article can be found at this link: http://www.theonion.com/articles/tea-party-leaders-announce-support-for-deal-in-exc,34101/?ref=auto