Outcasts United: A True Story about Soccer and Immigration Made for Hollywood Essay

Rhetorical Analysis of â€Å"Outcasts United: A True Story about Soccer and Immigration Made for Hollywood? Pitch Invasion journalist, Andrew Guest, writes the article â€Å"Outcasts United: A True Story about Soccer and Immigration Made for Hollywood† from a sarcastic viewpoint. Guest starts by allowing his reader to get acquainted with Warren St. John’s cover article on â€Å"Outcast United,† which later became a book. He introduces the awestruck fact that Universal Studios wants to pay St. John and his main character, Luma Mufleh, $3 million to create a corresponding film to â€Å"Outcasts United. Guest then debates the question of why youth soccer appeals to Hollywood so much. He is concerned that their story will not be as serious, nor will it offer unity and enmity just as the original story did. Guest’s second worry is that St. John’s book version is nothing but a work of heartfelt journalism, instead of what he thought would be â€Å"more lighthearted† (par. 5). Andrew Guest does not build on ethos and there is very little logos, but does formulate his opinions through pathos, word choice, and tone. Guest wants to lure the audience whom has read â€Å"Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team† and that are familiar with it. He uses strong pathos to persuade the readers more closely. For example, Guest says, â€Å"But I was also worried that the real appeal here was the kind ‘heartwarming’ pabulum so often associated with the popular sports media†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (par. 2). He wants the reader to feel that Hollywood’s intentions may not be what they are expecting just as well as he does. Furthermore, he explains that the story answered his questions but did not stop his worrying. Guest also uses pathos in his repetition of â€Å"heartwarming† (par. 7) to reveal how the truth would really be portrayed by Hollywood. A cliche, such as this, would make the readers question whether Hollywood is sincere in what they are trying to do. Another strategy Guest uses to strengthen his stand point is his unique word choice. The way he catches the reader’s eyes and ears is by articulating his thoughts into strong opinions. He accomplishes this by explaining, â€Å"The game distracts people just enough that they are willing to reveal things about their inner lives and thoughts that they might not reveal over a cup of coffee† (par. ). His opinion makes the audience see that sports alone causes people to be more vocal about things they never thought they could actually say. Guest then uses the word â€Å"pabulum† to create a bolder statement in his argument that Hollywood’s intentions are only to nourish sports media in a way that would make society more sympathetic to the stories. In addition, Guest uses a vivid sarcastic tone in his article when referring to â€Å"Outcast United. † This tone is to exemplify how â€Å"heartwarming† continues to define soccer and the way it is socially connected with the popular sports media today. He supports this by sarcastically stating, â€Å"†¦look, world peace really is possible if we just learn the life lessons soccer has to teach us† (par. 2). However, Guest really feels that soccer only makes a difference to a certain extent. Guest goes on to say that it always surprises him when someone claims that soccer is a great force that draws people together. He acts as if he is in shock, when in reality he does not agree with that universal view. In fact he believes the complete opposite. His sarcastic tone weakens the article because sometimes that is the opposite of what the reader is looking for. Although Guest supports his appeals and gets his points across to the reader, he does not build much credibility as an expert on the subject. There was no ethos found throughout the article. Guest’s career is partially understood, and is not fully elaborated upon. He speaks on sports, Hollywood, and society throughout the article. However, Guest is not a sports fan, and this he supports by bluntly stating, â€Å"And while I don’t actually think of myself as a particularly obsessive sports fan or certainly not as a sports writer†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (par. 6). He is not a movie critic or socialist of the matter. He makes a great debater, but what has he shown about his personally? Has he played any sports? Why should one agree with what he believes, and not what they believe? Credibility is what increases the effectiveness of the article, not opinion alone. Andrew Guest succeeds in telling his readers his viewpoints on this book and on his social beliefs. He uses strong pathos, bold word choice, and a firm tone. He has built on little ethos and logos, which causes his article to be less effective. Guest career is never states throughout the article about his career or supports any of his opinionated arguments.