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Summary Of The Faces In The Mirror By Ty Burr

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Why are people so fascinated with celebrities? What makes people want to be like them? What are celebrities actually like? Facing these tough questions, Ty Burr in his essay “The Faces in the Mirror” forces readers to question their own answers. By explaining the history of celebrities and the worship of them, he gives readers a wealth of knowledge. Wisely, Burr immediately establishes his credibility so that readers know they can trust his educated point of view. His essay is full of strong logic. However, it lacks a substantial amount of hardcore facts. Furthermore, Burr effortlessly snatches the reader’s attention by using dramatic statements and achieving a sense of pathos. Burr’s authority on the topic, along with his convincing logic, and dramatic statements allow his essay to achieve a remarkable persuasiveness to his essay.
In his essay, Burr instantly creates a sense of ethos. Within the first two paragraphs, Burr articulated that he is a “professional film critic for a major metropolitan daily newspaper” (Burr 31). Because of this statement, he gained credibility on the subject of actors. Additionally, he has “interviewed a number of actors and directors, ingénues and legends” (Burr 31). Burr makes sure to give some examples of especially famous stars that he has interviewed to further provide credibility. Some include: Steve Carell, Laura Linney, and Kevin Spacey (Burr 33). Throughout his essay, Burr takes a position of authority on the subject and writes with intense confidence in his knowledge. Furthermore, readers swiftly realize that Burr has done plenty of research to make readers ponder their position. By proving his credibility, Burr quickly and efficiently snatches the reader’s attention and gives them a reason to want to continue reading.
Using a long string of logic, Burr’s writing is primarily the history of America’s cultural obsession with celebrities. While his logic is simple to understand, it is absolutely intelligible. Although he doesn't provide nearly enough hardcore facts, Burr makes sure to include a few facts in an effort to further his point. For instance, he draws attention to the fact that “the man who shot and killed John Lennon...made sure to get his autograph first”

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