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Thank You for Smoking? Essay

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“Thank You for Smoking…?”

Peter Brimelow brings to light an interesting idea in his essay “Thank You for Smoking…?” Brimelow’s purpose of his essay is to defend smoking. He provides the audience with information that is worthy of their consideration and valid enough to make them think twice about how they stand on the issue of smoking. Unfortunately, some flaws in Brimelow’s technique distract the audience from his message that smoking is not as unhealthy as it appears. A few mistakes transform his work from a well-written argumentative essay to an unsuccessful attempt to spread his beliefs. What started as an essay to rouse new views on the issue of smoking swiftly lost all merit and became a means to assail the people in …show more content…

Freedom is a value that people have and want to retain. When Brimelow makes this argument about smoking look like an attack on freedom, people are likely to join forces with him. The facts found throughout the paper are worthy support to Brimelow’s main point, but compared to appealing to these values of people, it is merely an added influence.

Brimelow’s essay also appeals to peoples’ warrants and personal beliefs about health. Health, along with freedom, is another important issue that grabs the attention of the audience. Throughout the essay, references are made to a number of diseases that smoking can help to fight off. Such diseases include Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Osteoarthritis, and different types of cancer. Studies have shown that these diseases are less common among smokers (Brimelow 142). Backing, or support for warrants (McFadden), is found in paragraphs where Brimelow has found other positives of smoking. Not only does the warrant appeal to the values of the audience, but when there is even more backing to support it, people are emotionally drawn to the issue and have even more information to persuade their judgment.

By now, it appears that Brimelow has captured the attention of his audience and persuaded them to agree with him. His main claim has been

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