Month: September 2020

Kevin Murray  

Final Draft- Rhetorical Speech Outline 

30 September 2020 

 

**(Visual aid attached separately, please display it on-screen during a speech, unless I can do so. Thank you in advance) 

 

Topic:  Drunk Driving is dangerous, and attention needs to be more focused on dissuading such actions involving alcohol consumption and operating a vehicle at the same time. 

 

Purpose: To draw stronger empathy from civilians towards victims of drunk driving incidents and persuade these individuals to go out and support change/intervention to prevent further accidents. 

 

Thesis Statement: Whilst utilizing the rhetorical trinity of ethos, pathos, and logos, BMW takes advantage of a kairotic moment to properly dissuade people from getting behind the wheel while intoxicated and save lives in the process. 

 

Intro  

Attention- Deaths in America by alcohol-impaired driving crashes have been extremely high for the past decade and do not indicate decreasing. 

Orienting Material- Using the resources from the CDC and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, we see that since 2012, only one year (2014, and just barely) falls under the 10,000 fatalities due to alcohol-impaired driving accidents, at least. 

Preview- The image used by BMW shows the difference between a prosthetic leg, and an organic human leg, forced upon the victim due to a drunk-driving accident. Pathos is tested here, trying to use empathy from the audience to help BMW’s cause against drunk driving. 

 

Body 

Main Idea A- People are being killed and injured at alarming rates, every single day (ethos, pathos, logos) 

1–Since 2015 (note that 2020 is not over and evidence is still not completely accurate) over 60,000 people have died (Around 53k of that is evidently proven)  

2– “A total of 1,038 children 14 and younger were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2018. Of these 1,038 fatalities, 231 children (22%) died in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes.” 

3– “An average of 1 alcohol-impaired-driving fatality occurred every 50 minutes in 2018.” and an average of 30 people die every day due to accidents involving a drunk driver, with 800 people being injured. 

4- Usage of ethos with BMW’s name helps the audience realize that this issue is so severe and detrimental than a multi-billion dollar company has been time and funding to try to prevent it. 

5-The artifact utilizes this information to explain that the human body cannot be altered and fixed as a car can. People can not be replaced, nor their parts, as a car can. A car can go through immense amounts of damage only to be remodeled, fixed, and replaced in the next few years anyways by a newer model. However, a human being faces trauma, and possibly even physical changes that hinder the individual from living their life as they would like to. 

 

Main Idea B- Easily preventable deaths and injuries could be stopped. (Two routes) [Logos, some pathos] 

1– group intervention or alcoholics anonymous. Prevents alcoholism and the idea that someone could do everyday activities whilst under the influence and stopping those who are constantly under the influence of abusing alcohol. 

 2 Legally bonded or simple promise/vow to be a designated driver. Uber, Lyft, or even public transportation as a worst-case scenario. Uses an alternative and safe way to get home. This leaves the worst possible outcome as throw up in a car, rather than a person dead or severely injured/traumatized. 

 

Main Idea C- We are not supposed to simply condemn drunk driving, but to help to fight for complete eradication of drunk driving. [Ethos, Pathos, Logos] 

1 No one is saying that drunk driving is good, but it is simply not spoken enough despite being a leading cause of traffic death in the country (28% to be precise). 

2 The only way to eradicate drunk driving in its entirety, or even at least to decrease the number of injuries and fatalities, is for the community to work together and culturally despise drunk driving. Not just to say these actions are bad, but to demoralize and disassociate those who take part in it, to dissuade the actions from ever crossing an intoxicated person’s mind again. 

3 No one would ever wish these things to be done upon them or their loved ones, so I use this hook to encourage people that may be a drastic change is needed to prevent such tragedies. 

 

Conclusion 

Summary- Over half of drivers’ dead at the wheel in a car accident are intoxicated by some sort of drug or drink. Thousands of Americans each year are being maimed, lost, and mourned due to these easily preventable actions. A stand needs to be taken, and with little to no opposition, it should be a swift victory. Alternate routes can be taken to prevent the tragedies caused every day by drunk driving. The problem is not advocating for drunk driving, as none are doing so, but the lack of avid supporters in finally terminating drunk driving or even the possibility of it.  

The last Remark- Although change may be won through a fight, the lives of tens of thousands of Americans each year are on the line, and with support from as many people possible, and easily won fight it will be, for the better of American livelihood.  

 

 

 

References 

–CDC Facts on Impaired Driving 

(https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/impaired_driving/impaired-drv_factsheet.html#:~:text=In%202016%2C%2010%2C497%20people%20died,involved%20an%20alcohol%2Dimpaired%20driver.) 

–Crash Stats for 2018  

(https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812864#:~:text=In%202018%20there%20were%2010%2C511%20people%20killed%20in%20alcohol%2Dimpaired,the%20United%20States%20in%202018.) 

Thesis: Two advertisements use the rhetorical triangle of ethos, pathos, and logos, whilst also invoking both intrinsic and extrinsic proofs to draw out compassion from the audience to come together and completely eradicate drunk driving.

Intro Paragraph: describe the two artifacts. Talk about one being from BMW, and how it compares the organic and prosthetic leg. The second one is gloomy and makes a statement of statistic, about how every 48 seconds a new driver can park in a handicap spot (whilst displaying the handicap spot). Explain how no one believes drunk driving is good, let alone even permissible, but not enough people are standing up to make a difference.

*Note a singular “paragraph” may denote to a group of paragraphs still relating to the common theme, structure, and description as provided.

First Paragraph: ETHOS

Talk about the ad that BMW specifically uses here, as they could just be selling cars but they instead decide to care for the people being hurt by drunk driving accidents. As a high-end car company, the speaker can be relied on to tell the facts and speak to the audience with the intent to help, not harm. The other artifact uses specific evidence, and although there is no bran associated with it, we can use evidence from other resources (I used the CDC using the link below) to show they are telling the truth, and just like BMW can be trusted with information, and although not due to their name, it is due to their common fact of trying to help the community from drunk driving.

Second Paragraph: PATHOS

Use the empathy for another human being, present in both artifacts, to reach out to the audience explaining how even though we all believe drunk driving is bad, people are still maimed, killed, and lost forever due to drunk driving accidents. Before providing statistics in the next set of paragraphs with extrinsic proof, get the audience genuinely upset and motivated for change. Talk specifics of each artifact. The BMW one talks about how car’s parts can be changed, replaced, and out of service fine, but a human’s physical and mental toll is seriously altered for the worse when present in drunk driving accidents, and the only way to prevent such tolls is to prevent drunk driving. The second artifact talks about how handicap spots are made accessible by more people every 48s. Talk to the audience about how near 30 people die every day due to impaired drivers, and even more, are able to access these handicap spots.

Third Paragraph: LOGOS

After having people upset with the destruction caused by drunk driving, it is time to use the statistics and evidence (backed by the CDC) and used primarily in the second artifact. Possibly use another external reference to back up the first artifact, stating the trauma and mental issues developed within drunk driving victims. Give numbers on death count, injury count, how many people ar incarcerated for drunk driving, etc.

Conclusion:

Restate thesis, and make point. Use tad bits from above articles to restate thesis proofs. end off once again encouraging the audience to take part in what the artifacts stand for an dwhat issues they try to represent.

Topic: Drunk Driving is dangerous, and attention needs to be more focused on dissuading such actions involving alcohol consumption and operating a vehicle at the same time.

Artifact’s Purpose: To draw stronger empathy from civilians towards victims of drunk driving incidents, and persuade these individuals to go out and support change/interventions to prevent further accidents. (Artifact shown below as Artifact A)

Thesis: Using the audience of the popular car brand BMW, whilst also evoking the people’s emotions and minds towards the effects of drunk driving on individuals and as a whole community, we can dissuade people from getting behind the wheel when intoxicated, and save lives in the process.

Outline:

-Draw attention by having the audience visualize the trauma a victim goes through following an easily preventable accident. I will then explain how easily preventable these accidents are. No one plans to get hit by a drunk driver, and hopefully, nobody gets behind a wheel intoxicated with the intent to hurt people. If we create interventions, use public transportation, privatized transportation such as Uber or Lyft, or even using a friend/designated driver. I would use the logo of BMW to show that this issue is severe enough that a multi-billion dollar company is attempting to prevent it. I then need to convince people to not just feel empathy or sadness towards this matter but to become eager to prevent such heinous acts, and to protect themselves and their community from this easily preventable plague. No one is saying that drunk driving is good, but it is simply not spoken enough despite being a leading cause of traffic death in the country (28% to be precise).

The empathy of trauma: comes directly from the image and the words supporting it. People can not be replaced, nor their parts, as a car can. A car can go through immense amounts of damage only to be remodeled, fixed, and replaced in the next few years anyways by a newer model. However, a human being faces trauma, lifelong changes that may prevent them from experiencing life as they want too. Challenges are now present every day that are unnecessarily there due to these accidents. Some people don’t even get to live. Some people die brutally in these crashes, and even worse some don’t. Some lose their children or loved ones within a crash, and they themselves only suffer wounds, having survivors guilt on top of losing someone they care about. No one would ever wish these things to be done upon them, so I use this hook to encourage people that may be a drastic change is needed to prevent such tragedies.

Easily preventable: as previously stated, multiple different routes can be taken. Intervention, AA, and when intoxicated knowing a way to get home such as using public transportation, privatized transportation such as Uber or Lyft, or even using a friend/designated driver.

Big company name: Bring in BMW Fans, users, and those who know the company to realize that this issue is so severe and detrimental than a multi billion dollar company has been time and funding to try to prevent it. This also helps because now a leader does not need to be present in the audience, simply a messenger to relay BMW’s work in trying to make the world a better place and eradicating drunk driving.

Conluding remarks:

I have to remind me the audience that even though we all disown drunk driving and acknowledge it as heinous and preventable, there needs to be more done then mourn the dead and feel sorry for the victims. Even more steps need to be taken then arretsing and charging the drunk driver, because I think there needs to be more done to prevent it.

Over half of drivers dead at the wheel in a car accident are intoxicated by some sort of drug or drink. Thousands of Americans each year are being maimed, lost, and mourned due to these preventable actions. A stand needs to be taken, and with little to no opposition it should be a swift victory. The problem is not advocates for drunk driving, as there is none, but the lack of avid supporters in finally terminating drunk driving, or even the possibility of it. Information needs to be spread, people need to be reached out to while also reaching out, and innocent lives need to be saved.

 

 

Resources:

CDC Facts on Drunk Driving

 

A) BMW explains that a car can be replaced, and although a person can use prosthetics, it is life changing.A car can be torn apart, rebuilt, remodeled and discarded in the same year and it will run if it is supposed to run. The psychologicaldamage and the cost of a victim that gets hit, when it is so easily available. A car can look the same if remodeled, while a prosthetic leg looks vastly different then the real thing. There is an avoidable emotional toll that BMW is asking to avoid. 

B) Every 48 seconds aperson is incapacitated by a drunk driver.This advertisement explains the problem that drunk drivers can injure people and maim them at an alarming rate, and with these statistics it hopes to persuade people how awful this is and cause others to not be put in that situation.