Index Argumentative Essay on the Death Penalty Introduction to the History of New York Capital Punishment Using Ethos to Establish Credibility Using Pathos to Evoke emotionsLogical arguments and appeals to logosDeath penalty Argumentative essay example On the death penalty Argumentative essay outlineIntroduction to the history of capital punishment in New YorkHistorical context of capital punishment in New York Edward I. Koch's tenure as mayor of New York The use of ethics to establish credibility Koch's career and experience in public service His commitment to the issue of capital punishment The use of pathos to evoke emotion Examples of well-known criminals and their crimesThe Kitty Genovese case and its emotional impactLogical arguments and appeals to logosStatistics and figures relating to the murder rate and crimeInterpretation of rights and responsibilities in the context of capital punishmentLogical errors and their impact on the topicArgumentative Essay Example on Death PenaltyAlthough “The history of capital punishment in New York dates back to colonial times, with the second-highest number of executions of any state from 1608 to 1972, after Virginia,” "no execution has occurred since that of Eddie Mays in 1963." Meanwhile, during Edward I. Koch's time as mayor of New York from 1978 to 1989, the number of homicides was consistently high compared to other years from 1965 to 2016 and fluctuated between about 1,600 and about 2,300. Therefore, Koch decided to write “Death and Justice: How Capital Punishment Affirms Life” to adopt a position on the death penalty for murder crimes. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay I believe he productively uses all three techniques of ethos, pathos, and logos to support his argument in his essay. Although the technique of ethos does not appear much in his essay, the author uses it to establish and gain credibility with readers. Koch (1985) clearly notes his professional status “As district leader, councilman, congressman, and mayor” as confirmation that he is highly knowledgeable on political issues including capital punishment. Furthermore, he also tells readers about his experience “During my twenty-two years of public service”. This sentence indicates that Koch is skilled in his job whose duty is to consider the life of the citizen. Furthermore, he quotes: "I have carefully considered the objections and continue to support the death penalty." This shows that Koch seriously cares about the issue he supports. Based on the information provided, readers can place and develop their trust in him, which helps him receive their approval more easily. In addition to ethics, Koch appeals to emotion through the method of pathos to attract considerable sympathy from readers. First, the author mentioned two notable events with "Richard Biegenwald, known as the Thrill Killer" and Lemuel Smith "serving four life sentences for murder (plus two life sentences for kidnapping and robbery)" as examples of criminals who reoffend many times. . However, the first criminal was not executed because “the State Supreme Court overturned the sentence both times”; “Since New York does not have a statue on the death penalty,” the other even “actually received a license to kill. These unjust facts feed readers' complaints against the lack of strict discipline for serious crimes, especially no capital punishment, as well as compassion for victims killed unjustly. The fact that Koch later uses the updated cases as evidence makes readers understand the urgency and severity of the problems, whichincreases the effectiveness of his argument. Secondly, the author provides an example of an indirect crime of murder: “Kitty Genovese was attacked and killed on a street in New York. Dozens of neighbors heard her crying to help her but did nothing to help her." While reading this part, readers become enraged due to the recklessness of these neighbors who may be afraid of murder and only think about their own safety. The incident makes readers angry not only because of the murders but also because of their negative influence on society. Consequently, this pushes readers to endorse the idea of ​​adopting the death penalty which could act as a deterrent for criminals. Obviously this part creates a connection between the author and the readers so that the latter can understand and have similar feelings with the former. Therefore, Koch effectively uses these examples to guide readers' emotions on his emotional journey; thus, they are gradually convinced by the author. At the same time, Koch uses the device of logos to persuade readers to agree with his point of view through reasons and figures. Throughout the essay, the author begins with opposing opinions and then makes his own counterarguments to each main idea. This method makes the reader realize his own inaccuracies and be more convinced of them. And he continues with the huge numbers: “In America the murder rate increased by 122% between 1963 and 1980” and “During the same period, the murder rate in New York City increased by 400%.” Next, it uses the result of a favored university “a study at MIT” showing “a greater risk of being murdered in a major American city than of being killed in combat in World War II.” With these public figures the author describes the growing danger surrounding readers without the death penalty enacted for murder crimes. Furthermore, in the next paragraph he presents a series of official statistics: “In 1981, ninety-one police officers were killed”, “70% of those arrested in solved cases had a previous arrest for murder”, and “In New York City in 1976 and in 1977, eighty-five people arrested for murder had a prior murder arrest.” The numbers provided, detailed and linked to the problems of repeat crimes, demonstrate that the level of public danger will be increasingly enormous if the solution to homicide is not radically addressed. Furthermore, Koch (1985) expresses well the premises for being against “The death penalty is state-sanctioned murder”. Uses the content of the law to interpret the rights and responsibilities of individuals and the State. According to it, enforcement is one of the rights that “the State has” and “is granted to it by the electorate” but “the private individual does not”. This helps readers understand the essence of capital punishment which is “the foundation of civilization itself,” making them understand that the death penalty is legal and reasonable. All of the above opinions effectively encourage readers to stand by the author, which means they completely meet the author's expectations. However, in Koch's reasoning there is a logical fallacy in appealing to authority. He writes: “The greatest thinkers of the nineteenth century – Kant, Locke, Hobbes, Rousseau, Montesquieu and Mill agreed that natural law properly authorizes the sovereign to take life to vindicate justice,” Alexis de Tocqueville, who expressed profound respect for American institutions, believed that the death penalty was indispensable to the support of social order” and “The Constitution of the United States, widely admired as one of the fundamental achievements in the history of mankind.” Koch uses the names of many famous people and things in a way.