by Jonathan Carter
Overview
Well, NFL fans, it’s time for the last brief of this competitive season. For those of you still on the g,o here is another brief dedicated to adding one more brilliant point when you have run out of ideas. Rather than focusing on a global issue that affects anything this week, we are going to examine a secondary way to analyze all issues. While we tend to focus on the direct impacts of things–what the leaders did, what the laws mandate, how the battles are being fought, etc.– we can also analyze the messages that are sent along with those actions. For every mandate a law has, it also sends a message that effects people that may have no tangible relationship with the law. Thus, when you are in a pinch you can always look at the rhetorical element of the question and add a brilliant extra point. This brief will teach you how to pull off this particular rhetorical flourish.