Sarah's Analysis of "How to Argue Effectively"

Sarah Higbee
Professor Spencer
October 3, 2011
Critical Analysis
The Most Effective Way to Argue: Act Like an Idiot

When any given person finds him or herself in an argument, that person cannot help but want to win that argument. Everyone knows that this person at least wants to prevent him or herself from looking like a complete idiot. However, many times people find themselves not only losing an argument miserably, but find that they also end up looking like a complete idiot. In “Dave Barry: How to Argue Effectively,” Dave Barry attempts to prevent this unfortunate occurrence from happening, by writing this guide for effective arguing. However, as the audience reads this text, they find that they are reading a satirical piece of work that basically defeats the purpose of the whole premise: How to Argue Effectively. Instead of giving the audience advice on how to help them argue better and look less like an idiot, he basically helps them look more like an idiot and makes it impossible for the arguer to win any given argument. However, Dave Barry must have not meant for this piece to be taken too seriously. David Barry wants his readers to laugh at themselves a little. Therefore, Dave Barry is effective and successful in appealing to his audience’s sense of pathos by utilizing satire, and creating distinct feelings of absurdity in every situation that is presented. Barry’s audience finds that everything that Barry states would not typically be seen as helping one win an argument. Therefore, readers see his piece as being satirical, in order to appeal to his audience’s sense of pathos through humor and other diverse emotions. Barry successfully wins over his audience.

The first instance of Barry’s use of absurdity in order to appeal to his audience’s sense of pathos is when he says that in order to form a more effective argument, one must “drink liquor.” Of course we read this article like we are reading a guide for dummies. Barry writes this article to “inform” his audience and help them “win an argument on any topic, against any opponent.” However, as an audience, we clearly see that what he is arguing for is completely absurd. He writes about beating a “hotshot intellectual” by drinking something alcoholic in order to make a subject’s argument more effective, powerful, and fearless. He writes, “If you drink several large martinis, you’ll discover you have strong views about the Peruvian economy.” This topic is something that beforehand, the arguer had no knowledge of. The audience obviously senses that he must not be serious. This humor appeals to the audience’s sense of pathos. The audience can usually laugh at this because of some unspeakable experience in this area. Who has not wanted so badly to outsmart that all-knowing opponent? What would someone be willing to do in order to win this argument? The audience’s sense of pathos is touched by this appeal to humor and the experience of the readers.

The next instance of Barry’s absurdity is when he tells his audience to “make things up” when they get into a situation where they do not know what to say or do. When a person is faced with an argument that they know nothing about, Dave Barry encourages his audience to “Always make up the exact figure” when it comes to impressing your opponent. To add to the absurdity of the situation, he writes that if one’s opponent asks where one’s information comes from, to make up the name of the person, and ask, “didn’t you read it?” He encourages his readers to “say this in the same tone of voice you would use to say, ‘you left your soiled underwear in my bathroom.’” Just by using the words underwear and bathroom in this sentence, the audience is able to relate, and laugh at the absurdity of the situation. This use of wording and absurdity in the situation appeals to the audience’s sense of pathos because he causes his audience to laugh and even become slightly uncomfortable.

The third instance of Barry’s use of absurdity is when he tells his fellow-arguers to, “ use meaningless but weighty sounding words and phrases,” and to “use snappy and irrelevant comebacks.” His first piece of advice tells his readers to memorize a set of “fancy” words so that one can win an argument by winning over his audience because he can “speak Latin, and you don’t.” Now, looking at this situation from a sane perspective, readers can see that obviously this would not help anyone win an argument. However, knowing that this advice could never help them win an argument makes the audience chuckle and even curious about how this situation would end up. This realization of the ridiculousness of the situation appeals to the audience’s sense of pathos. They are able to laugh at this absurdity. Therefore, Barry is successful in appealing to his audience and grabbing their attention.

The final and most ridiculous instance of absurdity used by Barry is when he encourages his audience to, “compare your opponent to Adolf Hitler.” Simply by bringing in Adolf Hitler, Barry has already successfully appealed to his audience’s sense of pathos, because when someone hears the name, Adolf Hitler, many people have some type of unsettling emotion that stirs inside of them. However, in the context of the text, readers can only help but laugh at this unsettling proposal. Barry encourages his readers to “bring Hitler up subtly.” Doing this would automatically stop your opponent from furthering their argument. It would distract the arguer from what they were saying as they reacted to this deep accusation. Therefore, Barry is using what he knows about people to help make them laugh and actually “win” an argument at the same time. Barry is successful once again in winning over his audience through his appeal to the audience’s sense of pathos.

Barry is able to successfully persuade his audience to use his “genius” techniques in order to win an argument with any opponent. Even if the reader knows that this might not help them win an argument, who would not want to try one or all of these techniques in times of desperation when battling an unbeatable foe? If anything, Barry is successful in making his audience laugh at themselves, and laugh at their opponent. He is able to appeal to this sense of pathos by creating absurdity out of real life situations.