Controversial opinions have arisen concerning the burning of the American flag. Ronald J. Allen has also contributed on his essay American Flag Stands for Tolerance published in June 30, 1989. He argues that he understands how the situation might be controversial to some, but eventually it is one’s right as an American citizen to be able to express oneself easily, even though the idea may not be well-liked or the action itself is extreme, through logos, ethos, and pathos, figurative language, and diction.
One way how the author establishes his opinion is through logos, ethos, and pathos, which appeals to the audience. For example, Allen uses logos in Lines 1-4, “The Supreme Court, by the closest possible margin of a 5-to-4 vote, held that a person has a right to express disagreement with governmental police by burning the American flag,” and Lines 5-7, “The leadership of the People’s Republic of China decided that citizens who peacefully express …show more content…
The word ‘controversial’ has usually bad connotations, as to it leads to confusion at most. In his essay, however, the use of ‘controversial’ enlightens the principle of diversity and how everyone is able to showcase difference. The word was first used in Lines 1-4, “In a controversial decision, the Supreme Court, by the closest possible margin of a 5-to-4 vote, held that a person has a right to express disagreement with governmental policies by burning the American flag” where the connotation was negative. However, by the end of the essay, in Lines 72-72, “With controversy comes debate, enlightenment and renewed commitment,” Allen shows his opinion, and how controversy is what America is made up of, in a positive connotation. With this diction, he was able to show the audience how that word, which was firstly used in a negative connotation, could change and was able to relate it back to the topic of burning American flags as a sign of