Assessment Two 

Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade Defends Charlie 

1. Identify the nature of proof in Frank's monologue, citing evidence he used in Charlie's defense.

Ethos was evident in the attitude and boldness of Frank in his defense of Charlie. The committee leader attempted to silence him a couple of times, but his attempts were ignored. Even though I hadn't seen this movie or this clip before we viewed in class, I could tell that he was a man who possessed great credibility, especially in his past. Declaring that he had "been around" and had seen many things lent to his credibility as well.

Pathos, or an appeal to the audience's emotions was used in his comparison to Charlie and some of the young boys he had witnessed losing limbs during wartime. He firmly stated, "There is nothing like an amputated spirit!" to bring about a feelings and emotions that Charlie's expulsion was like these terrible things that happen in war. Frank's own use of emotional intonation in his voice also lent to his appeal. He ended with a very powerful statement, "It's going to make you proud someday, I promise you."

The speech also used logos in its logical approach in convincing the committee. He spoke about his own choices at the crossroads of his life and then about the choices that Charlie had made that lead to principle and character. He told the committee members about the valuable future that they held in their hands and that they shouldn't destroy it. Instead, they should protect it and embrace it. 

2. Of the four styles of dramatic or vicarious proof, which did Frank exploit to turn attitudes around about Charlie? How did this style function in terms of reason?

I would say that Frank used testimony the most effectively in his appeal to the committee. Once again, his personal accounts of witnessing the loss of limbs by young boys was a powerful parallel to Charlie potentially having an "amputated spirit." The brief account of what he had seen provided a great amount of imagery and appealed to the committee members' emotions.

3. What cultural myths or images were employed to increase the appeal of Frank's argument? How did this influence his attempted shift of opinion?

I think that the most obvious one of the cultural myths that Frank employed is The Value of Challenge. Frank spoke of how he had lacked the ability to make the right choices when he had reached the crossroads in his life. "It was too damn hard!" he confessed. Charlie had gone through some testing and trying of his character and had come out of it with principle and character. This was an attempt by Frank to shift opinions to the idea that Charlie had the potential to become even greater than he was and that he possessed the qualities of true leadership.

4. Which of Reich's parables apply or applies to Frank's reasoning?

The Triumphant Individual is the parable that I think applies to the movie scene. Charlie had demonstrated the gutsy ability to stand up for his beliefs and principles and didn't rat his friends out. The scene depicts him as a humble individual who is determined and that will achieve future success because of his determination and hard work.

5. What was Frank's reasoning in terms of logical appeal?

Frank reasoned with the committee about Charlie's future and that they had the ability to affect the outcome of his life. He also presented evidence of Charlie's integrity by comparing his own life to Charlie's and by telling of Charlie not selling out his friends just to buy his future.

6. How did Frank's paralinguistics impact his expression and the meaning of his words? Please give specific examples - three will do.

(1). Frank used extreme examples of varying intonation in order to exert a command of attention and in order to intimidate the committee member with the gavel. This was also used in order to powerfully present his points of view and his arguments.  A couple of examples are when he shouted that he would take a flamethrower to the place and when he made the statement that they were executing Charlie's soul. 

(2). He also varied the tempo of his speech and used pauses between phrases at times; both were very effective. I noticed this often when he spoke of Charlie and the decisions he had made, the potential future that lay before him, and the character that he possessed.

(3). Volume is another paralinguistic technique that Frank used. Even with a change in pitch or tone, his whole speech was very bold and maintained a certain volume. This was effective in maintaining the attention of his audience. It created a feeling within me that what he was saying was very important and that he had the authority to argue in favor of Charlie.