Herrera1 Mauricio Herrera Mr. Hackney Rhetoric 101 30 September 2013 Where Will You Be When Disaster Strikes?

Ever since the beginning of time, there have been theories of the end of the world. There was the cold war scare, then the Y2K theory in the year 2000, and even more recently, the Mayan 2012 doomsday prediction. Throughout the scares and theories, there is one question that is prevalent in the mind of every person, where will you be when the world ends? Since the 1950s people have been creating bunkers and cellars hoping to shelter them when the horrible moment occurs. In the October 2010 issue of Popular Science, Arnie Cooper documents the Terra Vivos doomsday bunker created by Robert Vicino. In the article The Future of the Home, Cooper utilizes logos and pathos in order to successfully argue that the Terra Vivos is a safe and reliable solution to shelter after catastrophic event. Cooper utilizes the tactic of logos by making factual statements when in the beginning of the article he states that the bunker can hold up against a 50-megaton nuclear blast 10 miles away, 450 mph winds, a magnitude 10 earthquake, 10 days of 1,250F surface fires, and three weeks beneath any flood (54). After making this statement, he explains that the bunker is fitted with enough food and clothing to sustain 135 people for at least a year in a lifestyle that Vicino describes as compact but luxurious (54). All of these facts result in a sense of reliability within the reader, causing them to believe that should a catastrophic event occur, they should be at the Terra Vivos, behind hardened steel blast doors strong enough to repel a tank blast (55). The reader feels the sense of security surrounding the bunker. Had Cooper not have inserted these

Herrera2 facts, the reader would assume the structure is not reliable, and therefore not want to invest in the project at the cost of their lives. In addition to ethos being used by Cooper, he makes use of pathos in his attempt to make readers to want to invest in the Terra Vivos community. His emotional appeals are apparent in the beginning of the article when he recalls Robert Vicino asking, Do you have a family? (54). The point of this question is to cause the reader to think about their family, and their plans for them when disaster strikes. In addition to this, Cooper recalls Vicino asking, Do [you] have life insurance? Would [you] like to have 10 times the life insurance [you] already have? Would [you] like to have something better? Because [you] can (54). Cooper then sums the entire article up on an emotional note when he quotes Vicino once again stating Do you have a fire extinguisher in your home? Do you think its crazy to have it? Do you feel bad if you dont get to use it to put out a fire? You just dont know whats heading our way (91). Cooper uses the tactic of pathos in order to establish a sentimental connection with the reader, making them feel like the construction is a necessity for those with families who want to have shelter when catastrophe strikes. Because of the high price, he put the example of the fire extinguisher. The fire extinguisher symbolizes the Terra Vivos, meaning that although one may not need it, its there when you do. By using the concepts of logos and pathos, Cooper successfully argues that the Terra Vivos community is necessary for anyone that wants to protect their family from disaster. He uses logos in order to establish the sense of reliability and safety in the facility and pathos to persuade the reader into considering investing.

Herrera3 Works Cited Cooper, Arnie. "The Future Of The Home." Popular Science Oct. 2010: 54-91. Print.