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Period 1
Syndicated Columnist Part III: Essay

Fred Hiatt, editor and columnist for the Washington Post, strategically uses rhetorical
devices to be an effective writer and to persuade his audience when it comes to political issues.
His most salient devices are his sardonic tone, parallel structure, and use of ethos.
Hiatts articles are almost always about some aspect of politics. He focuses mainly on
domestic and foreign policy, but has recently been writing about the presidential candidates.
Even though he is a liberal, he likes to play devils advocate and criticize Obama.
Hiatt uses a predominantly sarcastic, mocking tone as a way of keeping in his emotions
and instead indirectly attacking his victim. In the article Obamas Syria Achievement even his
title is sarcastic. The article goes on to use diction such as presided and soothed (when
describing Obamas foreign policy), which would usually sound positive but instead are used
with negative connotation. Specifically in the article At the state dinner, leave some seats empty
for Chinas political prisoners, Hiatts use of repetition and parallel structure tie in with this
mocking tone. He repeats sarcastically, Set a place for and goes on to talk about another
Chinese political prisoner who definitely would not be invited to the state dinner with the
Chinese President.
In the article How foreign-policy lessons from Iraq inform Obamas Iran deal, Hiatt
also uses parallel structure. He uses the anaphora of He did this to start each sentence by
criticizing Obamas actions. He writes, He waged He withdrew He denied In
Obamas Syria Achievement, Hiatt repeats He has argued a few times to give way to a
rebuttal.

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Period 1
Hiatt is sure to come across as trustworthy in every article he writes. In the article
Donald Trumps nativist bandwagon, Hiatt starts off with a personal anecdote about how he
identified as American even while he was living in Russia. This makes his American audience
see his credibility. In his article about Chinas political prisoners, he starts off by calling
Republicans foolish and saying that Obama is right to engage. This relates to the mostly
liberal audience who reads the Washington Post. In his article about the Iran deal, he states If
you think my support of the Iraq war in 2002 invalidates any other argument I will ever make,
then you shouldnt read my column. By directly addressing the opinions of his readers
regarding his possible bias, he is establishing major credibility.
Hiatt attempts to get his audience to agree with his opinion. When I read his columns I
am always persuaded. His sardonic tone makes him less direct about his emotions and gives the
audience room to form their own reactions. His use of parallel structure helps him organize to get
his point across. His use of ethos helps readers trust him. Hiatt achieves his goal and is a very
effective writer.