imagery and Sarcasm

Many believe the environment is one of the most sensitive political topics on the campaign trail in 2008. Words such as “global warming” and “green house gases” are now starting to strike fear into the hearts of many Americans. Though many topics regarding the environment are igniting heated and emotional debates, one of the most controversial arguments is that of the hazardous affects of Sport Utility Vehicles. One environmentalist by the name of Albert Koehl, attacks this issue of SUV’s head on; in the article entitled “Sport Utility Vehicles Are Bad for the Enironment” Koehl attempts to persuade American SUV owners to stop driving their pollutant and dangerous vehicles by using Imagery and Sarcasm. In this paper I will analyze how Albert Koehl was indeed successful in his goal of persuading people to stop driving SUV’s.
The best authors and speakers in society today know that in order to arouse and awaken their audience, the use of imagery is extremely essential. Albert Koehl was successful in part due to his ability to create a visual picture of the destruction caused by SUV’s. “Gas-guzzling boor spewing 15 tons of greenhouse gases annually from a vehicle rated a perfect zero by the Environmental Protection Agency.” In this example, Koehl decided to paint a horrific picture of the pollution caused by the murderers of clean air: SUV’s. By adding the words “gas-guzzling” and “boor spewing”, Koehl forced readers to visualize pollution and waste spewing out of each SUV. He also understands the concern that many frightened Americans have regarding the raising gas prices; for this reason he maliciously attacked the affect SUV’s have on our wallets by using the word “gas guzzling.” Koehl most definitely championed the use of vivid imagery in this example and in return opened the eyes of all readers to the evils of SUV’s.

With a tint of ridiculous sarcasm, Koehl continues on with his masterful plan of forcing readers to visualize the destructive nature of SUV’s: “Get it mud-splattered and you’re not putting off the car wash-you’re an adventurer on safari chasing down fleeing antelope (wearing bike helmets) in the valley of the Don.” The reason why Koehl compared driving SUV’s to safari chasing was to over exaggerate the need of SUV’s in rural cities and to paint a picture of rugged and wild SUV’s taking over American Cities. Koehl also wanted to scare readers into believing that SUV’s are uncivilized and uncultured when he uses the words “safari and adventurer.” The imagery here causes readers to believe that all SUV drivers are bullies and chase other innocent cars around as if they are in a hunt. The entire article is filled with many other examples of perfectly malicious imagery that attacks the SUV market at all fronts.