Adan Hernandez

UWP 1, Section 006

March 20, 2017

Word Count: 1942

Rhetoric Analysis

In a world where drugs of all sorts are having such a big impact on our younger generation,

Marc Mero shares his experience with drugs to the younger generation that is being affected by

the use of drugs. Marc Mero is a past professional wrestler who grew up disrespecting his mother

every time he would stay out late with his friends getting high or wasted. However, would later

on regret treating his mother that way and would regret getting drunk and high every opportunity

he could. Marc Mero overdosed of three different occasions where he should have been dead but

has learned his lesson and would change. Marcs main goal through his speech is to persuade the

children in a Middle School to not take part of this drug crazed world. Marc persuades the

middle schoolers using three types of persuasive methods that all effective tactics to persuade

any age group. Mero uses ethos to challenge the students ideals and characters to not fall under

the impression that doing drugs is cool and normal. Also Mero persuades students by using

pathos to appeal to the students emotions towards his story of when he lost his mother and how

he regrets the amount of time he wasted not spending them with his mother. Most importantly,

Mero considered his audience the most when making his speech which is another part of

rhetoric. All these method used in Meros speech all were used to persuade this young generation

of middle schoolers to not use the drugs that are all part of this drug crazed world. After he
finishes his speech, Marc Mero leaves a final thought to think about their acts they are taking

upon and to realize who it is affecting in both the short-run and the long-run.

Marc Mero first considers his audience and figures out a way to grab the attention of all these

middle school children. Mero first starts off his speech by making the middle school children

laugh by telling them a funny story of what his mother would do at his games. Marc Mero acts

out the actions his mother would do when describing one of his football games. Mero trying to

imitate his mother's voice states ... at all my sporting events, my mother would screaming to get

up every time I would get tackled, then I was like oh my gosh than get into the huddle and my

teammates say Marc is that your mother and then I would look up and be like no, I have never

seen that person in my life. Making all the children laugh due to the fact that they taught it was

funny the way his mother acted. Exemplifying the role the audience has as described in Covinos

and Jolliffes passage What is Rhetoric?. Explaining that ...the importance of the audience is

much more than just listening to speakers but that the ...audience comprises the people who

have a reason to act upon. Proving that the audience isnt there just to listen to what someone

has to say about drugs, but the audience is there to act upon the information that is given. When

considering the audience and knowing who he is speaking to, Mero uses his funny story of his

mothers reactions to capture the students attention and then would go on to say ...the greatest

gift my mother ever gave to me was that she believed in me. Then would get right into the topic

of not doing drugs and not making the same mistakes as he did. When changing from one topic

to another, Mero changes from a laughing into a sad matter when stating I have overdosed on

three different occasions where I should have been dead, leaving his audience in shock.

Making sure that his audience was still listening and understood what he is really there for. Mero
would later go on stating show me your friends, and Ill show your your future. Leading to

how he persuades his audience through the use of ethos and challenging them to reflect upon

their own lives.

Therefore, Mero uses the persuasive tool known as ethos to persuade the students to change

the type of people they are and the type of people they surround themselves with. However,

before Mero challenges these students to change themselves to better themselves, he describes

the type of people he had hung out. Mero adds upon the idea of show me your friends, Ill show

you your future, when stating ...how do I know this? I hung out with losers, and I became the

biggest loser of the all because I gave up everything I dreamt about. Making Mero seem like

a knowledgeable person about the topic of drug use due his personal experiences that he

experienced in the past. Which are characteristics that support the characteristics Aristotle

describes that make the speaker a persuader and that is to ... present themselves as one that is

being prudent and knowledgeable. Which describes a man that has some type of caring

emotions for the future and what is in store for people that are going to grow up. Where Mero

already shows some sort of care for the future of the children and for the future of the world by

just volunteering to speak to a middle school full of young people that will be involved in the

future and will be able to change the future as a whole. Mero doesnt do this just because he may

get paid for it but he does this because he wants to see change and wants to see these students do

things he wasnt able to do. Adding into his purpose of his speech.

There is another rhetorical technique that is being used throughout the whole speech; the

rhetor himself. The rhetors purpose and passion to teach younger generations about the negative

effects that come along with the use of drugs in this drug crazed world provides persuasion
through the experience of the rhetor. Anyone could have presented a speech that informs the

students what happens to them when using drugs. For example, anyone could have presented a

speech discussing how the use of tobacco leads to an increase chance of getting lung cancer and

how the use of cocaine changes the users appearance and increases the chance of heart disease.

But these students wouldnt really be persuaded to not do drugs that way because at this age, all

they really care about is being viewed as being cool and not how this may affect them in the long

run. However, these middle school students were presented Meros speech which persuades them

the most because they were able to connect to him because Mero had the same type of cares

when he was their age where all he cared about was being cool. Through this connection, Mero

was able to persuade this students about the negatives that come from drug use and how it makes

them a loser and teaches these students that drug use affects everyone around them and their

loved ones that believe in them. However, since these students are still in middle school, there

must have been some constraints placed on Meros speech. For example, Mero probably couldnt

use any foul language and his speech must have been reviewed to make sure that it is school

appropriate for the students to hear what he is speaking. Another constraint could have been that

the students parents must have agreed to the idea that their kids are going to be given a lecture

on how drugs affect them; where many parents may not feel comfortable with their children

being taught the effects of drugs at such an age. However, none of this would have been

necessary if there wasnt any exigence that arise from the use of drugs. The exigence that come

from the use of drugs is that it ruins the relationships between loved ones and that the use of

drugs affects everyone around you in a negative. Which make Mero feel compelled to help solve

the problem by sharing his story and how the use of drugs affected his relationship with the one
person that believed in him. Showing people the negatives about drugs and how the problem

affected his life when he was growing up.

In addition, Marc Mero uses pathos the most to persuade these middle school students that

drugs doesnt only affect people physically but it also affects the people around them. Making

the problem of doing drugs affect them mentally and physically. The use of pathos in Meros

speech, allows him to get into the students heads and allows for what he wants to say be spoken

clearly. When using pathos, Marc Mero describes how his mothers death has affected his life

and how drugs have ruined his relationship with the only person that has ever believed in him,

his mother. Mero states everything that happened when he received the news, ...I received a

knock on my door at 3 oclock in the morning when on a wrestling tour in Japan I remember

calling back home to see what happened and was told that my mother has passed...I was in the

middle of the streets in Japan looking up in the sky and found myself crying out loud apologising

to my mother.Also while stating this, Mero also acts all these forms out, making his words

mean more and his actions provides some type of persuasion. Later one, Mero goes on and states

I remember being embarrassed to walk up to my mother casket, so I decided to stand in the

back and would look into her casket and would see the angel that I feel like I have disappointed

and have betrayed. I have turned my back on the only person that has ever believed in me and

has ever trusted me. Once quoting that, students begun to cry in triumph because they never

want to ever go through what Marc experienced and never want to lose someone so important to

them. Making the audience feel some type of emotion towards the experience Mero is sharing

that persuades them that the use of drugs affects your loved ones that believe in you and that

there isnt a pretty outcome when the use of drugs is involved.

 In conclusion, Mero used many types of persuasion in order to accomplish the main goal of

providing a great response on how drugs doesnt just affect them but also affects their loved ones

and their surroundings. Marc Mero may have felt compelled to teach the younger generation the

effects about the negatives and to persuade them to not take apart of this drug crazed world

where almost everyone do some type of drug. Mero leaves off with the idea that he ... isnt there

to preach to them, he is here to tell them that he lived that life and it leads to broken hearts,

broken relationships, and broken dreams and death. Believing that there is still hope for the

future and that they change their lives to better themselves and not go through the same path he

did. Mero also ends with the idea that they are the meaning of love and that they are the future

that can change anything and do anything that they put their mind into. Persuading them they are

the change and that they can be the ones to end the use of drugs in this drug crazed world that

they will grow up in.

Video site:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Li7vpzLA9uw