Ray Rice: Sincere or Not?Ray Rice, a well-known former American football player, did the unthinkable to his then-fiancée . In February 2014, he physically assaulted her in an elevator and the whole thing was filmed. Several videos quickly surfaced, showing the entire situation to the public. While the videos received a lot of attention, many fans, family members, etc. noticed. were understandably disgusted by Rice's actions. Shortly after the videos went viral, he was arrested for physical assault. However, he was quickly released as the attack did not seem too extreme. Later that year, he apologized to a large audience with his wife by his side. As he spoke, he continually stated that he was sorry and explained how he was going to improve his personal life, as well as his relationships with his wife and the community. Although he tried to appear as sincere as possible, even crying at times while he spoke, his wife expressed negative body language. She didn't seem comfortable listening to her husband speak. Throughout the apology, she rarely looked at her husband. From her reaction, it seems like she thinks Ray was pretending to be sincere the whole time. For several reasons, I believe he failed to be rhetorical. In this rhetorical analysis, I examine whether or not Rice was sincere the entire time he was speaking and explain how he was ineffective. The five areas I will explain are ethos, pathos, logos, appeals and aesthetics. However, I will focus primarily on ethos, pathos, and logos, as these are the main three that appear repeatedly in Rice's public apology. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The reason why ex-footballers apologized is, I quote: “did you believe in me again”. Rice wanted his career to continue in a positive way, but since he was receiving so much criticism, it would be difficult for him. At the same time, he wanted everyone to see him as, quote, "the same Ray Rice you all knew." In order to try to improve his situation, he tried to use the appeal method to his audience. He wanted to make sure everyone knew that he truly loved and cared for his family, that he was going to help the community and that his fans, sponsors, etc. were very important to him. These certain things could possibly change the public's idea of ​​him because these certain actions/words are seen as selfless and kind. Trying to salvage his reputation, he continually said things that made him an extremely loving and caring individual. However, I think this is not the case. Even though he said he was going to do such positive things, that doesn't mean he's actually going to do them. I firmly believe Rice was just saying these things so the public could respect him again. During his apology, he used logos several times using logic and reasoning. Towards the beginning of his apology, he explained how he was trying to help him and his wife through counseling. Along with that, he said he made a mistake. He claimed that making a mistake is something that happens to everyone, so they should try to be more open-minded and think about forgiving him. Rice continually said he regretted everything he had done and would go back in time to fix everything if it was possible. Finally, throughout his apology, hecomplimented his relationship with his wife. Ray Rice said they grew up together, still loved each other very much, and worked through their issues together like what a couple should do. Although this seems more positive than negative, it makes sure that everyone knows that this is a common problem that both individuals need to resolve. Even though he was the one who physically assaulted his significant other, he says it's something they both need to work on so it doesn't happen again. However, he didn't do a good job at this because he kept saying it was something he and his wife needed to work on. It was Rice who physically assaulted his wife. A much more logical thing to say would be for him to explain why this was something he needed to work on. The whole situation was his fault. If he hadn't assaulted his wife, he wouldn't have lost the respect of his fans, family, etc. Along with logos, he used pathos several times trying to get the audience to feel sorry for him. Throughout his apology, he sounded extremely sincere. To add to the sincerity, he cried several times while he spoke. Rice allowed himself to show his emotion in front of a large audience, which for some people can really make them believe he is only telling the truth. He said he had made a mistake and felt terrible. Ultimately, he wants him and his wife to be happy and supported by others. At the end of the apology, even his wife helped resolve this situation. She told him that she loved Ray, which might have given the audience the impression that the love the couple has for each other is much stronger than they previously thought. However, based on how she reacted throughout this entire process, I think Rice failed miserably. The fact that his wife felt uncomfortable shows that something was wrong. Although he did a good job on one thing, which was actually a display of sadness, he mostly failed. During his apology, he used several elements related to ethos in relating to the community. He told everyone he would do whatever he could to improve the community. When it came to explaining his feelings about his work, he said he loved it and hoped to continue without much criticism. After claiming he was the same Rice they all knew and loved, he continued to apologize for his actions and tried as hard as possible to appear as sincere as possible. Even though he tried to appear sincere, I firmly believe he was lying. Saying what he said about the community would obviously make the public have more respect for him. Rice, however, said these things so he could gain some respect and trust. Although this apology showed some positive things, it also had many flaws. This brings us to “aesthetics”. The entire time Ray Rice was speaking, his wife seemed uncomfortable. She looked like she didn't think he was being honest, and her body language conveyed that she didn't agree with what was being said. However, she chose not to say anything, perhaps because she was afraid of being attacked again. On top of that, she wasn't looking at her husband. This seems like a negative sign: usually, if you're angry with your partner and don't want to talk about it or listen to them, you don't look at them. From her actions and facial expressions, she seemed angry with her husband. Besides his wife looking upset, Ray Rice kept stumbling over his words. Even though his choice of words wasn't too strong or important, he ended up getting it wrong several times. This showed.