Genny Gardner

Jamie Kay
English 1010
24 November, 2015

Fearing Fear Itself Response

Fearing Fear Itself are the captivating words chosen by Paul Krugman an opinion
writer associated with The New York Times, to introduce his topic. Throughout his paper he
uses many rhetorical elements including pathos, allusions, and ethos to convey his opinion.
Although this is an opinion article the points and events he refers to, are greatly displayed and
show the results of giving into fear.
Throughout Krugmans paper he uses various amounts of pathos to portray his opinion.
Fear is one of the ways he uses pathos in his article. He continually repeats how the killing of
innocent civilians are the results of terrorism. Krugman also talks about the dangers that can
result from these atrocities and how sowing panic is a goal for terrorists. He also states that
fear is what the terrorists anticipate and rely on to succeed in getting what they want. This leads
into the next pathos, strength, which he uses to counterattack fear. Krugman states France is not
going to be conquered by ISIS, now or ever, giving strength and hope as a response to the
terrorism. He links terrorism to inspiring fear, but continually repeats that we as a society should
refuse to give into the fear of terrorism. He talks about how we cant let the atrocities of Paris
change everything, and how we need to focus on other matters that currently pose a potential
threat to society, like the climate changes.
Krugman also uses allusions in his article to compare to past events that have occurred.
He refers to attacks that have happened and how they can relate to Paris. He compares the 9/11
attack in New York to the current Paris attack, and how we shouldnt be responding with fear.
Krugman talks about how the result of fighting and invading Iraq as a result of 9/11 led to a
disastrous war. He then links 9/11 to the rise and attacks of ISIS, as well as the empowerment
that the terrorists received. He includes these allusions as well as the attack on Paris to remind
people of what has happened in the past and what could happen if we give into fear. Krugman
also uses allusions to smaller events that happened in the past. For example his title Fearing
Fear Itself relates back to Franklin D. Roosevelts Inaugural speech in 1933 when the U.S. was
going through the Great Depression. He was referring to all of the hard times that were
happening but how he would change it if he were elected. Krugman uses this infamous quote to
remind people of the other hard times that the U.S. has faced, and how we could respond to the
Paris attacks in an appropriate way. Another allusion that he refers to is when he says Yes,
Virginia people can and do exploit terrorism for political gain This refers back to when a
Virginia, a little girl wrote a letter to The New York Sun asking if Santa Claus was real or not. The
response became famous and well known among the people in the U.S. Krugman uses this

allusion to show people that people do exploit terrorism for their own uses and advantages in
politics.
Ethos is another rhetorical element that is used to display Krugmans opinion in his
article. He refers to President Obamas view on climate change and global warming to show that
if the president thinks there are more important matters that pose a threat to society than we
shouldnt be worried about the Paris attack and that we should focus on the things that matter.
Krugman states that Terrorism cant and wont destroy our civilization, but global warming
could and might. He is trying to get people to see that the U.S. has other things that need to be
addressed. Jeb Bush is another top figure that Krugman uses to show that although some people
believe that ISIS is an attempt to destroy Western civilization he disagrees. He believes that its
an attempt to sow panic, meaning that the terrorists will succeed if people give into the panic
that has been developing. He is trying to show the different views of important political figures
to side his opinion and show that he is correct.
Overall, the amount and use of rhetorical elements in Krugmans article Fearing Fear
Itself has been greatly displayed, favoring in his opinion. He used pathos to show fear and
strength that comes not only from terrorists but from every day events, and how we shouldnt
give in to fear because it gives the terrorists success. He uses allusions to show how the Paris
attack relates to other events that have happened, such as 9/11, and how the results of these
events have affected the U.S. as a whole. He also used ethos to portray the views of important
politicians to show the importance of what he was saying. Krugman succeeded in showing the
importance of his opinion by using these tools.