Tara Kliebenstein Stephen Topf English 114B April 16, 2014 License to Drink In the article Needed: License

to Drink, by Mike Brake he makes a claim that a new law should be passed stating that all people who are legally able to drink, shall have to require a license in order to purchase alcohol. He addresses people who suffer from alcoholism as the main objective as to why certain people should, and should not be allowed to buy alcohol. Brake heavily uses rhetoric in order to justify his reasoning. Although I understand Brakes point, it is an illogical claim that will not save the amount of lives he is hoping for. In the very beginning of Brakes article, he starts off by using pathos. He states We buried my cousin last summer (Brake par 1). This is clearly pathos because the author is attempting to get his audience to feel remorse for him while reading his article. He continues his first paragraph of this article with additional information about other relatives who died from alcoholism as well. Before I could get into the depth of the paper, I was already feeling sorry for the author. The author is trying to obtain this feeling from all of his readers, and it is a helpful strategy to use when writing a paper. Brake also proves he is credible by using ethos to justify his claim. He states, He was 32 when he hanged himself from a closet coat rack because of the affects of alcoholism, the fourth of my blood relatives to die prematurely from this deadly disease (Brake par 1). This statement shows that Brake is credible because alcoholism is a disease that runs in his family. He has faced several deaths in his family due to alcoholism, meaning that this disease runs in his

bloodline, making him very credible. This proves that Brake knows enough information about the risks of alcoholism, and it is probable that he knows a way to decrease the number of lives lost because of it. Lastly, Brake uses logos in order to prove his reasoning. He states, About two-thirds of adolescent and adult Americans drink alcohol. Of those, from 8 to 12 percent will become alcoholics or problem drinkers (Brake par 3). This portrays logos because the author is using facts and statistics to prove his reasoning. This is a reliable strategy to use, because numbers heavily influences Americans. In order to successfully prove a point one must include facts in order to convince an audience. Although Brake uses reliable information to justify his claim, I disagree with him because this claim is illogical. The system he is trying to create is almost the same as the system we use currently. The law states one must be 21 or older in order to purchase/drink alcohol. America still faces many incidents of underage drinking, and the deaths of young teenagers from alcohol. My point is, even if people were required to have a license to purchase alcohol, people will find alternative ways to purchase it such as underage teenagers. Issuing a license to people in order to buy alcohol, will create epidemic illegal marketing and will put more peoples lives in danger.