Rhetorical Essay on the Da Vinci Code

The Da Vinci Code: A Psychological Thriller

The Da VinciCode, Dan Brown’s best-seller, is considered as the novel of the twentieth century by the majority of reviewers who have read it. The novel is a psychological thriller that both informs and entertains the reader. There was a lot that the renowned author put into his writing that set it apart from other books. It wasn’t only about the author’s imagination and study, but also about the use of different literary forms in his writing. The writer also made an appeal about ethos, logos, and pathos. Therefore, was Dan Brown able to use appeal and various literary techniques effectively? How effective was he that made his book successful?

Brown’s Literary Styles

In the Da Vinci Code, Brown was able to apply various literary styles that enabled him to enhance his work. He used these techniques to capture the attention of the readers and ensure that they have a different experience as they read this book. He used many techniques, but I will analyze the most prominent styles.

Repetition

The most notable style that Brown used was the use of repetition. This book is a very extensive book that is full of information; it was necessary that Brown had to repeat some of the terms that he used. Some of the words that were mostly repeated in this text include the Knights Templar and the Priory of Sion (Hanegraaff and Paul 19). He kept on repeating these words when he referred to a particular group of people to lay an emphasis given that the words seem elusive to the reader. This ensures that the readers of the book retain what they have read several years after they have read the book.

Addressing the Opposition

Another style that brown has boldly included is the way that he has dealt with the opposition. The book has controversial conspiracies in it which the author had no fear in expressing his beliefs in the notion that he has researched. The book challenges the biblical image of Jesus Christ. The Bible portrays Jesus as a holy figure who had nothing to do with the desires of the body. On the contrary, the book talks about the Priory of Sion which is a secret group with the responsibility of ensuring that the proof of this secret is kept in the safe hands. He does not hesitate to talk about the efforts of the Catholic Church to try to destroy this evidence. Making such an audacious move proves that Brown has finds it easy to use this style to capture his audience.

Imagery

The last style which Brown uses that I would like to address is the use of imagery. Writing such kind of a story with the mentioned sitting requires one to paint the picture to the mind of a reader. Brown uses the style of imagery to describe some of the venues where the acts take place and to define some of the characters in the story (Hanegraaff and Paul 22). The museum in France is given a detailed description which paints a clear picture in the mind of the reader. He also describes Silas a tall and scary looking albino.

Brown’s Appeal

The appeal is the most used tool when one wants to analyze the rhetorical strategy of any given literary works. When describing the appeal, on uses three most important aspects which are ethos, logos, and pathos. Therefore, it is important to look at the utilization of these three tools by Brown and to what effect has he used them.

Ethos

thos refers to the character and qualification of the writer that gives him the ethical appeal. The credibility of Brown cannot be put to question given that he has been involved in the writing of other best sellers in the American market. He is a proven writer, and all the readers of his books will have something to expect in any of his works.

Logos

Logos focuses on the logical appeal and how the writer has provided conscionable evidence to support his ideas. The idea of Jesus fathering a child with Mary Magdalene may seem to be an intolerable conspiracy (Hanegraaff and Paul 27). But the argument that Brown has put forth may bring a benefit of the doubt by a rational believer in Christianity. Brown has explained the origin of Christianity and the influence of the Roman Empire to the present-day church. From Brown’s argument, one cannot rule out the possibility of a cover-up by the Roman Catholic about the actual life of Jesus

Pathos

Pathos is also referred to as the pathetic appeal. It involves the efforts of the writer to draw an emotional appeal from the readers. Brown effectively draws appeal from the audience throw various occurrences in the book. One of the characters that he uses to bring a pathetic appeal is Silas, the scary looking albino. It is not only the odd treatment on albinos that will bring the readers emotions but also the atrocities that Silas goes through. Since he was orphaned as a child to the day he died, Brown tells the story of Silas in an emotionally captivating way. Silas is always bleeding from the wounds that he injures himself from the cleansing ritual.

Conclusion

To conclude, there is a reason why this book is considered the book of the century. Brown has effectively employed his skills as a writer to blend the various literary techniques and produce a magnificent book. Have personal appeal and also the appeal that he draws from the reader of this book is the main reason it is highly ranked.

Work Cited

Hanegraaff, Hank, and Paul L. Maier. The Da Vinci Code: Fact Or Fiction?: A Critique of the

Novel by Dan Brown. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2004.