Zuzanna Osiecka
ENG 2150, Dr. Blankenship
March 8, 2016
Paper 1: Rhetorical Analysis of a Cultural Artifact

Dear Dr. Blankenship and Writer’s Group:

I have revised my draft of the rhetorical analysis of The Blacklist. With your advice, I changed my thesis to “The Blacklist conveys a distorted idea of good and evil by allowing its audience to understand and connect with the main characters on an emotional level; its controversial plot infiltrates the minds of its viewers and blurs the line between right and wrong.” I included the idea of connecting to the characters on an emotional level as well as the controversial view of the government. I have also revised the topic sentences for my paragraphs so that they connect to my thesis as well.

As for the introduction, I like the way it intrigues the reader so I attempted to keep a decent amount of it. However, I added questions that eventually lead to my thesis. I think that my paper is a lot more coherent and focused than it was before. My biggest problem was organizing it in a way that made sense, as well as keeping a single idea throughout the essay. I worked on my support as well, and I believe that I have made a decent amount of changes; I also added citations from our readings in class. This paper has definitely changed my views on revision. I feel a lot more confident with my paper after getting feedback and making changes.

 

The World Is Not Exactly Black and White

Picture this: you just graduated and it is your first day on the job as an FBI profiler. Coincidentally, a fugitive on the Top Most Wanted List of multiple U.S. law enforcement bureaus for the past 20 years has just willingly turned himself in. You know nothing about this until you leave your apartment only to find helicopters and what must be at least ten FBI cars waiting for you outside. Raymond Reddington, wanted for an immense amount of crimes, has specifically asked that he only speaks to you. You develop a father-daughter relationship with him and although you know all of the crimes that he has committed, you begin to see the world through his eyes. Would your view of him change? Is the government always honest with the people? Is it possible that the line between right and wrong is not as clear as you think? This is exactly what happens to Elizabeth Keen on the crime-drama television series, The Blacklist. Unlike most crime shows, it not only provides its audience with an inside look into the mind of a criminal, but it also raises many thought-provoking questions. The Blacklist conveys a distorted idea of good and evil by allowing its audience to understand and connect with the main characters on an emotional level; its controversial plot infiltrates the minds of its viewers and blurs the line between right and wrong.

Raymond “Red” Reddington, a former U.S. Navy officer that became a high-profile criminal, surrenders to the FBI declaring that if he is granted immunity, he will expose what he calls “The Blacklist”. He claims that this valuable list contains the names of the most dangerous criminals in the world. In return for the list, Reddington does not only want immunity but he also requests that he speaks exclusively to a woman named Elizabeth Keen. Elizabeth Keen is a newly hired FBI profiler in her twenties; she has no clue why Reddington has chosen her nor has she ever met him before. The FBI decides to accept Reddington’s offer and the storyline develops. Soon it is discovered that the targets that Reddington gives to the FBI are not necessarily random picks; in fact, Reddington targets people in order to protect himself as well as Keen. Although many innocent people are killed in the process, every criminal caught saves hundreds of lives. The FBI is forced to choose between giving Reddington exactly what he wants and letting innocent people die.

As the characters develop and we are able to learn more about them, we grow to understand them. The mind of a felon is shown in a unique, thought-provoking way. Reddington, a cold-hearted criminal wanted for multiple felonies including murder, is seen from a completely different perspective. Although his relationship to Elizabeth Keen is still unclear, he displays a father-daughter approach towards her. He does whatever he can to keep her safe; he even attempts to hide from her the fact that she unintentionally shot her own father as a child in order to protect her. When Reddington is presented as a caring father-figure, we develop a new view of him. We begin to relate to him; we no longer see him as we usually would, an evil man that has murdered tons of innocent people. “Emotional appeals can come in many forms”, says Laura Bolin Carroll. The Blacklist appeals our emotions through the relationship between Reddington and Keen. As we watch them interact we realize that we are not really that different; anyone would do anything in their power to protect the person they love. We grow an attachment towards them which allows us to put ourselves in their shoes.

Throughout the show, Elizabeth Keen is faced with many moral dilemmas that shape her character as well as her perspective. Because she represents an average person that has never considered crime as an easy and ordinary way to get out of trouble, we can see the way in which her character develops as she is exposed to the harsh cold world of crime. The show explores the idea of pushing people to their limits and seeing how far they will go. Throughout the show, Keen is faced with multiple dilemmas where she has to decide between being an honest agent and protecting her own as well as her husband Tom’s life. We see her character evolve as she enters the sphere of crime and corruption. At the beginning of the show, Keen is a rookie agent with a husband planning to have a family. After two seasons, Keen is on FBI’s Most Wanted List along Raymon Reddington. It is not her morals that change; she has seen what is on the other side and she has to deal with those consequences. Keen entered this new world knowing that there is a price to pay; she is aware that she will have to put herself and her loved ones ahead of her job. Her natural instinct to survive comes into play and she does whatever is in her power to not only save herself but other innocent people. Just like Reddington, she realizes that going against the orders of the government is not always as evil and selfish of an act as it appears; in order to save innocent lives Keen and Reddington have to take matters into their own hands.

The Blacklist is not a typical television drama; it is aimed at a more engaged audience. There is a necessary amount of attention and thinking involved when watching the show. It is directed at people whose idea of entertainment is more than mindless humor or a romantic drama. The show explores a controversial issue of our government, the secrets that are meant to “protect” people. “As consumers of culture, we are lulled into passivity or, at best, prodded toward a state of pseudo-semi-self-awareness”, says critic A.O. Scott in a New York Times article (Scott). Once the audience is presented with the idea that a lot of information is disclosed from the public, it is easier to question the true motives of the FBI. Reddington is no longer seen as a cold-blooded killer, but rather as someone on the inside that is aware of things that we could never even imagine.

The Blacklist pushes the idea of whether the ends really do justify the means. The FBI is faced with the moral dilemma of where to draw the line between between helping a high-profile criminal with an agenda and saving thousands of people. It seems implausible that a government agency would comply with a criminal of that degree, but The Blacklist demonstrates that nothing is as it appears on the surface. Reddington is willing to save people’s lives as long as he is able to protect the people he loves. However, there are casualties along the way and innocent peoples’ blood ends up on Reddington’s hands. As the show progresses, it is revealed that Reddington’s plan is not just to protect the people he loves, but to find and contain the “fulcrum”, a secret file that exposes an international government that could cause conflict all over the world. This shows us that there are other perspectives other than our own, and causes us to question the way we look at good and evil; the world is certainly not black and white. Reddington’s motives are aimed at “bigger” things, meaning that a handful of casualties is nowhere near as bad as possibly billions that he could prevent. On the other hand, we are shown how corrupt and secret the world we live in could possibly be. There is a multitude of issues regarding our safety that the government hides from us.

Reddington’s perspective provides us with insight about the world of crime. We see the way that things are handled and how common death is. After being a part of that world for over 20 years, it is hard to remember what “normal” life is like. Reddington has been exposed to so much gore and evil, that he has become immune to the idea of death. In one episode, Reddington tells Keen that he has not “slept like a child” in over two decades; he reveals some of the hardships that he has faced that have made him who he is now. It is hard for him to feel at peace because he knows that he needs to be constantly prepared for whatever bad thing that could happen to him at any time. He claims that sometimes we do not get to choose the life we have, which leaves us questioning if we are too quick to judge other people. Just because Reddington is at the top of the Most Wanted List does not necessarily mean that he is a malicious and heartless person.

Beyond the fact that The Blacklist allows us to enter the mind of a criminal, it also brings up many moral questions. The show’s purpose could be to cause us to reconsider the standards we use to classify people as “good” or “bad”. The word “criminal” has an understandably bad connotation, but is it fair to group people that way? If it was not for the show’s way of presenting Reddington’s motives from his perspective, we would still consider him a fugitive that deserves to be locked up for murdering innocent people. When looked at from a different angle, however, he is not only helping the FBI catch dangerous criminals, but he also attempts to save the world from chaos. Reddington is a genius that has chosen to use the government as help for pursuing his own agenda; his plans are impeccably planned and it feels as if he is always six steps ahead of everyone. Although his strategies may require immoral actions, we learn that sometimes there need to be sacrifices made for the greater good. As we watch the show we realize that we are not always against these immoral tactics. The Blacklist shows its viewers that there are always important factors to consider that are deeper than what we can see and sometimes you have to fight evil with evil.

The Blacklist is not your standard crime show. Although it feels as if there are more and more questions after every episode, it is impossible not to wonder what will happen next. We are left intrigued and deep in thought. The show causes us to reevaluate our approach to the world; it is not a straightforward representation of good and evil, but a view from the inside. We do not just see how a criminal’s mind works, but we are forced to question our beliefs about right and wrong.

 

Works Cited

Carrol, L. B. (2010). Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps toward Rhetorical Analysis. Retrieved

March 06, 2016, from http://www.parlorpress.com/pdf/carroll–backpacks-vs-briefcases.pdf

Scott, A. O. (2016, January 30). Everybody’s a Critic. And That’s How It Should Be. Retrieved

March 06, 2016. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/31/sunday-review/everybodys-a-critic-and-thats-how-it-should-be.html?emc=eta1

“Intel and Analysis.” Blacklist Declassified. WordPress, 03 Jan. 2016. Web.