Topic > Comparative Analysis of the Two Bigfoot Publications

A global phenomenon called Bigfoot dates back centuries with what people believe are sightings of this tall, hairy creature. Two authors have their own beliefs about the evidence of Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch. The publication Cryptozoology News says there have been multiple “sightings” on an Alabama road. Author Darren Naish asserts the credibility of all the data that has been found which includes "tracks, hair, vocalizations, photos, and countless eyewitness accounts" (Naish). Although Cryptozoology News attempts to build its credibility with eyewitness stories, the witnesses' emotional appeals weaken their integrity in the entire argument. While Darren Naish begins with a more personal opening establishing common ground and a goodwill approach towards the audience. He then follows it up with his credibility on logically seeking evidence that people believe to be true, ultimately strengthening the article. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Cryptozoology News has no author listed and an unreliable source that also has questionable witnesses which drastically limits the reliability of this article. Their only source is Jim Smith, Bigfoot researcher and "founder of the Alabama Bigfoot Society" (Naish). Smith was the one who investigated the accounts of the four eyewitnesses. Two of the eyewitness stories stood out from the four. One of them is "a woman who claimed to have been driving on Halloween night when they spotted the creature last year" ("Four Witnesses"). Women who spot the creature on Halloween are not very reliable because it is traditional to dress up in costume during that holiday. Likewise, a “man, who was reportedly traveling east on the same highway, said it was “almost dark” when he came across the creature” (Naish). This witness may have just seen a deer or bear while passing by on the highway. Adding the fact that it was "almost dark" didn't help his case because no one sees better at night, especially on the highway with the headlights of other cars. Despite Naish's article, he uses reliable sources and ethical appeals in his argument. These sources include Darren Naish himself who wrote a book called "Hunting Monsters" and Melba Ketchum who published a paper called "Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science" where she studies the genetics of possible Bigfoot (qtd. in Naish). Citing these sources shows the amount of research and facts the author himself took to find the truth "If Bigfoot Was Real." Adding more opinions from authors and journalists also helped further broaden its credibility, but could have increased the amount of logos added. If he had used more statistics and quotes from other professional researchers, he would have been stronger. Along with his ethical appeals, Naish's use of strong emotional appeals begins to end in his article. Early on, to gain common ground with the audience, he states, “by the way, I would love to be wrong… I still hope Bigfoot is real.” By writing this he shows the readers that he wants to believe it too. the creature is real and will give the reader a sense of goodwill on the part of the author. Throughout the article, he continues to use pathos using words like “troubling,” “cowardly,” “unrealistically,” “love” (Naish) to further his claim that the Sasquatch is not real. He uses the balance of those words full of positive and negative pathos as a subtle approach to show his desire to believe in bigfoot but have to face the truth and reality that the creature is a myth. In his.