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Comparative analysis Essay

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Comparative Analysis of Josie Appleton’s article “The Body Piercing Project” and Bonnie Berkowitz’ “Tattooing Outgrows Its Renegade Image to Thrive In The Mainstream”. Traditionally, tattoos were meant for sailors, soldiers, bikers and gangs. Along with several changes in the industrialized and technological society of the twenty-first century, the standard for getting body modifications have altered as well. Everyday, people are willing to get permanently marked as an individual choice rather than the customarily perception of belonging to a certain group. Tattoo and piercing shops are not seen as “the backstreet” of the commercial civilization today, it is somewhat an expected sight in all public places. Josie Appleton in “The Body …show more content…

Appleton is successfully arguing this case using pathos by telling stories rather than her own direct opinion. Using pathos means that she is appealing to emotions (Ruszkiewicz, Anderson, and Friend 24). Berkowitz, on the other hand, argues using logos to persuade the audience that people are getting tattoos for cosmetic reasons. She is therefor appealing to factual evidence (Ruszkiewicz, Anderson, and Friend 24), “Painters and sculptors trained in fine arts migrated to tattooing, looking at skin as a living canvas” (Berkowitz par. 7). Berkowitz is using historical facts to underline the significance of a permanent artwork on skin. The author argues that the change from a patriotic mark (as a sign of belonging to a group) to the superficial meaning started in the late 1970s and early ‘80s when tattoo artists were encouraged to share ideas through magazines and conventions. In addition, athletes and television implicated that tattoos were cool in this time period. As to compare Appleton and Berkowitz’ articles, it is simplest to say that Appleton argues the change in why people want body modification by implying that the so-called “personal significance” means little compared to the cosmetic reason. By Appleton implying the cosmetic reason, the two articles successfully argue the same reason. Berkowitz directly says that the reason for people getting tattooed today is aesthetic but Appleton makes the

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