For me, as well as many who have come before me, the issue of national security is very important. In many ways, it is what Ben might have referred to as "an inconvenient truth". Many people seem to struggle with the way things are handled at the higher levels of security in this country, whether or not things are "fair" or "legal". Well, my truth is simple: desperate times call for desperate measures. In his book Political Theology, Carl Schmitt discusses this idea of sovereignty, in simple words, when it is ok for the government to surpass the law. He brings in the ideas of French political philosopher Jean Bodin, saying "To what extent is the sovereign bound to laws, and to what extent is he responsible to the estates? ...commitments are binding because they rest on natural law' but in emergencies the tie to general natural principles ceases" (8). In other words, those who are sovereign are permitted to "stretch" or "bend" the law in cases of emergencies. I believe, as do many others, that the terrorism inflicted on the United States by radical Muslim groups constitutes a state of emergency, and this gives the US government the right, in some cases, to go above certain laws to protect its citizens.
As far as who i wanted to read this, well, i guess everyone who reads and enjoys fiction! It is geared more towards those in the right wing side of politics, but like I said, this is work is for anyone who enjoys reading a good thriller. I chose fiction because it is less pretentious then other kinds of writing. It is "only" a story, yet, as Leo Strauss elaborates in his Persecution and the Art of Writing, "...it is apt to arrest the attention of the young men who love to think"(26). In other words, yes, there are underlying political and even moral messages in my fiction, for those who are bright enough and engaged enough to find them.
I believe that the use of fiction is a powerful truth in convincing my audience that my truth is both real and legitimate. I was able to reach a much larger audience because it is a form of entertainment and not directly a form of news or political theory. I mean, lets face it, the average person in the United States would much rather be entertained then to read the straight up dry news of what is actually going on in the world!
I will admit that i did read Theodor Adorno's The Psychological Technique of Martin Luther Thomas' Radio Addresses, and from that, I gleaned many good ideas for creating a the likeable character of Mitch Rapp for my novel! The first one that I tweaked a little was what Adorno referred to as the "lone wolf" technique. Again, this concept did not fit my novel perfectly, but it was useful! Mitch Rapp is the lone wolf. Yes, he has those in power to back him, but he never really has the 100% of support from anyone. I evoke sympathy from the audience by showing that Rapp is the tough guy who puts his work above everything, and therefore will forever be alone: "You mean to find someone else. Settle down, have a bunch of kids..Not so sure it's for me. Besides, someone has to do this job, and i don't see too many guys with my skill set ready to step into the breach" (159). We are inclined to sympathize with him because he is sacrificing what many would see as personal happiness for the greater good.
Another tactic i picked up from Adorno's writing was this idea of 'persecuted innocence'. As Adorno says, "First, it has to interpret the danger to the leader as one to all and to rationalize aggressiveness under the guise of self- defense" (13). In the case of my novel, it isn't so much'self-defense' as it is 'defense of my countrymen'. This is how I am able to portray Rapp as aggressive as he is, without the audience (hopefully) writing him off as just a big jerk. Rapp's boss speaks to him about "'the part that most people would have a hard time with. The killing'. Rapp shook his head. 'Its never bothered me. The guys I am whacking aren't exactly upstanding citizens'" (158). In my fiction, I have created a character who is likeable, one that people can sympathize with, who is at the same time an extremely violent person, but doing it in the "pursuit of honor".
My hope is that by reading my novel, people will stop twice and think before bashing the government when it comes to issues of national security. After all, it is the best interest of the American people that they have in mind!
I honestly give this book a two thumbs down because it is not original. Vince Flynn's "CIA agent special Ops" kind of stories have been done a lot of times in the Past. For example, From Paris with Love had a similar plot. John Travolta's character had a similar character as Mitch Rapp... both had the "by any means necessary" motto. From Paris with love is not the only one that is like that, there are many other movies that came out prior to 2009 that had the same storyline.
ReplyDeleteThe strategies above are all ones that I used very effectively in my novel however, I forgot to add in one important aspects. I have just described the tactics I used to appeal to pathos of the audience. But along with appeal to the audience’s pathos I have thought I was very important to play up on their logos or backing up my claims that I make. I do this making the situations and characters common (in a way) so that my readers can relate them to things in their very own lives. This makes my arguments much more reliable.
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