Missing Time - Rhetorical Devices

Parts of Argument	Rhetorical Device	Definition	Quote	Comment
Premises	Presumptions The normal	Based on a reference group or experience	“A larger segment of the scientific community should certainly be joining the investigation of what may turn out to be a watershed event. The Air force personnel charged with investigating UFO reports concluded in a top secret that UFO’s were extraterrestrial” (5).	The data came from a scientific consult, which makes it more likely that people will listen. If you take data from scientist and have them test it out, you are more likely believe the data (not always but sometimes). The author made sure to include the scientific part of the data to show how these things are happening more than we think and we should hear these people out and not be quick to judge like he first did. It sounds bizarre but what if its real.
Premise Modifiers	Presence Space	Making it feel close	“How I became involved in something so esoteric as the UFO phenomenon is something I’m not sure of myself, though one thing is clear; events came to me – I didn’t seek them out. I was not particularly interested at the time and I remember barely paying attention to them” (13).	The author first talks about how he didn't know if he believed in such things but when he saw the evidence and heard the stories and got to document them, he found that the unknown isn't a bad place to research and learn about. The author first telling the reader about how he didn’t really believe in these things can give the reader a sense of “okay maybe I’m not crazy” The author is making the story personable before getting into the things we know we will shut down. So the author makes sure to give a backup story before the reader automatically knocks down UFO and aliens. It’s a sense of connection with the reader that has to be made before you make bizarre claims.
	Interpretation	Make the data relevant	The white pages towards the end of the book (between pages 124 and 125) that has the pictures of scars from people and drawings of what the aliens may look like	By the end of the book the author may have captured some attention, but then again maybe not. The pages with the pictures can give the reader some sort of visual of what the author may be talking about. The pictures gives relevance to prove and make a statement on what may or may not be real. The author by this point still talks about how some of this can still all be speculation which is why these few pages of data is important. It’s kind of sort of like the author is not forcefully trying to get you to believe but tries and persuades the reader if the reader is stuck between believing and not believing .