News
How Mr. Modi Implemented the 21 Days of Complete Lockdown
28 Mar 2020
Convincing 1.3 Billion people to stay at home for 21 days is an extremely difficult task and yet our Hon’ble Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi did it and was quite successful. To know how he was able to do that please check the link given below for the complete transcript of his address to the nation delivered on 24th March where he announced that from midnight, the entire country shall go under complete lockdown.
https://www.narendramodi.in/text-of-prime-minister-narendra-modi-s-address-to-the-nation-on-vital-aspects-relating-to-the-menace-of-covid-19-548941
For understanding the structure of the great argument of Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, we will be using Aristotle’s three modes of persuasion: Ethos, Logos, and Pathos and critically examine his address to the nation.
Ethos (Credibility)
Ethos is about establishing authority to speak on the subject. In his address, Prime Minister Modi makes several personal requests and even pledges to observe the lockdown himself. Not only had that he also mentioned 'health experts' repeatedly and the WHO (the most credible global health care source).
Pathos (Emotion)
Prime Minister Modi’s made his argument more persuasive by wrapping a good prescription of emotion using the word "your family and our family" several times in the speech.
Prime Minister Modi's argument "Your carelessness can harm you, your children, your parents, your family, and friends" try to portray a picture every time people think of stepping out. He quoted "If we don’t take care over the next 21 days, then our family will go back 21 years".
Mr. Modi used the Lakshman Rekha an analogy with an emotional appeal reminding people of Sita's fate when she disobeyed Lakshman?
Logos (Logic):
Prime Minister Modi wanted the argument as to why the entire country shall go under complete lockdown to seem so straightforward and commanding that people in the audience are not left with any alternative.
Strengthening his argument as to why we need the lockdown, Prime Minister Modi quoted WHO statistics on speed of viral spread (67 days for the first lakh; 11 days for 2 lakh and just 4 days to reach 3 lakh patients). He made a strong appeal to the citizens by sharing that even rich countries like the US, Italy are struggling to contain the virus and the countries which stopped the spread did so through the lockdown.
In a way, Prime Minister Modi wanted to encourage people and audiences at large to reach the conclusion to the argument on their own and was successful in delivering overall a tough message.