Unrealistic Dreamers Speech Outline

Matthew Wagar’s Rhetorical Analysis Outline

of Haruki Murakami - As an Unrealistic Dreamer: Catalunya International Prize speech: 10 June

Purpose: Because of what happened in WWII, and Japan's fundamental princeples, the Japanese government and power companies should feel ashamed that they let greed and “efficiency,” come before the safety of their people when the earthquake destroyed the nuclear power plants; Japan shouldn't use nuclear power anymore.

Intended Audience: The people of Barcelona
Real Audience: Fans of his writing, the japanese people, the world

Context: Haruki Murakami is a critical novelist who usually focuses on themes of alienation and loneliness. Although born in Japan, he grew up reading a lot of western literature, therefore his writing is influenced by it.  Three months after it happened, he is talking about the Earthquake  that caused multiple nuclear power to explode.

Introduction: To establish his ethos, he starts off friendly and humorous, by complimenting on Barcelona’s women, and stating his successful job. He then flips that whole lighthearted move around to get to his serious topic. This bait and switch was a great use of pathos.

Section 1: Nature and Japanese Ideology
Purpose: Haruki wants to reassure the world that the Japanese people are prepared both physically and mentally for the many natural disasters that hit Japan. He does this through saying the Japanese ideology has always been prepared because Japan is so prone to natural disasters.
Appeals: He Establishes his ethos by gaining the trust of both his intended audience and his real audience.
Technique: Logic: Mujo, the mentality of the Japanese; apostrophe; Juxtaposition of regarding finding beauty and nature, and the disaster that nature causes.
Effectiveness: This was very effective because he didn’t need to refer to any statistics or sources. Because his ethos was solid as a japanese writer, he was able to tell the japanese ideology.

Section 2: World War II
Purpose: Haruki is trying to tell the Japanese energy companies, and government that they shouldn’t have relied on efficiency through nuclear power for what happened in WWII. “Let all the souls here rest in peace, for we shall not repeat this evil.” Haruki is pointing out that we have repeated this evil and that the Japanese should feel ashamed for they are not the victims anymore.
Appeals: He uses logos and pathos to try and make his Japanese audience feel ashamed, blindsided, and guilty. He wants his audience to realize that nuclear power is not meant for Japan based on the past. In this part of the speech he is trying to convince his audience to believe Japan has wronged itself.
Techinique: Logic; apostrophe; antithesis;
Effectiveness: Refering to World War II is his strongest point. It is literally the climax of his speech and the key detail his audience will be left with. Since the post World War II era was a time of immense reform of Japanese ideology, Haruki really hit the heart and really gets his Japanese citizen audience on his side.

Section 3: Corrupted Government/Finding An Alternative: Unrealistic Dreamers
Purpose: Haruki accuses the Japanese government of being too selfish and greedy to be efficient that it lost sight of it’s morals, culture, and people. He then encourages and insists that Japan resorts to other energy sources.
Appeals: Haruki finally reaches his conclusion on how government should change. In this section he is both trying to convince his audience that the government is corrupt for its views on efficiency, and we should find an alternative energy source than nuclear power. He also tries to persuade his audience to be “unrealistic dreamers” who try to be rebels towards the government and go for more natural energy sources.  
Technique: Metaphor: Unrealistic Dreamers: The people who believe that Japan can still dream for an alternative energy source.
Effectiveness: Although is Haruki’s main section to persuade his audience, I find it may be lost on his Japanese audience because he develops a conspiracy theory about the Japanese government and the energy companies. He is sort of a hypocrite in saying that Japan was orderly and developed before government decided to be efficient, and the efficiency is what made government greedy. Considering efficiency is what made Japan the huge super power it is today, so juxtaposing with what Japan was before its efficiency kick seems a bit confusing and weak.

General Evaluation: Through Murakami's use of rhetoric, he's trying to persuade both his intended audience of Barcelona, and the japanese people that nuclear power is destructive, and Japan must use an alternative form of energy. Murakami wants to rebuild Japan's morale, through reminding Japan of its mentality after World War II, and the cultural values of Mujo. However, it's unfair for Murakami to demonize nuclear power and efficiency, because it is through these policies that Japan has become the world power that it is today.