Topic > In Search of Alaska and the Concept of Trustworthiness and Ethics

Credibility and Ethical AppealsAs previously mentioned, On the Banning is divided into two sections with respect to tone and method of addressing the audience. In the first twenty seconds of his vlog, Green establishes his credibility in a hilarious way: “turns out the most challenged book of 2015 was Looking for Alaska, which was written by me” (0:12). The comical inflection in the last two words, which can only be adequately conveyed in the video itself, makes the audience laugh and creates a lighthearted tone, while introducing its credibility. After all, who better to talk about the novel in question than the author himself? At 24 seconds, he continues this interesting comic take on credibility by saying, “I suppose this is some kind of honor. I mean, Looking for Alaska contained the same offensive language and sexually explicit descriptions ten years ago, but it was much less likely to be banned because, you know, not many people had read it. Once again, he uses a funny inflection at the end of the sentence that indicates how much of a commercial failure the book was initially. In doing so, however, he suggests that the novel has made a major comeback in 2015: a humble and subtle way to hint at the success of the novel and the author without saying so outright. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Where this tone becomes more thoughtful is another way Green appeals to ethics. “Anyway,” he says at 0:46, “I often get asked to respond to the banning of Looking for Alaska from schools and libraries, so, okay. Here is my answer." The inflection of this phrase is once again used to divert the viewer's attention from mere vanity; placing the emphasis on "okay". Here is my answer” part of the statement, causes the viewer to pay less attention to the fact that they are “often asked to respond” to the situation, but it still registers in the audience's mind as an effective appeal to ethics. Then, later, he develops his unique method of turning his ethical appeals into mere implications by openly stating that his opinions don't matter in the long run: So, yeah, I don't think Looking for Alaska is pornographic, and I don't think its readers find it tantalizing. But, that being said, I don't think it's up to me whether Looking for Alaska (or really any book) is in a school or library because I'm not a teacher or librarian: highly trained, criminally underpaid professionals. we employ to make those decisions (2:04). . . . I think teachers and librarians know more about teaching and librarianship than I do. And I believe they should be allowed to do their jobs in service of the entire public (2:50). Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Here, he ironically states that his own opinions ultimately don't matter. Authors can provide video responses to the banning of their books until the end of time, but until the professionals Green believes are the right people to decide these things are allowed to decide, it will all be for naught, which might explain his initial hesitation. to discuss the topic.