Tohmpson

"He cried mightily with a strong voice, saying Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is becoming the habitation of devils..." (Ђ 1). Taken from the bible in Revelation 18:2, Thompson commences his piece with this quote. Babylon being the United States and President Nixon and his cabinet as the devil, Thompson's message immediately becomes clear: Nixon's presidency led to the downfall of America. To truly get the essence of how deeply Richard Nixon was despised by some, it is definitely in one's interest to review Hunter S. Thompson's piece titled, "He was a Crook." Published in 1994 by Rolling Stone Magazine, Thompson attempts to convey his immense disrespect of Richard Nixon as a human being and political figure. He definitely reaches his goal of spitting on Nixon's legacy with vicious and sometimes sadistic language. Through analysis of the text, it is fairly obvious that Thompson's persona is hateful and cruel. His choice of terrible words and references to disposing Nixon's body like trash cannot be mistaken for someone who hopes to come off as being courteous. To the audience, namely liberals and a few conservative who can handle reading Thompson's style of free thinking journalism, he comes off as being highly critical and cutthroat. Although he sometimes seems psychotic, the similarity between the way Thompson intends to speak to the audience, and the way the audience receives his message makes him highly credible in the rhetorical sense.

Overall, it is obvious that Thompson's message to the audience is that Richard Nixon was a horrible, lying, and conniving human being who permanently harmed America and deserves little or no respect. According to Thompson, "It was Richard Nixon who got me into politics" (Ђ 6). This explains why Thompson is so infatuated with Nixon and obviously not because he admires him. He claims that his personal encounters with Nixon have made him a better person. I have had my own bloody relationship with Nixon...I am not worried about it landing me in hell. I have already been there with that bastard" (Ђ 3). Heaven and Hell are mentioned often in the paper, probably because the article was written after Nixon's death, but may be interpreted as Thompson's way of hinting at the vast difference morally between Nixon and the common man.