Henry Rollins' Rhetoric of Atonement: An Apology for Offensive Comments About Suicide

摘要

In response to Robin Williams' death, outspoken punk rocker Henry Rollins published an LA Weekly column about his disdain for people who commit suicide. His comments about depression were immediately condemned as ignorant and hurtful. In an effort to make amends for his offensive remarks, Rollins delivered an apology that featured all three elements of the rhetoric of atonement: repentance, prayer, and charity. Analysis of Rollins' discourse suggests important implications for the literature surrounding apologetic discourse. This essay questions whether rhetors must explicitly ask for public forgiveness in order to demonstrate repentance and highlights the language of service as a meaningful element of charity.