Introduction The article that was selected for analysis is titled “Captured ISIS Fighters’ Refrain: ‘I Was Only a Cook’” by Rod Norland, and it was published in The New York Times International on October 1, 2017. Norland describes how the Kurdish forces in Iraq are dealing with a recent influx of possible ISIS fighters who attempt to flee the battlefield under the guise of refugees. He uses a variety of vivid images and descriptive text to create a more personal perspective on the process. Throughout the article, Norland uses those images to elicit an emotional response from the reader, while describing a few scenarios that he encountered. This paper will provide an analysis of the images and scenarios that the author utilizes in the article. Images and Tone The first rhetorical strategy can be seen at the very beginning of the article. The first paragraph describes the suspected ISIS fighters as “dirty and disheveled” (Nordland). These descriptors create a judgmental tone that can be felt throughout the article. However, the descriptors are not inaccurate, as the photographs confirm that the condition of the suspected ISIS militants and the checkpoint that they come to is poor. Therefore, it seems evident that the author is attempting to paint a realistic image of the situation. The quality of the floor, types of clothing, and positions in which the suspects sat were all described in detail, creating a vivid image of the conditions there. The author describes multiple encounters and all of them receive the same level of detail. The author justifies his use of a judgmental tone, however. Throughout the article, Norland reminds the reader that the majority of the people he is writing about have a high chance of being actual members of ISIS who were involved in beheadings and other atrocities (Nordland). The strategy of logos is used, but indirectly. The author does not state that he judges the suspects but instead uses the clarifications about their potential involvement with ISIS to justify a less impartial approach to the text, despite there being a chance of false accusations. Scenarios The previously mentioned images are used to enhance the description of scenarios present in the article. One of the scenarios describes a short scene from an interrogation where the interrogators try to get a confession from a suspect while threatening him with a pipe. The prisoner’s arms are tied behind his back with a scarf because plastic cuffs have not arrived yet. The suspect eventually says the titular line of the article, “I was only a cook,” to which the lieutenant responds with a laugh because they have already apprehended tens of others who were supposedly cooks (Nordland). The scenario allows the reader to understand the desperation that these people feel as they try to come up with ideas to reduce their punishment but come up short. The reality is that they most likely were fighters but felt that defeat was inevitable and took their chances with surrendering to the Kurdish forces. The author does not tell that to the reader, but the scenario allows the reader to imagine the rest. Another scenario explains why the suspects went to the Kurdish forces specifically. The scenario shows the commander of one of the Kur