Nighthawks was painted post-Pearl Harbor bombing. The city is sleek, giving a distant, cold feel. The idea that no one is on the Manhattan street at night is counter-intuitive. The deliberate omission of people, animals, and trash from the street displays a very desolate city. Little interaction, if any, is happening among the people at this diner. The isolation of individuals is indicative of the feeling of this time period. There is no visible exit from this diner inducing a feeling of confinement in the viewer. Although bright colors are used in this painting, it is a bleak setting.

After this historical introduction, it is easier to conclude the 'WATCO'. WATCO the Pearl Harbor bombing on the American people during the war? The audience is fairly broad; American adults. To tighten the audience group, we could specify city dwelling adults; this painting would probably resonate with people that are most familiar with its context. My Enthymeme: The bombing of Pearl Harbor severely impaired the morale of American citizens because the bombing of Pearl Harbor was a devastating attack on the American Military. Implicit assumption: Anything that is a devastating attack on the American Military also severely impairs the morale of the American citizens. Ethos: The painter, Hopper, grew up in Manhattan and knows the cities layout; through this he was able to distort it appropriately in order to get his point across to his audience. Pathos: The emotional disconnect in this painting among the diner patrons is easily discernible by the viewer. Logos: When you look at the diner from this vantage point, there is no exit for neither the patrons nor the bar tender. This logical conclusion yields the desired mentality for the painter.

The argument is sufficient. Enough supporting evidence of the argument is found in the painting. The process which leads up to the final point is typical; the audience can logically follow the flow of the argument. This is a well done argument. The only draw back revolves around the fact that the effect of this painting would be lost to some extent on an individual who has no idea about the historical context of this painting.

Nighthawks (1942 (120 Kb); Oil on canvas, 30 x 60 in; The Art Institute of Chicago)