Dirty Dancing

Patrick Swayze, age 57, died on Monday, September 14 of pancreatic cancer. In his LA Times obituary, he is regarded as the charismatic star of one of the best date movies of all times. The article goes on to describe Swayze's roll in Dirty Dancing, the praise he received from critics, and the scene that put the movie at the top of the list. "Swayze delivers a line with swaggaring perfection. 'Nobody puts Baby in a corner,' he says as he defies her father and pulls her up for a final uplifting dance sequence." His dance moves were applauded, and continued to help him win hearts throughout his career. The author then goes on to say that Swayze turned down an offer for a sequel because he looked for curveballs in his life. She shared a personal statement made by Swayze, and then went on to examining the roles he took in the years following Dirty Dancing. The continuous theme throughout the obituary is Swayze's urge for adventure and his "wild-man edge". The author frequently relates back to this idea and uses specific examples of the roles he played and direct quotes as evidence for her claims.

Obituary writer Valerie J. Nelson uses the history of Swayze's acting career, critic reviews, quotes by Swayze, and personal opinions to form her evaluative argument. The majority of the evidence she used came from direct quotes--mostly from Patrick Swayze himself.