Analyzing David Brooks 'Argument'

Rose uses ethos throughout his writings, building his credibility. He argues that, “Students will float to the mark you set” (Rose 160), because many of his teachers were unenthused about their teaching positions, so the less effort they gave, the less effort the students returned, which shows when Rose’s sophomore English teacher had the pupils read Julius Caesar over the course of the entire year. Rose gave a feeble attempt at playing a “waterlogged Cassius and a Brutus that are beyond my powers of description.” (Rose 159). His teacher gave so little effort in his curriculum none of Rose’s classmates

Leading a meaningful life meant breaking away from the fear of criticism or rejection; conforming to society limits Illgunas’ definition of life. Illgunas’ suburban upbringing makes the danger of social conformity clear to him. Surrendering to society would consequently cause him to completely lose himself. After graduating from high school, Illgunas and his classmates follow the conventional path towards a higher education. Illgunas explains, “My high school class and I moved like a school of fish: we graduates were capable of going off on our own, in whatever direction we chose, but something demanded we all swim as one…” (6-7). Parallel to the claim Illgunas makes, graduates that do not attend college are stigmatized. Society has created a paradigm: after graduating high school, students should attend a traditional four year university, and then enter the “career world.” In Illgunas’ perspective, people in

Graff effectively uses ethos in his article by discussing a personal anecdote as well as utilizing some intelligent diction. When arguing that students would be more inclined to engage in an academic mindset if they were able to apply their own interests, Graff states, “I offer my own adolescent experience as a case in point” (245). By claiming that he personally struggled with academic engagement, Graff influences the audience to perceive him as a credible source. Not only does Graff prove his ethos through his personal anecdote, but he also builds his ethos by using impressive, complex diction. For example, Graff uses scholarly words such as “philistine,” “interminable,” and “rudiments” in order to present himself as a qualified, intelligent resource (247). By establishing his credibility, Graff strategically influences the audience to be convinced of his argument.

He first uses pathos when he talked about how many animals are euthanized each year and how those animals are used for food (Foer). By using pathos it either brings out the audience’s sympathy or anger trying to convince them to make a difference. In his article he is trying to appeal to the audience emotional side to convince them eating animals is wrong. The second time he uses pathos is when he talks about how the Hawaiians hold the dog’s nose shut ¬¬in order to conserve the blood (Foer). When he talks about other cultures traditions, he is trying to show his readers how disgusting and horrifying other traditions are no matter which animal is being killed. The third time he uses pathos in his article is when he talks about a Filipino recipe. “First, kill a medium-sized dog, then burn the fur over a hot fire (Foer). While reading this sentence most animal lovers would feel horrified at the mental image running through their mind. His whole point of using the Filipino recipe was to show people how other cultures use different animals, but he mostly wanted people to see if the recipe called for chicken, cow, or even horse most people would be okay with the recipe. Pathos is a good tool to use in ones article because emotion is a good way to capture the audience to try and make them take a stand on the issue at

With the analysis of rhetorical strategies underway, I would like to discuss the presence of pathos in the speech. Sanger was a very passionate writer, and this allowed her to be absorbed into the paper. I noticed that, in Sanger’s speech, there were many emotionally loaded words. For example:

Zinsser addresses his argument using pathos, which plays on the reader’s emotions. Zinsser states, “Mainly I try to remind them that the road ahead is a long one and that it will have more unexpected turns than they think. There will be plenty of time to change jobs, change careers, change whole attitudes and approaches”. This states that the students should calm down and explore more for their lives in the future. Zinsser draws attention of the readers by starting with the notes that the students sent to their dean, Carlos Hortas, showing the anxieties of the students trying to figure out their uncertain future; this allows the readers to show sympathy and concern towards the students as they relate to their feelings of pressure. For example, Zinsser recalls a story that the dean told him about the typical questions he would receive from students in the 1960’s. The questions were about why the world was suffering and how they would contribute to improve it. The typical questions from students nowadays are about what major they should be in or what class they should take in order to get into either law school or medical

ii. Topic Sentence – Pathos is referred to as the literature’s emotional appeal to the audience’s senses or imagination.

Within The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls uses the rhetorical device pathos to help connect with her readers and make it so they can better comprehend her story and the difficulties she often had to deal with. “Mom said Dad was never the same after Mary Charlene died. He started having dark moods, staying out late and coming home drunk and losing jobs (Walls,28)”. This passage is a prime example of pathos seeing

First, when using pathos it is a convincing argument to support an accurate basis. The first point is that Walter did not use pathos properly. The fly fishing is that he is delighted to torture fish on the second paragraph (Isaacs, 2014). Walter did not use

The education correspondent for Time magazine, undergraduate at the University of Washington, concentrating on journalism and political science, and graduate work at Northwestern University, specializing in new media, Kayla Webley, in her essay “Is Forgiving Student Loan Debt a Good Idea?” states Robert Applebaum’s solution for student loan debt is a “radical and wildly unfeasible solution” in both economically and politically. Applebaum’s proposal is to “provide a one-time bailout of student debt…as a way to stimulate the still-limping economy.” However, Webley counters the solution has to have “the purported benefited and fairness of a one-time student loan bailout.”

General Purpose: The general purpose of the speech is to point out why college should be free. I will persuade my audience that my solution of the free college education will work.

This rhetorical device helps the reader understand what the author is feeling by conveying certain emotions. In Sullivan’s essay, the emotion that she was trying to convey was of how she wanted to be indolent and not go to a funeral because she did not see the importance of it. “I was 16 and trying to get out of going to calling hours for Miss Emerson, my old fifth grade math teacher” (Sullivan). Even though she did not want to go to the funeral, she ended up going. Twenty years later, the teacher’s mother still remembers the author’s name. This anecdote brings the emotion of homesickness and melancholy. Pathos can help the author connect with the reader by displaying the emotions they felt at that time of the

Because of this, the audience understands that the arguments presented do not originate from personal opinion. Thirdly, pathos involves the words used by an author to petition to the emotional aspect of readers. Carson pleas to the emotions of the audience by mentioning that risks are presented to future generations unless a solution is found on the use of harmful pesticide and insecticides. In this aspect, Carson arouses the feelings of the audience towards the future generations by presenting the hardships future generations might

Andrew Delbanco’s essay “A college Education: What is its purpose?” gives three reasons why college still matters. Delbanco teaches at Columbia University, where he’s the director of American studies and has written several books on the meaning and benefits of college. Delbanco, begins his essay by discussing what college means to each individual student. He states, “For many more students, college means the anxious pursuit of marketable skills in overcrowded, under resourced institutions. For still others, it means traveling by night to a fluorescent office building or to a “virtual classroom” that only exists in cyberspace.” (1) Delbano successfully uses pathos to appeal to his audience’s emotions, his personal experience and anecdotal combine to persuade his readers to consider or realize the importance of receiving a college education, however his essay contains minor flaws that can counteract his claims.

College students get to analyze other subjects that they may have not shown an interest in before; that will help them construct their career. Getting the necessary skills students need, will assure their success on anything they choose to do. “It is the education which gives a man a clear conscious view of his own opinions and judgments, a truth in developing them, and a force in urging them” (Newman, 54). Education gives students a better understanding their own opinions, and judgments; it creates anxiousness in developing them, a fluency in expressing them, and a power in urging them.