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Decent Essays

Through the use of several rhetorical devices, Chua supports, as well as weakens, her claim and expresses a different, controversial way of parenting. An important element in Chua’s argument is her ethos. She is clearly an intellectual individual, given that she is a professor at Yale University. Putting aside her credentials, this essay brings forth a distinct character. From the start, she identifies herself as a tough and strict “Chinese mother”. Throughout the piece she uses several personal experiences that support this assertion. The reader recognizes a sense of confidence from Chua as she repeatedly contrasts Western-parenting ideals from Chinese-parenting ideals. As far as her credibility as an author, it is questionable. She …show more content…

It is very biased statement. There is no way to interpret how her daughter was really acting. Already having examples of Chua’s ethos from this piece, it is practical to assume she is exaggerating. Chua’s diction is also troubling, especially when she writes, “All decent parents want to do what’s best for their children.” What are “decent parents” and what is “best” for any child? She does not elaborate on these key terms. It is the beginning of an argument on definition. Like in the case of Chua’s exaggeration, there is no way to determine what qualities a good parent has. There is no way for every parent to agree on a list of things that are best for children. Another technique the author uses to get her point across is repetition. Numerous times throughout her essay Chua repeats two words at the beginning of a sentence, “By contrast…” She is making it very clear that there are differences between Western parents and Chinese parents. This is effective because the reader is constantly reminded that these two types of parents are not comparable in Chua’s mind. There is also a bit of repetition in terms of actions of the author. It seems like there is a cycle of Chinese parenting in her life. She raised her daughters the way her parents raised her. Chua’s father called her “garbage” when she acted inappropriate and Chua called her daughter

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