Recognize and practice key rhetorical terms and strategies when engaged in writing situations.
I met this Learning Course Outcome when writing a Rhetorical analysis paper non two of the articles I gained inspiration from to do further research on.
Below is the Rhetorical analysis I did.
Rhetorical Analysis
In Learning to Read, Malcolm X effectively conveys his points and opinions on education with the use of logos, pathos, and ethos. These three rhetorical strategies that Malcolm X employs allow him to successfully present his argument and persuade his readers to support his case. The point that Malcolm X is trying to present to his readers is that although formal education is great, you do not need formal schooling to sound smart and educated. He believes that the only thing teenagers have to do to educate themselves is read more. He notes that rhetoric, the art of persuasive speaking, reading, and writing, is the absolute most necessary thing to advance your role in society and status in life. In order to learn how to read and write, Malcolm X asked the prison library for a dictionary, pencil, and paper. He then began copying down every single line of the dictionary and on the second day of owning the dictionary, he realized that he had retained some of the information that he had copied down. Realizing this, Malcolm did the same thing every single day until he had copied the entire dictionary. Malcolm tells us that before receiving the dictionary, he could read books, but would have no clue what ninety- five percent of the words even meant. Recalling the first time he copied down words, Malcolm X said, “I woke up the next morning, thinking about those words-immensely proud to realize that not only had I written so much at one time, but I’d written words that I never knew were in the world. Moreover, with a little effort, I also could remember what many of these words meant” (Malcolm 355). Malcolm uses the logos of his argument to explain his improvement to his readers by saying, “I suppose it was inevitable that as my word-base broadened, I could for the first time pick up a book and read and now begin to understand what the book was saying” (Malcolm 355). Malcolm X uses the pathos of his argument to reflect on how reading benefited his life by saying, “I knew right there in prison that reading had changed forever the course of my life. As I see it today, the ability to read awoke inside me some long dormant craving to be mentally alive” (Malcolm 360). By saying that, Malcolm X created an emotional connection with his audience. At the beginning of the section, he was an eighth grade dropout, was involved in organized crime, and sentenced to eight to ten years in prison at the age of twenty, and has now completely changed his life around with the help of motivation, dedication, and the desire to learn and better himself. Malcolm X establishes credibility for his argument by mentioning a time when an English journalist called him in London and asked him a few questions on his personal experiences. The journalist asked Malcolm X what his alma mater was and Malcolm X responded by saying, “Books, a good library” (Malcolm 360). For those who do not know, by asking Malcolm X what his alma mater was, the journalist was asking which school or college did he graduate from. The significance of the interview was that an English journalist had heard Malcolm X speak and wanted to know what college he had attended because of how well he spoke. But in reality, Malcolm X did not attend college; his education and rhetoric skills were acquired through his “prison studies,” as he would say.
In Learning to Read, Malcolm X has a second argument. He argues that the white man is the world’s biggest hypocrite, Christians in particular. Malcolm X argues that Christians do not act like how they are supposed to act. He states, “I read, I saw, how the white man never has gone among the non-white peoples bearing the Cross in the true manner and spirit of Christ’s teachings- meek, humble, and Christ-like,” but instead wages war and commits acts of violence in greed(Malcolm 358). Malcolm X uses emotional appeal by saying, “Four hundred years of black blood and sweat invested here in America, and the white man still has the black man begging for what every immigrant fresh off the ship can take for granted the minute he walks down the gangplank” (Malcolm 360). Malcolm X establishes his credibility by stating key points of multiple different books and by doing so, offers his audience the chance to go read them themselves. For example, he states, “I read H. G. Wells’ Outline of History: Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois gave me a glimpse into the black people’s history before they came into this country” (Malcolm 357). Once Malcolm could read, he started reading all the time and was essentially obsessed with reading. Eventually, Malcolm X began extremely interested into the history of Africans, slavery, oppression, civil rights, etc. Malcolm X said, “I never will forget how shocked I was when I began reading about slavery’s total horror. It made such an impact upon me that it later became one of my favorite subjects when I became a minister of Mr. Muhammad’s [in the Nation of Islam]” (Malcolm 357).
In Learning to Read, Malcolm X persuades his audience to support his ideas and beliefs through the use of rhetorical strategies. He effectively presents his two main arguments through logic, emotional appeal, and establishing credentials. Malcolm X argued that the studying that he did in prison was more beneficial than any college degree that he could have gotten if he had stayed in school. Malcolm X’s two arguments both join the educational, social, cultural, legal, and economic conversations. The subject of civil rights angered Malcolm X so much that he founded an organization for African American civil rights. He used the rhetoric skills that he learned in his “prison studies” to become one of the most renowned civil rights activists in the history of the world. Malcolm X used his autobiography and its rhetorical style as an opportunity to express his thoughts and beliefs concerning education and civil rights to the world at the time when social unrest over the civil rights movement was at its peak.
Rhetorical Analysis
Not all people whose English as a second language speak it in the same way. This argument was made by Amy Tan throughout the story “Mother Tongue”. In the essay, she successfully expresses all three of rhetorical styles such as logos, ethos, and pathos. Tan also balances each part of the rhetorical triangle with a very effective and thoughtful essay.
First, the author uses logos and reasoning in her essay. An example is when she explains how her mom would have her call to ask for information, and people in banks, restaurants, and department stores would not take her mother seriously. The essay might well be aimed at people who got to take care of their parents as if they are exchanging roles with parents. At a young age, Amy Tan had to handle situations. She was the middle person between her mom and other people who had no idea what her mom said. Because Tan’s mother expressed words in an imperfect way, Amy Tan stated that her thoughts were also imperfect either. As a person who lives in dual language, Tan argued that a person’s limitation on language does not reflect their perspective on society or events of the world.
Secondly, the author uses ethos to present the idea that social expectations should not negatively influence one’s perception. She thinks the standardized tests are not able to accurately determine a person’s intelligence. It is unfair because there are many different types of intelligence people and people have different ways of thinking. As Tan was growing up, her speech and what she was taught from her family affected her life. In the story, she describes the relationship between her and mother, who speaks “broken” English. Furthermore, the family environment affected her results at school. Many other Asians in the U.S are also having suffered the similar problem, and have teachers ‘who are steering them away from writing and into math and science’. Overall, Amy Tan wants to say that just because someone cannot speak English perfectly, it does not mean in anyways else would make them less intelligent than other people who are born in this country, who understand and speak English fluently. It is like a quote ‘We are like a snowflake, all different in our own beautiful way.’ We all have similarities but our differences help define us. However, the author’s mother was judged by her language. She also saw her mother was disrespected because of her incorrect grammar and wrong use of words. Through the ‘Mother Tongue’, the author wants to send a powerful message of how we ought to view people by their beautiful side and not by their shortcomings. There is a quote “We are like a snowflake, all different in our own beautiful way. Everyone has a message to say, it may be different from yours, and it might be grammatically incorrect but it does not make the message wrong.
Finally, Tan uses pathos to appeal to readers’ emotions. An example is when she notifies readers about her mother’s tumor. The hospital did not apologize when they said they had lost the CT scan. They also did not seem to have any sympathy when she was anxious to know the exact diagnosis. Because of the neglect and little care the hospital had for Tan’s mom, and if she hadn’t had anyone to call and speak for her, the sickness would potentially progress and no one would know about it.
In conclusion, through the different rhetorical strategies, Amy Tan successfully explains the language barrier in the U.S has limited success and prosperity levels for non-English speakers. Proper communication skills are vital for thoughts, emotions, and ideas otherwise one might be perceived wrongfully. Another example of her using pathos is how she uses anecdotes with descriptive language about her and her mother’s experiences with discrimination. She proves her point to the literary experts by establishing credibility (ethos), invoking emotional appeals (pathos), and stating logical facts (logos).
