Analyzing arguments

Analyzing arguments

Introduction

The belief that one must have a degree is so imbedded in us such that advising a high school senior not to get a degree seems offensive. Society believes that degree holders become successful automatically and that those who do not gain entry into the university have a troubled future. However, this is not always the case as there are numerous people who pursued technical courses and they are leading better lives than many degree holders. Robert Reich seems to hold similar beliefs that students should be encouraged to pursue technical courses because they are actually well-paying. His article “Why College Isn’t (and Shouldn’t Have to be) for Everyone” is persuasive because it appeals to emotion, it gives credible proofs as to why college is not for everyone and also it gives undisputable facts about the nature of education today. This essay will show how Robert Reich has used those rational appeals to persuade the reader to agree with his argument.

Pathos

Pathos appeals to one’s emotion. Emotions are strong and effective feelings and when an author manages to get to the emotions of the reader, it will be easy to convince them of an argument. In his article, Robert Reich has made use of this tactic by giving sad facts about the stereotypic belief about college degrees and how many people have suffered because of it. For instance, he says, “They feel compelled to go to college because they’ve been told over and over that a college degree is necessary. Yet if they start college and then drop out, they feel like total failures.”. This statement appeals to emotion because one feels sad for those students who are forced to go to college because if they fail to society will brand them as failures.

The stigma of being branded a failure is unbearable such that it is better for them to waste time and money on useless degree courses rather than pursuing their passion and making a living out of it. He also mentions the cost of university education and how many students end up with hefty debts that they incurred from student loans. The thought that they will spend years paying the debts makes the reader wonder; is college education that important?

Ethos

This rational appeal makes use of credible examples to convince the reader of an argument. The most effective use of ethos is when the author gives an example from personal experience because this will make the reader see the argument from the author’s point of view. Once the reader sees the argument from the author’s point of view, it is easy to conquer with his/her ideas. In this particular article, Robert Reich has given an example using a person he knows. He says, “I know a high school senior who’s so worried about whether she’ll be accepted at the college of her choice she can’t sleep. The parent of another senior tells me he stands at the mailbox for an hour every day waiting for a hoped-for acceptance letter to arrive.”. This example is based on a personal experience where he shows how high-school seniors worry over college acceptance. When the reader understands why the seniors worry about getting into college and the importance attached to it, they will consider the author’s argument as credible. By using this tactic, Robert provokes his readers to think of other productive things that the high-school seniors can do rather than rushing to join universities for degrees.

Logos

Logos makes use of undisputable facts. Use of proven data facts to argue a point erases all elements of doubt. For instance, when one refers to the findings of a certified research, the reader will be more convinced because he/she is sure that the author did not cook-up facts but they referred to a research. Robert Reich utilizes this tactic to argue his point. He gives an instance of how a large percentage of degree holders were holding job positions that did not require a degree. He says, “ Last year, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 46 percent of recent college graduates were in jobs that don’t even require a college degree.”. This fact goes ahead to prove his point that college is not for everyone. It also argues that a college degree does not guarantee one of a well-paying job. Another appealing fact that he has used is that of Germany. It is a known fact that Germany is the leading country when it comes to precision manufacturing. When he uses that as an example to show that technical courses also earn a good income, the reader will agree. The use of known facts shows the credibility of the argument.

Conclusion

In summation, it is correct to say that the article of Robert Reich is persuasive. He has made use of pathos to appeal to the emotions of the reader, ethos to assure the reader of his credibility and logos to use undisputable facts to prove his points. After reading his article, one can conclude that a university degree is not the key to success a lot of emphasis should be put in the technical courses. Failure to enlighten the young generation of the available opportunities in the technical industry will render the future generation hopeless and jobless.