A Nation of Grinders by David Brooks

908 Words2 Pages

Booker T. Washington once reminiscently wrote, "Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome" (Washington). Washington's conviction that success is to be defined by tenacity and achievements throughout one's lifetime directly corroborates David Brooks's credence that success derives from a sound work ethic and perseverance as demonstrated in his article, "A Nation of Grinders." The speaker, who is typified as philosophical and sage, argues to an audience comprised of average American citizens striving for prosperity, that success is not merely calculated based on materialistic possessions but rather by the acquisition of knowledge, experience, memories, and happiness throughout the span of an entire life. In rebelling against the traditional connotation of success, which is worldliness and superficiality, Brooks redefines success as the amassing of happiness through diligence throughout a lifetime. In his article, "A Nation of Grinders," Brooks utilizes histrionic allusions, insightful analogies, and cogent logos to generate a didactic tone which contributes his redefinition of success as the accumulation of memories and experience through hard work and unyielding ethics.
In the article, "A Nation of Grinders," Brooks uses sagacious allusions as well as a pedagogic tone to accentuate the fact that the societal perception of success as being comprised of monetary accumulation is flawed and that success or joy is ultimately bred by assiduity. By constantly referencing a multitude of prominent historical figures the author is able to effectively generate common ground with his audience as well as make analogies that they find relatable through the usage ...

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... understanding amongst his audience and enhancing his instructive tone. When the speaker meditatively states, "As the Yuppie was to the 80s... maybe Abraham Lincoln could be for the coming decade" he utilizes his academic tone as well as the analogy of Lincoln to the Yuppie, to effectively emphasize the fact that he views Lincoln as paragon of his own definition success, as arising from hard work, which further develops ethos through his allusion to the prominent historical figure that is Abraham Lincoln. By employing both an illustrative allusion as well as a thought provoking analogy as well as his scholastic tone the author is able to make the audience more likely to accept his definition of success as deriving from hard work and sound work ethics due to his development of common ground which results in general understanding of his assertion within his audience.

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