Rhetorical Analysis: Should Everyone Go To College

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College is one of the largest financial burdens in today’s society for many. Since the recession, people often ponder what the best financial options for students looking to go to college are and what path they should take to get them there. Being able to read other’s opinions on said topic can be rather beneficial for one looking into the possibility of furthering his or her education. Mike Rose, faculty member at the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Karen Lawrence, the president of Sarah Lawrence College, have both shared their opinion for others to read by writing articles about this epidemic and stating what they believe to be the advantages and some of the possible downsides …show more content…

Rose discuses the value of higher education and the different institutions that provide programs available to those wishing to further their knowledge. He goes on to share a story from his life, to help better connect with his audience. This is most likely beneficial for Rose to include, as he uses the rhetorical appeals of ethos and pathos to allow his audience to understand that he has gone through experiences alike their own. Rose talks of how he was raised in a “poor family”, how he was just “an average student”, and how he believed at first that college just was not for him (Rose, Paragraph 2 and 9). By telling the audience of his struggles and opinions from his younger years, the audience is able to better understand Rose’s words and see him as an equal rather than just a college professor. Rose uses the appeals of ethos and pathos in these statements to connect with the audience. His experiences allow him to become more humanized and bring credibility to his words while also evoking emotions from the audience. While Rose uses both of these appeals well, Karen Lawrence’s article “What Value Really Means in Higher Education” seems to only focus on Sarah Lawrence College and the benefits of attending such a school. Lawrence never seems to use the rhetorical appeals of ethos and pathos, as she does not appear to include any statements that would evoke one to feel a certain emotion or allow herself to gain credibility. However, Lawrence uses the rhetorical appeal of logos well to appeal to the audience, as did

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