Rhetor's Ethos Pathos Logos

1636 Words4 Pages

The rhetor of the article, For many restaurant workers, fair conditions not on menu, uses several rhetorical elements to construct her argument and build upon her ethos. She uses logos to expand her credibility and ethos, as well as to make her pathos statements more rational. She appeals to the reader’s sense of American patriotism and freedom to try to sway the opinions of the reader. The article’s main argument is that workers in the restaurant industry are being unfairly treated with their minimum wage. The editorial discusses minimum wage disparities in the restaurant industry. It starts by discussing what a “minimum wage worker’s” day might look like, giving an example of a dishwasher, who has scars on his arms. The author uses this imagery …show more content…

She establishes her ethos in several distinct ways. Firstly, the article is written for the Boston Globe, a renowned newspaper that has established itself as a major source for both news and editorials. This shows that the article had prominence from the moment it was published. The author can also use her credentials (refer to paragraph 3) to build on the ethos of the article. In detailing statistics from credible sources (including MIT and UC Berkeley), the rhetor grows her already present credibility to establish a sense of trust with the reader. This allows the rhetor to speak gallantly without being questioned about misinformation or unreliable …show more content…

Firstly, the rhetor appeals to the reader’s sense of patriotism by discussing a system (in the restaurant industry) that disallows the pursuit of the American Dream. The rhetor writes about how people are forced to live with low wages and being in poverty when they shouldn’t. They put in a very large amount of work in their jobs and get little reward for what they do. This changes the way society works and allows for an enlargement of the amount of people below the poverty line. People (in America) feel entitled to certain rights including economic freedom. The author appeals to the emotions of the American people by subtly suggesting an infringement of freedom. In a larger picture, this problem of income disparity is addressed nationwide, people look to politicians to fix the “evergrowing” income gap between the upper and lower income levels. This becomes highly important when looking at what defines an American, whether it be income or freedom, both are being jeopardized by this

Open Document