John Tierney's Rhetorical Analysis

John Tierney, a former op-ed columnist for the New York Times, effectively uses statistics and surveys, along with the use of fear tactics, and studies from seemingly credible sources, to persuade his readers that the underlying issue surrounding this nation's higher education system is the over admittance of women. More specifically, Tierney uses rhetoric to persuade his readers of the negative effect female education will have on marriage. Tierney believes that college educated women will still strive for a more educated mate, and will fall short due to an imbalance in the ratio of male to female students in the higher education system.

Tierney presents the ratio right off the bat, that "The gender gap is projected to reach a 60-40 ratio

within a few years" (Tierney 130) presenting his strongest argument first. Tierney argues that the lack of college educated males leaves one out of every three college educated women without a potential spouse. If women only marry up and opt for men with higher income and education than them, it becomes clear that one in three women is left without a spouse; It's a mere numbers game. As a reader it is hard to argue with numbers, and when coupled with an allusion to Jane Austen’s book Pride and Prejudice, it’s hard to argue with the fact that women look for a man with money, thus solidifying his argument on the oncoming marriage crisis.

Tierney develops his earlier point of women being concerned with their husbands finances by providing evidence of the impact it has on marriage.

Tierney quotes Steven Nock of the university of virginia's findings on "marriages in which the wife and husband earn roughly the same amount [being] more likely to fail than other marriages" (Tierney 131). The use of Nock's study adds credibility to his argument, making it seem more academic and less like a personal attack on women surpassing men in the higher education system. The use of outside studies gains the trust of his readers, while efficiently answering the opposing view of women being capable of marrying down by proving that when they do, the marriage isn't strong and will most likely fail. Publishing in the New York Times, Tierney has a broad audience to win over, with the majority of his audience having at least some college education. This makes it extremely important for him to add credibility to his argument in order to get the attention of a skeptical and bias audience, which he effectively does with multiple studies such as this

one.
The conclusion of Tierney's article includes a very powerful statement, meant to instill fear in his readers and steer them toward making a change.

Tierney comments on the effectiveness of female advocates in achieving awareness in schools of the shortages of females on sports teams and science classes. Tierney points out that while this may seem like a victory for women's rights, "many of the victors will end up celebrating alone"(Tierney 132). This statement is meant to emphasize the overall shortage of men in college and the impact that it will have on marriage. The tone of his conclusion starts off didactic, re educating the reader on his previous point on the gender gap changing, creating a decline in the percentage of male students in college and how nothing is being done about it. The tone of his final sentence however, changes and becomes eerie; For most people the thought of ending up alone is frightening and Tierney uses that feeling to his advantage, playing off people's fear and insecurities in order to get the severity of his argument

across.
Overall Tierney does an effective job of persuading the reader of his argument. Tierney effectively drills his argument into the minds of his readers, that there is an imbalance of genders moving onto higher education, and there will be consequences as a result. Tierney skillfully uses different methods of persuasion throughout his article and ends on a high note targeting the reader emotionally, and by the end of the article, Tierney leaves the reader thinking and reconsidering any views they may have had previously on the issue, something any persuasive essay should strive to do.