Rhetorical Analysis Of 'The Coddling Of The American Mind'

“The Coddling of the American Mind” is a persuasive article written by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt about the increased use of trigger warnings. As all persuasive writing does, the authors used logos, ethos, and, especially, pathos to convince their readers of how unnecessary and possibly harmful the use of trigger warnings can be. In “Coddling of the American Mind”, authors Lukianoff and Haidt try to sway their readers with facts and logic, or the rhetorical appeal known as logos. The most obvious use of logos is the list of Common Cognitive Distortions listed at the end of the article; this list provides helpful information for the reader, as well as makes the authors seem knowledgeable. Definitions for words such as “microaggression”

and “trigger warning” were also included in the article, which served the same purpose of informing readers who were unaware of those terms and making the authors seem more knowledgeable about the subject. Ethos, or the credibility appeal, was evident throughout the article because of the many names mentioned. Thomas Jefferson was among those names, and the authors picked a quote of his to conclude their article with: “This institution will be based on the illimitable freedom of the human mind. For here we are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it.” Throughout the article, examples of microaggressions and trigger warnings are given, and the cases given validate Lukianoff and Haidt’s argument against trigger warnings. The last rhetorical appeal, pathos, is the one used the most subtly. In the first part of the article, the examples the authors give of microaggressions and trigger warnings are very petty, meaning that the reader will likely become annoyed with the concept of trigger warnings. Readers then move on to learn that those with anxiety disorders benefit from exposure to what gives them anxiety, which the authors use as proof for trigger warnings being unnecessary. When put together, these emotional appeals will make readers feel like they are doing people a service by rallying against trigger warnings, as the article has just shown them to be petty and unhelpful to those with anxiety. In “The Coddling of the American Mind”, the authors’ uses of the three Aristotelian Appeals created a persuasive yet informative article about the use of trigger warnings in college classes.