rhetorical analysis of an article
Analyzing Rhetorical Strategies in an Article In a blog posting from 2007, Pharinet asserts her beliefs about the pressing modern issue of whether or not everybody should go to college. Due to the controversial nature of this topic, many well-executed rhetorical strategies are needed in order for Pharinet to convey her point and convince the reader that her argument is valid. In her article, “Is College for Everyone?” Pharinet utilizes many rhetorical strategies such as a calm, reasonable tone, nods to the opposition, and an array of personal examples to support her arguments. Firstly, Pharinet uses a calm tone to show the reader that she is passive and willing to make a reasonable argument in her favor. As is seen in the second paragraph when Pharinet states, “ . . . not every person should attend college” (635), the author is able to make simple, blunt statements and proceed to support them with facts that support her argument in a very beneficial way. After this sentence, Pharinet continues by saying that roughly 50% of student who begin college never graduate, and how the financial and academic obligations attached to college are typically too much for college-aged students (635). These supporting facts demonstrate Pharinet’s ability to support her argument in a passive tone with straightforward facts. She is able to present questions in a way that does not lead the reader to believe that she is confrontation, but rather that she genuinely desires to communicate her concerns with her audience. She asks questions such as, “If college is for everyone, why do we rely on SAT scores and high school transcripts? Why doesn’t every school have an open admissions policy?” (635). Pharinet is then able to answer these questions in a non-confrontational manner: “Quite simply, because not everyone should attend college” (636). She then continues on to give more explanations as to why her argument is a valid one, such as how many students at the pre-college