January 6, 2012
ENG/215
Dr. Sophie Hsia
What the Water’s Revealed by Jim Wallis
What the Water’s Revealed, an essay by Jim Wallis, argues that the silent story of poverty in America was brought to light in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He also covers issues such as the war in Iraq and government spending that came under fire as a result of the storm. These were all issues that were slowly brewing prior to Katrina, but came to a head once people started looking for answers. Jim Wallis follows the classic principals of argumentation in his article. The subject covered in the article, is controversial and shocking for many Americans. He uses ethos, pathos, and logos to develop authority in the article and connect with readers.
Ethos …show more content…
He is best known for his advocacy of peace and social justice. He previously served as a spiritual advisor to President Obama. (Sojourners, 2011) What the Waters Revealed was written by Wallis for publication in his magazine titled Sojourners. Wallis builds ethos, (authority) in his article through his years of experience in fighting for social justice. From his writing he appears to have a strong passion for helping the millions of poverty stricken Americans throughout the country not only the ones directly affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Jim Wallis creates authority in the article by following the basic principals discussed above. Wallis uses an authoritative voice when addressing important issues in the article. His tone is firm and pressed on the urgency to make changes for the future of the nation. Readers can feel the importance of his topic through his writing. This subject is clearly something that Wallis has strong feelings towards.