The Human Cost Of Illiteracy Rhetorical Analysis

Why We Fight, a 2005 documentary that was directed by Eugene Jarecki synthesizes multiple sources and uses various rhetorical techniques to raise questions about America’s motivations for combat historically and in the present day. In George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant, a british police officer experiences effects of Imperialism even as the oppressor in Burma during the time of British Imperialism. Although these two different work involves different situation, there is still an idea of imperialism that is running through. United States is acting as an imperialist country, trying to spread its policy throughout the world while Burma was going through British Imperialism. In the documentary, Why We Fight, Jarecki argues that the reason we

Imagine waking up to an unfamiliar world. A world that only may seem familiar due to years spent breathing, but not living. In this unfamiliar world, one can only imagine the panic and frustrations illiterates face each day as they coexist. An expert on this issue, Jonathan Kozol, wrote a book that deals with his theories of illiterates in America. He mentions how democracy is sacrificed from lack of acknowledgement of this issue. While focusing on chapter four in his novel, Kozol highlights real life hardships for illiterates and defends that their freedoms are nonexistent. In Jonathan Kozol’s essay, “The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society”, he presents the major costs and dangers from illiterates that impact our society as a whole and that our nation fails to address.

“We are part of this universe; we are in this universe, but perhaps more important than both of those facts, is that the universe is in us.” This quote was stated by Neil deGrasse Tyson, author of Coming to our Senses. Coming to our Senses was published in 2005. The main idea of Coming to our Sense is that our senses are limited and that we need technology to enhance it to better our world. Tyson is effective in delivering the main idea by using rhetorical devices found throughout his essay.

Writer Jonathan Kozol, in the essay “The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society,” suggests that the alarming rates of illiteracy in the U.S. are corroding the fundamentals of democracy, reinforcing the structures of inequality that created the problem to begin with. His argument draws on a range of evidence and support from multiple sources such as philosophers and historical figures, anecdotes, and first-person accounts. Kozol’s purpose is to not simply illustrate the various personal tragedies that people with underdeveloped reading skills face, but to tell his audience that such tragedies when you add them up constitute a threat to the basic values that maintain the nation as a whole.

In “The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society”, a chapter from book called Illiterate America (1985), the author Jonathan Kozol highlights that society cannot continue to sustain if we all neglect 60 million Americans who suffer from illiteracy. Kozol develops his claim by utilizing logos and pathos on describing the hardships that illiterates experience on a daily basis including their political rights. His purpose is to inform non-illiterates about the kind of life that illiterates go through, in order to bring the awareness on illiteracy. Kozol establishes sympathy relationship towards illiteracy and intended audience are two types of non-illiterate Americans who are not aware on suffering of illiterates and who blames illiterates without

Instead of diving straight into a depiction of the hellish existence that is an illiterate lifestyle, Kozol quotes Founding Father James Madison, saying that “A people who mean to be their own governors… must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives. A popular government without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy, or perhaps both” (Madison 114). A country under the rule by the people who can’t go as far to even rule the information presented to themselves seems much more Anarchic than Democratic. By quoting James Madison, Kozol presents his idea that education in the written word is integral to the foundations of a prosperous and free society, and that this was even recognized by the Founding Fathers. Following his assertion that literacy is key to an effective Democracy wherein policy and leaders are elected by an educated populace, Kozol gives a depiction of a Democracy wherein herd mentality is

Illiteracy is detrimental to any society. First people must know what it is before the problem can be fixed. Illiteracy can be defined as the inability to read or write. Lately illiteracy

Envision being limited in a world full of opportunities and advantages due to illiteracy. In this society, it is unfortunate that there are individuals who are illiterate, which ultimately affects their democratic lives. Many other citizens do not face this issue, and may not recognize the disadvantages that illiterates face. In Jonathan Kozol’s text, “The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society,” he discusses the various issues concerned with illiteracy, one of them being how it affects democracy. Democracy is a type of government where power, that involves human rights and values, is held by the people. According to Kozol’s text, illiteracy undermines democracy in the United States because people are oblivious of their right to equality,

Statistically, based on reports from 2003, 99% of the total population ages 15 and over can read and write (CIA Library). Thus, one can conclude illiteracy is not a crisis. However, “The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society” by Jonathan Kozol, implies something different. Kozol emphasizes the hardship of an illiterate, and briefly explains the importance of helping an illiterate without providing much of a solution, while Kozol’s essay was ineffective overall because of the lack of factual evidence and flawed conclusions, his strategic use of tone, repetition and rhetorical questioning provided some strength to his argument.

Throughout time, women have been considered housewives and mothers. Not all women stayed home, throughout history women have worked, mainly clerical jobs, teaching, charity workers, and other less demanding physical work. It was never a new thing that women were in the work force, it was the impact the propaganda posters and WWII made on the women in that workforce. This propaganda poster; titled “We Can Do It” features a beautiful women with her arm flexed and she is in her work coveralls, above her it say “We can do it.” the author is J. Howard Miller, he uses pathos and ethos to inspire a social movement that increased the number of working women, and changed the face of the workforce.

The primary election for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is to be held Thursday, September 3, 2015. This momentous occasion happens every four years. The elected chief and officials, such as council members, can run for office for as long as they see fit, for there is no term limit. Our past chief, Michell Hicks, was in office three consecutive terms for a total of twelve years. This year Hicks has decided to step down and the new candidates for chief are Patrick Lambert and Gene “Tunney” Crowe. These new candidates must be able to fill the role of a generous and successful leader to those of the Cherokee nation. The platforms of both Lambert and Crowe are used to persuade the public to vote in their favor and are extremely versed in the

The feeling of indifference towards matters of tragedy “is always a friend of the enemy” (Wiesel, 1999). The experiences that young Elie Wiesel endured during World War II influenced the critical undertone of his poignant speech, “The Perils of Indifference.” The speech, delivered on April 12th, 1999 at the White House, emphasizes the dangers of apathy during times of disaster. In the speech, Wiesel encompasses the narrative paradigm, imagery, and rhetoric appeals in an emphatic tone to evoke a sense of guilt and a vehement desire to take immediate action towards the injustice of humanity. Recounting the cataclysmic Holocaust and anticipating a promising future, Elie Wiesel expresses, through his speech, the necessity of the cessation of indifference to give the new millennia a renewed hope.

In Chamberlain’s speech, “Why we Fight,” the appeal of pathos is most effective because it creates a sense of inspiration for the audience to keep fighting for those cannot defend themselves. Chamberlain delivered “Why we Fight” in the year 1836 to 120 war weary mutineers longing to return home; however, they were desperately needed to fight in Gettysburg. Chamberlain addressed his speech to motivate the men to continue fighting for justice. Chamberlain uses pathos by addressing the crowd to argue that “[they] are an army to set other men free,” (Chamberlain 11). This reminds the mutineers that there are those in America without freedom and that those individuals are the reason to keep fighting. Appealing to the men’s emotions by referencing

The main purpose of most opinion articles is to persuade the audience that the way of thinking of the author is the most correct. Many rhetorical devices can be used to seduce the audience into believing one side over the other. For instance, writers sometimes provide shocking facts which excite and even anger the audience. There are many issues in our society that when mentioned make us want immediate action. An example of this is children. Nicholas Kristof, a well-endowed rhetorician, noticed something going awry with our children, thus, triggering his push for change and his want to gather support. Kristof is the author of the December 7th, 2012 New York Times article entitled “Profiting From a Child’s Illiteracy.” In the article, Kristof

In today’s society illiterate people are looked at as “half-citizens” (Kozol 190). They are dependent on literate people to function daily. Think