Analysis Of Kate Zernike's Article 'Why Are There So Many Single Americans?'

College Degrees Affect More Than Just A Career New York Times reporter, Kate Zernike, in her article, "Why Are There So Many Single Americans?," elaborates on the effects of graduating from a university. Zernike's purpose is to persuade her audience that education affects all aspects of life rather than just a career. She creates a didactic tone in order to coerce the idea that by furthering one's education after high school, it will directly increase a woman's chances of marriage and decrease her chances of divorce. Zernike effectively accomplishes her goal by using logos, pathos, and diction in her article. Kate Zernike deals with research and statistics on a daily basis. Because of this, the reporter was able to respectively incorporate
Martin, a sociologist at the University of Maryland." This is a fact directly stated by a professor who is credible and correct. This is an effective use of logos because this is proof that a college degree directly affects marriage. Women will take this information and believe that graduating with a degree will increase their chances of being married in the future. While that is one use of logos, there are dozens more. Kate Zernike also states, "Mr. Martin, who has written about women and divorce, said that three decades ago, about 30 percent of women who had graduated from college said it should be harder to get a divorce. Now, about 65 persent says so, he said." Once again, Zernike quoted the sociological professor with excellent credibility, allowing for practical use of
Zernike uses language to also evoke emotion out of her audience. The reporter utilizes large words that spice up her thoughts and continue to grasp the reader's attention. For example, she states, "Today, it may be hyperbolic to talk about the emasculation of the blue collared man." The loaded words found in this sentence are quite obviously hyperbolic and emasculation. Zernike is able to sound credible and, in simple words, smart. The use of multi syllable expressions enables sentences to be strong, which then provides a stable base for her article. The audience, however, finds it intriguing and informational. Along with this sentence, there are several other examples. Near the middle of her paper, Zernike begins a sentence by saying, "With the rising frequency of cohabitation…" This sentence should, like all intensely worded sentences, stop a reader dead in their tracks. Cohabitation is a big word with such a straightforward meaning. Zernike could have easily said, "With the rise of couples living together…", but instead, she chose a concise, underused word. Such word choice allows the reporter to sound like she knows what she is talking about, which informs her audience that her article is worth their time. Reporter Kate Zernike was able to correctly utilize formidable diction to support her claim that getting a college education does affect more than just a