Rhetorical Analysis of Paired Arguments: Women's inferiority in math and science
Audience Analysis: "Sex Ed at Harvard" by Charles Murray
Published in the New York Times, Murray is addressing a primarily liberal audience. However, it is read by a general audience both liberals and conservatives between the ages of twenty and sixty because it is circulated nationwide and internationally. This newspaper reaches the educated upper, middle, and lower classes. Murray includes himself in the same category as the reader, however his tone and word choice suggest that he sides with Summer's radical comments and this in turn weakens his argument as a whole.
Audience Analysis: "Summers of Our Discontent" by Katha Pollitt
Like Murray, Pollitt addresses a predominately liberal audience between the ages of twenty and sixty. Though, being published in The Nation, it reaches a smaller audience and though it is published nationwide it is not readily available. Pollitt's loquacious and verbose tone may turn off some readers, while adding fuel to the fire for the people intensifying her argument. Her strong emotional appeal is direct towards a more female and liberal audience. Moreover, her usage of "I" and "me" are important because she shares her ideals and values with her audience.
The fields of math and science have traditionally been male driven areas of study. However, in the last few decades, women have slowly begun to permeate into these disciplines showing equal skills and abilities as their male counterparts. Therefore, it was greatly discredited when Harvard president, Harry Summers, proposed his claim that there are few women pursuing math and science because of their nature. Much controversy arose and this scandal provoked two writers, Charles Murray of the New York Times and Kathy Pollitt of The Nation to write for and against Summer's assertion respectively. Investigating the authors' uses of the rhetorical approaches-ethos, pathos, and... [continues]
Audience Analysis: "Sex Ed at Harvard" by Charles Murray
Published in the New York Times, Murray is addressing a primarily liberal audience. However, it is read by a general audience both liberals and conservatives between the ages of twenty and sixty because it is circulated nationwide and internationally. This newspaper reaches the educated upper, middle, and lower classes. Murray includes himself in the same category as the reader, however his tone and word choice suggest that he sides with Summer's radical comments and this in turn weakens his argument as a whole.
Audience Analysis: "Summers of Our Discontent" by Katha Pollitt
Like Murray, Pollitt addresses a predominately liberal audience between the ages of twenty and sixty. Though, being published in The Nation, it reaches a smaller audience and though it is published nationwide it is not readily available. Pollitt's loquacious and verbose tone may turn off some readers, while adding fuel to the fire for the people intensifying her argument. Her strong emotional appeal is direct towards a more female and liberal audience. Moreover, her usage of "I" and "me" are important because she shares her ideals and values with her audience.
The fields of math and science have traditionally been male driven areas of study. However, in the last few decades, women have slowly begun to permeate into these disciplines showing equal skills and abilities as their male counterparts. Therefore, it was greatly discredited when Harvard president, Harry Summers, proposed his claim that there are few women pursuing math and science because of their nature. Much controversy arose and this scandal provoked two writers, Charles Murray of the New York Times and Kathy Pollitt of The Nation to write for and against Summer's assertion respectively. Investigating the authors' uses of the rhetorical approaches-ethos, pathos, and... [continues]
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(2005, 11). Women's Inferiority in Math and Science. StudyMode.com. Retrieved 11, 2005, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Womens-Inferiority-Math-Science-71336.html
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"Women's Inferiority in Math and Science" StudyMode.com. 11 2005. 11 2005 <http://www.studymode.com/essays/Womens-Inferiority-Math-Science-71336.html>.
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"Women's Inferiority in Math and Science." StudyMode.com. 11, 2005. Accessed 11, 2005. http://www.studymode.com/essays/Womens-Inferiority-Math-Science-71336.html.
