Tourism in Hawaii

Paving Paradise American tourism to Hawaii has increased by 14.2 percent in just two years. This dramatic increase in tourism seems to be a beneficial boost for Hawaii's economy; however, the increasing rate of tourism is harming the native people of Hawaii. While the Hawaiian economy is experiencing one of its most fruitful years, the native Hawaiian people are suffering from job loss, poverty, depression, and an overall "cultural destruction" (Trask 260). Haunani-Kay Trask uses rhetoric to discuss these harmful effects in her essay "Tourist, Stay Home" in order to persuade her readers into believing that tourism can actually be a bad thing for an economy. On the other hand, in his article "Surf's Up for the Economy in Hawaii," Jim Carlton uses his own form of persuasion to inform his readers of the benefits that Hawaii is receiving from its present tourism boom. While both authors argue their opposing views, they are using the ethos, pathos and logos appeals of rhetoric to attract the readers to one side of the issue. Although each writer uses persuasion to provide a forceful argument, the emotional appeals in Trask's essay are more successful in persuading her audience than the ethical appeals found in Carlton's article. Trask, a resident of Hawaii, uses a personal voice to attack the issues, making her essay more persuasive than the "strictly business" attitude in Carlton's essay. According to Jim Carlton of The Wall Street Journal, "surf's up" for Hawaii's thriving economy! The title for Carlton's article gives away which side of the argument he is on. Carlton's case relies heavily on logos and ethos. His article consists mostly of statistics that he uses to wow his reader over the positive impact that tourism has on Hawaii's economy. Carlton wants his reader to feel that he or she is doing Hawaii a world of good by contributing to their economic growth through tourism. This particular side of the dispute over the effects of tourism is targeted at a

Cited: Carlton, Jim. "The Economy; THE OUTLOOK: Surf 's Up for the Economy in Hawaii." The Wall Street Journal 13 June 2005. 26 Mar. 2007 . Trask, Haunani-Kay. "Tourist, Stay Home." The Progressive July 1993: 259-264.