Rhetorical Analysis Of What Are You Doing Here

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Rhetorical Analysis: “Who Are You and What Are You Doing Here?” It’s freshman year in college and every student has already been asked multiple times; “What are you majoring in?” Some might have the answer, but most will show uncertainty and feel the pressure. They feel pressure to know right away how they plan to pay their future bills and support their future family. In the excitement of it all, one may forget or disregard what they are truly passionate about in return for what they believe is a stable future. In the essay “Who Are You and What Are You Doing Here?” published by Oxford American in August 2011, Mark Edmundson targets incoming college students by explaining why the major they choose should not be based on monetary values. Edmundson …show more content…
At the beginning of the piece, Edmundson describes a story about him and his dad at the dinner table discussing what he would study in college. This is where Edmundson incorporates the idea, inspired by his father, that college is supposed to be about taking courses that are interesting to a student, not what will make for a comfortable life in the future. Also he depicts the lack of discipline in the higher education system by describing a threatening encounter with one of his former students. This story shows incoming college students his credibility by revealing that he is a professor at a university. The use of stories in his writing makes it easier for the reader to understand his arguments. Also, Edmundson maintains a friendly and humorous tone throughout his essay which not only keeps the reader interested, but makes it feel as though the student is listening to a friend. Edmundson also uses a lot of informal words and phrases such as “small potatoes” and “butter their toast” that makes the piece seem more like a conversation rather than an essay (Edmundson 21). This appeal to ethos is effective in maintaining the reader’s attention and makes for an interesting
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