“Why the Drinking Age Should Be Lowered” by Ruth Engs
The article by Engs uses logical appeal to convince the audience. Logos uses logic to persuade the readers with facts and figures. The writer details a systematic increase in the number of students who missed classes, fought, and obtained lower grades when the drinking age was lowered. For instance, the writer states figure as the reported cases of class missing increased from 26% to 28 %. As a result, the writer convinces the audience that drinking is not suitable for school-going children. Lowering the drinking age only adds to the problem of school dropouts.
“There’s No Benefit to Lowering the Drinking Age” by Robert Voas
The article by Robert Voas uses ethos to persuade the readers. Ethos, which is often referred to as an appeal to ethics, uses the authors’ authority to convince the readers. In the article, the writer authoritatively states that he has been engaged in research for almost forty years. In this case, he inserts authority into his idea, making the readers aware that nothing is good in lowering the drinking age. The writer, therefore, uses his vast experience to convince the readers since they believe that he is more knowledgeable about the subject (Ting 242). Consequently, an ethical appeal is widely put into use in this excerpt.
“Driving to the Funeral” by Anna Quindlen
The article by Anna Quindlen uses pathos to appeal to the audience. Pathos, also regarded as an appeal to emotion, engages the audience by creating an emotional environment. For instance, the writer uses funerals to convince the readers that teenage drinking is disastrous. Death is usually an emotional event where people bid their loved ones goodbye. The fact that they will never see the dead for eternity makes them even sadder. As a result, the writer evokes this emotion to convince the audience of the effects of drinking alcohol at an early age.
Work Cited
Ting, Su Hie. “Ethos, logos, and pathos in university students’ informal requests.” GEMA Online Journal of Language Studies, vol. 18, no. 1, 2018.