Introduction
The Greatest Generation is the term used for describing Americans born in the period between 1901 and 1925. The population survived the Great Depression of the 30s and would later go into war during World War II. According to journalist Tom Brokaw, the generation could be characterized by the increased unity and willpower to strive for the good of humanity, as exemplified not only by military men but also everyone else who stayed at home and supported the war with their efforts.
However, the generation has not always been viewed favorably in the public eye. The so-called “Greatest Generation” has been criticized similarly to the way in which many have currently approached Generation Y. Therefore, the rhetoric used to explore the topic that is concerned with the Greatest Generation can be varied, and for the purpose of the current exploration, the essay “The Greatest Generation: The Great Depression and the American South” by Jeffrey DeRoven will be analyzed. Pathos, logos, and ethos are the rhetoric methods used in the essay to persuade the audience that their struggles rather than accomplishments define generations.
Rhetoric Analysis
The rhetoric analysis is concerned with the way in which an author uses and manipulated language to persuade the pre-defined target audience of the text in question. Once there is an understanding of the rhetorical situation that enabled the creation of a text, such as why it was written, for whom, what were the constraints and limitations, and what were the considerations of freedom of expression.
The core system of rhetorical appeals included ethos, pathos, and logos which date back to the times of Aristotle. In order to be rhetorically effective, the author of the text is expected to engage the audience in different compelling ways, which is concerned with carefully choosing how an argument should be crafted to ensure an agreement between the outcome, the argument, and the audience. The three modes of engagement are defined by their influence on the content as well as the use of information as related to the tactics of persuasion.
Examples of Logos
The first rhetoric appeal to be explored in relation to “The Greatest Generation: The Great Depression and the American South” is logos, which is described as the appeal to logic. Thus, when DeRoven uses logos in his text, he uses logic, careful structures, and objective evidence to appeal to the audience. The ways in which the appeal to reason is to achieve can be varied, ranging from offering accurate and unbiased data on the issue at hand to providing a thorough explanations of the arguments being laid out.
In the essay, there are several types of logical appeals that are being used to support the main argument – the Greatest Generation was called “the greatest” not because of what it had accomplished but for what it had endured. Exemplification is used by offering different examples and a variety of evidence to show how hard life was for the population of the American South, which was struggling the most during the Great Depression.
For example, the author offers evidence of the South lagging behind in such areas of development as poor education because of its high costs and the lowering of educational standards because of school overcrowding. In addition, cause and effect thinking is present in this example as the author suggests that the lack of education in the region caused the economic decline and the inability of the South to sustain itself effectively. Therefore, without proper education, the young people of the American South entered the workforce inadequately prepared for the array of challenges before them.
Examples of Pathos
The second rhetorical appeal used in the essay is pathos, which signifies the appeal to emotion. When an author of a text relies on pathos, they are attempting to tap into the feelings of their audience to make it agree with the claim that the South was highly challenged by the coming of the Great Depression. Pathetic appeals are implemented when an author wants the audience to feel something, whether it will be rage, anger, joy, or happiness. Therefore, such a strategy encourages audiences to open up to the topic being explored. Emotions can make audiences feel vulnerable, and the author implements such vulnerability to make the audience believe that the argument being made is compelling and worth considering.
The example of pathos in use in the essay is the emotion-laden vocabulary and expressive descriptions. The author uses such language as “hampered by low wages,” and “lacked the resources to compete against the vast industrial strength,” which is intended to signify the inability of the South to stand independently within the general national background. The sharing of vivid language and direct speech from various sources is another way in which the author aims to evoke emotion from the audience.
Quoting the National Emergency Council report, the author uses the following language “penalized for being rural and handicapped […] life of the South has been squeezed […] does not provide an adequate market” (DeRoven). All of the excerpts have emotionally-colored language used for describing the challenges that the population of the South had endured. The vivid word choice was intended to invoke sympathy from the readers and allow them to understand what the generation of their ancestors has undergone.
The sharing of personal stories is a stand-out pathos method that can be traced throughout the entire essay. For example, the author included the account of Rita Beline who remembers life in the South being challenging as no one could make enough money to sustain a comfortable living. June Athlete’s direct speech was also included as the woman stated that the majority of people had to live off home-grown produce and meat to buy as few essentials as possible. Reading about the real life of actual people who survived in the South gets the target audience closer to the issue being discussed, which is an effective rhetorical technique.
Examples of Ethos
The final appeal used in the essay is ethos, which is characterized by references to the values of the audience as well as authorial character and credibility. From one perspective, when an ethical appeal is used by the author, they make an attempt to tap into the values and ideologies of the audience, which are tradition, equality, human dignity, patriotism, tradition, and many others. Even though such values can often align with the audience’s emotions, the appeal to ethics is closer on a social level rather than on a personal level. In most instances, ethos is closely associated with trust, which means that the author has to ensure that their audience trusts their opinions and statements by recognizing that they are a credible individual who shares the same values.
The examples of ethos used in the essay include the appeal to the values of patriotism and equality that are considered to be essential American characteristics. Throughout the entire essay, the author mentions the importance of increasing the support for the South to improve its socioeconomic situation and raise it to the level of the nation. Considering the fact that the South struggled from low wages and severely decreased purchasing power even though the workers were overloaded with labor, the government had to ‘step up’ and offer solutions. At the heart of patriotism is the idea that all citizens of America should have equal rights and opportunities, and the experiences through which the population of the South had endured is highly important to appeal to patriotism.
Conclusion
Considering the increased appeal to logic and historical examples, the essay does not include logical fallacies. The fallacies are defined as common mistakes or errors that can undermine the logic of the argument that is being made. For instance, these can include irrelevant points or illegitimate arguments that have no basis in evidence. The author does not allow for faulty causalities or analogies, nor does the evidence being offered is stacked.
On the contrary, the author offers enough evidence from reputable sources while also including discussions about the experiences of real people who have experienced life in the South during one of the most complicated times in history. The essay is effective for showing that it is the struggles rather than accomplishments that define a certain generation.
Work Cited
DeRoven, Jeffrey. “The Greatest Generation: The Great Depression and the American South.” Etude and Techne, 2001.