Baby Bust Rhetorical Analysis

Activity theory, as interpreted by Ph.D. candidates, Wardle and Kain, is a process that attempts to see all aspects of activity such as social interactions and use of writing and language to achieve goals. This theory is award winning. Activity theory states that for a system to be effective, the rules, community, subject, division of labor, and motives must be reasonable. These components are shown through the chosen tool of communication most often. When one area of the system is corrupted, the tool will no longer function correctly in order to communicate or achieve its goals.

In “A Modest Proposal,” writer, Jonathan Swift, expounds on the situation of poor children in Ireland and proposes an ironic solution to integrate these children into the CommonWealth. Swift’s purpose is to recommend a elucidation to help the poor children out of poverty and malnourishment and feeding them to the rich to resolve population issues. He adopts a dramatic tone in order to modestly convey his solution to the people of England. Swift begins to demonstrate his patriotism through “A Modest Proposal” by acknowledging the poverty stricken streets and alluding toward a cure. He describes poor mothers who cannot work for a “honest livelihood” and are instead subjected to “importuning passengers” and “forced to employ all their time

In the article, “Out of the Mouths of Children, Wisdom,” the author, Leonard Pitts claims that adults should appreciate the directness of children and bring an end to war. To build off of this claim, and further his argument, he uses anecdotes, vivid language, and appeal to emotion. Anecdotes allow the reader to personally connect with the audience in a way that is virtually unparalleled. They can be used near anywhere in a piece of writing, but in this case (and in my opinion, the strongest way to use them) it was used as a hook to grab the reader’s attention.

Inspired by a true story in 1991, Tupac Shakur, the famous American rapper, author, actor and poet, wrote and released a song named “Branda’s got a baby” which became his album’s top track within the next month or so and it became one of his greatest hits of all time. The song narrates the challenging life of a 12 year-old African-American girl who was born to poverty and became impregnated by her older cousin and after the unnamed boyfriend abandoned her. Moreover her poor family rejected helping her and she gave birth to the baby in misery and threw it into the trash bin, shortly after she regretted what she did after hearing her baby’s cries, she decided to begin a new life by seeking an employment, but ended up involving in child prostitution as her only path to survive which of course, sorrowfully led to her murder. This song raised too many eyebrows and captured people’s attention.

Politicians call for missile defense projects. Many defense projects have failed and cost not only the government but taxpayers over 50 billion dollars. Lee Fang, a writer for The Intercept, shows how ineffective these programs have been in the past. The persuasiveness of Lee's argument in his article “Politicians Use North Korea H-Bomb Fears to Pitch Wasteful Missile Defense Projects” is based on a logical approach using facts, (logos), an emotion approach trying to rally us up (pathos), and on his credibility and the creditability of his sources (ethos). Lee's appeal to our logical (logos) side is based on facts.

In the article, “Some Teens Start College Work Early Via Dual Enrollment” written by Joanne Jacobs,from the U.S. News and World Report Education, discussed a current path that most high schoolers are taking that will lead them to college success. Jacobs uses ethos and logos to prove the successfulness of the Dual Enrollment Program. The program offers students the opportunity to experience college life, to gain both high school and college credit, and to gain confidence. In most states, high school students who want to take a college class need to attend the class in a community college with regular undergraduates.

No Nickels or Dimes To Spare In the book, Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich writes the story, “Serving in Florida.” She describes her experience living as an undercover waitress when in reality she’s a journalist for culture and politics with a doctorate in biology. Ehrenreich experiences trying to survive on multiple low income jobs to understand what it is like to be in their shoes instead of being apart of the higher middle class.

The main argument made by Jessica Shortall in her talk “The US needs paid family leave -- for the sake of its future” is that newborns are important to the economy. More Specifically, Shortall argues that women should have longer paid period of maternity, therefore they can properly take care of the future generation. Shortall says “…but that stance ignores a fundamental truth, which is that our procreation on a national scale is not optional. The babies that women, many of them working women, are having today, will one day fill our workforce, protect our shores, and make up our tax base.” In this quotation, Shortall is suggesting that although women are not obligated to have babies, these babies one day will make up the working class that

In the ever-changing world of science, in vitro fertilization has taken fertility to another level. In “Test-Tube Babies: Solution or Problem?” Ruth Hubbard describes just how in vitro fertilization works and the many risks factors the procedure brings with it. Hubbard gives her audience statistical evidence of women with unsuccessful pregnancies then follows it with historical evidence about the first women to ever receive in vitro Louise Brown in July, 1978. Although one might conclude that Hubbard would support in vitro she makes a shocking statement “But as a woman, a feminist, and a biologist, I am opposed to using it and developing it further.”

Past leaders such as Andrew Jackson, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Marc Antony are evidence that society does not reward morality and good character in leadership. Society is drawn to leaders that have good rhetoric, propaganda, and charismatic personalities, and society supports them despite their immorality. Society is concerned about stability more than the morality of their leaders and will support immoral leaders in times of crisis to provide stability. In history there have been multiple leaders that have used rhetoric, propaganda and charismatic personalities to gain power, despite their morals.

In “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, it is demonstrated that the oppression on women is a very real and hazardous thing. She depicts this through an experience of a crazy married woman who is trapped by her husband and contained in the mental prison that is her home. Using the aspects of gender criticism, “The Yellow Wallpaper” is in conjunction with these societal way to oppress women through the male dialogue and perspective. Through the inspection of the male dialogue in this piece, Gilman makes an allegation about males and their tendencies in this time period. The are achar reprised and characterize themselves as being superior, dominant, and overruling to females.

In the fifties women found themselves filling the role of mother and housewife, following the “four cardinal virtues- piety, purity, submissiveness and domesticity” (Welter 1). Few graduated school and pursued a profession

Have you ever tried to bolster a child’s self-esteem by saying “You can be anything you want when you grow up”? What if you knew that in today’s society, saying this would increase disappointment; thus faltering a child’s self-esteem later on in life. Author Leslie Garrett, who wrote the article “You Can Do It, Baby!” in 2015, talks about the common phenomena of hindering a child’s opportunity of finding satisfaction in life, by encouraging them that they will grow up to be anything they want, without limitations. Garrett utilizes rhetorical devices to promote the emotional and logical perspectives supporting her claim; however, she incorporates a handful of in-text citations from scholars, psychiatrists, and academic professionals in order to persuade the reader of the article’s credibility.

Both feminist theories see women’s entrance into the paid economy and socialization of housework and child-rearing to be the two ways in which women can gain their independence. Women create the most valuable asset to any society – human capital. Because of this, you would think women would be properly paid for their work. However, women’s skills were, and still often are, “devalued as “natural talents”, offshoots of their sex” (Bromley, Pg. 72). Career and household demands often times push women to have to choose between one or the other.

The human phenomenon has always valued the notion of gender roles, through contemplating their differences and similarities, setting boundaries between them and defining ways in which individuals learn gender in our society. In the most literal sense, a gender role is simply a set of societal norms dictating what types of behaviors are generally considered acceptable, appropriate or desirable for a person based on their actual or perceived sex. I, Esther Greenwood, believe in breaking the locks of gender roles that has tightly fastened itself around women in today’s society, and initiating a path towards women independence and equality. The fallacious global expectation that women are inferior to, and dependant upon, men is forcibly disallowing women to progress towards their dreams, but instead tend to the needs and desires of their husbands. Despite the degrading stereotype of women being physically and mentally unequipped to advance in certain professions, limiting their future to either a mere secretary or a submissive housewife, I strongly persuade every women to embrace their individual talents and desires and encourage them to control their own destiny.