College Education and Graduating College - Essay Example

Rhetorical Analysis Introduction Rhetorical analysis, as features most in the academic angles describes theact of analyzing a given artifact, source or piece of art. The main aim of making a rhetorical analysis is to consider the audience, purpose, stance, genre as well as the media/design for the particular rhetorical situation given. In this case, the analysis aims at exploring not only the particular content given but also examines the reasons that prompted the author to write that particular piece, the reasons that prompted his writing, the organisations of the piece as well as the audience that the writing is targeted to. Additionally, it examines the message being conveyed and its effectiveness as used by the author. This paper makes a rhetorical analysis of a piece of work written by Rodney Smith, examining the effectiveness of the various styles used by the author and the intended message. About the Author The item, “Yes, A College Education is Worth the Costs” was written by Rodney Smith, who after being compelled by the situations in his upbringing, thought that having a college education was an important step and process for any person, since it opens that person to the many adventures and opportunities of life (Smith para 6). Rodney comes from a family that values education as an important and effective investment that gives many people opportunities in life. Rodney’s father was helped to pursue his education by his grandma, who thought that having this education would help him make his life in the most effective way. Initially, his grandfather was of the opinion that he undertakes faming, but the pressure from his grandmother ensured that he pursued his education, managing to get a law degree that made all the difference in his life and family. In this case, it becomes evident that the author of the text seems to have a firm understanding and awareness of the need for education and that his support is not founded on misconceptions. The writer’s purpose After analyzing this text, it is evident that Rodney, the author of this text had an implied purpose for writing this text. The goal of this writer in making this text is actually to convince those that do not see any value in education about its significance. This can be understood from the way, he gives detail to the path to his education. Explaining how his grandma had to convince his grandpa to invest in educating his dad. After graduating with a law degree, his father realized that by educating his children, they would also have a better life. Rodney understands that many people exist who do not see any value in investing in education. The writer seems to rely more on logic (logos) as opposed to emotions. This is shown in the way he explains the life that his father enjoyed after graduating with a law degree (Smith para 9). In as much as there weren’t enough jobs, his father managed to use his knowledge to set up his law practice firm, thus changing his fortunes. The writer does not have any hidden agenda in his quest to convince his audience to invest in audience. This is because, he indicates that even in as much as one may fail to land on a job after graduating, the knowledge that he gains is enough to guarantee a private firm or practice in his particular career. By fact that the writer, has followed in the footsteps of his father, it present credible evidence that investing in college education is a worthy course. Audience Analysis From the analysis of this text, it can be concluded that the audience for the writer includes parents, who sometimes think that their decision is always final concerning the future of their children. Sometimes, some of them make some misinformed choices that they children should follow. Not knowing that times have changed. This means that what was irrelevant in the past, may not continue to be irrelevant today. Long ago, people did not value education but in the present times, education has become an important resource for every person, whether it lands one in an employment or not. According to the writer, his audience seems not to be much informed about education and its importance in modern times. This can be told from the way he articulates his ideas, in most cases, an audience that has to be given many examples and illustrations in the process of explaining a certain incidence is that which has little information about the subject matter (Muscatine 56). The writer knows that by encouraging his audience to value education, they can encourage their children to take up the levels involves until they become successful; this is either in formal employment or in their individual private initiatives. Argument Assessment From this assessment, I can explain that the author of this text has been effective in passing his intended message to the audience. This is because; he has tried and succeeded to have a coherent and logical flow of his ideas in explaining the value of education (Yook and Wendy 54). In first place, he has begun by examining some of the statistics that have been collected about peoples’ views and perceptions of college education. He goes ahead to make some comparisons about the wage scales for people that graduate from the different levels of education. This is aimed at showing that people that have college degrees and above often earn higher incomes compared to those that do not acquire such levels of education. He explains that in the work environment, graduates are mostly preferred as stewards of the work environment because of their ability to effective work with other people and a broader understanding of issues and other concepts (Muscatine 42). In this case, parents should willingly invest in educating their children because this is the only way they can actively contribute towards the well being of their future and those of their succeeding generations. Works Cited Muscatine, Charles. Fixing College Education a New Curriculum for the Twenty-first Century. Charlottesville: U of Virginia, 2009. Print. Smith Rodney. Column: Yes, a college education is worth the costs. 12 June 2011. Web. 2 February 2015. Yook, Eunkyong and Wendy Sayre. The Communication Centers and Oral Communication Programs in Higher Education: Advantages, Challenges, and New Directions. Lanham: Lexington, 2012. Print. Read More