Rhetorical Analysis Of College IsnT For Everyone - 729 Words

In a May 2003 persuasive article published by USA Today titled â€Å"College isn’t for Everyone†, the author W.J. Reeves states â€Å"about 15 million people in America are enrolled in college.† This is a staggering amount considering the fact that many people are in college for all the wrong reasons. About half of the Americans enrolled in college are there because they feel they owe it to their families. Only a small number of Americans in college actually feel it is necessary for successful lives. In this article, Reeves recollects on his experiences as a college English professor at an institution in New York. He speaks of how he believes that many students truly do not want to be in college. You can tell this by his stories of tardiness,†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"The test-takers were college graduates from every state and from countries around the world. Fully two-thirds of the essays I scored would not have passed my freshman composition class, y et I was expected to give a score of 4 (Passing) to such writing and, apparently, the graduate schools of business accepted such students† (Reeves pg.4). Throughout the article, Reeve uses his background in his career to support his opinion. Since he has knowledge through â€Å"grading of tests† readers can easily be persuaded to agree with his opinion. Lastly, the strongest rhetorical device throughout the article is the appeal to pathos. The intended audience of this article would have to be the parents of â€Å"underachievers.† Reeves uses the quote â€Å"The inmates are running the asylum† to evoke strong emotions from the readers. One would feel inclined to feel sympathy for the teachers. The readers can sympathize with the teachers because although the students aren’t doing well, teachers will look ad and possibly face unemployment if they fail an entire class. Also, referring to students as inmates could causes parents to feel guilty because their children are primarily prisoners. Some students get into the college of their parents’ dreams and feel â€Å"stuck.† They feel as if they are living life unhappily on the day-to-day basis and are prisoners of their own minds. To get even more in depth, calling the school an asylum means that the establishment is unruly or