Analyzing Rhetorical Strategies in "Should we teach computer science in elementary school?"

In this blog post I will be answering the questions regarding credibility, character, emotion, and logic of the "yes" section of the article "Should we teach computer science in elementary school?"  by Pat Yongpradit. 

anaxolotl "Magnifying Glass" December 20th, 2011 via Flickr Attribution Generic 2.0

• Which items on the bulleted list of "Appeals to Credibility and Character (Ethos)" on page 182 can you recognize in your text?

One of the bulleted items that is recognizable in the text is "references to credible sources". The author clearly refers to other credible sources such as "ScratchJr", " Project Lead the Way" and "Code.org". The author also holds a tone that is significant. It is a tone of persuasion as he is trying to get the audience to favor his side. This tone is seen is this quote, "Just as we want our kids to learn more than just how to count to 10 in math class, we should want to give our young students a thorough background in the field that is revolutionizing every aspect of our world."

• How and why would the author(s) use these strategies?

The author uses these strategies to make his argument more credible. By referring to credible sources that favor his position on the issue, it makes his argument much more valid. He also has the tone of persuasion because he is trying of persuade the audience of something. 

• How do these strategies affect the audience’s perception of the author's/authors' credibility and character?

The strategies used affects the audience's perception of the author in a good way. It makes him more credible and makes his argument more efficient and believable. The tone clearly tells the audience that the author holds a strong opinion but he makes the audience believe it's factual information rather than just an opinion. 

• How does the use of these strategies impact the effectiveness of the text’s overall message?

These strategies make the text very effective. His article is very educational and persuasive. It leaves the reader feeling like computer science should be taught in schools. BY adding credibility it gives the reader's something to back their beliefs up on. 

• Does/do the author(s) seem to have any biases or assumptions that might impact their credibility?

The author does work for code.org, which is one of the companies promoting computer science education to children of young ages. For that reason, his argument is bias since it favors the company he works for. It does not make his argument invalid, as he is still giving good reasons. It is just important to remember that he is writing it from a position of backing a company he is employed by. 

• Which items on the bulleted list of "Appeals to Emotion (Pathos)" on pages 182-3 can you recognize in your text?

In regards to appeal to emotion, this article was not containing many of the bulleted items. One thing I managed to find was "level of formality". The author maintained a level of formality. His tone was once again used in a manner where he is trying to persuade the audience to join his side of the ongoing debate. 

• What emotional responses is the author attempting to create?

The author is trying to create a response of realization from the audience. He is trying to get them to understand that by having computer science taught in schools, everyone and everything will benefit from it. 

• What is the actual result?

This is hard to say because I cannot vouch for everyone that read the article, personally my opinion changed slightly and I found myself agreeing with him and the points he made. 

• Are these emotions effective or ineffective for this particular audience and rhetorical situation?

These emotions are effective because it means his article was effective. Since he was writing in order to persuade the audience on his stance, any emotional response in which they agree with him means that it was an effective emotional response. Even if it is just the reader questioning their beliefs on the situation due to the article, it is still an effective emotional response. 

• How do these emotional appeals affect the credibility of the author(s) or the logic of the text?

These emotional appeals make the article more credible. The emotional appeals demonstrate how the author is credible. People have these emotional appeals because they believe in what the author is saying, largely in part to his credibility that was demonstrated through using other credible references to back up his argument.

• Which items on the bulleted list of "Appeals to Logic or Rational Decision Making (Logos)" on page 183 can you recognize in your text?

The author does not use any statistics or anything of that manner to back up his argument. He aims more towards logic than rational decision making. This is done through "expert opinions". He is the expert as he has experience in this exact field of work. He gives his opinion and is therefore giving an expert opinion. He argues logistically too, saying that it will benefit the economy, education, and jobs. He explains how this will all occur in the article. 

• What response is the author attempting to create by employing these strategies?

By employing these strategies the author is attempting to make the reader agree with his side of the debate. The strategies employed attempt to make the decision obvious for them. His argument appears to be logical to them so they will agree with him easily.  

• What is the actual result?

This also is the actual result. The answer seems rational and logical to the reader, it makes the reader choose the author's side of the debate. This was the author's intention and it is clear that he was effective in doing so. This is the case for me at least, I can speak on the part of everyone. For myself the answer seemed clear. A better economy and better job opportunities as a result of teaching computer science in elementary schools makes the answer an easy one. 

• Are these strategies effective or ineffective for this particular audience and rhetorical situation?

 These strategies are effective for this audience and rhetorical situation. Since it is a debated topic, logic and rational thinking plays a huge role in a debate like this. If one side can portray their argument as logical and rational, then it is in their favor because odds are that an undecided reader will choose the side that thinks more logically and rationally.