FIQWS 10103

John Feliu

Rhetorical Analysis

10/25/2022

Dear Professor,

During Phase 3 I learned how to break down stories using logos, pathos, and ethos. Before this I didn’t really know what they were. Now I understand all 3 of them. Logos for me are the hardest unless it’s directly in my face. Ethos is kind of hard but I believe it can be broken down. Pathos is the easiest and always was when I first heard of it. I didn’t realize how many of these things were in everyday life. For example, in class we saw an example of Ethos, Logos, and pathos on dog food. I get dog food frequently but I never really read the labels or information. Or even in videos where people do skits. They have a message behind them with ethos, logos, and pathos. Stuff that I do regularly have all of this and I was completely oblivious to it. Thanks to phase 3 I am able to point them out.

Even in readings I am able to point them out. Just like in my essay Amy Tan had a lot of pathos in her story. She also had ethos and credibility in her story. Even in other readings not included in this class. I am able to point these things out and put them into other papers I write. Phase 3 has really opened my eyes to see the emotion and experiences in people’s writings whether fictional or not. Phase 3 has also helped me make connections in readings to modern day struggles. Like people getting mistreated because they can’t speak Standard English or how big movie companies have hidden messages in them that some can be deemed offensive. I believe it is no easy task to put these ideas, emotions, and facts all together but looking at examples and connecting them to the readings in class I clearly see how the authors do it and how well they structure it. That is how Phase 3 has opened my eyes and opinions whether in real life or reading a passage.

Thank You,

John Feliu

Amy Tan’s Mother Tongue is a great example of language discrimination. The story is about the discrimination Amy Tan has experienced with her mother over time. There were two experiences where Amy Tan had to use Standard English to be heard and resolve an issue. In both examples Amy Tan’s mother was unable to speak or understand so Amy Tan had to take over. Amy Tan does a great job using pathos and ethos to show how people treat or talk to a person who doesn’t know Standard English.

The first example of Amy Tan using Standard English was when her mother had a problem with a stockbroker. She wanted Amy Tan to speak for her and pretend to be her because Amy Tan knew had to speak Standard English. When Amy Tan called she immediately was able to talk to the stockbroker clearly and was able to get a meeting with them. However, this time it was her mother that was talking in her broken English. The other example was when Amy Tan’s mother had gone to the doctor and they had lost her CAT scan. She refused to leave until the doctors called Amy Tan and sure enough once they did their attitude changed. They had apologized, made sure Amy Tan’s mother gets the quickest appointment, and assured the test would be found.

Amy Tan uses pathos to describe the first use of Standard English when dealing with the stockbroker. She uses her emotions of concern, nervousness, and even embarrassment at the end. She uses concern when talking to the stockbroker to make the situation a more serious one. She uses her nervousness because she knew she sounded nothing like her mother and her mother shouting in the background while Amy Tan was on the phone.She uses embarrassment when they go to New York and her mother is now speaking to the stockbroker in broken English. Amy Tan states “ And sure enough the following week there we were in front of this astonished stockbroker, and I was sitting there red-faced and quiet..” (pg.2). She was embarrassed that her mother and not her impersonating her mother was talking broken English to possibly the same stockbroker. However, if she had never done this, it would have been a different outcome.

Amy Tan uses pathos to connect the reader to her and her mothers experience. For example she uses emotions such as anger and annoyance but also confusion. She was annoyed that she had to use her Standard English to even get the right medical attention. She also must have been pretty angry that this was the way her mother was treated. She could have also been thinking what would have happened if she wasn’t able to speak in Standard English. Her mother probably would’ve been sent home without a diagnosis and maybe even something worse could have happened while she was waiting for that long appointment they gave her. Amy Tan did really well in getting the reader to be sympathetic and for me disgusted at the doctors who said they lost the CAT scan and there was nothing they could do. The reader could also be feeling the same way or had sadly gone through a similar experience. Amy Tan does a phenomenal job at getting the reader to not only feel a certain way about what they’re reading but also able to connect to the story with their own experience or something they experienced first hand.

 Amy Tan uses Ethos to make her mother’s experience credible and not something that was made up or something that could happen. She uses her mother’s experience by asking her what happened and telling the readers that story through her mother’s words. Another thing that makes her credible is that she is able to switch from 3rd person when she is sharing her mother’s story and 1st person when she is sharing her side of the story. Not only does this make the reader be able to understand the point she is trying to bring out but it also gives the reader the chance to experience their story and hardships through their very own eyes.

Amy Tan does well to connect to her audience in various ways. She was able to share her stories using emotion and detail while still holding the significance of her and her mother’s story. The way she is able to connect to the readers is special because her story is relatable to a lot of people during this day and age. Even though her type of writing may not be unique, the way she structures it and again shows the significance stands out from the rest of the stories we have read. The ability to connect language discrimination to things that are important like in this case medical care and assistance brings out the problem in our society now. In today’s world people are not receiving the care that they need either due to the fact of their race or how they speak. Some of these cases of neglect result in deaths that could have been prevented. This isn’t even the worst of it. The hospital and doctors are willing to cover up these cases in order to protect their title and the name of their institution. So for Amy Tan to speak up and put these neglectful actions out in public is really important for everyone who has been or who might be discriminated against in the future.