Andrew Hacker Is Algebra Necessary Rhetorical Analysis

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Algebra is one of the major parts in exams like GRE and ACT so that all college students and high school students need to learn. In order to get a good grade, students are willing to spend hours and hours studying hard on things like matrices and equations. When they are wondering why they have to learn things so difficult and if this knowledge would be useful in the future time. Andrew Hacker, the author of "Is Algebra Necessary?", thinks not. In his editorial, he argues that students, especially those who are not majoring in math, should not be forced to learn high-level math. His arguments are very effective because he successfully uses logos, pathos and ethos in his editorial. The usage of the rhetorical triangle made his editorial logical, …show more content…

In the editorial, the author makes an argument that most students do not want to learn mathematics. They are forced to learn it and this will cause them to rarely remember what they learned after graduating. Here the author asks a question to all his audiences: "How many college graduates remember what Fermat's dilemma was all about?" (Hacker). This question makes the audiences feel like the author is talking to them and for those audiences who were college students, they will have a feeling of "yes I used to know it but I totally forgot it now" and this feeling supports the author's argument effectively. Another example is what the author mentions in the last paragraph of his editorial: "Think of maths as a huge boulder we make everyone pull, without assessing what all this pain achieves. So why require it, without alternatives or exceptions?" (Hacker). The first sentence asks the audiences to imagine and gives them a vivid analogy. Then the second sentence which is a question for the audiences appears without giving a correct answer. The author uses pathos very well here by giving his audiences the feeling that they are not just reading the editorial but also interacting with the author. With the help of that, the author successfully claims his thesis again in the last paragraph and the audiences will accept his idea not because he persuades them. The idea, which is also the …show more content…

He illustrates all logos, pathos and ethos well in his editorial and therefore his editorial is very logical, credible and persuasive. In my point of view, it is very worth to read his editorial and learn from it as a writer, especially the way he uses pathos. By continuing to connect to his audiences, he will make the essay vivid and attractive. It also makes it easier for the audiences to emotionally accept the idea of the essay. Using pathos along with ethos and logos will lead to writing A-level essay and becoming a good

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