Rhetorical Analysis Of Second Language By Mauro F Guillen

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Author Mauro F. Guillen builds an argument to persuade his audience that foreign language study must continue to be an integral part of higher education in the United States based on making a logical appeal through placing himself in a position of knowledge, we are more willing to listen to what he has to say. Guillen preys on our emotions and our sense of right and wrong to inspire us to side with him. The author's tone and relatability make him a reliable source in our minds, and that is one of his most powerful persuasive tactics. Guillen's writing harbors a professional tone. He is firm with his words, as he is confident in what he is saying. Guillen states his opinion as fact and places himself in a position where we feel like he is teaching us something. We are willing to listen to our teachers in school, or to anyone really that we feel has more knowledge on a topic then we possess. The author's self-confidence in his teaching leads us …show more content…

Teachers, parents, and students alike can relate to the desire to "excercise[s] the mind and enrich[es] the spirit" of our students (Guillen 1). What parent wouldn't want their student's "mind" and "spirit" enriched? Guillen overwhelms his reader with positive slogans as to what learning a foreign language has the potential to do for students, long-term. He goes on to say that "you'd better speak the language of the home country or you will be at a disadvantage when it comes to understanding the subtleties of decision-making and advancing your career" (Guillen 1). We are made to feel as though by taking away a foreign language program from a school, that we would be depriving students of a successful future and would hold them back from "advancing in your career"(Guillen 1). That would be just plain wrong; that is what he wants us to feel, and more importantly, to come down on his side of the

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