Rhetorical Analysis Of The Article “American Knowledge Deficit”

  1. Summary of the text

Benjamin Barber’s article “American Knowledge Deficit” that can be found in The Nation (Nov.29, 2010) discusses one of the most important issues for Americans – the issue about the impact of American knowledge deficit on society.  During the Congressional elections of 2010, President Obama stated that “politics was tough” because of the improper political knowledge of the voters.  Barber places emphasis on the role of political dialogue and its effects on political situation in the United States. He uses the terms “epistemological deficit” and “democratic deficit” to highlight the significance of the science of knowledge in any democratic society.  He writes, “The science of knowing insists on the fundamental distinction made by the Greeks between episteme (true knowledge) and doxa (opinion or prejudice, a root of our word “orthodoxy”)” (Barber 21). The author of the article wants the reader to find difference between real knowledge and prejudice. American democracy is based on words and reasons which have direct relation to the concept of knowledge. It is necessary to assess the distinction that exists between knowledge and public opinion. According to the author, “democracy is government by citizens, and citizenship is defined by education, deliberation, judgment and the capacity to find common ground” (21). In general, the article provides much important information on the effects of American knowledge deficit on politics in the democratic society. The reader has an opportunity to assess how science and knowledge are connected with human freedom. American democracy depends on public opinion that is formed by the knowledge of science mixed with prejudice for reason. The author believes that the proper actions should be taken to address the effects of emerging epistemological deficit that has a destructive force focused on the Enlightenment faith of people. As a result, political elections failed to reflect democracy because of the voters’ poor knowledge.

  1. Analysis of the text’s rhetoric

In the article “American knowledge deficit”, Benjamin Barber uses carefully constructed rhetoric to send a particular message to an intended audience: the impact of American knowledge deficit on society. The text is written in non-fiction genre. The author has broken the text into several parts in order to make a strong impact on the reader. It is true that the rhetorical strategies utilized by the author have a strong impact on the effectiveness of the overall understanding of the text. In order to examine the rhetorical situation, it is necessary to refer to the speaker (Benjamin R. Barber), the audience (the general public) and the purpose of the work (to address the issue of American knowledge deficit as an important social problem), using rhetorical appeals, such as logos, ethos and pathos.

To start with, the speaker is the author of the article Benjamin R. Barber, a well-educated political scientist who is involved in the study of democracy and has a good reputation in the field of political science. He is the author of many books on democracy, including Strong Democracy: Participatory Politics for a New Age, A Passion for Democracy, The Conquest of Politics: Liberal Philosophy in Democratic Times and some other books. The speaker uses effective tone that helps the reader to be involved in the discussion. He is focused on negative attitude toward present day political situation because of the poor knowledge of the voters. His tone and the use of a wide range of examples from the history of the US democracy invoke the feelings of pity and considerable concern in the reader. As the tone is unchangeable throughout the piece, the author’s choice of stylistic devices is strengthened to highlight the idea that in political elections, the “real loser was democracy”, but not the politicians who participated in the political elections.

In addition, the intended audience is the general public. In other words, Barber uses the proper words and examples to address the issue of American knowledge deficit, influencing the general public. The major goal of the author is to influence the minds of the readers because of the emerging challenges in politics caused by American knowledge deficit.

Moreover, the purpose of the article is to inform the reader of the necessity to address the issue of American knowledge deficit. Many researchers have already discussed this problem, providing certain solutions. The problem of political inattentiveness refers to improper strategies to teaching politics at schools. According to Joseph Nye, “politics in an information age is about whose story wins”(qtd. in Martin 109). Benjamin Barber places emphasis the “epistemological deficit that is putting democracy at risk” (21). At the same time, the author’s major purpose is to promote American democracy.

Besides the above mentioned elements of rhetorical analysis, the rhetorical appeals, such as logos, ethos and pathos are aimed at earning audience approval regarding the impact of American knowledge deficit on society. Berber is focused on common experience, providing the ethical, the logical and the pathetic appeals.

The appeal to ethos refers to the speaker’s ethical argument about the issue under consideration, and his credibility and authority to discuss and analyze the issue of American knowledge deficit. Barber uses many important facts to prove that American knowledge deficit is really a serious problem in the U.S. society, which affects the quality of American democracy. The sources used by the author are credible because he uses peer-reviewed journals, documentation, statistical data and other reliable sources. The examples of ethos used by the author are aimed at strengthening the major argument and giving it credibility. The author uses the quotes of President Obama, John Kerry, Peter Baker, former President George W. Bush, Larry King and other competent speakers.

Additionally, the appeal to logos is strong because the author’s argument is strong. Benjamin Barber persuades the audience to assess the effectiveness of his argument based on clear, comprehensive, logical arguments. He uses cause and effect statements to appeal to the logic of his reader. There are several examples of logos in the article. One of the examples is the use of statistical data to support the author’s argument. Benjamin Barber writes, “And our beleaguered president knows all too well that 20 percent of his fellow citizens—up from 11 percent two years ago—insist he is a Muslim, and more than 25 percent doubt he was born in the United States. Not to mention all those Americans who believe 9/11 conspiracy theories (Bush did it! The CIA did it!) or that extraterrestrials hijack people (as of last year, a New England support group for abductees claimed a growing membership of 1,500)” (22).This example of logos is effective because these sentences provide important facts and numbers, which demonstrate the logical reasoning. These sentences also show the use of pathos when Benjamin Barber draws in emotions, saying “Bush did it! The CIA did it!” (22).

Finally, the appeal to pathos is made effectively, attracting the audience attention as it is maintained by the speaker throughout the article, and the reader can reflect the speakers’ tone in creating the feelings of pity and concern for American democracy. There are many examples of pathos in the text, which allow the reader to emotionally attach to the author’s key ideas. For example, Benjamin Barber says, “The elections sent a lot of politicians home, but the real loser was democracy”(22). The readers have their own opinions regarding the impact of American knowledge deficit on democracy in the U.S. and by saying that poor knowledge of politics could significantly damage American democracy is really a very emotional issue for many Americans.

Thus, it is necessary to conclude that the text’s rhetoric convinces a reader of a particular angle of vision, which coincides with the author’s view regarding the impact of American knowledge deficit on society. The rhetorical situation clearly defines the rhetorical aim. Barber helps the reader to assess the text’s purpose and key message in order to highlight the power of American democracy which is associated with concept of knowledge. Moreover, the article allows the reader to explore the effects of American knowledge deficit on the quality of democracy and make efforts to find the proper solutions to address the issue of concern.

 

Works Cited

Barber, Benjamin. “American knowledge deficit,” The Nation, Nov.29, 2010. Available from:< http://www.thenation.com>

Martin, Dick. Rebuilding Brand America: What We Must Do to Restore Our Reputation and Safeguard the Future of American Business Abroad. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn., 2007. Print.

 

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016.

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

freeessays.club (2016) The terms offer and acceptance [Online].
Available at:

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]
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