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Konduri | 6

Aditya Konduri

Tammy Wu

English 102

January 31, 2016

What Makes an Argument Convincing: The Startup of WHO?

According to Conor Neill, who is a renowned IESE Lecturer, the study and conduction of the modern form of argument we know as “rhetoric” began with the famous Greek philosopher Aristotle. Throughout the years before his existence, numerous thinkers and philosophers had ideas about what conducts logical and intelligent discussion. Consequently, Aristotle took these numerous ideas and combined them into the three main tenets of an argument: pathos, logos, and ethos. According to Lunsford, Ruszkiewicz, and Walters, the authors of Everything’s an Argument, a textbook which is used in our English 102 class, logos is the logic and information behind the argument, ethos is the reliability, credibility and validity of the speaker, and pathos is an emotional appeal to the audience. These three tools, when combined, create a strong and convincing claim. Curious readers may ask: how do people in the modern age use these three appeals to institute their own convincing arguments? This essay is meant to answer exactly that, to show readers how logos, pathos, and ethos are used in argumentative articles. In particular, we will be looking at Thomas Freidman, and the argument he makes in his article “The startup of you.” This article is designed to explain the role of the “new employee” in the modern workforce, and to convince readers that they should adapt to this new niche in order to be successful in their careers. However, how does Freidman do this? What makes his argument so convincing? The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate how Freidman provides logical, sound arguments, an emotional appeal to the audience, and a way to bolster his own credibility in order to convince the readers of his claim.

As soon as the article begins, Freidman uses logos as a means to initiate his article with evidence. He argues that that the unemployment rates in the country have become a big socioeconomic issue and uses percentages to reinforce his argument. “The rise in unemployment rate last month to 9.2 percent has Democrats and Republicans reliably falling back on their respective cure-alls (Freidman 864) Immediately, Freidman hits us with a startling fact: nine people out of one hundred in America do not have a job! The logic Freidman uses begs the question: why is the unemployment rate so high? By starting his article with immediate logos, Freidman is able to grasp the reader’s attention, encouraging them to read further on for more information.

Soon after explaining the need for a new type of worker, Freidman once again uses data and analysis to strengthen his argument. He explains how the most impactful sector in the United States economy, Silicon Valley, and the companies that are located there encourage creative thinkers and talented engineers, which directly contribute to the companies’ success. To demonstrate the amount of profits these companies have made, Freidman uses logos and gives us the relative net worth of these companies. He attests to the fact that “Facebook is now valued near $100 billion, Twitter at $8 billion, Groupon at $30 billion Zynga at $20 billion and Linkedin at $8 billion.” (Freidman 864) By providing us with more logos, Freidman strengthens his claims that companies are successful because of their talented, entrpeanuarial, but miniscule workforce and not their sheer size.

In his article, Freidman also demonstrates his proficient control of ethos by successfully combining sophisticated diction and sentence structure with casual and jovial articulation to entreaty his argument to a specific audience group, mainly young entrepreneurs. Freidman is often shown throughout the article mixing an affirmative voice and casual discourse using formal syntax to grasp the minds of the readers. “These are the fastest growing Internet/Social Networking companies in the world, and here’s what’s scary; you could easily fit all their employees in Madison Square Garden, and still have room for grandma” (Freidman 865). `By first giving the reader a staggering fact and then switching to a jovial tone, Freidman gains a sense of comfort and assurance from the reader, which supports his argument.

Pathos, according to the scholarly authors Lunsford, Ruskiewicz, and Walters who wrote the book Everything’s an Argument, is an emotional appeal that generates emotions. It is also, prevalent in “The Startup of You”. Freidman uses many emotional and inspirational examples to connect his eager audience to his ideal of a self-made employee. The first example of this is when Freidman tells the audience what it takes to become a formidable employee for the modern world, resilience. He taps into the inner strength of the reader, and argues that they must strengthen themselves mentally. “Finally, you have to strengthen the muscles of resilience” (Freidman 865). By telling the reader they must stay motivated and passionate about their careers, he appeals to their emotional side, which often convinces the reader due to the inspiration the text has given them.

Another example of pathos in “The startup of you” is the convincing conclusion Freidman writes, which uses emotion to wrap up the essay in a convincing manner. He uses strong word choice at the end of the passage to inspire those who have not been convinced by his argument yet. “This trend should put on a new pressure on educational aspirations at energy level. Our future depends on having this generation of workers and the next well prepared for lifelong learning, adaptation to continuous change and a level of global awareness most of us can only begin to imagine” (Freidman 866). By using such a hopeful tone in his conclusion, Freidman begs readers to look towards the future and to apply his claims to their everyday lives in order to become smarter and better employees.

Last but not least, there are a myriad of instances where Thomas Freidman uses ethos, or the credibility and validity of the speaker, to convince his audience. This is prevalent when Freidman uses Reid Hoffman, who is the CEO of Linkedin, and his literature as a secondary source to back up his claims. “Hoffman argues that professionals need an entirely new mind-set and skill set to compete” (Freidman 865). By using a successful person who backs up his claims, Freidman immediately brings strength and structure to his own point of view, which supports his claims.

Another instance where Freidman strengthens his arguments is when he references his claims is with solid rhetorical questions that leave the audience questioning their current career path. “Can this person add value every hour, every day- more than a worker in India, a robot, or a computer,” (Freidman 866). By asking leading questions which question the audience’s current ideas about the job market, Freidman builds his credibility and his trustworthiness in his claims to answer these questions.

Overall, “The startup of you” was an eloquent and sophisticated article by Thomas Freidman, which highlights the advantages and benefits of the modern employee. By using pathos, logos, and ethos to support his argument, Freidman effectively explains the modern workforce, the modern age, and the necessity of the young, mid-career entrepeaneaur. As Freidman would say himself, the world is waiting, take it by force.

Works Cited

Kinkade, John. Andrea A. Lunsford, John J. Ruszkiewicz, Keith Walters, Jodi Egerton, and Taryne Hallett. “What Are You Working For?” Everything’s an Argument with Readings: Insutructor’s Notes. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins. 2010. 863-66. Print.

Lunsford, Andrea A., John J. Ruszkiewicz, and Keith Walters. Everything's an Argument: With Readings. Boston: Bedford/St Martin's, 2010. Print.