Analysis

Content type

User Generated

Subject

English

Type

Homework

Uploaded By

znlaneqgbby059

Pages

Rating

Surname 1

Name:

Professor:

Course:

Date:

Rhetorical Analysis

Should colleges take up more responsibility in teaching writing skills? This question

reflects the deficit that colleges must fill in imparting writing skills to students. Ardent

instruction from severe instructors has worked well, as observed by Stanley Fish, in Catholic

schools. In the article, What Should Colleges Teach? Fish presents a critical analysis of the

writing process and related skills, approaches to its teaching, and his opinion on the best and

most effective way to do it. Fish works well in presenting his ideas in the article. He poses

practical arguments and expresses an excellent mastery of the subject of writing. Being an

experienced literary theorist, his approach, as presented in the article, is founded on vast practical

experience – a positive and reliable element. He offers an acute understanding of the issue and

concepts and their relationship with the audience. These are impactful on the choice of language

with a decent and appropriate level of vocabulary usage evident throughout the article.

Stanley Fish has a precise interest and participation in writing. From the article, it is

evident that he feels that middle schools and high schools are failing at effectively teaching

writing skills. It is a plausible observation, but one that is open to debate as he presents little

evidence to support his claim. He goes on to state that Catholic schools seem to perform better in

the same area (Fish). He cites personal experience with students in his classes. Fish takes

advantage of his character and credibility in this field by using his knowledge and expertise to

Surname 2

support his point of view – a great example of ethos in his authoring process. He goes on to

identify the need for colleges to step up efforts towards better writing skills in their students.

There is no doubt that this article is aimed at an audience of teachers, and to some extent,

students. Fish identifies with teachers and is continuously using words that reflect this. For

example, he continually refers to teachers as 'we.' For example, “…It is because our students…

that we are obligated to…” are words quoted from the article that show this appeal (Fish). He

further deepens this relationship by highlighting various elements that this audience easily relates

to, for instance, he brings up the issue of 'an overworked labor force' which this audience can

easily relate to, which enhances the reception of his message – skillful use of pathos.

Pathos is apparent in another aspect. At the end of the article, Fish makes a deliberate

point of putting in the word "Amen." The term is synonymous with some religious faiths,

especially in Christianity. I feel this approach further reflects his relationship with another part of

his intended audience, which further enhances and endears his message to his audience.

Although non-apparent all through his writing, Fish takes time to put in a subtle element that

though minimal, has a tremendous impact for those who identify with it and understand its

implications – it presents the author's character, standing, and judgment. A perfect example of

the appeal of pathos.

Fish further presents his skills by outlining a logical approach to his argument. He

dismisses the idea that a lot of reading enhances writing skills by questioning the logic behind

this approach. In his words, will you learn how to write through osmosis? He presents the logical

argument that with today’s society gravitating away from reading and other useful activities such

as debating, it is critical to have a specific and focused course targeted at imparting writing skills,

which is his primary position in the article (Fish). His position is well-founded in my view for

End of Preview - Want to read all 4 pages?

Access Now

Unformatted Attachment Preview

Surname 1 Name: Professor: Course: Date: Rhetorical Analysis Should colleges take up more responsibility in teaching writing skills? This question reflects the deficit that colleges must fill in imparting writing skills to students. Ardent instruction from severe instructors has worked well, as observed by Stanley Fish, in Catholic schools. In the article, What Should Colleges Teach? Fish presents a critical analysis of the writing process and related skills, approaches to its teaching, and his opinion on the best and most effective way to do it. Fish works well in presenting his ideas in the article. He poses practical arguments and expresses an excellent mastery of the subject of writing. Being an experienced literary theorist, his approach, as presented in the article, is founded on vast practical experience – a positive and reliable element. He offers an acute understanding of the issue and concepts and their relationship with the audience. These are impactful on the choice of language with a decent and appropriate level of vocabulary usage evident throughout the article. Stanley Fish has a precise interest and participation in writing. From the article, it is evident that he ...
Purchase document to see full attachment