“FEMINISM; 200 Years Of Sexism Rampant” by Letty Cottin Pogrebin: Rhetorical Analysis
An article that relates to feminism, “FEMINISM; 200 Years Of Sexism Rampant” is written by Letty Cottin Pogrebin, an editor of Ms. Magazine on September 30, 1990. The argument the author is making in this text is how women’s inequality is still an issue in the United States after 200 years. The author’s main audience is young adults and adults of both sexes. The author’s purpose for writing this text is to bring awareness to the fact that there are still inequality issues between the sexes.The author states, “In employment, women of all races (and minority men) are the most vulnerable to the ‘last hired, first fired’ principal”. Women are more susceptible to getting fired than a man would be so the phrase “ last hired, first hired” does not apply when a women is working in a coed environment, which is clearly unfair. Letty Pogrebin uses logos and pathos to point out the inequalities America still struggles with between the sexes, but her use of ethos could be even stronger.
The author uses Pathos in this argument by starting off the article, “ In response to the plea of his own wife, Abigail, to ‘Remember the Ladies,’ the otherwise enlightened John Adams wrote, “I cannot but laugh… We know better than to repeal our Masculine systems.” When we think of John Adams, we think of a well-respected man and a man who believed in freedom and equality, but when he shoots down his own wife because he does not want to “repeal his masculine system” its repulsing actually. Having a President of the United States not believe that his own wife is not his equal does play on my emotions, therefore using an emotional appeal.
Another example of pathos is when she mentions President Ford and says, “President Ford deemed it impossible to find a “qualified” woman for the Supreme Court, and instead named John Paul Stevens, who has ruled in several cases that sex discrimination is legitimate. The President criticized the 1973 Supreme Court abortion decision and favored state control over a woman’s private reproductive freedom — in both cases against the expressed opinion of his wife.” Why men feel like they have a say in what a women can or cannot do with their body is beyond me. The fact that the President of the United States at that time believed he could control what a women did to her body is shocking to me.
An example of logos in this text is when the author states, “ According to the census, working men earned more than women in every occupation except kindergarten teaching; overall, full-time working women average only 61 cents for every dollar men make.” It is year 2016 and full-time working women earn just 78 cents for every dollar a man earns (whitehouse.gov). This article was written in 1990 and after twenty six years women are still earning less than men are.This significant gap represents why feminism is absolutely needed in the United States. The use of facts and statistics in the text create reason and logic for the audience thus implementing logos in her writing.
A strategy of development the author uses in her argument is example. The author uses examples of injustices towards women like her John Adams and President Ford examples to persuade her audience. Another strategy of development the author uses is cause and effect. An example of this is when President Ford decided to ignore the opinion of his wife during the 1973 Supreme Court abortion decision and favored state control over a woman’s private reproductive freedom, it effected women everywhere. It caused women to believe that the government was not on their side but against and unsupported of them.
The use of Pathos really helped with the persuasion of the article because it did make me frustrated that these two respected Presidents who were supposed to be representatives of the freedom in our country did not believe in the equality of both genders. When the Letty used Logos by using statistics and quotes it gave the audience the chance to reason with her.
The author could have used Ethos more effectively if she explained who she was and what her credentials were. Letty is not just an average woman ranting about women’s rights, she is a scholar. Letty Cottin Pogrebin is a graduate of Brandeis University. According to the biography from lettycottinpogrebin.com it states, “Letty is a founding editor and writer for Ms. Magazine and is also the author of eleven books. Pogrebin’s honors include a Yale University Poynter Fellowship in Journalism; an Emmy Award, inclusion in Who’s Who in America, and dozens of awards and commendations from a variety of NGOs, civic organizations and educational institutions.”
Letty uses many rhetorical devices in her writing such as Pathos and Logos, but if she were to address her credibility in her article it would persuade the audience more effectively.
Work Cited
Pogrebin, Letty Cottin. “200 Years Of Sexism Rampant.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 1990. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.
Pogrebin, Letty Cottin. “Letty Cottin Pogrebin.” Bio. Web. 16 Mar. 2016. <http://www.lettycottinpogrebin.com/bio.htm>.
