Analysis Of I Know Why The Caged Bird Cannot Read

Francine Prose appeals to ethos in multiple personaes in her essay I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read, including being a professional researcher, a former high school student, and a parent. In the second paragraph of page 91, Prose appeals to ethos as a professional researcher who looks for comprehensive sources of evidence to increase her credibility. Prose lists the sources of the “photocopy pages” she has collected before she states her observation. By saying “what emerges from these photocopied pages distributed in public, private, and Catholic schools as well as in military academies...in rural Oregon and urban Missouri”, Prose proves that her statements are representative and reliable because her sources provide all-inclusive datas …show more content…
The direct use of negative emotional words presents Prose’s stand in a really straightforward way. The readers are able to tell Prose’s stand in the very beginning of the passage, and such a strong expression will invoke the audience’s curiosity, making them want to know why Prose holds such a negative feeling about the required reading in American high schools. Also, the use of words with negative connotations allows Prose to build her central argument and lead her body paragraphs. Since this essay is a critique of the quality of high school reading requirement, talking about its negativity enables Prose to emphasize the necessities to change the standard of choosing the high school reading requirement, helping her naturally lead the following supporting paragraphs in the later part of the passage. Prose does not risk putting off readers who do not share her views because the use of strong emotional words can invoke people’s curiosity no matter they agree with her or not. For people who are on Prose’s side, they would like to continue to read this essay because they have the shared opinions. On the other hand, readers who disagree with Prose would still like to read the essay because they want to know Prose’s arguments and look for ways to argue with her when they finished reading. There are also possibilities that people who disagree with Prose may be interested about the opposite views, aiming to find valuable points they might believe is useful and applicable to enhance their teaching in this essay. Other examples of strongly emotional language in this essay include “exasperated”, and “moribund” in page 90, and “murky” as well as “ turgid” in page