Rhetorical Analysis Of Latin Woman By Judith Ortiz Cofer

Many minorities faced constant stereotypes throughout their lives. Not only has this always been an issue for an extreme amount of time, but it has negatively affected many people and how they live their lives. Judith Ortiz Cofer beautifully encompasses how Latin Women experience these stereotypes in an informative way by using specific rhetorical devices such as ethos, pathos and her own anecdotal evidence. Her main purpose is to expel her negative experiences that includes stereotyping, so others can understand the impact of it. Cofer uses her culture to illuminate her rawest emotions regarding the stereotypes she’s faced.. As a Latin woman writing about the stereotypes of other Latin women, Cofer uses this to create a credible foundation …show more content…
These experiences force the audience to feel the anger and sadness people have had to hide as minorities, but more specifically based on her own feelings which she plays out in a lovely way. Cofer speaks of the many experiences she’s faced, including moments from her childhood and her encounters as a young adult. Cofer addresses the realities of these occurrences by explaining that in America, she feels expected to act a certain way due to how others look at her which makes the argument more powerful from her use of pathos. She recalls how she felt after being stereotyped. She tells of the first point of being stereotyped and how she remained in her mindset of remaining calm. She states that “though I was not quite as amused, I managed my version of an English smile: no show of teeth, no extreme contortions of the facial muscles—I was at this time of my life practicing reserve and cool.” Many Latin women can relate to this emotionally because most of the time, if one isn’t comfortable with being joked around with by someone, they are viewed as negative if they retaliate and therefore, need to stay collected. Later on, she recalls a similar experience in which a woman confuses her as being a waitress at her own poetry reading. Cofer then says a small, yet emotional statement, “I know that it wasn't an intentional act of cruelty, yet of all the good things that happened that day, I remember that scene most clearly, because it reminded me of what I had to overcome before anyone would take me seriously.” The fact that this situation was such a prominent part of her experience, it plays on the emotional aspect of how even small things can have a big impact on a person. Making the audience see the effect this can have on a person, really shows the amount of feeling that was put into this