On The Ground With A Gap Year By Gregory Kristof

On the Ground with a “Gap Year” Analysis Gregory Kristof wrote the article On the Ground with a “Gap Year” in 2011. The New York Times published many of the literary works of Kristof’s father, which gave Kristof the opportunity for publication by them as well. In his short article, Kristof described his experiences from his time in his gap year. A “gap year” is a yearlong break taken between high school graduation and the beginning of college.
After Kristof’s gap year, he attended Harvard University. He was a walk-on for Harvard’s wrestling team and wrote articles for The Harvard Crimson. In addition to writing for Harvard’s paper, Kristof wrote feature articles for the Huffington Post. Kristof is fluent in English, Spanish, and Mandarin. …show more content…
He mentioned memories from his journey that gave the article a light feel. He began his article with a story about how his friend and he spied on monks whilst in rituals. He also gave readers tips regarding the use of restrooms in China; “do not sink too low when you squat” (170) and “never to pee into a strong oncoming Tibetan wind” (170) are additional examples of his humor. The humor approach works well with Kristof’s target audience because it is light-hearted and fun. Kristof also used pathos in a value-based way. Through his humor, he was able to connect with the inner-children of his audience. “Childhood spontaneity” (171) as Kristof stated, is important to keep as young adults mature into adults. Kristof appealed to his audience’s values in another way – he mentioned questions that he asked himself. “Where was I going? Where did I want to go” (170) are questions that any high school senior must answer. The future is something cherished by everyone because everyone wishes for a positive outcome of his or her life. Kristof found his “path” to his successful future because of his gap year experience. Therefore, he wrote his article in hopes to help other young adults find their paths. For some seniors, college is a definite yes. For others, college can seem daunting. Kristof argued that a gap year gives seniors time to grow and mature in order to get ready for college. He claims that his gap year “went wrong in …show more content…
Kristof established a little bit of ethos. If he did not take a gap year, then he would not be fit to write the essay. His experience alone granted him credibility to write the article. Aside from that, he did not display any other ethos. While there were no statistics or quotes, Kristof also presented a factor of logos. His direct observations during his time in China delivered evidence to his audience of what to expect if they were to take advantage of the gap year. The people who oppose the idea of a gap year need substantial evidence that a gap year is worth it. For example, parents would not be okay with their child traveling overseas because of merely one article written by another young adult. If Kristof included more elements of ethos and logos, his essay would state a more solid claim – allowing the audience to grow to not just high school seniors, but their parents as