Horatio Alger was a 19th century American author who is well known for works such as Ragged Dick and The Cash Boy. Alger's juvenile novels are also known for constantly and infamously displaying young black Americans undergoing "rags to riches" lifestyle. Horatio Alger describes three myths throughout Ragged Dick. The messages the Alger myths convey are: (1).each of us is judged solely on his or her own merits: (2).we each have a fair opportunity to develop our merits; and (3).ultimately merit will out. (261) So, what Horatio Alger is saying through these myths is that everyone is judged by what they have done or what they have earned show for what they have done.
Dalton finds the myths benign and puts forth rhetorical concept after rhetorical …show more content…
He writes of this quote saying, “The main point of the Alger myth is to promote inequality” and, “the Alger myth is to proclaim that everyone can rise above their station in life. Dalton also writes that “many whites, however, have an interest in resolving the dissonance in the favor of this myth. “They would just as soon put the ugliness of racism out of mind”. (265) These quotes directly support Dalton’s claim that the Alger myths maintain the racial pecking order. Dalton’s writes frequently of one of Horatio Alger’s works titled Ragged Dick. Ragged Dick is a novel written by Horatio Alger in 1947. It is about a young black American putting forth hard work achieving merits and working his way up in life and wealth. It exercises the three Alger myths abundantly, Dalton writes that not only merit contribute to success but as does other opportunities and …show more content…
As written earlier, I view Dalton's decision to use the word; "black" instead of African American catches the eye and builds pathos. He related the myth of equal opportunity back to slavery, which has an emotional toll on "black folk" (264). Most of Dalton's pathos resides in the subject of race. I noticed it most when Dalton states that the sole objective of the Alger myth was to maintain the racial pecking order of the time (264). This is believable because Horatio Alger was a white man in the times of segregation. These myths could a most likely stand on the side of white supremacy. According the Dalton these myths are both benign and just simply don’t apply to current times. (261) In conclusion, Harlon L. Dalton makes a convincing and logical argument. He builds pathos, ethos and especially logos. Dalton’s argument is one he makes both convincing and logical. He has tremendous amounts of logos but a lacking amount of ethos. Does he truly have the authority to say these things? It may be hard for readers to decide this based on his lacking use of ethos throughout the text. However, his ability to build logos and create pathos throughout his writing draws the reader into the text and can influence the reader to decide whether or not they support Dalton’s
Dalton finds the myths benign and puts forth rhetorical concept after rhetorical …show more content…
He writes of this quote saying, “The main point of the Alger myth is to promote inequality” and, “the Alger myth is to proclaim that everyone can rise above their station in life. Dalton also writes that “many whites, however, have an interest in resolving the dissonance in the favor of this myth. “They would just as soon put the ugliness of racism out of mind”. (265) These quotes directly support Dalton’s claim that the Alger myths maintain the racial pecking order. Dalton’s writes frequently of one of Horatio Alger’s works titled Ragged Dick. Ragged Dick is a novel written by Horatio Alger in 1947. It is about a young black American putting forth hard work achieving merits and working his way up in life and wealth. It exercises the three Alger myths abundantly, Dalton writes that not only merit contribute to success but as does other opportunities and …show more content…
As written earlier, I view Dalton's decision to use the word; "black" instead of African American catches the eye and builds pathos. He related the myth of equal opportunity back to slavery, which has an emotional toll on "black folk" (264). Most of Dalton's pathos resides in the subject of race. I noticed it most when Dalton states that the sole objective of the Alger myth was to maintain the racial pecking order of the time (264). This is believable because Horatio Alger was a white man in the times of segregation. These myths could a most likely stand on the side of white supremacy. According the Dalton these myths are both benign and just simply don’t apply to current times. (261) In conclusion, Harlon L. Dalton makes a convincing and logical argument. He builds pathos, ethos and especially logos. Dalton’s argument is one he makes both convincing and logical. He has tremendous amounts of logos but a lacking amount of ethos. Does he truly have the authority to say these things? It may be hard for readers to decide this based on his lacking use of ethos throughout the text. However, his ability to build logos and create pathos throughout his writing draws the reader into the text and can influence the reader to decide whether or not they support Dalton’s