Rhetorical Analysis Of Happiness Is A Glass Half Empty

Oliver Burkeman’s article, “Happiness is a Glass Half Empty” has an interesting take on how optimism leads to unhappiness. Burkeman opened his argument with a very strong example of the amount of failure there is in the America with GfK’s Custom Research North America, or better known as “The Museum of Failed Products”. He then went on to use Ethos, Logos, and Pathos to appeal to the reader about a more effective method of gaining happiness and value in life. His tone and use of language also tells us about the kind of audience he is addressing what he hopes to communicate to them. Overall, he fulfilled his purpose of communicating in an effective way. One of the more convincing features the author uses in this article is the abundance of …show more content…
For example, Burkeman references neuroscientist- Tali Sharot, psychologist- Gabriele Oettingen, retired marketer- Robert McMath, psychologist- Albert Ellis, Standford University psychologist- Carol Dweck, and Oxford Management theorist Jerker Denrell. By including so many reliable sources, he is constantly reassuring his readers that his points are being backed up with science and experience from highly credible people, thus making it convincible via “ethos”. His pull from scientific and logical thinkers helps convince readers of his thesis, however so does the argument itself. He has a few ways of appealing to readers who want a reasonable and logical consideration. Tali Sharot’s The Optimism Bias, shows that our brain may be built to perceive the odds of things going well as greater than they really are. By offering this evidence, it helps convince readers that being optimistic is not being realistic. His next evidence came from a study that concluded “having positive fantasies about the future” would in the end make you less productive towards