Rhetorical Analysis of “Slip Sliding Away, Down the Ethical Slope” By Robert J. Sternberg
Nahiea Zaman
“Slip, Sliding Away, Down the Ethical Slope,” by Robert J. Sternberg is an essay about how making ethical decisions is difficult. The author argues that making ethical decisions is a hard choice that does not come to people naturally and is influenced by the people in his or her environment. According to Sternberg, in order to make an ethical choice one goes through an eight-step process that is often difficult to follow. He believes that the steps to ethical behavior should be actively taught in schools. He writes that unethical behavior may start with cheating but will escalate into other scenarios. The intended audience for the essay is students and adults. By using different writing strategies, Sternberg is able to successfully argue his point of view. He manages to create interest for the essay in the introduction, uses real life examples to back up his claim and has a strong conclusion that causes the reader to think back to the thesis. The essay begins with two anecdotes, which Sternberg uses to pose a question to the reader concerning cheating. The first paragraph is about a roommate who …show more content…
This is evident when Sternberg (2013) writes, “Just ask any disgraced politician, executive, clergyman, or educator,” (241). Sternberg is demonstrating the negative effect unethical behavior can have. He uses this to support his point of how unethical behavior needs to be corrected before it is allowed to get worse. Sternberg concludes the essay by writing, “While unethical behavior may start in schools with plagiarism or stolen exams, we know all too sadly, and all too well, that it doesn’t end there,” (241). The essay’s conclusion shows what could possibly happen if unethical behavior is not dealt with early on in
Nahiea Zaman
“Slip, Sliding Away, Down the Ethical Slope,” by Robert J. Sternberg is an essay about how making ethical decisions is difficult. The author argues that making ethical decisions is a hard choice that does not come to people naturally and is influenced by the people in his or her environment. According to Sternberg, in order to make an ethical choice one goes through an eight-step process that is often difficult to follow. He believes that the steps to ethical behavior should be actively taught in schools. He writes that unethical behavior may start with cheating but will escalate into other scenarios. The intended audience for the essay is students and adults. By using different writing strategies, Sternberg is able to successfully argue his point of view. He manages to create interest for the essay in the introduction, uses real life examples to back up his claim and has a strong conclusion that causes the reader to think back to the thesis. The essay begins with two anecdotes, which Sternberg uses to pose a question to the reader concerning cheating. The first paragraph is about a roommate who …show more content…
This is evident when Sternberg (2013) writes, “Just ask any disgraced politician, executive, clergyman, or educator,” (241). Sternberg is demonstrating the negative effect unethical behavior can have. He uses this to support his point of how unethical behavior needs to be corrected before it is allowed to get worse. Sternberg concludes the essay by writing, “While unethical behavior may start in schools with plagiarism or stolen exams, we know all too sadly, and all too well, that it doesn’t end there,” (241). The essay’s conclusion shows what could possibly happen if unethical behavior is not dealt with early on in