Rodney Smith's Work

An Analysis of Smith’s Work Many articles are written with the sole purpose of arguing for or against a certain topic or issue. “Yes a college education is worth the cost” by Rodney K. Smith, is an argumentative article that strongly appeals logistically as well as emotionally. Smith catches the reader’s attention through well-organized statistics, presses forward by creating credibility through experiences, and concludes with an emotionally driven story. Regardless of his appeals, Smith clearly ignores opposing evidence and relies too heavily on personal experience to reach his intended audience. For starters, the article begins viewing a college graduate protesting that his degree is worthless and his student loan is not being repaid. (Krisner 33) This visual image succeeded at capturing the reader’s attention. The author than dove into statistics, citing …show more content…
To build credibility Smith writes, “As president of a small liberal arts college with a strong core curriculum” which helps strengthen the previous statistics and personal background because we now understand that he runs a liberal arts college and assume that he is capable of sympathizing with the pros and cons of attending one. Smith than continues with an experience he had concerning a college student who was unmotivated. Long story short, with patience and hard work the student eventually came to enjoy his class. This story doesn’t seem to appeal to anyone except those who share a paralleled college experience. Last but not least the author spends another four paragraphs sharing a personal story about his father and grandfather. This story relates to a number of different people including, compassionate or stubborn parents, hardworking farmers, and those who might understand the struggles of the great depression. His appeal could raise some emotion for parents but not enough for a young adult fresh out of high