Summary Of Memorial Day 2050 By Thomas Friedman

Thomas L. Friedman in his 2014 New York Times essay, “Memorial Day 2050,” argues that our generation can and must make a difference on the issue of climate change in order to preserve our planet for future generations. Friedman believes we need to give future generations a voice in our society, and we have to make urgent changes so the Earth can remain a livable place for our grandchildren. Friedman’s essay is very effective because he uses rational, emotional, and ethical evidence to support his argument. Friedman provides significant rational evidence to prove how climate change is a vast issue in society. The main logical information Friedman writes is about the effect that greenhouse gases have on Earth. When greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere there are numerous harsh outcomes. Some examples that Friedman writes is “raise average temperatures, melt more ice, raise sea levels, warm oceans and make ‘normal’ droughts drier, heat waves hotter, rainstorms more violent, and the most disruptive …show more content…
For example, Friedman does an excellent job of integrating the word “freedom” in his essay to appeal to the reader. Friedman says that “this is our generation’s freedom struggle.” He believes that the only way we can truly be free is if we become more resilient and make our resources last or else the environment will naturally prevent us from our freedom. Freedom is a very powerful term to use and it successfully appeals to the emotions of the reader. Furthermore, Friedman suggests “what-if” scenarios and questions how free we will actually be when there’s extreme environmental hinders preventing us. Overall, Friedman’s appeal to the reader’s emotional appeal is very effective, and greatly helps the reader conform to his ideas on climate change and how we must make a