Hillbilly Elegy: The Lives Of Poor White People

Joshua Rothman, The New Yorkers archive editor, who typically writes about books and ideas, discusses the novel, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, written by J.D. Vance, in the article, “The Lives of Poor White People,” to articulate his political views on poverty. Rothman aims to draw in an audience interested in politics, as well as the less-often discussed white poor people, in order to persuade the audience to agree with his political views. His views are focused on anti-Trump and the fight for eqaulity. Rothman notes that releasing the book when Vance did was noteworthy based on the current happenings at the time. While the novel was written in the pre-Trump era, the book hints at the opposing view on Trump and his hateful campaign. Through the course of the essay, Rothman delves deep into Vance’s past expereinces and background in an attempt to provide factual evidence for the audience. Rothman …show more content…
The typical intended audience member presents strong, emotional stances on political issues going on in the United States, which Rothman takes advantage of through his profuse amounts of pathos used throughout. The typical audeince member also delves deep into statistics and facts on issues, whcih is why Rothman heavily relied on the loical appeals in the article. Being able to provide factual evidence and examples increased his credibility, which in the end created a stronger argument altogether. Rothman obtains the approval of the audience, which is why he useed these specific rhetorical strategies. The big picture Rothman hopes to spread onto the audience becomes more clear and credible through the continued use of these strategies. Without pathos and logos, the audience would not be able to connect with Rothmans message, or even begin to agree with his