Rhetorical Analysis Of The Pursuit Of Getting By Amy Widner

In The Pursuit of Getting By, Amy Widner goes into detail on her first hand encounters of students choosing to settle for only passing, rather than overachieving. Widner cannot understand the reasoning behind her peers dumbing themselves down simply to fit in with others. She sees this as a waste of not only time, but money, saying “it didn’t make sense in high school and it certainly doesn’t make sense in college.” The frustration Widner expresses is heavily shown to the reader. She feels her peers make not only themselves, but all college students seem lazy and creates a fake sense of security in the students who get degrees by being underachievers. Widner’s strong use of ethos and logos helps the reader believe her, but the lack of emotional appeal can keep the reader from supporting her argument all together. Even with her credibility of being a college student herself and the logical points she makes, Widner fails in trying to push her peers to work harder due to her lack of emotion for her peers and her condescending attitude. Her credibility and evidence is all there, her approach is just wrong in order for her to …show more content…
She tones the paper as if the audience was a child and she was the parent reprimanding the child on his or her bad choices. The pathos is almost nonexistent throughout the entire paper. The only time pathos comes into play is when she explains how she understands why some of the conversations about procrastinating are brought up. Her entire argument does not give the audience much of a choice in what they should do. She wants things to change and she wants it to be done without question. The audience has no connection emotionally toward Widner. She makes the audience feel as though they are beneath her if they do not improve themselves. Widner does not show any sympathy for the underachievers, only frustration with their