Rhyme and Reason Climate change is a hot topic at this point in time and has been for many years. The dying of large amounts of coral is one of the consequences of climate change and the main topic discussed in Elizabeth Kolbert’s “Unnatural Selection”. Kolbert’s influences the readers to care about climate change through her use of unusual introductory, pathos, ethos, logos, and her omission of and opposing argument.
Unlike many essays, Elizabeth Kolbert does not begin hers with the conventional introductory paragraph and thesis statement. Instead, Kolbert begins her essay, “Unnatural Selection”, on the unconventional side by starting telling a story. She continues in this fashion for most of her essay, but why does she use this style instead …show more content…
Often in her essay, Kolbert talks about coral in such a way that it evokes pathos from the reader. One such time is when she says “You can imagine what happens when people step on them,” and “I try not to think about that.”. She evokes emotions for the coral from the reader and the reader in turn thinks about the coral as something that is alive. Her use of ethos is noticeable in her introduction of William Powell and his qualifications as a professor of Environmental Science and Forestry. By telling us his qualifications she is justifying his research and subsequently gives the paper more credibility. The reader hears that this scientist is qualified because of his background and they will care more about the information given by him. Logos is used the most by Kolbert throughout her essay. She “sprinkled” information and numbers through her story to prove to the reader that the dying of the coral is a real concern. In the sentence, “In 1998, a so-called “bleaching event,” caused by very warm water, killed more than fifteen percent of corals worldwide” Kolbert uses logos to influence the reader about the dying of the coral. Telling the reader this staggering fact influences the reader and their view towards the problems facing the world's remaining
Unlike many essays, Elizabeth Kolbert does not begin hers with the conventional introductory paragraph and thesis statement. Instead, Kolbert begins her essay, “Unnatural Selection”, on the unconventional side by starting telling a story. She continues in this fashion for most of her essay, but why does she use this style instead …show more content…
Often in her essay, Kolbert talks about coral in such a way that it evokes pathos from the reader. One such time is when she says “You can imagine what happens when people step on them,” and “I try not to think about that.”. She evokes emotions for the coral from the reader and the reader in turn thinks about the coral as something that is alive. Her use of ethos is noticeable in her introduction of William Powell and his qualifications as a professor of Environmental Science and Forestry. By telling us his qualifications she is justifying his research and subsequently gives the paper more credibility. The reader hears that this scientist is qualified because of his background and they will care more about the information given by him. Logos is used the most by Kolbert throughout her essay. She “sprinkled” information and numbers through her story to prove to the reader that the dying of the coral is a real concern. In the sentence, “In 1998, a so-called “bleaching event,” caused by very warm water, killed more than fifteen percent of corals worldwide” Kolbert uses logos to influence the reader about the dying of the coral. Telling the reader this staggering fact influences the reader and their view towards the problems facing the world's remaining