Analyzing Rhetorical Strategies in "Those kinds of books: religion and spirituality in young adult literature"

Rhetoric of a Librarian

Jones, Gwyneth Anne Bronwynne "Who Needs a Librarian Sign" (4/27/2013) via Flickr
Atttribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic Creative Commons License

My text uses a plethora of rhetorical strategies to make their case to the audience. Here's a breakdown of the strategies she used, how and why she used them, and the effect they have:

Appeals to Credibility or Character

• Strategies:
• Personal stories: story about her selection of a religious book
• References to credible sources: cites info from a list of sources
• Word choice: "in my experience"
• Tone: maintains an informative, passionate tone throughout
• Information about author's expertise: statement about the author under article
• Acknowledgement of counterarguments & refutations to those arguments: "My other colleagues also voiced their concerns"
• How and why they are used:
• The author is attempting to convey that she has encountered this issue in her workplace and in society at large. She uses this to maintain that she has a valid stance on this controversy. She also makes a case for her character; the author makes personal statements about her beliefs about culture on multiple occasions. She is attempting to connect with the beliefs and views of her audience.
• How they affect audience perception of the author's credibility and character:
• Her appeals to credibility and character would be well-met in her intended audience. Other librarians and those who have authority over libraries are given cause to listen to the experiences and values of a fellow librarian.
• Does the author seem to have bias or assumptions that impact their credibility?
• The author does seem to assume that her readers will feel that religion and spirituality are crucial to personal development. That may be a bit more difficult for her readers to accept than it is for her.

Appeals to Emotion

• Strategies:
• Emotionally compelling narratives: Amal's story
• Repetition of key words: spirituality, religious, beliefs, faith, moral, care, identify, fearless, advocates, need
• Level of formality: maintains a conversational tone, never uses slang, never elevates themselves above the reader
• Shocking statistics: statistics about religion and children
• Tone of voice: passionate, engaged tone
• Intended emotional response:
• The author wants her audience to feel empowered about facilitating change, accepting of religious books and their role in advancement, and sympathetic to children who need these influences to develop. 
• Actual result:
• The audience will most likely respond in the intended way, unless they do not share the same cultural or moral values that the author does. 
• Effectiveness of strategies:
• Overall, the author's emotional appeal works well, and doesn't take over the piece. This audience is mostly filled with like-minded librarians and administrators, so her strategies work to her advantage.
• How do these appeals affect the credibility of the author or the logic of the text?
• These appeals support the credibility of the author for those librarians who are tired of censoring, but may take away from the logic of her argument for those who are on the fence. Religion is a tricky subject, and whether you praise it or degrade it, your argument will face criticism.

Appeals to Logic

• Strategies:
• Historical records: the banning of Harry Potter by Christian groups, 
• Statistics: "82 percent belonged to a local congregation"
• Expert opinions: "Fowler proposed that"
• Effective organization: separate sections, clear purpose, good flow
• Clear transition between sections: before a new section begins, a connecting sentence signals a change, and a separated header of the section is used
• Intended response:
• The author is providing evidence that they hope will educate readers about the role of religion in adolescent development, and create an effective argument for why school libraries should cease the religious book taboo.
• Actual result:
• The audience will see facts and logical arguments based on those facts. They will certainly question the neglect of a whole genre of books in school libraries.
• Are these strategies effective?
• These appeals to logic are quite effective. She will not make a point that she cannot back up with fact. Those in her audience will at the very least come to question their own potential self-censorship, and may even acknowledge the reasons why religious books must be available to young adults.

Reflection: Looking back at Ann and Chingiz's analyses, I am unsure how to compare my analysis. My formatting is more like Ann's, but I really wish that I could have been as concise and straightforward as Chingiz. He was able to answer every question in just a couple sentences! I realize that I tend to spend more time and energy in expanding bullet points as part of my layout, but it also helps me process material better. Overall, I think my analysis is pretty good, and I used my time to benefit my own personal understanding of the rhetorical situation of my text.