This paper is aimed at discussing the essay On Snow Days Help Parents Work From Home, Too written by Emma Johnson (2014). Overall, this text throws light on the challenges faced by working families. In particular, the author examines the difficulties encountered by parents at the time when schools are closed due to snowfalls. Emma Johnson Believes that it is necessary to grant parents the right to work at home.
Much attention should be paid to the way in which the author uses ethos, logos, and pathos in order to convince the audience. On can say that these classical principles of argumentation enable Emma Johnson to influence the opinions of the readers and evoke compassion for people whose problems the writer depicts. These are the main questions that should be analyzed in greater detail.
At first, it is important to examine the use of ethos or the appeal to the credibility of the speaker. In particular, Emma Johnson lays stress on the fact that she is also a parent and that she understands the difficulties that working families need to overcome (Johnson, 2014). At the very beginning, she says, “Like other working parents, I’m fixated on the radio each morning because of the recent winter weather.” In this way, the writer suggests that she has the necessary knowledge and expertise to speak about these issues.
Thus, one can say that she has the authority to represent a specific group of people, namely working parents. This is one of the main aspects that can be distinguished. Secondly, pathos or the appeal to emotions also play an important part in this essay. In particular, Emma Johnson describes the desperate efforts of parents to find a babysitter at the time when there is an emergency. In many cases, these people feel virtually helpless. By using this strategy, the author prompts the audience to feel compassion for these people.
It should be noted that the possible readers of this essay may be familiar with the issues described by Emma Johnson, and her appeals can affect their views. The only limitation is that the writer does not make full use of logos in order to support her arguments. The writer does not speak about any empirical data that can throw light on the problems of working parents. Emma Johnson might have omitted these details because she thought that the readers had been fully aware of these problems.
However, it is possible to raise an objection to the author’s argument. For example, one can argue that the journalist does not consider the interests of employers. One should keep in mind that the work of many businesses can be interrupted provided that many employees decide to stay at home. Thus, the author does not fully reconcile the logical inconsistency of her arguments.
Much attention should also be paid to the relation of this argument to authority. As it has been said before, the writer attempts to demonstrate that she is knowledgeable enough to discuss the plight of working parents. To a great extent, this strategy represents the appeal to the authority of the speaker. Such an approach is often used by writers who want to demonstrate that they do have an informed opinion about a specific question.
Apart from that, one should mention the use of ethos, pathos, and logos is necessary for influencing the opinions of people who have the authority to help working parents. One should speak primarily abut legislators and entrepreneurs. This is another detail that should be taken into account by the readers of this text.
Additionally, one can argue that ethos, logos, and pathos supplement one another. For example, in the beginning, the writer attempts to secure the trust of the readers by stating that she is also a working parent. Nevertheless, this trust helps the author to influence readers’ emotions. These strategies are often combined in order to produce a stronger effect on the readers (Lamm, 2007).
Furthermore, the appeal to reason is also useful for gaining the trust of readers who are more likely to accept the ideas of others if they can see some empirical evidence. In many cases, such an approach can increase the credibility of a speaker. Therefore, ethos and pathos are closely related to one another. Nevertheless, the connection is not fully evident in Emma Johnson’s essay since she does not strongly rely on logos.
On the whole, these examples suggest that the classical principles are widely applied by modern writers and journalists. They are supposed to make the arguments of a speaker much more convincing. In particular, they are useful for showing that a person has the expertise and authority to speak about a certain problem or even represent a group of people.
Furthermore, ethos, logos, and pathos are closely intertwined with one another, and a writer needs to combine these elements. Emma Johnson’s essay illustrates the effective use of ethos and pathos. Nevertheless, the writer does not focus much on logos, even though it is also vital for the credibility of the argument.
Reference List
Johnson, E. (2014). On Snow Days Help Parents Work From Home, Too. Web.
Lamm, R. (2007). Dynamic Argument. New York, NY: Wadsworth Incorporated.