The article “This Boat Is My Boat” by Drew Hayden Taylor wants to inform the general population on the improper usage of indigenous people’s transportation by non-native white people. Taylor employs a rhetorical tactic that builds credibility by leveraging examples from his own life and the opinions of historians to defend the native culture against the intrusions of various immigration groups. To persuade his readers to view things his way, the author employs several powerful ideas that considerably increase his credibility throughout the piece. He uses personal anecdotes, which are practical communication tools because they aid the reader in comprehending a topic or idea by connecting it to the author’s personal account of the events he observed. In this instance, the author uses phrases like, “On any given weekend, Canadian rivers are jam-packed with plastic and fiberglass kayaks and canoes, hardly any of them filled with authentic Inuit or First Nations people, all looking to taunt death using an aboriginal calling card.” to incorporate it (Taylor, 2004).
The author uses this anecdote to illustrate the visitors’ pollution and willingness to exert themselves in an activity that ultimately would result in their demise. “Means of transportation and survival” of the Natives should not be used as “toys to amuse bored weekend warriors,” another personal anecdote used to support the article’s main point: to respect indigenous people’s property and culture and illustrates credibility. (Taylor, 2004). When Taylor says, “Vast majority of native people, based on thousands of years of traveling the rivers of this great country of ours, would probably go home and order a pizza” (Taylor, 2004).
This expression highlights how different native cultures are from those of white people. He generally structures his writing with personal anecdotes so that the readers are aware of the predicament the locals are in due to the foreigners using their kayaks. The author also used Historian’s quotes, which significantly strengthened his credibility and appealed to ethos. The phrase “Contrary to popular assumption, “portage” is not a French word—it is Ojibway for “Are
you crazy? I’m not going through that! Do you know how much I paid for this canoe?” (Taylor, 2004). The remark shows how historical quotes are employed as rhetorical devices to help the readers understand the credibility content of the piece and highlight his main point. The author uses historical quotes that considerably increase his credibility, appeal to ethics, and have a rhetorical approach throughout the piece. For example, kayaks and canoes were the life’s blood of the Inuit and various native communities. Moreover, middle-class white individuals and immigrants are different from the natives in the sector of outdoor recreational activities (Taylor, 2004).
This quote shows that historically white and natives are different, and their cultures and ways of livelihood differ; therefore, the author uses it rhetorically to highlight his main idea on cultural differences between the natives and whites. Overall, the author uses several powerful ideas that substantially increase his legitimacy and appeal to ethos throughout the piece. This argument contends that the author of the article “This Boat is My Boat” establishes credibility by using rhetorical approaches through personal anecdotes and historical viewpoints to counterattack criticisms of their society from other immigrant groups.
Reference
Taylor, D. H. (2004). This Boat Is My Boat. Web.