RHETORICAL ANALYSIS

Rhetoric and Writing Studies 1301

Michael Flores
October 6th, 2017
 Introduction

Within every argument, there are three rhetorical elements known as ethos, pathos, and

logos. Ethos is the credibility towards the author and their data within the source. Pathos is the

emotion the author is trying to make the reader feel towards their specific topic. Logos raises the

question if the authors claim seems logical and is understood through their argument within the

source. All three rhetorical elements help support the article Health and Quality of Life within

Colonias Settlements along the United States and Mexico Border by Ruth Davidhizar and

Gregory A. Bechtel.

The authors Ruth Davidhizar and Gregory A. Bechtel, discuss different matters dealing

with poverty in the Colonias such as lack of resources and health conditions. The authors appeal

to ethos by informing the audience of their credentials, appeal to pathos by providing facts on the

health and living conditions, and appeal to logos by incorporating different studies and resources

into their argument. Through the utilization of these rhetorical appeals, the authors help convince

the audience of the negative effects that living conditions inside the Colonias has on its residents.

Discussion

The authors Davidhizar and Bechtel gain their credibility through the rhetorical element

ethos by both being scholarly professors, conducting and analyzing research, and using

tabulations. Both authors have degrees in nursing, as well as being nursing professors at

Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, found within a note on the page. Both

Davidhizar and Bechtel in the article used communication studies to have residents take

advantage of funds to improve their living conditions, and social organization to understand the

beliefs and culture of the people in the Colonias to find employment in order to acquire

healthcare. The most important study conducted by the authors was the tabulations of specific

diseases many people in the Colonias have such as measles, mumps, and rubella. When
comparing the prevalence of these diseases to that of people living in the rest of the United

States, Davidhizar and Bechtel found that people of the Colonias are at a higher risk of acquiring

these diseases. The authors further appeal to ethos by incorporating other studies conducted by

different scholars on topics that are relevant to their argument. For example, the authors talk

about a different study which concluded that within the Colonias, it tends to be a lot more of

Mexican-Americans living in these areas. A study by Hall (para. 17), showed there are four

different types of distinct zones of personal space; intimate, personal, social consultative, and

public. Mexican-Americans tend to be a lot closer physically, than other races, such as Anglo

Americans, causing diseases to spread at a faster rate affecting more people. By utilizing outside

sources that support their argument, the author convinces the reader that the argument is valid

because it shows that other people besides the authors have had similar conclusions.

The rhetorical element pathos is within this article however, it was not meant to be

applied on purpose by both authors. Pathos is the element within an argument to have a reader

feel for the topic on an emotional standpoint. Davidhizar and Bechtel write, The Colonias

settlements along the United States- Mexico border is reflective of third- world countries.

(para.3). Reading that sentence will give the reader an emotional take on the rest of this article by

creating feelings of both shock and empathy given that the United States is not a third-world

country itself however there are people living in extreme poverty. Both authors are clearly

stating the facts as to what is going on within the Colonias such as, The small houses are self-

built shelters of scrap lumber and other shoddy supplies... (para.5). When Bechtel and

Davidhizar are talking about the living and health conditions within the Colonias, none of the

facts and research they conduct presented the Colonias to be a place that was livable. The reader,

with all the findings that are presented, will feel for what the people themselves were going
through. Possibly, even realizing the resources the reader himself takes for granted but which the

people in the Colonias did not have any access to. Both authors did a great job on trying to be

empirical with their argument because at no moment did the authors specifically ask for the

reader to act in some way however, the reader will feel like something needs to be done within

the Colonias.

Davidhizar and Bechtel appeal to logos mainly by incorporating prior studies conducted

on the people of the Colonias and stated the facts as to what the current living and health

conditions are. One of the studies the authors used to support their claim, was one in which facts

about the individual biological variations occurring amongst the residents of the Colonias and

their ancestors were presented (para. 27). This study showed how these variations relate to a

greater chance of catching a disease in the Colonias. The authors concluded that the higher

chance of catching certain diseases is mainly due to the interaction of the Colonias residents

genetics and the environment around them. Both Davidhizar and Bechtel wrote about what

exactly the Colonias are, and what is happening within them. The people lack health and sanitary

conditions, and basic resources that humans need to survive. The authors state, Seventy percent

of people have no access to fresh water, sewage hookups, gas, or electric power. (para.5).

Davidhizer and Bechtel use logic to show the need for basic human necessities to maintain

proper health.

The article included phrases that suggested it was written to an audience within the health

science community interested in different aspects into maintaining basic environmental and

health conditions. For example, Davidhizar and Bechtel used biological variations such as skin

color and body size and concluded that Diabetes mellitus is 2 to 3 times more prevalent among
Mexican Americans than non-Hispanic whites. (para.27). This is important because people

mainly living within the Colonias are Hispanic and or Mexican-American.

The tone of the argument is consistent throughout the whole article given that both

authors are in more of a serious and informative tone rather than a persuasive one. The article is

more informative than persuasive because the authors do mention that things were trying to be

done, but as for then remained the same. The authors had no counter-arguments within the article

but did not need any to prove their argument given that it is not likely that the audience will

doubt the need for basic resources such as running water, gas, and electricity. The strongest

aspect of the paper were both the facts and statistical data presented within the argument. Both

authors did an excellent job bringing in other valuable resources such as other studies that have

been conducted on the Colonias. Unfamiliar words within the article that were looked up to find

the meaning of were prenatal and quasi-legal.

Conclusion

Ethos, pathos, and logos are all presented within this article and argument. Depending on

the reader, each of the three rhetorical elements can be taken in different aspects. Some even

being more apparent than others. The article proves the claim that within every argument the

three rhetorical elements exist. Davidhizar and Bechtel convinced the audience of their

credibility by being empirical in their research. Although pathos is not utilized to the extent that

the other rhetorical appeals are, it is still present in the form of facts stating the poor health and

living conditions the people in the Colonias are living in. Finally, the authors utilized logos by

providing the audience with previous studies that supported the information the authors give to

support the claim that people in the Colonias lack proper health and living conditions.
 References

Bullock, Richard. Norton Field Guide to Writing, with Readings and HandbookW w norton,
2013.

Davidhizar, Ruth and Gregory A. Bechtel. "Health and Quality of Life within Colonias
Settlements Along the United States and Mexico Border." Public Health Nursing 16, no.
4 (1999): 300-5.