Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Colin Walsh
Professor Granillo
English 101
26 September 2018
People are intimidated to talk about complex issues, especially when it involves rhetoric.
Rhetoric in layman's terms is the art of persuasion. Rhetoric comes in three types; logos is the
method of persuading the target audience with reason, using facts and figures, ethos is used as a
means of convincing the reader with the authority or credibility of the persuader, and pathos is a
action or a convincing story. When reading an article about a subject are not familiar with, the
author has to convince others that their view on the matter is the correct one, while also being
educational at the same time. This dynamic needs to be without oversight, especially when
talking about an event that has personally affected their lives and shaped their bias. The great
imbalance between the taxation of the elite and everyone else in Joseph E. Stiglitz’s article, “A
Tax System Stacked against the 99 Percent” is supported by all the points that uphold a link
towards a call to change the system, by hopefully giving the “99 percent” the tools needed for an
honest change; These points are mainly explained in the appeals of ethos in how the decisions of
these laws are justified in the eyes of the beholder, pathos in the effects these taxes might have
affected the target audience, and logos with the use of large quantifiable numbers to help the
The purpose of this article might be for education on the injustice American tax system, a
matter that is intimidating to some and to enlighten others on how true the matter might be. The
use of logos is very pivotal to the conversation at hand. The foundation of the article relies on
numbers and examples from the past, “ The top marginal income tax rate peaked at 94 percent
during World War II and remained at 70 percent throughout the 1960s and 1970s; it is now 39.6
percent.” (287) . Examples like these give the audience the perspective to tackle the problem if
they choose to. Throughout this article, the most common appeals used to persuade are logos and
ethos. While there are sections that do contain elements of pathos, the focus is directed towards
education and not opinions. However, with a concept that can be considered foreign and
For anyone who isn’t already majoring or planning to major in the world of economics,
it’s unlikely at all to find any source of information that can be as universal as film or other
forms of digital media. The use of ethos is quite effective in establishing how believable he is in
his writings. With a complex and most intimidating subject in the American tax system, readers
need someone who has their own grasp on the reality on the matter. This implies that this source
is not only credible, it’s written by the most qualified person around. “ Joseph E. Stiglitz, the
winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2001, teaches at Columbia University…a senior vice
president and chief economist at the World Bank, and served as chairman of the Council of
Economic Advisors.” (286). Hence if there was any doubt about regarding the author’s
credibility, that is cleared up now. With the global and emotion impact this issue has on their
lives, it’s not everyday evidence can read from a professionals point of view and have it in a
sense geared against the former profession that he excels in. If not, we would be stuck with a
piece lost in the sea of contradiction, i.e., a paper about economics that is not considered for an
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outside perspective, an example often missing when debating complecated and controversial. In
otherwords, with all the I’s dotted and the T’s crossed for the author’s credentials and assured the
proper tone through its appeals, let’s see how these appeals actually stack up inside this well
oragnized report.
Based on the foundation of appeals, the world of politics is mainly centered on ethics,
that is why the use of ethos is important. Despite the many promises to make taxes fairer or to
have less of them overall, many political opponents show hypocrisy and double down on the
current status quo. “Mitt Romney,… admitted he only paid 14 percent of his income in 2011,
even as he notoriously complained that 47 percent of Americans are freeloaders” (Stiglitz 290).
It also doesn’t help that large companies like Apple and Amazon pretty much bend the system to
their will. The main point is, how can we trust these kinds of people to have our best interest if
they only look out for themselves. Plus, if that is really the case, then we must ask ourselves if
Surprisingly, Stiglitz rhetoric supports challenges the status quo and breaking the norms
of consersation. Even as early as 2001, people have been losing their faith and only now been
questioning the system. “Research in recent years has linked the tax rates at the top, sluggish
growth and inequality.” (Stiglitz, 292). That quote was in perspective within George W. Bush’s
reign, and this kind of stuff still happens. The worst of it was yet to come for the 2008 market
crash. Even then the law hadn’t caught on to the pattern. With this cycle of financial suffering so
deeply ingrained into people’s lives has created an uncomfortable environment to expand their
voices within the economic sphere. According to the authors rhetoric, however, he’s most likely
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implying that the government doesn’t care and it’s up to the people to take charge of the
situation. So now we need to see the emotional factor need to work in this argument.
minefield, that’s why the use of pathos is crucial and should be used in moderation. In this
article, however, the author seems to acknowledge that the use of pathos is necessary for
producing a call to action and a sense of shock. In his own writing, his use of pathos is not
entirely emotional with layers of logos for support. Stiglitz emphases “What should shock and
outrage us is that as the top 1 percent has grown extremely rich, the effective tax rates they pay
have markedly decreased” (Stiglitz 287). With language like this, it easy to see how people can
be invested despite all the scary numbers within the surrounding paragraphs.
An argument is only as good as its sources and Joseph E. Stiglitz has plenty. With his use
of logos, Joseph E. Stiglitz can turn a difficult situation into a more understandable one. It also
helps in an unintentional way to use logos as a sort of ethos or even a little pathos. As reported
by Stiglitz, “Denmark…a top tax rate of 60 percent…making more than $54,900…the United
States, 39.6 percent… $400,000[$450,000 for a couple]) (Stiglitz 289). This use of perspective
grants a universal understanding of the mindset of the economy and starts to create an emotional
connection through context. This if anything creates one of the foundations to better understand
the point the author is trying to get across, which is exactly what you want if your goal is to
educate.
Through the use of the different appeals, Joseph E. Stiglitz helps to gain more clarity on
one of the perspectives of how the American tax system is unfair. The use of logos helps better
quantify the gravity of the situation and the author helps with gaining a perspective on how much
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of a difference the situation is to others. The use of ethos allows the audience to question the
ideas that go into the foundation of this system and how it truly affects them. Pathos finally plays
an equally important role in connecting with the audience. This will hopefully be turned into
passion towards on changing the system. With everything said and done, the rhetoric provided
was very strong, and hopefully made the daunting world of American economics slightly more
Works Cited
Stiglitz, E Joseph. A Tax System Stacked against the 99 Percent. Ed. Gerald Graff, Cathy
Birkenstein and Russel Durst. 4th. New York: W.W Norton & Company, Inc, 2018.