The Trouble with Diversity

Walter Benn Michaels is talking to society in his piece of writing. He has a stern belief that his opinion on diversity, religion and multiculturalism are what people should believe in. Right off the bat, Walter Benn Michaels appeals to the audience by giving a quote that involved to very influential men, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. The reason Michaels put this in the piece of writing was the overall meaning of the conversation they had, which was that the rich really aren’t different from you and me.

The rhetorical element that Walter Benn Michaels uses the most in this piece of writing is logos, or logic. He tries to prove his point on diversity with giving specific examples through the text, such as mentioning The Great Gatsby, famous people F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, and the controversial court date Bakke v. Board of Regent. These all proved his point on how there is a difference between culture and race in the world. Walter Benn Michaels also uses ethos to prove his credibility. He talks about his university, the University of Illinois at Chicago, saying that it is one of the most diverse schools in the country, but over half of the students come from the city of Chicago.

I believe that Walter Benn Michaels had a good argument, even though some people might not agree with it. He used his rhetorical elements in a good fashion, and used a lot of facts that back up his opinion on diversity, religion, and multiculturalism.

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