Rhetorical Analysis of Race

Hi readers, welcome back to my blog. In this post, I will be focusing on the rhetorical strategies that Marc Aronson uses throughout his book Race.

Almost every American can say that they have experienced prejudiced or, at the least, heard of someone who has. Prejudice and race can be seen in every aspect of American society, from clothing brands to medical treatment. Because race and prejudice are so integrated with society, talking about them can be challenging as many people have strong opinions. However, Marc Aronson does a great job focusing on the facts while still incorporating some emotions. He utilizes both logos and pathos and constantly blends the two together. One way he does this is by including modern stories and quotes at the start of his chapters that connect to his argument. Aronson also displays images throughout his book to support his arguments while appealing to pathos and logos.

Aronson begins chapter seven of Race, with quotes from Antonio de Montesinos and Francisco de Vitoria. Both of whom lived during the 16th century.

"I am the voice of Christ saying to you that you are all in a state of mortal sin for your cruelty and oppression in your treatment of this innocent people. Are these Indians not human beings?"                                                                                                                                                                                                               —Antonio de Montesinos (1511)

"Although these barbarians are not entirely lacking in judgement, they are little different from the feebleminded... They are not even better than beasts and wild animals...  Their stupidity is much greater than that of the children or feebleminded of other peoples."                                                                                               —Francisco de Vitoria (1540s) (93) 

Antonio de Montesinos was a Spanish missionary on the island of Hispaniola who believed in fair treatment of natives. He argued that the natives should not be subjected to the harsh treatment at the hands of European explorers because they too were human beings. Francisco de Vitoria was a Spanish philosopher who fought against everything that Antonio Montesinos believed in. Vitoria viewed the natives in the New World as "barbarians" and no better off than beasts or wild animals. Aronson chooses these two quotes to show the different sides of the debate that many Europeans disputed over in the 16th century. These two quotes bring forth two concepts that Aronson argues in this chapter. The first was that not all Europeans were cruel and prejudiced towards natives. This was a major step toward understanding. And the second argument Aronson makes is that while some Europeans accepted the natives, the majority of Europeans viewed them as "savages". This was a large step toward modern prejudice in America. By including these two primary examples in his book, Aronson appeals to the logos of his readers. This allows for the readers to see real-world evidence of how prejudice transferred from Europe to America and where modern prejudice in America started. Moreover, these quotes represent the basic ideology of many Americans during the 19th century and most of the 20th century. Only the natives, in this case, were African Americans. Americans were following in their European ancestors' footsteps as they walked down a long road of prejudice.

When most people think of the history of prejudice in America, they think of the typical white versus black stereotype. While the color of one's skin was still a major component of modern Western prejudice, Aronson explains how religious prosecution played a key role as well. Throughout Part Three and Four of Race, Aronson repeatedly talks about religious prejudice and how that links to racism in America. He links and compares these two topics to show his readers the importance that religion had in the creation of racism in America. By comparing these two topics, Aronson appeals to the pathos of his readers. For instance, Aronson examines the relationship between Protestant Englishmen and Catholic Irishmen and how their relationship forced many Irish to flee to the shores of America. The English viewed the Irish in the same way that the Spaniards viewed the natives in the 1500s.

"The bitter hatreds between English Protestant farmers and Irish Catholic herders were so extreme that the two neighbors appeared to be two completely different peoples. As Sepúlveda and his allies insisted that the American natives were not human, the English were coming to the conclusion about the Irish" (108). 

He encompasses the hatred between English Protestants and Irish Catholic by comparing that to what Sepúlveda and the Spanish felt towards natives. This appeals to the pathos of his readers because they understand the hatred that these groups had towards each other and what led to prejudice. He uses our knowledge from early chapters to connect with his new argument on why English prejudice towards the Irish lead to Western prejudice. Because of the intense prejudice at home (and famine), millions of Irish immigrants fled to America along with millions of other Europeans immigrants. These new Irish immigrants desperately wanted to fit in with American society. African Americans and the Irish were often competing for the same low-paying jobs and housing. Which made it all the more important for the Irish to distinguish themselves from blacks. Aronson makes the argument that because Irish immigrants wanted to prove themselves to Americans, they added to the already present feelings of racism in America. Aronson again appeals to the logos of his audience by incorporating evidence to back up his argument. This can be seen in the numerous historical facts that Aronson uses and the images that he includes throughout his book.

"The Irish mob attacking blacks in the New York Draft Riots (above)" (150). 

Aronson periodically incorporates images like the one above to appeal to his readers' pathos and logos. This image invokes strong emotions from readers because they can see how poorly blacks were treated and how strong prejudice was. Moreover, viewing something versus reading about it invokes stronger emotions because the reader can focus on detail instead of trying to create an image within their mind. Furthermore, this picture appeals to the logos of his readers by showcasing real historical evidence. I thought it was interesting how he chooses to include some many images. It certainly helped me understand some of the more complex ideas that Aronson was talking about. 

Lastly, I would like to talk about Aronson's style and structure. He starts off a chapter with a modern example or quote that encompasses the idea of that chapter. He builds upon the ideas seen in the modern example and shows how it relates to his argument in that chapter. This can be seen when Aronson talks about Jane Elliot and her eye color experiment. He connects this to how discrimination and power can separate people into categories never seen before. Which is something that masters and slaves took up in the 1600s around the world. He uses these connections to link modern prejudice with the history of prejudice. This allows for the readers to see the connection from the past to the present. Aronson has a unique writing style. He focuses on history and facts while using his personal emotion within the topics that he talks about. This can be seen in the first couple of chapters of Race, when Aronson gives a personal recount of his life. He uses that story to build upon the main message of his book; the history of prejudice. 

Thank you for reading my blog, I hoped you enjoyed this post.