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Maria Cline
Jolynne Berrett
ENG 1010
1 March 2016

Two Years Are Better Than Four


College education has always been touted as the road map to a brighter future. Parents
are now under pressure to ensure that their sons and daughters access this education. Equally
under pressure are the children themselves who have to work extra hard to attain the
minimum GPAs necessary to join some of these colleges. Nonetheless, as even the demand of
college education keeps on rising, some people of the older generation are questioning if
college education really matters. According to them, the quality of this education has been
watered down significantly that it does not matter anymore. Liz Addison however holds a
different opinion in her essay which she dubbed as Two Years Are Better than Four.
Through a combination of rhetorical strategies that include logos, ethos, and pathos, Addison
makes a persuasive argument in support of the idea that two years colleges are better than the
four years colleges.
Appeal to logos is a very important persuasive strategy that Addison uses to dispel the
idea of Rick Perlstein and his likes that College as America used to understand it is coming
to an end. Logos are basically the quality of argument that appeals to reason. For instance, in
order to move from point A to Point D, one has to go first through point B then C and not C
then B. This appeal is quite evident in Addisons work. In the first case, Addison appeals to
logos when she rejects the generalization of Perlsteins claim that college education no longer
matters. Perlstein only attended the four years college and, hence, it is logically incorrect for

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him to generalize that college education also does not matter in community colleges. She
submits that Perlstein would never think to look for himself in the one place left where the
college experience of self-discovery does still matter to those who get there. Also, Addison
appeals to logos when she submits that community college still matters and, in fact, better
than the so called University of Privilege because they unconditionally allow their students to
begin. This is unlike the Four years colleges that tend to lock out those who do not perform
exemplary.
Secondly, appeal to ethos, otherwise referred to as credibility, is an important
component of a persuasive argument. A writer who proves to the reader that he or she is
actually the right person to speak about the topic at hand is in a better position to be trusted
than the one who lacks this element. Addison fully capitalizes on this particular rhetorical
strategy to first quash the arguments put forth by Perlstein and, secondly, to prove that her
points are worth consideration. For instance, by making the statement that, Mr. Perlstein has
never set foot in an American community college, she makes him unsuitable candidate to
speak about the community colleges. She then goes on to say that The philosophy of the
community college, and I have been to two of them, is one that unconditionally allows its
students to begin. Since Addison has attended not only one, but two of the community
colleges, she has the experiences to support what she is writing about. A reader thus stands a
better chance to trust what Addison says than what Perlstein said.
The last rhetorical strategy that Addison uses in her essay is the appeal to pathos. This
involves the author choosing his or her words so that they can appeal to the emotions of the
readers. A reader can get excited, happy, or regretfully of whatever the author is writing
about. Liz Addison has particularly been effective in this strategy throughout her essay. For
instance, she writes that, The community college system is Americas hidden public service
gem. Such a statement is capable of triggering emotions of regret among the readers who

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were never aware that community colleges are worthy alternative to the four year colleges. In
yet another instance, Addison expresses her sympathy to the young African American student
who for the umpteenth time writes a torturous admission essay that College is the key as
well as the hope. She wonders why nobody has told this student that community college
would not subject her to such a torturous experience before admitting her. Through this, a
reader is likely to feel sorry for this young student. In addition, some readers may feel sad
about the four year colleges that have to subject student to such a torturous experience. The
overall effect of applying pathos in an argument just as Addison has done is that it makes the
readers relate more with what the author is trying to pass across.
In conclusion, Liz Addison effectively uses logos, ethos, and pathos to persuade her
readers that indeed two years colleges are a worthy alternative to the four years colleges.
Through logic, Addison made the arguments put forth by Perlstein to lack the quality of
generalizability. Secondly, through ethos, Addison made her readers understand that she is the
right person to talk about college experience as she has been through the community college.
This was unlike Perlstein who only attended the four years colleges. Lastly, through pathos,
Addison appealed to the emotions of the readers thus making them relate more with the
points she was trying to pass across.

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Work Cited
Addison, Liz. "Two Years Are Better Than Four." Essay Two Years Are Better Than
Four Comments. New York Times Blog, 26 Sept. 2007. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.

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