A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS: kids, trees, and climate change
In 2013, an essay was written with the intent to influence the world to look further into
making a positive difference in the reality of a changing climate. The essay was written to
parents so that they would see the importance of improving the environment for the benefit of
their children and families. The author’s name is Mark Hertsgaard. Mark is an author of 6
books. He has published his books in 16 different languages all over the world. Also, he has
spent a lot of time researching environmental degradation in 19 different countries. Mark
Hertsgaard’s main call to write is to benefit the overall quality of the environment which we live
in and to show possible solutions to this world crisis.
The first part of the essay describes an experience he had with his daughter Chiara and
how his daughter is no longer able to enjoy the environment she had before. Mark writes the
essay to describe the crisis the world faces because of the changing climate and possible
solutions. In addition to this he has also talked about how people know what they must do and
have already started in making the change.
In the essay Kids, Trees, and Climate Change, Mark Hersgaard is effective in his use of
organization, pathos, ethos, and logos by telling his readers what the problem is, what has been
done so far to fix the problem, and what possible solutions there are.
The essay uses pathos right away in the introduction regarding his daughter. A lot of
times, the use children in writing or speech immediately starts the topic with an emotional vibe.
He says how Chiara, his daughter will no longer be able to enjoy her time at the beach because
the world isn’t taking care of the environment. This shows emotion in the essay and strikes
home for a lot of people. Also, he talks about how change needs to happen really soon. He says,
without a substantial change in our ways in how we take care of this earth, the future for our
children, and possibly us, will not provide what it needs to fully sustain, “we can’t afford it”. He
gives the reader many examples on how some organizations have tried to make a difference and
how everyone needs to be involved.
In his use of logos, he shows facts to back up his claim. First, he talked about how the
water supply in California is being negatively affected. Farmers will not be able to grow their
crops properly and could create a shortage for one of the country’s top producers in fruit. This
claim uses logic to show the result when climate change occurs. It gives logical reason for a
need to change our habits when it comes to taking care of our planet. This is particularly
effective for reason of persuasion. He also talks about how the people as a whole know how to
make a difference and they have already started. He says that there was a ban on 166 proposed
coal plants by a “national network of grassroots activists”. In addition to this, he says that public
health professionals, community organizers, faith leaders, farmers, attorneys, students, and other
people like us advertised the opposition of coal. Overall, we can see that Mark gives examples
of people and groups that have already started in a world of clean energy. He has given
examples that we all know of and can relate to. This all helps support his claim that everyone
needs to become involved. Without clear facts and research there would not be an effective
claim in this essay. Mark’s use of logos is very effective.
The fact that Mark is a father gives him plenty of credibility to his claim. Being a father
means being someone who is supposed to watch out for their children’s future and be their
protector. Thus, being the people who should care about the changing climate. Although this
adds to the pathos of the essay, this is a place he uses ethos. He is also has creditability because
he is the writer of many books that have been published in 16 different languages. That means
that he has written for people all over the world. He spreads his message not only to people here
in America but also throughout the globe.
The use of organization in the text is laid out extremely well in a way that he doesn’t miss
anything in his claim and he keeps the reader reading. Again, first he starts talking about his
daughter before he jumps into the details. Once he starts talking he shows the reader the main
points/problems. He then shows what the actual problem is: climate change. Furthermore, he
shares stories and examples of people and groups who have made an effort to fix the problem.
He then gives examples for possible solutions that will help the world’s climate and finishes his
writing with a claim that all hope for a healthy climate isn’t lost. He has the reader understand
how they can make a difference personally. In summary, he gets the reader involved, he
describes the problem, says what has already been done, what possible solutions there are, and a
reason to keep trying.
If I were to ask any questions to the writer in a face-to-face conversation, I would want to
ask further about why he thinks his ideas for creating a better environment would work. He talks
about solutions that have helped other countries but the USA is very different from most of the
world. In the US, there are many industries and when the government changes one industry or
gives more regulation, other industries are affected, possibly in a negative way. New jobs might
be created, but other jobs could be destroyed. Also, everything costs money. The government
would probably have to support new “green” industries for a long time before they could go on
their own.
I feel that this essay is very effective in supporting its claim. It is rich with logos, shows
ethos, and connects the reader on a deeper level with pathos. The organization makes it an easy
read for anyone in the world to analyze and ponder. It was easy to see the goal in the authors
writing, which was to persuade the readers that climate change has an effect on our personal
lives and that we need to be proactive as a community, state, country, and world if we want to
protect this planet.