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Rebecca Iannucci
ENG110-I
Kimberly Wine
Project #1
March 2, 2011
Writing Project #1: Analyzing the Rhetorical Features of a Scholarly Article
“Globalization and international adoption from China,” published in Volume 14 of Child
& Family Social Work, is a relatively short, yet immensely informative, piece. Written by
Monica Dowling and Gill Brown, two colleagues in the Faculty of Health and Social Care at
Open University, the article was originally published in December 2008, before being made
available electronically in February 2009. The article essentially discusses the increasingly
popular trend of international adoption taking place in China, which the article describes as a
direct effect of globalization in that country. Globalization is described as a tool that has linked
China with other countries through communication and technology. Ultimately, the article
reinforces a great deal of what is described in Rob Gifford’s China Road. The concept of
globalization is emphasized throughout the piece, and it is described early in the article as
something that has impacted every aspect of the human race. The article also details the effects
of globalization on China, a country that possesses a long, storied, history in regards to global
power.
Also, the article focuses largely on the rise in international adoptions that have been
facilitated through China. An increasing number of adoptive parents are going through with the
adoption process by bringing a Chinese child into their family. There is a particularly strong
emphasis placed on China’s one-child policy in this article. Throughout the piece, a relationship
is demonstrated between the strictness of the policy, and the high rate of international adoption in
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China. The article contains a sufficient amount of supporting evidence, with references to
scholarly studies, adoptive parents, social welfare workers, and government associates that
specialize in such adoption processes. These sources hold pertinent information about
international adoption in China. The article provides commentary on why adoption has become
so prevalent in China, as well as the pros and cons of such drastic globalization.
The information given in this article serves as a means to achieve the article’s rhetorical
purpose. Detailed though the article may be, its rhetorical purpose is clearly to inform. As for the
type of person reading this article, it is most likely aimed at scholars studying the future of
China. Contextually speaking, the article was published in Child & Family Social Work, which is
essentially intended for social workers. However, this piece carries a tone that indicates it is
aimed at a more intellectual audience. The article contains several other rhetorical techniques, all
of which reinforce its purpose to inform. The piece is deeply rooted in both logos and ethos, and
word choice is prominent as well. These main rhetorical techniques, which are the most
prevalent in this article, reflect the article’s purpose to educate an audience that is most probably
seeking information above all else.
The article’s clear rhetorical purpose is to inform the audience. Throughout the text, the
authors show no intention of doing anything but providing information to the reader. They
present the reader with ideas as to how globalization has contributed to China’s current state, as
well as how it has affected the rate of international adoption. Additionally, Dowling and Brown
(2008) explain many of the basic principles of China’s history in easily understandable terms, to
inform those who may not already be aware that “in 1973, a one child per family policy was
introduced, with punishments and inducements to ensure its success. The intention of the onechild policy was to limit the population to 1.25 billion people by 2000” (p. 354). The authors’
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argument is not rooted in bias; it neither defends nor opposes globalization and international
adoption. Instead, by reading this article, the audience receives knowledge that it may not have
possessed prior to reading this article. There is no evidence of the authors’ intent to persuade or
entertain the audience.
The intended audience is, in fact, a crucial part of the article. Based on many of the
rhetorical techniques used in the article, it seems to be targeted toward scholars studying
globalization and international adoption in China. For example, Dowling and Brown (2008) give
extensive background information on the history of China and its cultural perspectives:
“Historically, Chinese society was patriarchal and based on Confucianism, emphasizing the
importance of the bloodline and male children” (p. 356). This background is something in which
many scholars studying Chinese globalization are very interested, even if they are potentially
already aware of some of this history. Clearly, the subject matter discussed throughout the article
is both useful and insightful to a scholar who is pursuing the subject of globalization and
international adoption in China. However, not all of the article is based in China’s history. Much
of the article provides information related to the growing trend of international adoption in
China. Dowling and Brown (2008) detail this trend for scholars who may be seeking more
information about this surge in popularity: “Many overseas adoptive families and friends visit
China for the first time resulting in an understanding of a new culture. Adoptive parents have
also developed internet, national and local support groups to enable their children to gain an
appreciation of their country of origin” (p. 352). Scholars who are studying international
adoption in China can learn much from this article regarding the process of adoption, and how
adoptive parents and children adapt to their new lifestyles after the process is complete.
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It is important to recognize the context in which this article was written. “Globalization
and international adoption from China” was published in Child & Family Social Work in 2008. It
is a publication that is both intellectual and comprehensible. That is to say, it would be a fitting
read for the targeted audience, as well as the audience of social workers for whom this journal is
usually written. Scholars who are studying this aspect of Chinese culture would find the
information analytical and intelligent. Social workers who may facilitate these very adoptions
would find the information educative and beneficial. Additionally, Dowling and Brown (2008)
are sure to clearly define each section of the article: “This introduction defines globalization in
the context of adoption from China and demonstrates how globalization affects, and is affected
by, inter-country adoption” (p. 352). This clear outline of the article’s sections allows the piece
to be digestible and easy to understand, while also serving as an insightful and worthwhile read.
The piece is deeply rooted in logos. In this case, the content that is most commonly used
as proof is factual evidence. Throughout much of the article, Dowling and Brown (2008) base
their argument in China’s history: “At its peak, in Mao Zedong’s era, the fertility rate was 5.8
children for each woman of childbearing age. This dropped to 2.9 when his successors made
contraception and abortion widely available, and the one-child policy cut it further to 1.8, which
is below the replacement rate of 2.1” (p. 354). Here, the authors inform the reader by first giving
them a history lesson regarding China’s population policy and how the population has shifted
over time. In order to communicate the topic of Chinese population to the reader, Dowling and
Brown have chosen to regurgitate facts, which is a method of logos used throughout the article.
Essentially, the reader will not be able to understand the significance of China’s globalization
and international adoption rate if they are not first aware of where China has been. By employing
logos, and illustrating China’s shaky trajectory in the realm of population control, the authors
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make it clear to the reader just how intriguing it is to see China’s international adoption rates
rise.
Ethos is also largely present in this article. Often, ethos is conveyed through the tone of
the author. Here, Dowling and Brown (2008) convey a strong tone of objectivity in regards to
globalization’s impact on the world: “Globalization has had a significant impact on the
worldwide transfer of goods and services with both negative and positive results for populations
and individual consumers” (p. 352). The article contains no trace of any subjective feelings
toward the subject matter. This wholly objective attitude links back to the article’s rhetorical
purpose of informing the reader. Since the article is not meant to persuade or entertain, the
authors have no reason but to retain objectivity toward the subject matter. Additionally, ethos is
presented by the authors’ constant references to other scholars who have done similar analyses
on the subject of globalization and international adoption in China. Dowling and Brown (2008)
often reference George and Wilding, two scholars who have done comparable research on the
topic: “George and Wilding’s (2002) policy analysis of globalization is important for this paper”
(p. 353). These references by Dowling and Brown are helpful in employing ethos in the article,
because the indirect evidence being referenced is able to gain the reader’s trust.
Word choice is a prominent rhetorical technique here. Once again, the dichotomy of this
article’s target audience is presented through the language used by the authors. Although this is a
scholarly piece published in a scholarly journal, many of the word choices made by the authors
indicate that a moderately intelligent social worker is reading the article as well. Dowling and
Brown (2008) boil down complicated concepts into fairly comprehensible sentences: “Although
the new population policies and the development of domestic adoption and fostering may reduce
the need for international adoption, there is little evidence so far that there has been a decline in
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the number of children left in hospitals, at roadsides and in public places” (p. 357). The authors
make a somewhat complex subject matter easy to understand, for those who may be reading the
piece at a less-than-scholarly level.
“Globalization and international adoption from China” is a scholarly article that
utilizes many rhetorical techniques to fulfill its purpose of informing the target audience. Its use
of such rhetorical tools as logos, ethos, and word choice assist the authors, Monica Dowling and
Gill Brown, in providing information to scholars of the Chinese culture. This analysis breaks
down scholarly writing to its very core. Much of the scholarly writing that is absorbed by college
students can be incomprehensible; the important techniques utilized in the article can get lost in
flowery language and complicated concepts. This article is a fine example of scholarly writing
that possesses clearly defined rhetorical features, and the preceding analysis presents these
rhetorical features to college students in an understandable way. Instead of perceiving the article
as complex, college-level readers of the article will be able to understand that the piece is
informative, objective and uses clearly defined rhetorical techniques to inform an audience that is
looking for analysis and insight.
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Works Cited
APA Format:
Dowling, M., & Brown, G. (2008). Globalization and international adoption from China.
[Electronic version]. Child & Family Social Work, 14, 352-361.
MLA Format:
Dowling, Monica, and Gill Brown. “Globalization and international adoption from China.” Child
& Family Social Work. Volume 14 (2008): 352-361. Internet.
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Post-Process Reflection for WP1
At times, communicating my thoughts through Writing Project 1 was very difficult.
Admittedly, I struggled to keep my audience and purpose in mind. I focused more on impressing
a superior than educating my classmates. After all, they were my audience. My classmates, and
college students in general, were the very people I was trying to help my rhetorically analyzing a
scholarly article. By analyzing the article, I was able to make my audience aware of various
rhetorical techniques and offer various explanations as to why such techniques might be used in
scholarly writing.
As I wrote about the rhetorical features of a scholarly article, I employed several
rhetorical techniques myself. I used logos – factual, cited evidence, in this case – to support my
claims. I utilized diction to communicate my thoughts in an intellectual, mature way that a
college-level student would certainly comprehend. I utilized sentence structure in a way that
made my ideas understandable, without the basic concepts getting lost in more words than were
necessary. For the first time in a long time, my writing process involved a series of drafts. I
found myself following a more formulaic procedure of writing than I have done in many years. I
drafted several versions of my analysis, while plugging in crucial bits of information, like topic
sentences, along the way, to make the piece more cohesive and fluid. Ultimately, this writing
process kept my work organized, clean, and polished by the time it was completely finished.
I received feedback from my peers and my instructor throughout the duration of this
analysis. Each time, I received the feedback without asking any questions. These are people that
I recognized as helpers. They have done similar writing in the past, and many of them were
doing the same sort of writing at the same time. I did not argue with them. I simply listened to,
and read, their comments, and utilized those constructive criticisms to help my analysis improve.
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Before writing the final version of my analysis, I read my complete draft and made revisions on
my own. Ultimately, the rigorous revision process allowed me to better my work over and over
again. Mistakes were made, but my peers, my instructor, and myself caught them soon after they
were inflicted. The writing process was different than I had experienced in a long while, but it
was not only immensely helpful, but much more efficient and productive.