Analysis of a Sample Public Argument

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     For this blog, I will be analyzing the "Letter to the Honorable Janice K. Brewer", written by Kassandra Esmeralda Diaz. I found this to be the most interesting of the three, because its an actual application of rhetorical analysis to something freshman at the U of A can succeed at doing.
     The tone of Kassandra's letter is serious. She is focused on addressing the problem of Medicaid cutbacks in the Arizona budget, and lets her reader know she is serious. She conveys this tone by writing about one specific point in her argument, and does not deviate from her point. She also conveys her tone by using professional language such as "A second approach" or "affordable safety-net program".
     Kassandra used the formal letter to correctly address her audience. For example, Kassandra addresses her audience using a proper Dear..... heading like a formal letter would. She addresses the Governor as Governor Brewer, instead of Mrs. Brewer or "Eh yo J. Brew".  Kassandra also breaks each paragraph into its own cause or effect, which makes reading the letter easier for the audience. Kassandra ends her letter correctly, with a sincerely, and her name. She may have wanted to include contact information under her name, so her questions could be addressed via email or mail.
     Kassandra's ethos is established through her final line and first paragraph. Kassandra ends her letter with "Kassandra Diaz, College of Science, Biology Department". This would be effective if she was writing about an invasive species or migration patterns in Arizona, but she is attacking a social issue outside her field. In the first paragraph, she establishes the fact that she is a freshman at the U of A. However, she does not use any other form of ethos to persuade her audience that her goals should be attained.
     The overall claim in Kassandra's letter is, the $1 billion cuts made in Governor Brewers plan should be rethought as they have a negative impact on residents of Arizona. The first think Kassandra addresses is the negative effects to Medicaid and AHCCCS that this budget cut has made. After that Kassandra goes into discussing different approaches to other areas of the budget that could be cut, instead of healthcare. She discusses three different approaches to the budget, and urges that Governor Brewer work towards these solutions instead of her current one.
      The call-to-action that Kassandra uses urges Governor Brewer to reconsider her budget. Kassandra uses the sentence "I urge you to reconsider your cuts made to Medicaid budget and consider one of the above alternatives" as her call to action. This call-to-action is good, but it is not very persuasive. Rather something along the lines of, "As a resident of the state of Arizona" or something that better establishes her ethos to really emphasis importance in her call to action. It is clear that Kassandra wants to see a change, but her sentence is a bit weak at best.
     Throughout this analysis, I have made suggestions to Kassandra. In addition, I would tell her to develop her ethos better, maybe talk about someone she knows struggling to stay healthy on Medicaid, or make it more person. Just stating that you have a certain background in a field or are part of a certain group does NOT establish a credible ethos. Also, I would tell her to revise her call-to-action, and make it more persuasive. She uses the correct formatting and has her ideas organize in a great way, its just the end that needs a little work.