Haley Motsinger

Professor Bret Zawilski

RC 2001-181
25 November 2015
Rhetorical Analysis
We live in a time in which Young Adult literature is booming. Nearly everyone is
familiar with the works of John Green and Suzanne Collins; movies based off of their novels are
created almost yearly. While these novels are incredibly popular, it has been debated whether or
not Young Adult literature holds any literary merit. Craig Hills book, The Critical Merits of
Young Adult Literature: Coming of Age, argues that Young Adult literature has more merit than it
is given credit for. The popular website, The Slate, on the other hand, gives their opinion in a
brash article titled, Read whatever you want. But you should feel embarrassed when what
youre reading was written for children. Regardless of their opinions of Young Adult literature,
it is important to explore the ways in which these two sources make their arguments. This
analysis will discuss audience, style, and appeal; to start with, well take a look at how the two
writers use the three pisteis: pathos, ethos, and logos.
The appeal most used in The Slates article is pathos, which is appeal to emotion,
however it is not your typical idea of pathos. When I think of pathos, what most often comes to
mind are heart-wrenching images or moving displays of affection. The Slate makes their
argument using pathos, just on the opposite end of the spectrum. Writer, Ruth Graham, is crass
and does not hesitate in telling adults that they should be embarrassed if they enjoy Young Adult
literature. Throughout the article, Graham insults readers of all ages. She tells adults that they

are better than the books theyre reading, that they should graduate to grown up books
(Graham). She goes on to call Young Adult literature far too simple, insulting authors and
readers alike. Also, if youre a fan of The Fault in Our Stars, The Perks of Being a Wallflower,
or Eleanor and Park, you may want to steer clear of this article. Graham dismisses these wildly
popular novels as childish and calls the endings uniformly satisfying (although in what world
is Augustus death, Charlies hospitalization, and Eleanors running away satisfying)? So while
Ruth Grahams writing does not capture your heart quite like your typical idea of pathos, it is
fraught with this appeal because Grahams shaming of the audience certainly produces an
emotional response.
Outside of pathos, this article by The Slate uses very little of the two remaining pisteis,
ethos and logos. Any ethos in this writing is scarce; writer, Ruth Graham, is not a prominent
name in the literary community, nor does she pull any quotes or ideas from credible sources. At
the very end of her article, Graham sends the reader off with an attempt at using ethos. She
quotes actress, Shailene Woodley, who stated Im not a young adult anymoreIm a woman,
and says this is why she is done making teenage movies (Graham). While Shailene Woodley
does have some experience in the world of young adult literature, it would be a bit of a stretch to
regard her as a credible source in the literary field. Regarding logos, it appears to be nonexistent
in this writing. Rather than using logic to support her claim, Graham relies on pathos almost
entirely.
While The Slate mainly focuses on emotional appeal, Craig Hill captures the readers
attention and respect by relying heavily on credibility; the appeal he most uses is ethos. His
book, The Critical Merits of Young Adult Literature: Coming of Age, is fraught with quotes from
literary experts, which leads the audience to trust what is being said. The book begins with a

quote by Virginia Monseau, an ALAN Award winner (ALAN meaning Assembly on Literature
for Adolescents for the NCTE), which sets the pace for the rest of the book, as it quotes
prominent figures throughout. Additionally, one of the greatest signs of credibility is if a person
has been published. Craig Hill certainly meets this criteria as he has been published many times;
because of this he is highly regarded in the literary community.
Hills book, which for the most part does not stray from its formal, informative style,
does have a few examples of pathos. His writing hits a note with the readers nostalgic side
when he mentions the iconic work that started Young Adult literature, The Outsiders from 1967.
The writer also strikes a chord with the audiences emotions when he acknowledges that to some
people, Young Adult literature is derogatorily called kiddie lit or juvenile lit (Hill). This
nostalgic reference along with these hurtful nicknames pique the attention of the reader, which is
just what Hill intended.
The three pisteis are crucial when analyzing how a work makes its point, but it is not all
that matters. Something else we need to consider is the intended audience. It is instantly clear in
The Slates article who the work is directed to: adults who enjoy the occasional Young Adult
literature novel. After all, the title of the work is Read whatever you want. But you should feel
embarrassed when what youre reading was written for children. This is a fitting title, as Ruth
Graham goes on to spend the entirety of the article chastising adults who read John Green or
Stephen Chbosky. Graham confronts the readers, whom she presumes are adults, and tells them,
Fellow grown-ups, at the risk of sounding snobbish and joyless and old, we are better than this.
The audience this work is intended for is clear, and it appears that Graham doesnt care at all if
she offends them. For example, if you, an adult, enjoy a book meant for a teenager, you must be

simple-minded; most importantly, these books consistently indulge in the kind of endings that
teenagers want to see, but which adult readers ought to reject as far too simple (Graham).
Craig Hills intended audience, on the other hand, is a specific discourse community. The
book is meant for someone with more experience in the literature field, whether it be a teacher,
professor, or scholar. We know this is the case because of the writers elevated vocabulary and
the use of terms the average person would not be familiar with. Hill explains the problem and
confronts the reader by saying, high school teachers, parents, professors of literature, and even
English educators continue to treat Young Adult literature as an illegitimate child. Throughout
his book, Hill argues that Young Adult literature does in fact hold merit, in the hopes that he will
spark change and persuade English educators to incorporate it in their teachings.
Arguably the most obvious difference between the two sources is the style and diction
used by the writers. Ruth Graham from The Slate puts a lot of her own voice into her writing; it
almost sounds as if she is gossiping with a friend rather than creating a professional article. She
often uses silly, informal words, for example, rather than describing a book as dull, Graham uses
the term fuddy-duddy. In addition to her informal diction, The Slate writer expresses her
opinion while insulting any differing ideas. However, her lax tone is not the indication of poor
writing, this is just a mark of pop culture journalism. It is very possible that Graham was hired
to write an inflammatory piece that would grab the attention of her readers. Her article might be
seen as brash and confrontational, whereas most academic and formal sources tend to deliver
their information in a more unbiased way. This brings us to Craig Hills academic work. The
reader is aware of Hills opinion that Young Adult literature holds literary merit, however Hill is
able to express this without attacking opposing ideas. He states his beliefs and goes on to back

them up with information all without sounding harsh. His writing is consistently formal and
clearly academic.
To conclude, it is important to analyze the ways in which a source may create its
argument. The Slates article, Read whatever you want. But you should feel embarrassed when
what youre reading was written for children and Craig Hills book, The Critical Merits of
Young Adult Literature: Coming of Age, could not have more different ideas of Young Adult
literature, but what is important is not their opinions, it is how they go about stating them. We
can attribute the contrast between the works to their differing intentions. The Slate article is
informal and argumentative because it is an example of pop culture while Craig Hills work is
formal and informative because it is a scholarly source.

Works Cited
Graham, Ruth (2014, July 8). Read whatever you want. But you should feel embarrassed when
what youre reading was written for children. Retrieved from
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2014/06/against_ya_adults_should_be_embarras
sed_to_read_children_s_books.2.html
Hill, Craig (2014). The Critical Merits of Young Adult Literature: Coming of Age. Retrieved
from https://books.google.com/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=uz_9AgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=young+adult+literature&ots=vOCWCAXXm&sig=VSx-Jn0kEYeHRc_rhp_EPpJjGGI#v=onepage&q=young%20adult
%20literature&f=false