Running head: RHETORICALLY ANALAYZING AN ARGUMENT

Sara Davis
Rhetorically Analyzing an Argument
Baker College

Running head: RHETORICALLY ANALAYZING AN ARGUMENT

The essay No Human Being is Illegal by Mae M. Ngai was published in the rhetorical
context of immigration being one of the top subjects and arguments broadcasted in the media.
The authors motivation behind this essay came after she wrote an op-ed in a newspaper in 2006
about how in the past the United States government legalized tens of thousands of European
Immigrants. Ngai received very negative and hostile comments and post cards about her article.
Immigration was a popular subject while Bush was in office but due to the events that took place
on 9/11, immigration concerns were put to the side and have now once again become an issue.
After doing some research on Ngai I discovered that Mae. M. Ngai is an American historian who
focuses on citizenship, race, and ethnicity offering knowledge and credibility regarding the essay.
Ngais parents were Chinese immigrants and has her own personal experience on immigration in
America and uses ethos to persuade her audience. The author has also wrote articles for wellknown and respected papers such as Washington Post, New York Times, and Los Angeles Times.
My ideas on the issues of immigration have been changed due to Mae M. Ngais essay. Ngai
used logos to logically appeal to me as the reader. Ngai used reasoning to persuade me that
citizens of America are quick to blame the immigrants in America for our misfortunes. Casting
immigrants as bearers of the work ethic, family values, and consensual citizenship renews the
tired citizens faith-liberal capitalism. But when the immigrants disappoint or when conditions
change, they become easy scapegoats (Ngai, 2012 p.870). She also uses logic in her title No
Human Being Is Illegal to appeal to all readers. Mae M. Ngai used pathos to get her readers to
use their imagination. She describes what it would be like to be and immigrant. She explains the
lengths many of the immigrants go to just to be in America, this made me feel bad for
immigrants and lucky to be born where I was. Increasing numbers of women from the global
south are leaving their families behind as they migrate to the affluent countries to work as

Running head: RHETORICALLY ANALAYZING AN ARGUMENT

caretakers for other peoples children, as hotel-room cleaners, or as indentured sex-workers

(Ngai, 2012 p.872). All of these rhetoric styles and strategies the author used have persuaded me
to re-consider immigration in ways I have not before.

References:
Baker College composition: A custom approach (Rev. ed.). (2012). Boston, MA: Pearson Learning
Solutions.