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Rachel Allen
Professor Maenhardt
October 1, 2016
Essay one: Othering and Rhetorical Analysis
Othering
Change is happening in America today, it is visible through the civil
unrest seen on the news and read online. Majority America is being forced to
look at the fact that the history of the United States has not evolved to a
point of equality for all. Othering, or the way that majority groups view and
treat those of different cultures and ethnicities, is prevalent in our society
and a tension has built to a point of breaking. Many Americans believe that
racism is outdated thanks to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and the
increased diversity in our communities but the truth is far from that belief. In
this essay, I will discuss my views on the current climate in America and how
othering has created a divide. I will discuss my beliefs on why we are seeing
change today how the generation of Millennials has begun to change the way
America sees culture, race and ethnicity. Although Americas past is brutal,
there is hope for change.
It is difficult to tune into any type of media source and be blind to the
charges of brutality against African American males being levied at police
across America. Each day we are made aware of another shooting with

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questionable circumstances that was driven by fear or lack of understanding
on the part of the police. My life in Utah has been a peaceful one and I have
always viewed police in a favorable light, if I have a need to call the police, it
is for help and they are a welcome sight. Through conversations with
colleagues and friends, I believe that the majority of them have similar
feelings. Conversations surrounding media reports turn to blaming the victim
of the shooting due to our experiences with police officers in Utah, the error
in thinking that way, in my opinion, comes through lack of experience. As
Frederic Douglass states in his speech, What to the Slave is the Fourth of July
(465), Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance
between us. The blessings in which you, this day rejoice, are not enjoyed in
common. We have never experienced fear of law enforcement and law
enforcement has never experienced fear of us. We are part of majority
America in a state with low crime rates, similar cultural and religious beliefs
and we enjoy the privileges of being able to see law enforcement as
protectors.
When describing a majority it brings to mind privilege and power, I
believe that part of the resistance to change is that majority white America
feels their own struggles and an overall feeling of powerlessness prevails
among all American citizens. As Obama states in A More Perfect Union (480)
In fact, a similar anger exists within segments of the white community.
Most working- and middle-class white Americans dont feel that they have
been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant

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experience-as far as theyre concerned, no ones handed them anything,
theyve built it from scratch.
In the past, I have always believed myself to be generally tolerant of all
races and ethnicities but it was not until I moved away from home and
entered the workforce that I truly encountered diversity and experienced the
pleasure of making friends from other countries, races and religious
backgrounds. How does majority America face the reality that those in the
minority are viewed differently until they experience anything but the
majority that surrounds them? The definition of majority is not necessarily
power and privilege, it does not mean lack of struggle because of who you
are. I believe that today majority America means that you are safe. Arlie
Russel Hochschild stated in Gen (Fill in the Blank) (53) If in previous decades
large historic events drew people together and oriented them to action, the
recent double trend toward more choice but less security leads the young to
see their lives in more individual terms. My hope is that majority America
will begin to see this othering for what it is instead of being blinded by the
struggles that they are facing themselves.
The Pew Research Center Project on Social and Demographic Trends
(45-62) observes The Millennial generation, or those born after 1980, as the
generation of technology, education and diversity. This generation is more
ethnically and racially diverse than any previous generation in America.
When surveyed on why Millennials think their generation is so unique, 24%
stated it is because of their use of technology. 75% of Millennials have a

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profile on a social networking site compared to 50% of Generation X and a
mere 30% of Baby Boomers. Aside from being the most diverse generation
in history due to the changing demographics in America, the use of
technology allows the Millennial Generation to reach past the boundaries of
their surroundings and those of similar religious, economic and social
backgrounds to explore and experience life in ways that were previously
unavailable. It is my belief that exposure to different cultures and races
through a diverse social atmosphere as well as the use of technology at a
young age has been the main driving force for the information that we are
being presented on the issues of police brutality and race in the media today.
This issue is being driven by the millennial generation and its use of
technology as a tool to spread its message.
Othering is discrimination, it is lack of understanding and it comes from
inexperience and frustration with circumstance. Majority America must
understand that American culture is difficult to define, it is a living thing that
changes as our country changes but the foundation of American culture is
freedom and equality. We are coming face to face with difficult issues and
with the help of a generation that understands that different does not equal
less worth there is hope that America will evolve into one that is more
united.
Rhetorical Analysis

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For my rhetorical analysis, I have chosen to review the writing of Mary
Gordon in More Than Just a Shrine: Paying Homage to the Ghosts of Ellis
Island (432-434). Immigrants arriving at Ellis Island were full of hope and
excitement; they were taking a risk to leave their homeland in search of a
new start and a better future for themselves and their families. While Ellis
Island was the starting point for this new adventure it was also a waiting
point where immigrants, subjected to medical exams before they could enter
the United States, were left fearful and frustrated. I believe the audience
Gordon is trying to reach in this piece is Americans, who come from families
of immigrants, unaware of the challenges faced upon arrival in the United
States. Gordon provides a personal view of what took place on Ellis Island
while also giving reference to historical information in her writing. In my
analysis, I will review the rhetorical strategies used by Gordon to reach her
audience. Although Gordon provides historical information in her piece, she
is successful at conveying her message because of the emotional
connections that she creates with her audience through her writing.
Gordon begins her essay by using Ethos, or presentation of self, by
using the rhetorical strategy of storytelling to paint a picture of who she is.
Gordon identifies and targets her audience of fellow American immigrant
descendants through storytelling by describing an encounter that led her to
identify her family heritage. Gordon states, I am American, and those
places purport to be my history. But they are not mine (432). Gordon sets
the tone for her piece by identifying her feelings of disconnect from the

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commonly held beliefs presented by American history on immigration and
Ellis Island.
Gordon builds on her feelings of disconnect from American history and
begins to incorporate Pathos, or emotional response, as she paints a picture
for her audience by using historical information. The use of historical facts
regarding Ellis Island provides the reader with images of an alternative
history from the one with which they are familiar. Gordon states, on the day
of my visit, my mind fastened upon the medical inspections (433), she
provides descriptions of the testing and possible outcomes for immigrants if
they were found to have certain medical conditions. Gordons use of
historical fact provides clarity for her audience who would otherwise not
understand her lack of connection to American history.
Mary Gordon creates an emotional response in her intended audience
using the rhetorical strategies of storytelling and historical fact. She creates
an opportunity for her audience to picture their immigrant family at Ellis
Island enduring delays and humiliation to begin a new life in the United
States. Gordons ability to combine storytelling with historical fact targets
her audience and provides them with an alternative idea of the immigration
story told in America.

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Works Cited
Douglass, Frederick. "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July". Boston:
Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical Reading and Writing, Diana
George and John Trimbur, 2012. 460-75. Print.
Gordon, Mary. "More Than Just a Shrine: Paying Homage to the Ghosts of Ellis
Island". Boston: George and Trimbur, 2012. 431-34. Print.
Hochschild, Arlie Russell. Gen (Fill in the Blank): Coming of Age, Seeking an
Identity. Boston: George and Trimbur, 2012. 51-54. Print.
Obama, Barack. "A More Perfect Union". Boston: George and Trimbur, 2012.
476-83 Print.
Trends, The Pew Research Center Project on Social and Demographic.
"Millennials: Confident. Connected. Open to Change. Boston: George
and Trimbur, 2012. 55-66. Print.