Running head: RHETORICAL ANALYSIS

Rhetorical Analysis:

Technology, Humans, and Society

by Richard Dorf

Gino Salazar

University of Texas at El Paso

RWS 1301

Dr. Vierra

October 18, 2018

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Abstract

The purpose of the book is to show that sustainability depends on two factors, the first

one is economic activity and the second factor natural environment. The book required the

assistance of highly educated contributors such as Lester B. Lave and H. Scott Matthews.

Technology, Humans, and Society has been cited more than ninety times since 2005.
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Rhetorical Analysis:

Technology, Humans, and Society

A writer has a unique process when it come to the creation of a writing. Rose (1980)

mainly dedicated his study to the process of writing and how the mind of writer works (pp. 782).

Five students who were commonly experiencing writer’s block had problems with the writing

process meaning that it was a bit stiff and hard, unlike the other five student that were

experiencing writer’s block at all had a more flexible and free process of writing where it was

more open to ideas and outside information. The main purpose of the experiment was to show

that a lighter process was open a more complex idea of writing and contributed with less writer’s

block problems. A writer that uses tools to also gain some advantage over the audience to help

himself sound persuasive and trusting. The book “Technology, Humans, and Society” is a

monograph written by Richard Dorf in it there are several parts that can be classified and ethos,

pathos, and logos.

Discussion

Audience

When writing a paper, there is someone that is directed to, meaning that it could be a

specific audience, person or specific group of people. The purpose of the writing is crucial to the

audience and it helps to see who the paper is directed to (p.457). For example, when writing a

simple letter, the writer thinks of the person that the letter is directed to, and it would not make

any sense if the person would think of someone else and it would lose a purpose for writing the

letter. The same goes for any type of writing, it is directed to a type of audience and is written

with a purpose, that could be and most of the time to persuade, for that we use three powerful
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tools, ethos, pathos, and logos. These tools help the writer get to the audience in such a way that

can even change an opinion or believe. Technology, Humans, and Society is directed to the

audience that wishes address the problems of sustainability and its relationship with economic

activity and natural environment (p. 16). Sustainability is about the future, scientists,

businesspersons, and engineers are more likely to care about the future of our planet which is the

kind of people that the book is directed to, according Richard Dorf (p. 16)

Ethos

The book in fact uses ethos mainly for credibility which very important when it comes to

persuasion (P. J. Vierra). The audience need to know who the writer is and what he has done to

give himself credibility, knowing what he is talking about and being sure that he has some voice

and standard. Richard Dorf is a professor of electrical and computer engineering and a professor

of management at the University of California (Richard Dorf, 2006). According to the book he

has served as an advisor to numerous firms, financial institutions and governmental agencies

(Richard Dorf, 2006). Dorf’s experiences tell the audience that based on who he is and what he

has accomplished, he is in fact a well credited man and big expert on the subject.

Pathos

The book in fact uses pathos as a tool to persuade the audience, conveying an emotion as

to one and unity. Pathos can be “a very tricky tool” because the author is trying to use emotion to

persuade the audience which sometimes could impair the author and make him lose credibility

(Vierra, 2018). Dorf places an image of the planet earth, an image like that could be consider

pathos, because as our planet we perceive a sense of community and unity, making us feel more

connected to the problems presented in the book and overall more empathetic (Vierra, 2018).
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The human behavior, intercommunication and strategies to persuade someone. Wardle

talks about those things that people use and don’t realize. And according to Downs rhetoric is a

set of values, an outline of human behavior when trying to convey meaning and interaction. In a

similar way, the term rhetoric refers to a set of principles that explain and predict how people

make meaning and interact. (p. 459). These values and principles can be useful and are most

likely to be always there in people’s lives and help us to communicate better.

Logos

Credibility and emotional appeal are all set in the book but now the factual part of it

makes up most of the book. Define logos using Downs. This is the way the author is trying to

prove his point which is that sustainability is the balance between economic activity and the

natural environment (p. 16). human necessities and economic activity are almost the same, we

use economic activity to satisfy these necessities and things people want and goals to achieve,

basic human necessities like food, shelter, water, are mostly natural, and humans transform

primary resources to later satisfy through economic activity. He arrives to the conclusion with

studies and graphs to back him up, but also, he uses the assistance of high qualify contributors

just like Lester B. Lave and H. Scott Matthews.

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Conclusion

Writers will always use these three persuasive tools and the audience may identify them

through out the book. Richard Dorf used well the three of them and balanced them to maintain

his credibility intact and having a strong sense of trustworthiness as well as a good academic

background and an audience that is not just specific but generalized to anyone that is interested

in sustainability and its derivatives.

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References

Vierra, P.J. (2018) Pathos [Lecture]

Dorf, R. C. (2006). Technology, humans and society: Toward a sustainable world. San Diego,

CA: Academic Press.

Wardle, E., & Downs, D. (2017). Writing about writing: A college reader.(pp. 787-802) Boston:

Bedford/St MartinS.

Wardle, E. (2017). Writing about writing: A college reader. (pp. 457-483) Boston, MA: Bedford

Bks St Martins.