A Revolution of Values: The Promise of Multicultural Essay -- Rhetoric

A Revolution of Values: The Promise of Multicultural Change Bell Hooks was born in Hopkinsville, Kentucky in 1952. She was born into the era of segregation and was in high school during the start of civil rights movements. Since Hook’s was a young African American that attended one of the first integrated high schools, she experienced racism and segregation first hand. Her writing explains how it was to live during these times and also exhibits how her experiences effected her emotionally. Hook’s essay successfully achieves her purpose because of the credibility instilled by the historical context of her writing and expert opinions and her appeals to pathos through the use of personal experience. In Hook’s writing she had one specific purpose. She wanted to help people understand the depth and complexities of racial injustice. She is also informing the reader that racism is something that not many people think too much about. She is stating that we tend to overlook most of our past and present issues of racism and segregation because we have been raised in a world that is not an issue worth worrying about. She writes how hard it is to be a nation that has no multicultural injustices, and that her dream is to one day live a life where everyone can practice freedom. Hooks’ writing gains credibility from her use of historical context and expert opinions. One of the biggest factors is that she was from the south where white people thought of blacks as Bohemians that had radical ideas of becoming a nation of multicultural equality. The examples of these thoughts is valid because she was a young black girl at the time and witnessed it first hand. In the 1950’s through early 1960’s segregation was at its peak measure so... ...ndship. As you can see Bell Hooks’ purpose is successfully supported by credibility justified through the historical context of her writing and expert opinions, and her appeals to pathos through personal experience. Her purpose helps you see behind the lines and understand the complexities of racism. Knowing the historical context of her writing establishes her credibility and helps you understand the author’s situation. Last, her appeal to pathos is aided by personal experiences in which she wrote, helping give more meaning and support to her writing because it makes it easier to understand the point that she is trying to get across. So the next time that you are encountered with racism or see it, maybe you will think of Bell Hooks and help make this country a great place to live with freedom and the right of every individual to be equal.