The Achievement Habit Rhetorical Analysis

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Pages: 4

Reasons Are BS
In chapter two of the novel, The Achievement Habit, author, Bernard Roth discusses the idea that reasons are hogwash. Roth feels that reasons are unnecessary and can be considered poisonous to people that use them. The second chapter describes how Roth developed this idea through his own experiences. Upon showing up tardy, Roth presented a reason to why he was late, but soon realized that everyone else had to deal with the same obstacle that he did yet they were there on time. It was in this moment that he discovered that he simply did not care enough about the meeting to be there on time. From this point on, Roth made it a priority to be there on time and has had a turnaround in his life because of this decision. Roth tells this story to assist the audience in turning around their own lives. Roth’s use of rhetorical appeals and argument of why reasons are bull is effective.
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Roth establishes a sense of authority to his audience. His authority is developed over the audience of college students because of his age, he has experience more issues in life and learned through his trials. Roth's word choice allows readers to fully comprehend his message. He does not use large words that are hard to understand. The majority of his language is simplistic and straight forward. Roth has a conversational tone which makes it easy, especially college students, to not just comprehend the explicit but also the implicit details. In the second chapter, Roth flat out says, “Reasons are bullshit”( Roth 58). Though some may see this as unprofessional, this lackadaisical tone actually helps the audience connect with the author. If readers feel like they are getting preached to they are less likely to take in what is being said to them. Roth utilizes ethos to support his