Ethos:
- “ I challenge you to name me another civilization in the history of the world [..] with the problem of the minority”
- Buckley attempts to undermine Baldwin’s argument by suggesting the
the “progress”-laden language and history of “Western Civilization” to defend his position
- “ read the book Beyond the Melting Pot [..] situation in America where the negros are concerned is extremely complex”
- Buckley presents himself as an intellectual with extensive knowledge. He establishes himself as a reliable authority in regard to American principles. Through these actions, he would structure his arguments as worthy of consideration.
Pathos:
- “You share with me a feeling of compassion and a feeling of outrage”
- Buckley carefully chooses feelings of compassion and outrage to show that the Americans both care about negros and are outraged that they would think in that way. He attempts to unify himself with the audience to further solidify his arguments as just.
- “Not created exclusively as a result of Negro Travail. My great grandparents worked too”
- Buckley points out that everyone participated in the struggle in regard to the development of America. He suggests that America was not just built on the efforts of the negro community.
Logos:
- “Seven-Tenths of the white income of the United States is equal to the income that is made by the average negro […] this is capitalization that was not created exclusively as a result of Negro travail”
- Buckley uses this fact to emphasize that this outcome is not intentional. He suggests that this is the byproduct of the established system.
- “There is no instant cure for the race problem in America. Anyone who tells you that there is a quick solution is a charlatan and ultimately a boring man— a boring man because he is then speaking in the kind of abstractions which do not relate to human experience”
- Buckley implies that the efforts of Baldwin or others would not bring any sort of change. He describes these people as boring as, to him, there is no need for change.