Assignment #2 Draft

Jeneice Muir

Professor Ding

ENG 2150

6 August 2023

Based on my past experience with learning about something I had an interest in, it left me with a few questions. However, because of my terrible experience in my former English classroom, to me, the most important question was “How does the classroom environment affect students?” Two articles I have discovered go into great detail. Although both explain the same factual concepts, there are a few rhetorical elements such as logos, ethos, and pathos that make the two articles both similar and different. The first article, Influence of environmental conditions on Students’ learning processes: A Systematic Review by Yesica Paola Villarreal Arroyo, Rita Penabaena-Niebles, and Carmen Berdugo Correa gives a factual yet opinionated explanation of the matter. On the other hand, How School Environment Affects Learning by the Notre Dame Academy is very factual.

Both articles touch upon the rhetorical element of logos. Logos is when the author builds their argument and attempts to appeal to the audience. The authors will use statistics and facts to further their points. For example, Notre Dame states that lighting is a large factor in a student’s ability to learn. They further their point by stating “Most classrooms are painted white. However, selecting a different color and the right lighting can benefit learning tremendously. Natural light is particularly important. It plays a part in the production of essential vitamins and increased cognitive capacity.”(Notre Dame) By stating the actual reasons why, the author is strengthening their argument to the reader. Arroyo uses logos to help strengthen one of her claims which states that global warming also affects classroom temperatures, therefore making it uncomfortable. She strengthens her point by stating, “This event can adversely affect students’ attention and concentration in educational institutions located in cities with high temperatures or changing weather conditions.” (Arroyo,2023) This statement appeals to the audience by stating facts to strengthen the author’s point. 

As I stated previously, both articles used the rhetorical element of logos to strengthen their argument. Similarly, both articles use pathos which is another rhetorical element. Pathos appeals to the author’s emotions in an attempt to make them feel a certain way.  When continuing their claim of global warming affecting classroom temperatures, therefore affecting students, Arroyo, Correa, and Niebles state “Most of this research has been motivated by the exploration of the adaptations necessary for seasonal change because children and young people must develop academic activities during the school year with a changing external environment, which influences the classroom environment.” By bringing up what students need in order to have a stable learning environment, they want the audience to feel sympathetic. Notre Dame also uses pathos when supporting their claim of classroom seating affects students. Notre Dame states “Rows of desks, one-directional seating are outdated at best, and should only be seen in pictures of industrial factories from the 1950s. Teachers and architects are realizing these changes, and are striving to create new and better learning environments for the children of tomorrow.” Bringing up how school seating style is like an industrial factory in the 1950s can lead readers to a sense of anger and shock.  

After going through how both articles are somewhat similar because they use logos and pathos, it is only right to bring up how the articles are different from one another because of the usage of ethos. Ethos, along with logos and pathos is another rhetorical element. Ethos appeals to the authority of the author, it is used to make the audience more likely to trust the author. For example, before showing the research statistics and explanations, Arroyo states “Through a systematic review of the literature, this study aims to provide researchers with a helpful guide to orient future research on the problem posed.” In other words, because of the research of her and her colleagues, is opening up doors for other researchers in the future. This strengthens their credibility because future researchers are able to rely on their work. On another note, I already mentioned that the article written by Notre Dame Academy is very factual. The article is not very long and does not use ethos to boost its credibility with the audience. They heavily relied on pathos and logos.  

Rhetorical elements such as logos, ethos, and pathos provide a better understanding when reading articles. Each element is such a big factor when analyzing articles. It points out similarities and differences which reveal the complexities of articles.