Baldwin
Ethos
- He draws a timeline of the realization of race and societal discrimination of an African American. This generates a sense of how Baldwin experienced this in his life, presenting a representation of the lives of many African Americans.
- His mention of Gary Cooper is also for his credibility. His knowledge of Cooper’s “white hero” image indicates that he too is paying attention to mainstream American culture and that his argument is not outdated.
Pathos
- Baldwin mentions that “”…every face, is white. Since you have not seen a mirror, you suppose you are, too.” This mention of “you” talks directly to, almost pointing at the audience, creating a sense of relatability and familiarity with the audience.
- His mention of Gary Cooper “killing off the Indians” as essentially killing off “you” is able to generate juxtaposition with Cooper’s “white hero” image. With this, he’s able to draw a contrast between the discrimination of African Americans and the idolization of white figures. It was like a dragged-down-to-earth moment.
Logos
- Baldwin mentions the American Dream, unemployment rates, and other undesirable statistics as a few of the many obstacles to the success of African Americans. This is able to back up his argument, highlighting the significance of the blatant systemic racism in the American system.
- Baldwin’s emphasis on slavery, and constant use of “I” is able to strengthen his argument. This lays down the logic of how long this discrimination has been going on: whether explicitly or implicitly, this systemic racism is engraved in the American system.
Buckley
Ethos
- In the debate video, Buckley holds his head up high and speaks with eloquence and sophisticated vocabulary. He presented himself as a person of high education and didn’t waver in his thoughts.
- His mention of Plato and Aristotle falls into establishing his position as a conservative writer. This supports the argument’s structure as to whether they should discredit all of history because of the struggles happening at that time to a specific group of people.
Pathos
- His repetition of “it ought to be jettisoned” and lines similar to that generate a consistent theme to his argument. He acknowledged that the issues lie within the system, but this repetition generated a sense of helplessness.
- His use of specific adjectives like “bitterly divided” and “bloodshed” induces a shared feeling of difficulty and acknowledgment of history. The underlying goal of this seemed to be to create a sense of “we are in this together.”
Logos
- Buckley acknowledges that the history is there, but he counters the purpose of Baldwin’s argument. The first few paragraphs of his argument lay out the thought process of why he thinks Baldwin’s argument is not one that answers the prompt, but rather one of Baldwin’s biases.
- He also mentions the struggles of other minority groups, supporting what he said at the beginning of his argument. He mentions that even though those groups suffered from discrimination and inequality, they were able to overcome it with minimal government intervention. This sets the stage for the difficulties of African Americans will be solved eventually.
Structural Arrangement
Baldwin was straightforward with his argument, putting the spotlight on systemic racism and discrimination as a hindrance to achieving the American Dream. However, he then acknowledges that there is nothing superior about being African American, but rather the right to coexist with white people. He consistently draws back to the ideas of family, specifically children and their mothers.
Buckley first starts off with pokes at Baldwin’s argument, saying that the point is not race, but is about divisions in American society in general. He then follows with a train of questions for the “dilemma of humankind.” This gets the audience to think about and engage in his argument. He continues the structure of presenting a question and then answering. It’s almost as if he’s inserting his answer into their minds.