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Zinn opens his essay speaking of the awful world where the efforts of caring
people often pale in comparison to what is done by those who have power. He writes in
response to a questions that was raised how he manages to stay involved and happy
despite the odds being stacked against his agenda. Zinn caters his response to directly
address the liberal activist who is currently struggling with pessimism. These activists
are faced with daunting odds when thinking about the adversary's they face. Zinn seeks
to motivate them to continue their efforts. He answers this question by being optimistic
of change because the future is uncertain. Zinn gives numerous historic examples of
how seeming invincible powers have fallen. He speaks of the Nazi germany falling, the
change of chinese politics, and how americas invasion of indochina failed. He uses
these examples to provide evidence that often the powerless are able to overcome the
powerful. Zinn says that human history is a history of not only cruelty but also of
compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.
Zinn succeeds in using pathos, logos, and ethos to create to help create
optimism in his pessimist audience. He uses concrete examples that are relatable and
factual that prove that humans often overcome adversity with persistence and higher
awareness.
bombardment of a tiny peninsula in world history, and yet was forced to withdraw. This
is further evidence that this tactic effectively creates optimism in logically minded
individuals.
Zinn also effectively uses historical examples to evoke sadness. These examples
can create empathy in the readers. These event are relatable to numerous diverse
cultures and cause the reader to put themselves in the shoes of the powerless. This
emotional effect can inspire action to further prevent recurrences of these events. The
audience would have felt that the odds are stacked against them in these situations.
This effectively draws me in as a reader through genuine emotional connection. This
emotional connection fuels my desire to keep taking the small actions Zinn speaks
about in this article. Therefor effectively inspiring me to continue action through pathos.
Additionally his tone in the essay is relatable and human. The language he uses
does not make him appear to be simply reading the page of a text book. He connects to
his audience using empathy and speaking to us as though we knew him as a friend. An
example of this effect is when Zinn says, I have tried hard to match my friends in their
pessimism about the world, but I keep encountering people who, in spite of all the
evidence of terrible things happening everywhere, give me hope. He has obvious
passion that allows the readers to feel empowered by his words and gives hope and
motivation to the causes they so desperately fight for. He speaks to how confident he is
that the world may not better, but that we should not give up the game before all the
cards have been played. This confidence is effective and creates a tone of authority
and wisdom creating the identity of a figurehead.