Rhetorical Analysis

Colette Schalk

10.05.17

WRTC Fielding

As you walk down Main Street in Harrisonburg, Virginia, you see fraternity houses,

which in the day seem so quiet, so innocent. But as day turns to night, I am frightened at the

thought of what must go on in these houses. As a young woman attending James Madison

University, a large university often given the reputation of a party-school, I feel scarred at the

possibility of sexual assault. Though I have not experienced sexual assault myself nor know

someone who has, I am frequently reminded by the blue emergency lights on campus of the

prevalence of the problem. In Angela Carones article Fraternities Are Significantly Responsible

for the Campus Sexual Assault Problem, published on KPBS.org on October 21, 2014, she talks

about the prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses, specifically within fraternities. She

starts off by talking about how fraternities have a big presence on college campuses and argues

that order to be "cool" a fraternity brother is expected to get good grades, have sex, and party,

which is why sexual assault is so common. In composing her article, Carone uses numerous

rhetorical devices, including ethos, pathos, and logos to build an effective and engaging

argument. Carone employs the rhetorical appeals of logos and ethos effectively, as the multitude

of statistics and author credibility are very supportive of her argument. However, her lack of

appeals to pathos causes her readers to doubt her claim.

 Carones main claim in her article is that sexual assault is a problem within fraternities.

Throughout the article, she digs deeper and attempts to provide reasons for why it is such a

problem. She argues that often, the idea of brotherhood is centered around partying and, really,

access to women and sex. Fraternity members feel pressured to live up to an idealized version of

a brother who gets good grades, is top dog on campus and has sex every night of the week. She

states that a way to display their masculinity and thus, power is through sexual assault and

aggression. Carone then brings up Title IX to further her argument that universities are not doing

enough to combat the problem, as Title IX only covers fraternities which are on campus,

increasing the chance of assault occurring. The intended audience of Carones article is college-

aged students and people of power within universities. The audience is college-aged students,

because the issue is within universities. It would be a topic of interest for young women and men

alike, as it has a direct effect on them. The article would target people of power, because Carone

is calling for action, and action will not happen unless the issue is presented to people of power,

specifically in a university. The style is both informative and persuasive. Carone includes

informative statistics and facts, but is also persuasive because she is trying to call for change.

The article is organized using a topical pattern, as the information is arranged according to

different sub-topics within a larger topic. The first section is The Culture of Fraternities, then

Is Anybody Watching? and lastly, Combatting the Problem. It is organized in this pattern,

because it moves from an introduction, to the problem, to a solution, which is very effective as it

flows nicely.

Carone uses logos often throughout her essay, which is effective because it backs up her

claims. An example is in the fifth paragraph, she says, Two studies in 2007 and 2009 published

in the NASPA Journal suggest that fraternity members are more likely than non-fraternity
members to commit rape. One of those studies found that women in sororities are 74 percent

more likely to experience rape than other college women (Carone) The main argument of the

argument is that sexual assault is common among fraternities, and this statistic backs up this

claim, as it proves that fraternity members are indeed more likely to commit rape. Citing this

source boosts Carones credibility by showing that she has done her homework and has provided

facts and statistics. Another purpose of logos is it provides a number, often a percentage to

support a claim. An example of logos which Carone uses is in the ninth paragraph, The

University of San Diego has 14 fraternities and sororities, comprising 25 percent of the student

body (Carone). Logos is effective here because it proves that Greek life is so present on college

campuses, in particular The University of San Diego. This is starting, because so many people

support and participate it in, even though many fraternity members do not have the best

intentions. Overall, Carones use of logos is very effective because it makes her argument much

more reliable.

The next rhetorical device that Carone uses is ethos, which she uses effectively because

she uses many examples of credibility when introducing a quote. An example of ethos is in the

fourth paragraph. She days, Experts and Greek insiders agree that a competitive, testosterone-

driven environment fueled by alcohol and casual sex is part of fraternities sexual assault

problem (Carone). She introduces her facts by using the words, experts and insiders agree,

making the reader much more likely to agree with her. However, a logical fallacy is that she does

not name a specific expert. If she had said Professor. John, for example, it would make it

even more convincing, as adding a name to a fact would make it sound more scientific. An

example of a more effective use of ethos is in the 11th paragraph, Its honestly the best class

Ive taken on this campus, said Wesley Episcopo, a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, one of
SDSUs largest and most popular fraternities. This use of ethos is very effective, because it

explains the credibility of the speaker, a member of a large fraternity, which tells the reader that

he knows what he is taking about and has experience with the issue. I researched Wesley

Episcopo, and according to an article written by John Harvey, he is indeed, a member of Sigma

Phi Epsilon, thus proving that the Carone is correct in her use of credibility (Svokos). For the

most part, Carone uses ethos effectively, because it makes her claims more reliable and as a

result, her argument more believable.

The last rhetorical device is pathos, which Carone uses very sparingly. Her article is so

fact based and focused on credibility, that she forgets to include appeals to emotion. Because the

argument is centered around such a sensitive issue, it would have been easy for Carone to use

emotion and make it even more convincing. She could have used an emotional quote from a

woman who experienced sexual assault or from a fraternity member who felt pressured to

conform to a certain identity. One example where Carone uses pathos semi-effectively is in the

20th paragraph, We have to tell them the girls might not feel as if they are being slutty. So we

teach them thats someones sister, thats someones daughter, thats someones best friend,

Episcopo said (Carone). This an example of pathos because when the readers reads it they

might create a sympathetic image in their heads of someone they know experiencing sexual

assault. The image she evokes of the vulnerabilities of sexual assault, as well as the commonality

of is introduces the argument and its seriousness. Her goal is to make the reader feel sympathy

for her. However, it is only semi-effective, because it doesnt use emotional words which evoke

negative emotions, or include a personal story from someone who has experienced sexual

assault. Overall, Carones use of pathos is not very effective simply because she does not use it

enough, even though she easily could have and made the article much more convincing
 Despite a couple of fallacies, Carone still produces a very persuasive argument. The issue

that she is trying to bring attention to is particularly relevant, considering the multitude of news

stories regarding sexual assault on college campuses. It is a very hot issue at this time. For me, it

is relevant because I am currently a freshman in college, and feel the effects of sexual assault on

my campus. This furthers the conversation about gender, because it talks about the pressures men

feel to be powerful and aggressive. It is one of the reasons why sexual assault is such a problem

in fraternities and relates to the issue about gender expectations and stereotypes. Overall, Carone

utilizes ethos, pathos, and logos to further her argument.

 Works Cited

Carone, Angela. Fraternity Culture Linked To College Sexual Assault Problem. KPBS Public
Media, 21 Oct. 2014, www.kpbs.org/news/2014/oct/21/fraternities-and-campus-sexual-
assault-problem/.

Svokos, Alexandra. Student Body President Pressured To Resign After His Frat Harassed Anti-
Rape Activists. The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 11 Dec. 2014,
www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/11/sdsu-president-sigma-phiepsilon_n_6305258.html.
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