A Rhetorical Analysis Of Gaby Rodriguez

Gaby Rodriguez makes use of rhetorical questions throughout her novel to put emphasis on the cliché ideas that people hold about teen moms. One question that Gaby poses to the reader is “Why do we insist on putting limitations on what people are capable of doing?” (Rodriguez & Glatzer 111). This rhetorical question is drawing attention to how Gaby’s classmates put restrictions on her because of her “pregnancy.” They metaphorically place a glass ceiling over Gaby’s head because they believe she is not capable of going any further. Gaby constantly struggles to break through this barrier. Her goal is to show everyone that a teen mom is not doomed to live an unsuccessful life. During her project, she makes it clear that she will still attend college,
One such example is when Gaby says “ … as soon as I started dating, people would say, you’re going to get pregnant in high school just like Jessica” (Rodriguez & Glatzer 60). Gaby employs pathos here to make an attempt to connect to her audience. Jessica is Gaby’s older sister who was a teen mom in high school, and Gaby is constantly stuck in her shadow. She wants her readers to recall a time that they were continually compared to another individual. It can be a frustrating situation, and Gaby wants to capture that frustration to make the audience feel for the struggle she is encountering. Gaby does not believe that she needs to mimic her sister’s life choices. In addition, a fellow classmate tells Gaby “You’re dumb. That was a really big mistake” (Rodriguez & Glatzer 108). She includes this negative commentary to create pathos by getting her audience to put themselves in her shoes. She is constantly being told that her life has turned into one big mistake due to her “pregnancy.” People tell her these things because that is how they see teen pregnancy represented in the media and society. Gaby makes a point to not treat her “pregnancy” like a mistake. She represents an ambitious teen