Barbara Ehrenreich The Roots Of War Rhetorical Analysis

Barbara Ehrenreich, an essayist and investigative journalist, wrote “The Roots of War” in hopes of showing the act of war as a kind of living parasite on human societies. Through several modes of development and logical and emotional appeals, Ehrenreich states her main claim while forming an effective and persuasive essay by using credible resources to support her claims. Ehrenreich’s logical reasoning is based on war throughout recorded history. She states that one can “find a predilection for warfare among hunter-gatherers, hunting and farming peoples, industrial and even post industrial societies, democracies, and dictatorships.” This appeal to logic forms the assertion that war does not plague a single type or feature of society nor does it discriminate against certain peoples. When offering stats in support of her argument about the cost of war in the current time, Ehrenreich is viewed as knowledgeable and informed in her argument. By presenting a strong, clear claim and providing evidential support, Ehrenreich’s main claim appears more convincing to her audience.
To cause her audience to respond emotionally and to identify with her point of view, Ehrenreich explains the tendency war has to spread like an infectious disease.
By using a word like “epidemicity,” Ehrenreich portrays war as a virus which plays off the imagination and fears of her audience. In paragraph 5, Ehrenreich describes the relation between war and disease through the cause and effect mode which creates a “real” circumstance to arouse frightened emotions in her readers. Ehrenreich uses figurative language for her predation metaphor in paragraph 8 when she compares the relationship between humans and war to that of a beast and its
prey. Ehrenreich plans for her credentials as well as her argument’s believability to be questioned. She counters by listing several valid sources including a lieutenant colonel to support her claim that it is not easy to get men to fight in wars. This author serves to show Ehrenreich has considered taking a military perspective into account when writing her essay which shows her view as fair-minded. Ehrenreich also uses a historian and a social scientist to make her claims more convincing. The words that Ehrenreich chooses to use are important in proving her credibility. Words like “cost squeeze” and “predilection” make Ehrenreich seem well informed about her claims, while a made up word like “epidemicity” is used to give more of a visual representation of her main claim to the reader. Overall, Ehrenreich presents a well composed and knowledgeable essay comparing the act of war to a living parasite on human society. Ehrenreich’s logical appeals are solid and well supported by evidence and reasoning based on recorded history. In order to further persuade her audience, Ehrenreich proposes the idea of war to be thought of like a virus that has infected society. As a result, Ehrenreich uses a frightening situation to suggest that her audience imagine war as a widespread disease and identify with her point of view. Because of creative word choice and ability to put the image of war as a realistic, contagious disease into her readers mind, Ehrenreich develops her main point with respect for her entire audience.