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How Garrett Hardin Uses Pathos, Logos, and Ethos in "Lifeboat Ethics"

This rhetorical analysis of American ecologist Garrett Hardin's 1974 anti-immigrant resource distribution article "Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping the Poor" examines Hardin's use of logos (via population growth data), pathos (the lifeboat metaphor), and ethos (first-hand accounts). The student concludes that Hardin's argument is persuasive.
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This essay received a B by one of Kibin's paper graders. Click here to see what was done well and what needs improvement.

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This essay received a B by one of Kibin's paper graders. Click here to see what was done well and what needs improvement.

More essays like this:

Not sure what I'd do without @Kibin
- Alfredo Alvarez, student @ Miami University
Exactly what I needed.
- Jenna Kraig, student @ UCLA
Wow. Most helpful essay resource ever!
- Chris Stochs, student @ UC Berkeley

View other essays like this one:

Bridget's feedback:

"You've done a good job organizing your analysis into clear, focused paragraphs: your reader always knows where they are in the discussion. This also keeps the discussion rooted in examples from Hardin's text.

Your first step will need to address a formatting issue on the last page. The block quote seems to have run right into your own text, making it very hard for the reader to determine where your analysis starts. Once you have addressed this, spend some time reviewing your body paragraphs. Is the main focus on analysis? Use summary to support analysis, not the other way around. Right now, we learn a lot about Hardin's ideas and your agreement with them, but not always about how each element (logic, emotions, authority) impacts the audience. For example, you make a good point that the lifeboat metaphor creates pathos. Use the rest of the paragraph after that statement ("This scenario causes them to really ask themselves...") to focus on emotional reactions and how those emotions create reader agreement. What are some of the emotions? How do they connect to Hardin's arguments?

Again, this is off to a good start. You have a clear organization and the elements of rhetorical analysis on the page. As you move forward with the project, dig deeper into each example so the analysis becomes the star of each paragraph."

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