Writing Portfolio Essay 1 Rhetorical Anaylsis.docx - Ward1...

Ward1
Tyler Ward
EN 106
2 December 2018
Essay 1: Rhetorical Analysis (Revised)
One of the most important decisions in life is what to do with the rest of your life after
high school graduation. For many, that comes down to choosing the right major to follow and the
right approach on studying in college. Many questions arise on what students should consider
when making that decision. Should it be family tradition, financial budget, work market trend,
social status, and/or personal interest? Professor Mark Edmundson gives his own answer to this
question in the article “Who Are You and What Are You Doing Here?: A Word to the Incoming
Class”. The article’s target audience is clearly stated in text: “the incoming class”, or in other
words, freshman students experiencing their first days in college. Through his message, Mark
Edmundson aims to persuade those students that the only purpose of college education should be
to fulfill yourself: to find and follow your interest, to not only understand everything you learn
but more importantly question its value to you and what will bring the most satisfaction in your
life.
Edmundson begins the article claiming that one must “fight against the institution” to get
a good college education. He points out that what’s wrong with college education nowadays is
the lack of effort that professors put into teaching and students put into studying. According to
Edmundson, everyone just does the bare minimum, and that college to them is just a bridge
leading to more important goals. Besides, the author also claims that students are built up by so
many people around: they are made to be “father’s son” or “mother’s daughter”; colleges want

Ward2
them to be “well-rounded students, civic leaders, people who know what the system demands,
how to keep matters light […]”. According to Edmundson, being shaped by others is easy and