Why Men Fail (10/9/2012)

In the article "Why Men Fail" by David Brooks, featured in the New York Times on September 11th, 2012, the author discusses the trend in men who do not work for academic excellence. Appealing to all three of the major areas of persuasion, those being Ethos, pathos, and logos, Brooks does a fantastic job providing a solid argument with facts to back up what he believes as well as adding credibility and feeling to his article. A key logical appeal in this article is the amount of statistics utilized right from the beginning. First off, Brooks begins with the fact that men are behind in college. He supports this claim with the appeal to logos: "Only 40 percent of bachelor’s degrees go to men, along with 40 percent of master’s degrees." Going further to prove his point, he includes this fact: "In 1954, 96 percent of the American men between the ages of 25 and 54 worked. Today, that number is down to 80 percent" along with a short, but influential bit, "Thanks to their lower skills, men are dropping out of the labor force." To any man, this would be a kick to the stomach, an intriguing and punctual "WOW" inducing statement. If I were a man, I would be offended, which is why this appeals so much to pathos. Again, he uses these tactics, including "Women in their 20s outearn men in their 20s." He follows this pattern throughout the article, mentioning many things, from sexuality to gender roles to income. He references National Federation of Independent Business, appealing to ethos, and concluding strongly. "If she’s right, then men will have to be less like Achilles, imposing their will on the world, and more like Odysseus, the crafty, many-sided sojourner. They’ll have to acknowledge that they are strangers in a strange land."