Rhetorical Analysis of Bret Stephens's Article "Biden Should Finish the Wall"

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Rhetorical Analysis
Bret Stephens's article, "Biden should finish the wall," was published in the NewYork Times. The article outlines the concept of immigrants entering the US either legally or illegally and the need to construct a wall. He outlines various facts surrounding the benefits of building a wall and the formulation of immigrant laws to reduce the number of illegal immigrants coming to the US. “But a well-built wall should still be a central part of an overall immigration fix.” (Stephen). Stephens's article relates to Exit West's themes because it outlines the concept of immigration and the struggle that people go through as they try to enter the US. Bret Stephens's argument is successful because he uses reason and evidence to build his case and connect with the audience.
Stephens establishes credibility with his audience through the use of evidence and reason when outlining concepts. Stephens quotes another author's article in the first sentence to give the audience a broader picture of the issue to be discussed in the other parts of the article. The title is about a wall that should be built to curb illegal immigration. Several people know about the plans to build such a wall. Therefore, Stephens refreshes their thoughts by quoting a case of a fatal accident that the wall could have prevented. “Twelve people died on the spot, a 13th at a nearby hospital” (Stephen). He uses reason to show the audience that the wall could prevent illegal immigrants from suffering from the adverse effects of relocating to the US. Stephens further uses evidence throughout the piece to create more credibility for his audience. When a person reads the text, they can access other articles that clarify more on the concept being outlined. He has also used reason in every part of the piece to justify various facts, creating credibility.
The paper's tone is appealing, and every idea being presented creates an urge to read the whole article. For instance, the author seems to contradict themselves by pointing out the ugliness of the wall. He points out that a wall is ugly and will not help in solving the immigration crisis. He then continues to argue that a wall should be the center for curbing illegal immigration. These two facts contradict one another but present exciting ideas. Therefore, the audience would be willing to read the rest of the article to find out the author's stand regarding the concept of building a wall to curb illegal immigration. Stephens uses an appealing tone by pointing out the advantages and disadvantages of building a wall. He says, “It will take years to build”.At the end of the piece, the author asks whether the wall would help solve the immigration crisis. He further answers the question by pointing out that the wall will hardly solve the problem because it will take longer to build, and some of the regulatory hurdles might be hard to overcome. Therefore, the tone also helps establish audience credibility because the article seems to provide a practical evaluation about building a wall to solve the immigration crisis in the US.