Evaluating Sanders' Argument that "We Must Make Public and Universities Free"

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Evaluating Sanders' Argument that "We Must Make Public and Universities Free"
Bernie Sanders' article titled "Bernie Sanders: We Must Make Public Colleges and Universities Tuition-Free" raises several arguments supporting free tuition for college students. The article that was posted on Vice Magazine on October 9, 2017, is a highly opinionated piece that seeks to persuade readers to support free education in public colleges and universities across the country. In the article, Bernie Sanders argues that the cost of tertiary education in the US has soared up beyond many American families' reach (Sanders). In his view, student debt is also beyond imaginable proportions. As a result of these developments, the country's education standards have fallen short of expectations compared to other countries such as Japan, Australia, South Korea, England, Canada, Ireland, and Switzerland that have established functional education systems (Sanders). Therefore, Sanders argues that the only way to restore America's lost glory in education is by making public colleges and universities tuition-free. The argument raised by Bernie Sanders in the article is highly persuasive because of his ability to incorporate different types of evidence, persuasive rhetorical techniques, appropriate diction, and an assertive tone that espouses his confidence in his claims.
One strategy that Sanders uses to make his argument effective is evidence to support his claims. Throughout the article, Bernie Sanders incorporates different types of evidence to back up his arguments. For example, he uses statistical evidence to substantiate his claim that student loans have left many students and their families in debt (Sanders). None instance, he points out that, "Some 44 million Americans already owe more than $1.3 trillion in student loans (Sanders)." This statistical evidence helps to make his claim credible. He also uses factual evidence when referring to the progress made by other countries in education. For example, he states that "Many other nations worldwide invest in an educated workforce that isn't burdened with enormous student debt (Sanders)." This statement of fact is further substantiated by the examples of prosperous countries in managing their public education.
Bernie Sanders also uses persuasive rhetorical techniques in the article to make his argument more convincing. He uses various rhetorical strategies to appeal to his audience persuasively. He makes use of the ethos rhetorical strategy, which is the appeal to authority. As an experienced politician, Sanders keeps refe...