Analysis

An analysis of the article “Death by Civilization” by Mary Annette Pember shows that the rhetorical situation is the writer describing her mother’s experiences in a boarding school for Native Americans. The article was published in 2019 on the website of The Atlantic. 

When it comes to composition, the article is structured in four parts, each dealing with specific issues related to Native American boarding schools. In the four parts, Pember connects her mother’s individual experience with the collective trauma inflicted on Native Americans by the government and by religious organizations. 

The style of writing in lines 39-52 is descriptive and dramatic. Pember uses metaphors and negative terms to illustrate the suffering her mother experienced in the Native American boarding school program.

Some of the rhetorical devices used by Pember are rhetorical questions, anecdotes, and antithesis. Some of these help Pember illustrate the injustice suffered by Native Americans, whose culture was seen as a contrast to Western culture. 

Pember uses all three forms of appeal in her speech. Logos is used when Pember shares the results of her research, while pathos is built when she emphasizes her mother’s suffering and trauma. Ethos is built when Pember reinforces her personal connection to the issue, and when she expresses her dedication to make Native American voices heard. 

You can read a full analysis of the text in the following pages. 

Further help

Do you want additional help with analysis of non-fiction? See our general guide to non-fiction analysis.