Forms of appeal

The dominant form of appeal in “Toil and Temptation” by Michael Kamber is logos (appeal to readers’ reason), followed by pathos (appeal to readers’ emotions). Ethos (appeal to trust) is used only occasional…

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Logos

The writer constantly appeals to the readers’ reason as the article includes numerous facts and statistical evidence. They support the idea that illegal immigration is an important issue and it represents a challenge for both immigrants and the society they immigrate to.

The infobox included in the article states that “Each year, at least 300,000 Mexicans cross illegally into the United States.” (p. 2). This statistic suggests the number of illegal immigrants in the US is very high and, therefore, that the experiences of Antonio and his brother are shared by many others. Mentioning the exact sum Antonio’s brother paid to get him into the US shows that illegal immigration benefits smuggling networks: “…his brother, who has paid $1600 for Antonio’s illegal passage to New York.” (ll. 59-60)

The article includes data about how many people from Antonio’s village left for New York. This supports the idea that immig…

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Ethos

The article includes a few instances in which the writer presents himself and those mentioned in the text as reliable.

For example, Kamber gains credibility and authority by informing the audience that the article was a result of a thorough investigation: “A two-month investigation into the community reveals a clear majority who have fallen into a semipermanent underclass:” (ll. 9597)

Additionally, he borrows ethos from the authority of experts on migration and related issues: “ ‘Most of these [Mexican] women are very young, and they have a high fertility rate; it’s a double whammy,’ says Peter Lobo of the New York City Department of Planning.” (ll. 204-207); “Dr. Robert Smith, a Barn…