McDonough and Braungart approach their argument for cradle to cradle, eco-effective buildings and products in a different way than Monbiot. First they establish pathos with the reader by adopting a conversational style, drawing their audience in. They ask questions of the reader, making them curious and engaging them in a discussion of possible answers. Their hopeful tone also makes the reader pay attention: they focus not on the problems but the solutions, saying that environmental effectiveness doesn't have to be boring and minimalist.
The authors introduce logos to their argument by explaining the tests they performed during their research, and by using scientific terms like "off-gassed" and "halogenated hydrocarbons." They also discuss retention rates and the testable effectiveness of their ideas, which convinces the reader of the feasibility of their solutions.
Finally, McDonough and Braungart identify themselves as believable sources of information by eplaining their direct involvement in the designing and testing of buildings and products. For example, on page 75 they state that William McDonough's firm designed successful "cradle to cradle" based factories and office buildings. By engaging the reader in a conversation based in personal stories concerning their argument, they establish their trustworthiness and knowledge of the subject, emphasizing their experience and credibility.
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Good setup with one paragraph on each. It really made it easy to understand.
ReplyDeleteThe logos the authors had is well described here - they threw out technical terms without making the reader feel stupid. Good job! =)
I also thought they did a really great job of pulling in the reader
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