A Rhetorical Analysis of Gloria Anzaldua's Borderlands/La Frontera

This essay presents a rhetorical analysis of Gloria Anzaldua's 'Borderlands/La Frontera,' focusing on the various forms of conflict explored in the book, including war, race, gender, sexual orientation, and language. It examines Anzaldua's use of ethos, pathos, and logos to convey the experiences of marginalized people and advocate for their welfare. The analysis considers chapters 1, 2, 5, and 7, highlighting the impact of cultural norms, language barriers, and shifts in tradition. The essay concludes that Anzaldua effectively uses rhetorical strategies to counter opposing arguments and promote understanding of the complexities at the US-Mexico border, offering insights into the author's objective and the significance of rhetorical analysis.

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Gloria Anzaldua’s Boderlands/ La Frontera

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Gloria Anzaldua’s Boderlands/ La Frontera
Introduction
The eminent American scholar Gloria Anzaldua in her book Boderlands/ La Frontera
analyses the aspect of conflict in various forms. The rationale behind Anzaldua’s work is to
convey the aspect of conflict not only in terms of war at the US-Mexico border but also in
terms of race, gender, sexual orientation and language. She adopts a humanistic tone with
regard to the appealing of the readers to convey the feeling of suppressed people with regard
to their welfare which would subsequently lead to growth at the borders of US and Mexico.
Thesis statement
Gloria Anzaldua presents about the aspect of conflict at the border and its subsequent impact
accordingly along with the conflict in terms of language and culture with regard to the views
and opinions held by people.
Rhetorical elements and strategies
The strategy involved in order to make a rhetorical analysis would comprise of the elements
of ethos, pathos and logos. As it deals with war and other kinds of conflict, ethics would
involve a humanitarian approach as far as the welfare of the society is concerned. It would
also involve the prevention of discrimination on basis of race, gender, language and sexual
orientation. The concept of pathos implies the convincing of the audience thereby laying
emphasis over their emotions in a proper and appropriate manner. With regard to Boderlands/
La Frontera, it implies the emotional aspect of the readers concerned. The concept of logos
implies the logical aspect of the rhetorical analysis by presenting the reasons to the audience
with regard to the work concerned. As far as Boderlands/ La Frontera is concerned, Gloria
Anzaldua plans to convey the logic behind such kind of writing.
Effectiveness
Gloria Anzaldua is quite effective with regard to the rhetorical analysis of her work related to
Boderlands/ La Frontera. The chapters 1, 2, 5 and 7 imply the aspects of conflict not only in
terms of war but also in culture such as homosexuality, language and race. As a result, it is
imperative that the rhetorical elements of ethos, pathos and logos would play a massive role
in the countering of the opposing arguments in an incredible manner as these elements deal
with the logical and emotional aspects of the message Gloria Anzaldua wants to convey. As a
result, it is imperative that the rhetorical elements of ethos, pathos and logos are of great
importance with regard to the conducting of the rhetorical analysis of any literary work. The
author counters homophobia to a considerable extent as a result of the rhetorical elements of
ethos, pathos and logos.

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Impact
Anzaldua in Chapter one of her book begins with the displacement of Chicanos by the
Europeans thereby implying White supremacy (Anzaldúa Ch. 1). It continued in Mexico
where indigenous people were displaced by American businesses. In Chapter two, the matter
shifts to cultural norms imposed by Catholic Church thereby implying homophobia a male
supremacy (Anzaldúa Ch. 2). In Chapter five, she makes a transition by focusing over the
language. The chapter implies the aspects of English and Spanish and the struggle to learn a
second language in school (Anzaldúa Ch.5). She further emphasizes upon the contravention
of the First Amendment of the Constitution with regard to vehement attack on someone’s
expression. In Chapter seven, she closes by emphasisng of the shift of culture and tradition
from one group to another (Anzaldúa Ch. 7).
Conclusion
As implied from the aforesaid discourse, it can be concluded by stating that the concept of
rhetorical analysis is justified and appropriate. The rhetorical elements comprising of ethos,
pathos and logos have also been taken into account accordingly in order to derive a
comprehensive solution about what the author Gloria Anzaldua wants to convey. The concept
relating to SOAPS Tone has also been taken into consideration with regard to the elements of
Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose and Subject. The impact the rhetorical elements have
on each other along with the impact of the elements of SOAPS have also been taken into
consideration. The chapters 1, 2, 5 and 7 of Boderlands/ La Frontera have been taken into
consideration for the purpose of conducting and undertaking of a rhetorical analysis. In a
nutshell, the discourse has presented an overview and importance of a rhetorical analysis and
its influence accordingly in the society as far as the objective of the author is concerned.

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Works Cited
Anzaldúa, Gloria. Borderlands: la frontera. Vol. 3. San Francisco: Aunt Lute, 1987.