Rhetorical Analysis: The Right To Read By Ann Patchett

When protesting a cause that you feel is just, it is important that you are open to the possibility that you are wrong in your belief. Ann Patchett proves this to the students of Clemson University with her speech “The Right to Read”. In this speech, she opens their eyes to the reality of her book and the idea that they are overreacting by protesting it, which she mentions in the beginning of the speech by saying, “When I consider the state of our public education system, the state of health care, the facts of poverty and war that we live with, I would hope that the passions of protestors could be put to greater use, but I didn’t get a vote on this one, so here we go. ”

Patchett uses strong pathos to humanize Lucy in the eyes of the audience through real stories about Lucy and inspirational words about the student’s college careers to make the audience feel shame which persuades the audience to agree with her argument that her book is not worth protesting Patchett delivered this speech in 2006 at Clemson University’s Freshman Convocation. Her book Truth and Beauty being chosen as the assigned summer reading book caused backlash because of the alleged controversial nature of the book. Students and their relatives were angry because of the sexual scenes, alcohol use, drug use, and talk of depression in her book and because there was not a more appropriate substitute to read instead.

Patchett wrote Truth and Beauty to remember her deceased friend, Lucy. The events and people in the book are true events and real people, who she cared for which is why Patchett chose to try to persuade the audience that her book is not worth protesting. For her main arguments, she states that since Lucy was not fictional, it is insensitive to call her nonfiction book controversial while other fictional books of the same nature are being read in colleges; It is impossible to protect students from every controversial thing; and that college is a time for personal and mental growth and a time to open your minds to new experiences and ideas. Patchett evokes shame in the audience by telling true stories about Lucy’s life and the hardships she went through and then by telling them about Lucy’s death. She starts by telling the audience about how they discovered that Lucy had Ewing’s Sarcoma because her broken jaw would not heal. Lucy had to have a surgery where she lost half of her jaw and then had to start chemotherapy and radiation. The chemotherapy was very strong compared to today’s chemotherapy, so it was very painful. She lost her hair and most of her teeth. Her face is left disfigured. Because of the radiation, Lucy was unable to get successful facial reconstruction. She was bullied and excluded in school because of her disfiguration. Patchett tells the audience that there was speculation about how Lucy died. She also was afraid of forgetting Lucy and every part of her personality. It was because of these two reasons that Patchett wrote Truth and Beauty.

The audience protested a book about a character who they did not know; therefore, they did not think about the character being a real person. Patchett told the audience these about these struggles in Lucy’s life to humanize her in their eyes. It made them think about Lucy’s feelings and emotions which made the audience feel guilty for saying that Patchett’s book is controversial and problematic since the book was written about Lucy’s life. These stories made the audience sympathize with Lucy because it gave a cause to why Lucy acted in the behavior they were saying was problematic in the book. Along with telling about Lucy’s life, Patchett also tells the audience about her personality and her qualities. In the beginning of the speech, after speaking on Lucy’s early life struggles, she says, “Despite all of this, or because of it, she turns out to be the smartest person you’d ever want to meet, the most widely read, the intellectually curious, the funniest girl, and the best dancer. ” She also mentions how complicated Lucy was. She was “needy and brilliant, demanding and affectionate, depressed and the life of the party. ”

Towards the end of the speech, Patchett talks about how Lucy would have laughed at their criticism. Giving this information to the audience helps them relate to Lucy. They might see similar qualities that Patchett mentioned Lucy having in themselves or someone close to them. Once they realize Lucy shares similarities with themselves or someone they love, they are more likely to feel shameful for the protest of the book because deep down, it makes them feel as if they are saying that they or their loved one is controversial. It also shows that Lucy was a complex person with feelings and emotions which helps the audience be able to picture her in their minds. It reinforces that she was a real person with real emotions. This also humanizes Lucy by showing her interests, such as dancing and learning. Through inspirational words about the student’s future college journey, Patchett forces the audience to realize they were being unreasonable. She starts by reminding them how lucky that are that they are able to receive a college education and how they are there to learn and strengthen their mind intellectually. Patchett states that if they let other people decided what they should or should not learn, that they are not going to fully discover who they really are and what they are good at. She then talks about how the students made the decision to attend college which means they are adults with responsibility, so they should choose what they learn and what they do with their lives. The students should “open their minds” to new ideas, new experiences, and new viewpoints. This made the audience realize that they were being closed-minded. They were not looking at the other side of the story before forming their opinions. By doing this, they were not getting all the information about Lucy which caused them to have a one-sided opinion. In this case, they were not thinking about the things in Lucy’s life that caused her to partake in the activities they are calling problematic. They did not know about Lucy getting cancer or about her being bullied by her classmates because of her facial deformities from the cancer. They only knew what they read in the book or heard about the book from others which highlighted Lucy’s lower points in life.

Stories about Lucy’s early hardships showed the audience how she became the person from Truth and Beauty. It made them feel sympathy for Lucy because of her struggles in her early life, like her diagnosis of Ewing’s Sarcoma and the subsequent bullying due to her disfigurements caused by the cancer treatments. Details about Lucy’s personality showed the audience the parts of her that they did not see in the book. Patchett showed Lucy’s personality, her interests, and her emotions. It humanized her in the eyes of the audience so that they could relate more to her and see themselves in her which made the audience feel hypocritical. These details also made the audience connect with Lucy and feel closer to her. Motivational words from Patchett forced the audience to realize that they were overreacting and not listening to a valid viewpoint from someone with different ideas. It made them realize that they were not getting all the information about Lucy and her life. These ethos tactics evoked shame in the audience for protesting Patchett’s book because they made Lucy more available to the audience. It made them realize she was a real person and that they were dismissing her and Patchett’s ideas and viewpoints too soon.