Ashley Perez Camacho 

Professor Falk-Gee 

English

15 October 2019

Puerto Rico

     The way authors will try and convey to their readers what they are stating is important is to use certain strategies to make sure this is done effectively. Using rhetorical strategies to show their points using logos, pathos, and ethos in some part of their article or argument is a way that they will try and convince their readers. When Hurricane Maria and Irma hit the island of Puerto Rico and left the island in a stage of an emergency, this gave many authors the chance to voice their own opinion on the aftermath and what they felt was wrong with the government of the island and even talk on how the environment was after the hurricane. Puerto Rico a U.S territory has for long been in a state of emergency with incapable leaders and lack of mainland support. 

     When talking about the environment, authors John D. Lloyd and others voice their opinion about the bird population in Puerto Rico after the hurricanes had hit the island. In their piece, “Short-term effect of hurricanes Maria and Irma on forest birds of Puerto Rico”, they elaborate on the catastrophic effect of the massive hurricanes that took place on this island. The number of forest birds population before the hurricane and after the hurricane. The hurricane led to many birds to migrate away from the island as well as many deaths, but that was not a bad downfall since many new species came to arose after the hurricane and he makes sure that the reader understands both good and bad outcomes that came about after the hurricane. Lloyd uses many aspects of logos to make his argument valid. In his pieces he mentions the method used by scientists to determine the population of these birds, “The surveys reported on here were designed as part of a study of the winter distribution of Bicknell’s Thrush” ( Lloyd 2), meaning that the way they gather information for the report is highly based on a survey results. With this kind of evidence, you get an aspect of a numerical aspect shown to the reader. When reading this article I felt a sense of interesting concepts that I did not know about the animal population in this area. The animals were just as affected as the human population on the island. Anyone interested in the aftermath of Puerto Rico especially scientist will benefit from this article since you can get information about the aftermath of the hurricanes in another perspective besides just the human population. 

     While using the strategy of the logo is a great way to get your audience to listen to what you are arguing for, it may not always convey your entire audience since not everyone is only appealed to logos. Your readers may vary and using different ways to catch their attention may be needed to get your point across. Patricia Mazzei and Frances Robles authors to the newspaper, “Process of Trauma’ Drives Puerto Rico Protest” in their pieces they talk about the government’s actions during and after the hurricane. How poorly their actions were and how the people of this island reacted to these policies. When reading this article, my first reaction was how I angry I once was when the hurricane had already occurred on the island. Mazzei and Robles included many facts about the state of mind of many Puerto Rican during this period of a hard time, they describe it as a state of the trauma they had not to acknowledge what the government was doing, their focus was trying to survive. (Mazzei 1). This was the persuasion of pathos put into place so the audience will feel sympathy for those living on the island and what they were going through.                  When they talked about what the people did after. ”symbolically painted in black, white and gray instead of red, white and blue, display on the ground facing the government’s mansion”

(Mazzei 2).The people were emotionally trying to show the governor at that time how they felt his misleading leadership taken in Puerto Rico after the hurricane. This shows that the people were feeling some type of way about who was in charge of the island, who made the policies and who was benefiting from this action. The authors make sure to include these pieces to make sure the audience feels and understands how the people were feeling at that time. Anyone that was not present on the island while this was occurring, could read this article and get informed about the situation on the island after the hurricane.

     When reading about Puerto Rico you may only find information about what is happening right now and what happened maybe a couple of months before. But to understand what is going on the island right now you must understand its history and what has caused the situation in the territory owned by the United States. In the article “Puerto Rico Past and Present” the author establishes through the article the history that led to Puerto Rico we have today. They talked about the government of Puerto Rico before the massive debt that they are currently in. The good people once in charge and the good things that they have done. The one behind the entire government and their effect on the island for years. Any adult or teen that wishes to figure out why such a place is in such bad circumstances could read this magazine. But not only to learn about the bad circumstances of the island before the hurricane but also the action taken by the United States towards the island after the hurricane. The author uses much evidence of the logo as an approach to give the audience an understanding of the situation of the island and its current state. While reading this article you become more informed about what harms a country’s economy and social structure. “The unincorporated U.S history of Puerto Rico is a political, economic, and social conundrum”. This makes you already have the perspective of what you’re going to read about Puerto Rico about its major cause. 

     It’s no doubt the government’s lack of competence that has led the island to have major issues that can’t just be resolved overnight. The island before major natural disasters was already declared in bankruptcy and with a huge debt owed to their motherland, The United States. The aftermath of the hurricane just made the problems a little more complicated. Jeff Goodell author of the pieces “ The Perfect Storm: How Climate Change ad Wall Street Almost Killed Puerto Rico”, talks about how the colony was doing even before it went into major debt and who he sees responsible for this issue while also talking about the reaction taken by the United States to help the island after the hurricane. Goodell enforces throughout his article that the island contributes to the climate change since the total energy of the island is forced by fossil oil, while also stating it insufficient since after the hurricane about the entire island was without electricity. (Goodell 5). Throughout the article, he uses mainly logos and pathos to relate to his audience about the conditions of the island. Every Puerto Rican away from home, could read this article and feel like they have learned something new about this history. Puerto Rico is in great debt and some even argue that it is an impossible debt to pay back, so it’s incredibly difficult to move on in such conditions and even worse now after the hurricane. This he blames the people of Wall street for loaning money to the island knowing that they are in debt already. (Goodell 9). This goes to show little or no help the motherland is trying to help the island to be a better place to pay such debt. Puerto Rico has a long way to reach recovery. 

     In all four articles, we see a sense of worries that the authors about the well being of the island in every aspect possible. Although all articles have a main goal and that is to ensure the audience that in Puerto Rico there is an ongoing issue that needs solving or assistance. The way that they show their main argument is very different. While some article will make the partnership of using logos, ethos and pathos as seen in “The perfect storm: How climate change and wall street almost killed Puerto Rico” and ‘ Process of trauma drives Puerto Rico protest” both authors used this form of rhetoric to try and convince their readers that in the island there is a problem. While “Puerto Rico Past and Present” and “Short term effect of hurricane Maria and Irma on forest birds of Puerto Rico” only have the uses of logos throughout their articles. There is no right way to try and tell your version of the issue that you be concerned with but you certainly need at least one way to enforce to your reader that there is an actual problem. Whether or not you may use one of the forms of rhetoric or all three ways the way you talk about it and who you are talking with it how far your argument is going to go.