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Emma Kim

English 110

Rhetorical Analysis Major Essay #1

09/28/19

Until the Very Last Aloha ʻĀina

Maile Arvin is a Native Hawaiian scholar and professor at the University of Utah. Her

research and teachings revolve around the issues of race, indigeneity, gender, and science

concerning the native and indigenous people of the Pacific, with a focus on Native Hawaiians.

On top of being a professor and researcher, she is also a journalist for Truth Out. Truth Out is a

news organization that provides reports and commentary on social justice issues. On July 27,

2019, Maile Arvin published an article on Truth Out to inform people about Native Hawaiians

and their protest against a thirty-meter telescope. This protest started back in 1968 but was

halted in 2015. However, in the late summer of 2019, Hawaiʻi State Governor, David Ige,

announced the approval of the construction of a thirty-meter telescope on Mauna Kea. By using

historical context and rhetorical appeals such as ethos, pathos, and logos, Maile Arvin informed

her audience and persuaded them to support the protest of the thirty-meter telescope.

Arvin begins her article by talking about the historical issues between the U.S. and

native people. She mentions that the construction of TMT is claimed to be for the betterment

of mankind. However, Arvin refutes by saying how in the history of Hawaiians, many moments

were claimed to be for good, but it never benefitted the native people. For example, she brings

up how the U.S. conducted nuclear testing on the Pacific territories. The islands that were

tested on became inhabitable and people who remained on the island were exposed to
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radiation and diseases. She claims that using Native Hawaiian resources and land was never

about helping others; it was all about power and money. She then brings up how some

Westerners’ view indigenous Pacific Islanders as “inferior” to them. Arvin argues that the native

people of the Pacific were ignored and belittled way back to when Captain Cook arrived in the

islands and claimed himself as the person who discovered them. This history about Native

Hawaiians being pushed aside again, and again, is important because this informs Arvin’s

audience that this protest is not a first-time offense against the Native people. Now that her

audience has a historical background of the natives and issues, they have a better

understanding of where this protest is stemming from. Arvin then beings to persuade her

audience by using the rhetorical appeal of pathos.

To make her audience feel sympathy and have an understanding of Native Hawaiians,

she included the meaning behind Mauna Kea. In her article, Arvin says, “In Hawaiian moʻolelo

(stories and traditions), Mauna Kea represents the piko (umbilical cord) and thus the birthplace

of Hawaiʻi island and the Hawaiian people.” (Arvin para. 2) By explaining the cultural

significance of the mountain, she makes her audience understand the importance of it. The

idea of someone or something being the “center of the universe” is very universal, and people

can sympathize and connect with that idea regardless of their beliefs and religion. People can

now see Mauna Kea as a cultural and sacred site, such as Mount Fuji or Mount Everest.

Arvin continues by informing her audience that there are already 13 telescopes on the

summit and most of them are currently not in use. She claims that those telescopes were built

without the proper permits and ignored community protests and laws. She then begins to

explain why a thirty-meter telescope and construction on Mauna Kea will negatively impact the
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native people. She says, “Mauna Kea is the primary aquifer and source of freshwater for the

island – and protection of significant cultural sites. There is a clear history of mismanagement of

the observatories, including problems with waste disposal and spills.” (Arvin para. 3) She

explains that the mountain is essential to the life of the land. The water from Mauna Kea flows

throughout the island and provides nutrients and homes to native plants, animals, and insects.

Mauna Kea has a long history of being mistreated and the people of Hawaiʻi have been ignored

time and time again. The audience now see that that this protest is not just about protecting a

mountain. It is also a protest to protect the land and environment. It also carries the weight of

past generations of native people who fought and protested for their culture. Concluding her

argument, Arvin brings up the positive aspects of the protest and what the native people want.

By bringing up the positive aspects of the protest, she is showing her audience that it is

not a protest full of violence and anger. Arvin talks about how through the protests, people

from all over the world are coming together to support native and minority rights. More

specifically, native Hawaiians are reclaiming their culture and identity. She says, “Mauna Kea

proves to many of us that we are more than capable of self-government, of producing and

teaching meaningful knowledge, of caring for our bodies and our land.” (Arvin para. 16) Arvin

claims that people have doubted the power of Hawaiians, even native people themselves. But

this goes to show that the world is changing, and they are more than capable of fighting for

their rights and making an impact that will last a lifetime. History is done and cannot be

changed, but the people of Hawaiʻi are working towards a better and brighter future for their

culture, their people, and the next generations.

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By using historical context and rhetorical appeals such as ethos, pathos, and logos, Maile

Arvin informed her audience and persuaded them to support the protest of the thirty-meter

telescope. She claims that it is not just a protest for the mountain, but it is the same protest

that natives have been fighting for centuries. And they will continue fighting for their land, their

rights, and their culture, all the way until the very last aloha ʻāina.