Abarca 1

Abel Abarca

Professor Beadle

English 115

30 September 2019

Rhetorical Analysis Final Draft

There are many factors that people think make them happy, but do not. Sonja

Lyubomirsky's article, "How Happy Are You and Why?"​ discusses​ how people have to change

their mindset and actions in order to be happy. In David Brooks' "What Suffering Does," he

argues​ that pain is necessary in order to lead a happier life. Although Lyubomirsky incorporates

many rhetorical strategies in her argument, she contradicts herself, and Brooks lacks rhetorical

strategies which weakens his argument. ​In contrast,​ Graham Hill in "Living with Less. A Lot

Less." effectively uses the strategies to convince his audience that a materialistic lifestyle does

more harm than good through the use of studies on consumerism, experience as a consumer, and

the personal struggle it entailed.

Hill provides data and information that illustrates the adverse effects that a consumerist

causes for the environment. For instance, he discusses the overcrowding in houses saying, "The

average size of a new American home in 1950 was 983 square feet; by 2011, the average new

home was 2,480 square feet" (Hill 310). Hill appeals to logos, demonstrating the exponential

growth of houses over different years emphasizing that​,​ as time passes, people are gradually

spending more, which is resulting in the need for larger houses.​ As the construction of larger

houses continues, more land is being damaged and taken up​. He strengthens his stance by

explaining that when people have too much, they tend to waste. Hill goes on to state, "The
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Natural Resources Defense Council Reports, for example, that 40 percent of the food Americans

buy finds its way into the trash'" (Hill 310). ​Hill makes another appeal to logos by showing the

reader when something is not in use, it becomes harmful for the earth as its resources are being

put to waste for nothing.​ Not only that, but it could result in pollution, causing even harm to the

people who started the problem. Hill shares vast knowledge on this topic as he once was also a

consumer.

Hill manages to establish his credibility by demonstrating that he was also a consumer.

With selling his internet company in 1998, money came in abundance and Hill states that, "To

celebrate, I bought a four-story, 3,600-square-foot, turn-of-the-century house in Seattle's

happening Capitol Hill neighborhood and, in a frenzy consumption, bout a brand-new sectional

couch (my first ever)...and an audiophile-worthy five-disc CD player" (Hill 308-309). Hill

appeals to ethos by describing his excessive purchasing to show how serious of a consumer he

was in the past.​ He was buying every unnecessary thing within his sight, similar to the way

people consumed to the point of needing a larger house to store everything in the study he

provided. By listing everything he bought,​ he becomes the definition of a consumer.​ As time

went on, his spending habits got worse. Hill takes it to another level when he says, "I was

working hard for Siteweks' new parent company, Bowne, and did not have the time to finish

getting everything I needed for my house. So I hired a guy named Seven, who said to be

Courtney Love's assistant, to be my personal shopper" (Hill 309). This detail ​informs​ the reader

that Hill heavily pursued a materialistic lifestyle, proving that he is more knowledgeable on the

topic than most, based on experience. Eventually, overspending would take a heavy toll on Hill,

leading him to reevaluate his life.

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Hill triggers different emotional responses by describing the effects of the materialistic

lifestyle he led. Throughout the article, Hill brings the reader for an in-depth look at how slowly

everything started to go downhill. At a certain point, Hill begins to question himself, declaring

that, "It didn't take long before I started to wonder why my theoretically upgraded life didn't feel

any better and why I felt more anxious than before" (Hill, 309). ​Here Hill appeals to pathos, by

making the reader sympathetic towards him, drawing in the reader into his world making it seem

as if they are a friend who he is admitting to having personal issues and coming to the conclusion

that he is not happy.​ He figures out that a materialistic lifestyle leads to unhappiness, as it is all

short term. Then Hill goes on to talk about the consequences of​ impulsive spending,​ stating, "My

life was unnecessarily complicated. There were Lawns to mow, gutters to clear, floors to

vacuum, roommates to manage (it seemed nuts to have such a big, empty house), a car to insure,

wash, refuel, repair and register and tech to set up and keep working" (Hill 309). The quote

paints a picture in the reader's head that makes them critical of the idea of spending so much

money on the house and then being overwhelmed by its necessities. It convinces the reader that

materialism is not a source of long-lasting happiness. ​However, unlike Hill’s argument, in Sonja

Lyubomirsky's article, ​she contradicts herself on how to achieve true happiness​.

Although Sonja Lyubomirsky utilizes all three strategies in her article, "How Happy Are

You and Why?" she does so in a way that contradicts her main point. Lyubomirsky states that in

order to be happy, one has to take partake in uplifting activities; however, she uses some logos

and pathos that do not support her claim. She interviews a lady named Sandy that despite

achieving so much academically and socially, it ends up meaning so little to her. Lyubomirsky

details that, "On the surface, her surface life is quite good. She has a promising and enjoyable
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career ahead of her, a boyfriend, a stable family life, even a dog she loves. However, Shannon

sees herself as a generally unhappy person" (Lyubomirsky 182). ​Instead of encouraging the

reader to make a positive change, Hill discourages the reader at the notion that if doing so many

great things will not make one happy, then happiness is unattainable.​ Further down her article,

she provides evidence that concludes genetics is a significant factor in happiness. Drawing from

identical twin studies, she says, "Again, these findings are fascinating, underscoring the

conclusion that happiness is, to a large extent, influenced by genetic factors, that each one of us

inherits a pre-programmed set point" (Lyubomirsky 189). ​Lyumbomirky's research dismisses her

previous statement, as happiness is predetermined since birth and not much can change since it is

impossible to go against one's genetics***.​ In the case of David Brooks, he does not contradict

himself, instead is devoid of most strategies.

David Brooks argues that pain is necessary in order to lead a happier life later, but does

not integrate much logos or pathos to reinforce his claim. He heavily relies on ethos, naming

historical figures who have gone through dark times and have come out of it stronger. However,

they are briefly mentioned, such as Franklin Roosevelt, when Brooks said, "Think of the way

Franklin Roosevelt came back deeper and more empathetic after being struck with polio"

(Brooks 284). It is short and does not entirely give a sense of the pain that these figures went

through and the grand impact they would have as a result of their hardships. A reader ends up

feeling withdrawn in those brief statements. Then with the lack of statistical evidence, it makes it

hard to believe that people have become happier by something tragic. The only logos in the

article is in the introduction stating, "We live in a culture awash in talk about happiness. In one

three-month period last year, more than 1,000 books were released on Amazon on that subject"
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(Brooks 284). The data does not push the article forward since it is focusing on how people love

the idea of happiness and buy books related to the topic. When the main idea of the article deals

with sorrow causing people to find new meaning in their life, it is a statistic that does not display

the positive results of pain. ​There is no incorporation of pathos in the article despite it dealing

with emotion, and it makes the reader feel indifferent about the topic while reading because there

is not an emotional connection​. It will not lead the reader to see their struggles as something that

can be positive.​ Brook’s article is devoid of substance in comparison with Hill’s article due to it

being straightforward and monotone. Hill opens up about a personal struggle that causes many

readers to relate and sympathize with him which keeps them engaged. Also, Hill’s text is not

filled with several examples of ethos because the article deals with his issue of materialism,

establishing sufficient credibility. Ultimately, it allows for Hill’s text to flow without significant

abruptness of random facts every few lines.

Overall, Graham Hill is who effectively supports his claim that materialism causes great

harm to one and those around them by using research data, experience, and conflicts he faced​.

The other articles were flawed in some ways that negatively affected their arguments. What Hill

was able to do was be straight forward and not digress much; it kept the reader engaged. Another

thing that genuinely made Hill's article stand out was that most of it dealt with his journey that

ended on a positive note. It led the reader to know that they can be strong enough to overcome

their internal struggles and better themselves. People can create a new path if they believe they

can.
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Work Cited

Brooks, David. “What Suffering Does.” ​Pursuing Happiness,​ edited by Matthew Parfitt and

Dawn Skorczewski, Bedford St. Martin’s, 2016, pp. 284-287.

Hill, Graham. “Living with Less. A Lot Less.” ​Pursuing Happiness​, edited by Matthew Parfitt

and Dawn Skorczewski, Bedford St. Martin’s, 2016, pp. 308-313.

Lyubomirsky, Sonja. “How Happy Are You and Why?” ​Pursuing Happiness​, edited by Matthew

Parfitt and Dawn Skorczewski, Bedford St. Martin’s, 2016, pp. 179-197.