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Sample Rhetorical Analysis on, “Marie Kondo and the Privilege of Clutter,” by Arielle Berstein

Link to Article:

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/03/marie-kondo-and-the-privilege-of-clu

tter/475266/

Arielle Berstein’s article, “Marie Kondo and the Privilege of Clutter,” published by ​The Atlantic

on March 25, 2016, was written to show a refugee’s and immigrant’s perspective on “tidying up” and

getting rid of things that aren’t necessary. The KonMari method, which was created by Marie Kondo after

publishing her book, ​The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up​, claims that there will be more purity in

your life if you get rid of unnecessary items that are taking up space in your home. This claim, however,

is not as simple for immigrants and refugees. The challenges and trials they’ve been through has made it

harder for them to throw away things that they’re holding on to, which is why the KonMari method

saddens immigrants and refugees.

Berstein never understood why photos and mementos at weddings created so many complicated

feelings, such as crying when looking at them, and it wasn’t until she was planning her own weddings

when she understood why. Her grandparents had emigrated from Poland to Cuba a few years before the

Holocaust, and when Fidel Castro came to power in 1959, revolutions made material comforts disappear.

The trauma that Berstein’s grandparents and mother had to go through caused them to start hoarding

everything, from books, receipts, canned food, socks, and much more. Berstein says that she always liked

having empty spaces and going through things just to throw them away, which is also known as the

KonMari method. The KonMari method argues that living with unnecessary objects around you is

“undisciplined,” but a clean house with only the things you need is the “ultimate sign of personal

fulfillment.” You should only keep things that bring you happiness and joy, and if it doesn’t, then throw it

out. The KonMari method also says that throwing away things with sentimental value is okay because

you’ll still have the memories. Berstein says that it’s difficult for refugees to throw out stuff because at

first, it wasn’t about whether or not the item sparked joy, but instead if that item was necessary for

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survival. Now, that obsession has turned into a love for all items, whether it’s necessary or not. Berstein

mentions that her mother was always sad when Berstein threw something away, like shampoos or

toothpaste. Berstein now goes through the things that matter the most to her, and she doesn’t give it up.

Berstein ends off by saying that refugees and immigrants find unnecessary items important to them

because it’s confirmation that they survived.

In, “Marie Kondo and the Privilege of Clutter,” Arielle Berstein explains deeply why some

people, like refugees and immigrants, hoard things that don’t seem needed or necessary. By telling this

story through her mother’s, grandparent’s, and even her own experiences, she is able to establish her

credibility. She brings up historical events that the majority of people know about, which appeals to logos.

Throughout the article, the reader may start feeling upset but also inspired as they learn why refugees and

immigrants hoard things that don’t seem important.

Arielle Berstein uses logos by bringing up historical events. She mentions in her aricticle how

“both my grandmother and grandfather emigrated from Poland to Cuba in the years preceding the

Holocaust,” and, “after Fidel Castro came to power in 1959, their lives changed once more” (Berstein,

2016). These historical events (the Holocaust and Fidel Castro coming to power) are great examples of

when people began losing their belongings and how they had to leave so much behind just so they can get

away. These historical events are very big and well-known, and many understand the trauma and pain that

people during this time had to go through, which gives us a good idea of how immigrants and refugees

felt. By mentioning historical events that are very well-known and significant, Berstein added to her

credibility substantially.

Arielle Berstein strongly appealed to ethos because she talked about her experiences with the

KonMari method, as well as how her grandparents and mother felt about it. This ethos is established when

she says, “Eventually, their business and home were both shut down by the Cuban government and, in

1968, my grandparents, mother, and aunt came to the U.S., leaving everything but a few pieces of

clothing behind” (Berstein, 2016). This sentence lets the readers know that Berstein’s grandparents,

mother, and aunt are refugees themselves, which establishes ethos because it shows that Berstein has

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gotten the knowledge from her grandparents and mother. The way Berstein talked about her own

experiences was extremely effective in this context. If someone else were to tell this story without having

any family members that went through what Berstein’s family went through, then the author wouldn’t be

able to effectively tell the readers how immigrants and refugees truly felt about this situation. Berstein,

however, was able to do this because of how she personally knows immigrants and refugees who had to

deal with this. Berstein then goes on to talk about how “I was built for the KonMari method in a way my

mother never was” (Berstein, 2016). Their experiences are different since Berstein never had to leave

everything behind, while her mother did, showing how their different stories affect the way they see

“hoarding.” Bernstein felt more comfortable throwing away unnecessary items, while her mother found

meaning in each item, even if it wasn’t necessary in Berstein’s perspective.

Arielle Berstein also appeals to the reader’s emotions by telling us how refugees and immigrants

felt about throwing away unneeded things. In the end, Berstein mentions how “everything they manage to

hold onto matters deeply. Everything is confirmation they survived” (Berstein, 2016). This sentence

makes you realize that refugees and immigrants hold onto things not because they’re hoarders, but

because it’s a reminder to them that they made it. Many of us may not see the significance of holding onto

things that have no purpose, but if we had to go through what refugees and immigrants had to go through,

then we’d understand why they hold onto most things. Another time Berstein appealed to pathos is when

she says that the “idea that going through items cheerfully evaluating whether or not objects inspire

happiness is fraught for a family like mine, for whom cherished items have historically been taken away”

(Berstein, 2016). This sentence may make some people feel upset because it makes the readers realize that

immigrants and refugees had things suddenly taken away from them without any warning. With the fear

of having things taken from them again and losing so much, it’s understandable why immigrants and

refugees hold onto things that may seem like they have no meaning or purpose. By explaining why

immigrants and refugees hold onto things, Berstein was able to create certain emotions that appealed to

the readers.

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Bernstein created an inspirational tone by using positive connotations. In her article, she used

phrases such as “the ultimate expression of love,” “precious moments,” “cherished items,” “I didn’t want

to give any of it up,” “Everything they manage to hold onto matters deeply,” “Everything is confirmation

they survived,” and so much more. These phrases and words created a positive and inspirational tone for

the readers because it makes them think about their own views with hoarding things. For example, if

someone were to think that hoarding things is unnecessary and stupid, this article may make them realize

that there are inspirational reasons for someone to hoard something. It shows the different viewpoint that

refugees and immigrants have on the KonMari method, which helps readers understand why immigrants

and refugees hold these ideas while also keeping an inspirational tone throughout the whole article. It may

even inspire others to think about the things they are hoarding and throwing away and to take time to

think about whether it holds any historical value.

Bernstein also uses compare and contrast as an organizational pattern for her article. She contrasts

the KonMari method with how refugees and immigrants hoard items. Bernstein mentions that the

KonMari method is “a quest for purity” while refugees and immigrants believe that “the question wasn’t

whether an item sparked joy, but whether it was necessary for their survival” (Berstein, 2016). By

explaining the differences between the two methods, it helps readers fully understand the different

viewpoints that people have on the separate methods. This organizational pattern is a good way to show

that the KonMari method is more for people with simplistic mindsets, while the other method is for

people who want to save the items because of historical importance and if it will help them survive. The

comparing and contrasting used in this article further explained the ideas behind both methods, which

significantly helped the readers understand what the article was written for.

Overall, Berstein does an amazing job explaining why certain people, like immigrants and

refugees, keep things that don’t seem to have any sentimental value. She begins with using logos by

bringing up relevant historical events. She also does a good job of establishing her credibility by telling

her own personal experiences, as well as her grandparent’s and mother’s stories. She continues to appeal

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to pathos by making the reader feel sad but also inspired at some points. Berstein does a great job taking a

topic that not many people know about or understand and explaining it in a deep and meaningful way.

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