The text given for analysis is an opinion article written by Claudine Gay former president of

Harvard University, in the New York Times Newspaper in January 2024. In the article, Gay
vehemently expresses her anguish towards the debacle that led to her resignation.
Furthermore, this article serves as a redemption piece that explains her actions and experience
handling the tumultuous topic of the Israel-Palestine conflict. She aims to educate the general
public, especially members of academia regarding the incidents to maintain her integrity in the
public sphere. Gay masterfully utilizes emotive diction, a defensive tone, and a persuasive call
for action to persuade the reader to establish her credibility as a reputable member of
academia. Furthermore, through the article, Gay motivates readers to have the courage of
conviction to pursue the causes they feel strongly about.

Gay employs emotive diction to make the readers empathize with her difficulty in pursuing such
a profession. She uses the phrase ‘For weeks,
both I and the institution to which I’ve devoted my professional life have been under attack.‘
The diction of ‘under attack’ instantly makes the readers imagine a war-like scenario wherein
Gay seems to be at risk of being invaded by an enemy. Metaphorically. her reputation and life’s
work have been put under the spotlight. The reader realizes the harsh actuality of her credibility
being questioned and how it can affect the psyche of an individual. Moreover, the diction
connects with the current situation in Israel-Palestine. It psychologically connects a
heart-wrenching war to her suffering, hence, it is able to create an emotional connection with the
reader. The correlation makes the reader understand her suffering and feel sympathetic towards
her. In the next line, she avails the usage of the diction ‘impugned.’ The reader realizes that an
individual's credibility has been shattered- their accomplishments, actions, and research. The
diction paints Gay as someone who has been targeted and hurt. Therefore, Claudine puts into
perspective the suffering she endured for weeks before eventually resigning as Harvard
University’s president. Lastly, the phrase ‘My inbox has been flooded with invective, including
death threats’ makes the reader comprehend the true extent of the backlash she has received.
The lexica of ‘death threat’ is usually reserved for individuals who have committed heinous
crimes. However, the extremity of the situation and the backlash make the reader realize the
extent of the situation and the internal conflict that Gay is feeling. The use of diction to humanize
herself strikes an emotional chord with the readers.

Moreover, Gay uses a blend of a defensive and accusatory tone to present a convincing
argument in an attempt to absolve herself from the accusations and put the spotlight on media
campaigns. The sentence “This was merely a single skirmish in a broader war to unravel public
faith in pillars of American society” aims to educate the reader
regarding how the media is attempting to shatter the foothold of the United States. The
defensive tone shifts the spotlight from her onto the campaign shutting her down. Additionally, it
accuses the media campaigns, making the reader reflect and realize that media campaigns are
trying to pull down the foundational blocks to maintaining society’s sanctity. Hence, the reader
almost feels a sense of fear as the metaphor paints their world as tumbling and crashing down.
Likewise, Gay states that campaigns attack ‘education and expertise’ as they allow communities
to ‘see past the propaganda.’ The diction of ‘education and expertise’ creates an accusatory
tone as it places the media as attempting to ruin academia and the foothold that allows society
to see past misinformation. The reader feels a sense of anger as they realize the narrative that
media companies are trying to fabricate; additionally, they understand the targeted and planned
execution. Therefore, painting media campaigns as an evil manipulative force prying to control
public opinion. Ultimately, she explicitly blames the campaigns by stating ‘I fell into a well-laid
trap.’ The reader realizes that the congressional hearing was plotted to affect her reputation and
burn the careful non-biased thread that Gay had to tread as the president of a university. The
reader realizes the confines she was placed in and is swayed towards believing Claudine Gay.
The depiction of Gay falling into Congress’s trap averts the blame towards congress members
pursuing to shun her reputation. Thus, she effectively uses a defensive tone to catapult the
blame onto fear-mongering and the media and persuades the reader to side with her.

Lastly, Claudine Gay leads by example to call for action to motivate the readers to not be
intimidated. The warning of “ I’d urge a broader caution “ signals the reader to be careful of such
controversy regarding other institutions. Gay’s use of the imploring verb ‘urge’ signals her
sincerity toward reiterating her wants to maintain the reputation of American-borne
organizations. The perseverance and resilience in her words motivate the reader to consume
information thoughtfully and motivate them to pursue causes that interest them. After the call for
action, she extends it by stating “Every one of us must be more skeptical than ever of the
loudest and most extreme voices in our culture.” This statement echoes in the reader's mind as
it highlights that certain individuals are controlling and targeting the media in a polarising
manner. The call to action is masterfully blended in with an accusatory tone which influences the
reader into questioning the authorities that control the media. Furthermore, it builds a negative
connotation towards extreme opinions which institutions of academia like Harvard aim to
conduct discourse over. Thus, the reader realizes that balanced discourse is a necessity which
is the opposite of what the ‘extreme voices’ partake in. Hence, she leads by example to
encourage readers to be passionate about their opinions and not get swayed easily.
Additionally, she emphasizes this by establishing that ‘College campuses in our country must
remain places where students can learn, share and grow together.’ The promotion of healthy
discourse sways the reader toward her as the public’s end goal is not to get clouded by
propaganda. They realize the importance of maintaining sanctity within educational institutions,
thus it persuades the reader to stand by her actions which have promoted open discourse.
Hence, she is skillfully able to maintain her integrity and motivate the reader to conduct due
diligence by employing call-to-action statements.

In conclusion, Claudine Gay's persuasive features of diction, tone, and a satisfying call to action
in her opinion article go beyond mere personal vindication. Thus, it is a dynamic plea for
keeping academic respectability. By skillfully using language, Gay not only redeems her
credibility but also supports and encourages the whole movement of free discussion and free
thinking in the face of sensationalism and division.