Liz Addison Two Years Are Better Than Four Summary

Is college still important and relevant? The question is answered and confirmed when Liz Addison, author of “Two Years Are Better than Four”, wrote a counter argument in order to disprove the opposing views of Rick Perlstein, the author of, “What’s the Matter with College”. The topic that is being brought to light is the subject of whether or not college still matters. Perlstein that college is no longer what it used to be. It was after reading Perlstein’s article that Addison masterfully wrote her counter argument which successfully contradicted the opinionated, inaccurate views of Rick Perlstein. Although Rick Perlstein and Liz Addison both wrote their article with the same purpose of appealing to the readers’ sense of emotion, credibility

The most noticeable way that Addison displays her appeal to emotions is by telling the audience stories of her own personal experiences with college. Addison does not draw out multiple, unnecessary stories in order to make her point, but rather briefly tells the audience about her college experience in such a way that the readers both see her as a trustworthy figure and read objectively. By describing her own personal experiences, the audience begins to relate closer to Addison as a person, which establishes a connection and contributes to her emotional appeal. When telling her own personal accounts, Addison focuses her story on her time at community college; explaining how the “College Experience” can be achieved as easily there as at a university. Addison also talks about the philosophical aspect of the college experience (Addison 686). In addition, she appeals to the emotions of her audience by writing on a deeper emotional level and referring to college as a self-finding, life-changing experience, rather than another unpleasant chore in one’s life. Throughout Addison’s article she successfully builds strong emotional connections with her readers through words of philosophy and personal experience. Addison’s techniques for appealing to the emotions of the audience are undoubtedly

Addison and Perlstein both incorporate ethos in their articles to establish credibility. Perlstein effectively uses facts and concrete figures to aid his argument. Although using concrete figures aid Perlstein’s use of logic, it also contributes to his credibility because the audience can see that he adds outside sources to his article and the readers start to trust Perlstein. Once again using outside sources to aid his argument, Perlstein often quotes specific sources. Perlstein stated that “Doug Mitchell, editor at the Chicago Press, once said, 'I suspect I got in this university primarily because I had a high-school friend who got a pirated copy of Henry Miller 's 'Tropic of Capricorn”’ (Perlstein). The credibility of Perlstein is strengthened each time he incorporates an outside source. Although Perlstein’s credibility is firmly established through his use of concrete facts and quotes, his credibility is not perfect. He did not further develop into the usage of his own personal experiences with the topic. Without the use of personal experience, the audience can not relate to Perlstein as a regular person. The readers view Perlstein as an author whose article is mainly comprised of facts, figures and quotes. Rather than an author who has real-life experience on the subject. Addison however, provides the audience with a clear difference. A majority of Addison’s article is composed of her own personal