Noel Pearson’s An Australian History For Us All and Margaret Atwood’s Spotty Handed Villainesses effectively explore the challenges faced when rectifying the consequences of the past on the present. This is achieved through the implementation of rhetorical techniques, including ethos, logos, and pathos, generating textual integrity. While Pearson uses the rhetorical triangle in order to shed light on the ramifications of past injustices towards Aboriginal Australians, Margaret Atwood employs it to showcase the complications derived from second wave feminism, and its impact on the portrayal of female characters in literature.
Ethos refers to the credibility of the orator and is conveyed through Pearson and Atwood’s usage of academic referencing,
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For Pearson, allusions to the Redfern Speech alongside clever implementation of inclusive language facilitate the notion that Indigenous issues are a concern for the nation as a whole. This is evident through the usage of ‘our nation’ and the actions that ‘we’ have to take to correct the injustices of the past, which has the effect of reconciling the divide between Indigenous and European Australians; thus unifying the nation. Atwood, on the other hand, employs pathos through personal anecdotes and humour in order to establish a relationship with her audience. This provides her textual integrity, as it resonates with her audience on a personal level. The humorous personal anecdote of her daughter’s breakfast play allows Atwood to reinforce her argument that in order to ignite interest in literature “something else has to happen”, assisting her audience to emotionally identify with her perspective. While pathos aids Pearson 's calls for reconciliation as he explores the challenges in resolving complications between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, it provides Atwood the ability to illustrate the need for multifaceted female characters in an attempt to rectify past