In his prime years, Joseph Patrick Buchanan was one of the most prominent figures in America’s political scene. The political veteran has served as an advisor to two American Presidents, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, has authored six best-sellers, and is a regular analyst and panelist on American TV. Also, he has once sought the presidential seat and twice vied in presidential nominations. In his renowned article, “Deconstructing America”, which was published in his book Day of Reckoning , Buchanan argued that the identity of the American people had undergone a distinct revolution. Buchanan based this notion on the differences in ethical ideals between the foundational population of Jamestown, and modern Americans. In his article, he affirmed that America was never founded on the pillars of democracy and equality, but rather on the thirst for freedom from British rule. Buchanan acknowledged the transition into multiculturalist society, and outlined the adverse effects this has had on America’s identity and direction. From an analytical point of view, Buchanan’s presentation of the article is impressive. All factors considered, “Deconstructing America” was persuasive and effectively presented owing to the quality of arguments, the structure, and the author`s style.
One of the most distinctive features of “Deconstructing America” is the quality of the arguments. The arguments are not only well-developed but also seem to employ a variety of persuasion techniques. Before starting his article, the author laid out his exemplary achievements in an italicized introductory note, including details of his political career, publications, and influences. By doing so, Buchanan came off as qualified to give opinions on American affairs. By assuring the audience of his credibility, his ideas became a lot more believable. To convince the audience, Buchanan employed logical appeals on numerous occasions. First, he provided evidence that America was not founded on equality and democracy by revealing that historically and factually, “Jamestown was the first outpost of an imperial nation determined to conquer North America, to drive out or wipe out Indians, and to bring in Africans as slaves” (Buchanan, 2010, p.465). To further affirm his claim, Buchanan outlined that four out of the first five American presidents were slave owners, and thus could not be said to have had a sense of equality or democracy. Similarly, when Buchanan argued on the effects of diversity, he provided evidence of greater unrest and mistrust in multiculturalist locations such as Los Angeles and outlined numerous incidences of race wars. The repeated use of facts and historical evidence was observed to make the reader view the author as knowledgeable and the arguments as more logical and reliable (Saylor Academy, 2014). Besides, Buchanan also employed effective emotional appeals to woo his readers. In a remorseful tone, he expressed that Americans were no longer the united and patriotic people mentioned in John Jay’s “Federalist No. 2”. Buchanan went on to quote John Jay’s sentiments, which seemingly inspired reflection and an eventual acknowledgment of the undeniable loss of national identity. In a different section, he commented on the enslavement of Africans for 246 years, and the regrettable massacring of Indians (Buchanan, 2010, p. 464). By employing these sensitive illustrations, Buchanan attracted empathy, making the reader more likely to appreciate his point of view. To sum it up, Buchanan’s implementation of ethos, logos, and pathos throughout the texts was evidence of the superiority of his arguments.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Buchanan’s “Deconstructing America” showed good organizational structure and flow. As a typical feature of argumentative essays, the presentation of his ideas was orderly, almost methodical. While the article covered a wide range of opinions and shreds of evidence, it was still easy to articulate the presented ideas. Buchanan rarely deviated from the subject matter and instead maintained objectivity throughout the paper. Buchanan (2010) first gave an account of the Queen’s view of Jamestown and its foundational principles (p. 464). He then went on to prove why he believed the Queen’s comments at Jamestown to be comical and inaccurate. At this point, Buchanan stated his thesis and provided evidence that America was not born out of equality and democracy, but had over time embraced these ideals. Buchanan then concluded by expounding on the fragilities of democracy and multiculturalism, and by questioning the direction of America. By introducing ideas and developing them as aforementioned, the article came off as persuasive and easy to follow. Buchanan’s use of subtopics was another aspect that built on the quality of his presentation. He used the subtopics to incorporate deviating ideas that were relevant to the subject matter. Buchanan used three subtopics in his text. He employed these subtopics to factor in the issues of equality and multiculturalism, to build on the consequences of diversity, and to inspire reflection on the state and identity of America. The subtopics were effectively used and helped develop Buchanan’s subpoints.
Buchanan employed numerous stylistic devices to make his article engaging and effective. One of the most notable features of the article was the extensive use of direct quotations. Buchanan quoted Queen Elizabeth II, John Jay, Professor Putnam, Cal Thomas, among others. By not paraphrasing his references, the author broke the monotony of prose. The quotes also served to affirm the credibility of the presented information. Buchanan was also seen to use questions to develop his arguments. He employed a question-and-answer format to expound on his subpoints. Under the second subtopic, Buchanan asked many questions including “Are we united by language? . . . by faith? . . . common culture?”, among others (Buchanan, 2010). He also employed rhetorical questions, the most prominent being “Quo Vadis, America? Where are you going?” (Buchanan, 2010, p. 470). According to Saylor Academy, such rhetorical questions served to inspire reflection and consideration (2014). To captivate his audience, he employed comedy in the second line of his article. Therein, he stated that “it took some fancy footwork for Her Majesty to run the Powhatan gauntlet” (Buchanan 2010, p. 462). He also employed a humorous pictorial illustration to suggest that it was hypocritical for Whites to regard Hispanics as illegals since they too were illegals as far as the Indians are concerned. Buchanan’s use of humor as a persuasion technique seemingly dismissed opponent views and swayed the audience (Saylor Academy, 2014). Notably, Buchanan employed a critical tone throughout the text. His tone reflected the title of his article, a deconstruction, in which he was reevaluating the status quo. Buchanan’s critical tone was also evident when he questioned the accuracy of the Queen’s comments, and throughout the second subtopic. Besides, the author’s questioning of conventional philosophies, such as when he asked whether diversity really was strength, also portrayed a critical tone. Buchanan’s critical tone served to undermine alternative notions, thus magnifying the prominence of his ideas.
Buchanan’s Deconstructing America was found to be persuasive and effectively presented owing to the quality of arguments, the structure, and his style. The arguments were well-defined and sufficiently supported. By employing ethos, he reinforced his credibility and authority over American issues. Similarly, by using logical and emotional appeals, he wooed the audience. The organizational structure of the article was well-defined, and the use of subtopics effective. His writing style was littered with stylistic devices such as humor, critical tone, and rhetorical questions. These features played a big role in conveying Buchanan’s ideas. As an argumentative essay, Deconstructing America was not only persuasive but also engaging. The article, however, was found to be overly pessimistic as it ignored the possible benefits of multiculturalism and modern ideals. I strongly disagree with his opinion and I do believe that diversity is very crucial to America. I believe that diversity strengthens our nation because there is a lot of learning from one another despite the color of our skin, ethnicity, religion, or any other specific quality that makes us different from one another. In his book, The Death of the West , Buchanan said, “uncontrolled immigration threatens to deconstruct the nation we grew up in and convert America into a conglomeration of people with almost nothing in common,” (Buchanan, 2001). I am also opposed to this viewpoint because being different cuts across all of us. Buchanan seems oblivious to the fact that cultural diversity results in a rich mix of ideas, knowledge, experiences, talents, and innovations. Furthermore, diversity has undoubtedly contributed to the greatness of America especially in the fields of business, science, art, technology, and sports. Buchanan also fails to appreciate the fact that race wars and similar skirmishes, though deplorable, were an inevitable part of America’s transformation into a more inclusive and democratic society. To sum it up, although some of Buchanan’s ideas are debatable, his article was effectively presented. His style, structure, and presentation of arguments was exemplary.
References
Buchanan, P. J. (2010). Deconstructing America. In G. Colombo, R. Cullen, & B. Lisle. (Eds.). Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing, 462- 472.
Saylor Academy (2014). Persuasive Techniques. Retrieved Oct 5, 2020, from https://resources.saylor.org/wwwresources/archived/site/wp- content/uploads/2014/01/K12ELA7-7.2.2-PersuasiveTechniquesHandout-BY- SA1.pdf
Buchanan, P. J. (2001). “The Death of the West.” In the Death of the West (1st ed., Vol. 1, pp. 1–320). St Martin Press.
