Rhetorical Analysis two, Salam

Rhetorical Analysis

Title: The Death of Macho

Author: Reihan Salam

Date: 28 October 2012

Topic: The global shift of male dominance in market production to women earners.

Analysis of Argument: 

Exigence: The author describes the financial crisis of 2008's strongly negative impact on employment of men in typically male dominated sectors of the economy. The author predicts the effects of the financial crisis with regard to gender.

Intended Audience: The author speaks mainly to layman readers interested in the economy and gender relations.

Purpose: To inform the audience of change within the economy, and to make predictions based on observable evidence.

Claims: The author claims that the financial crisis will result in lasting change from a historically male-dominated society to a female-dominated one. The author claims that historically masculine behavior caused the financial crisis. Further, the previously high-risk masculine behavior will be replaced with more feminine leaders. The author claims that men in the present will be left with the option to adapt or resist the change. 

Main Evidence:

Rhetorical Analysis:

Writer's Strategy 1: The author begins by citing the large losses of jobs in typically male dominated markets, such as the housing industry. Additionally, this under or unemployment has lasting and damaging effects on male psychological health. 

Reader Effect 1: The scale and gravity of the disproportional effects on men versus women captures the reader's attention and focuses them on the author's predictions. 

Writer's Strategy 2: The author points out that the electorate of previously male dominated countries replace their leaders with women leaders. This is exemplified by Iceland's electing the first openly lesbian prime minister. 

Reader Effect 2: The reader acknowledges the rising power of women policy makers, and it follows that these changes in top world leadership will be reflected at all echelons.

Writer's Strategy 3: The author makes predictions about men's choices in their role in the future. The author proposes that men can adapt to their new role as a gender somewhat subordinate to women, or resist change. 

Reader Effect 3: The reader embraces a world view that allows for a dissolution of permanent male dominance over women in political and economic realms. 

My Response: I found this article very timely and logically sound. The author's strategy is strongly formulated as almost every claim is substantiated with verifiable evidence, with the exception of his predictions. Particularly of interest is the historic examples such as the New Deal, compared with the current administration's economic stimulus plan. It follows to compare these examples with other nations policy for economic growth, like China.