Running Head: RHETORICAL ANALYSIS 1

Rhetorical Analysis of Justice and Fairness

Jesse N. Maese

Professor Irma L. Nikicicz

University of Texas at El Paso

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Rhetorical Analysis of Justice and Fairness

To believe the concept of justice to be relatively constructed on the basis of being

fair, but are the meanings of justice and fairness the same? The overall view of justice is

the belief; we are given what we deserve for an action. In a broad sense of the topic,

that may be correct. After reading the article, one can denote that the two similar terms

are more different than alike. The article, Justice and Fairness written by Manuel

Velasquez and Claire Andre, Thomas Shanks, Michael J. Meyer, will be rhetorically

analyzed by identifying the persuasive techniques used such as Ethos, Pathos, and

Logos. Justice may not always be fair as everyone may instinctually believe, the

purpose is to persuade others to read the article and evoke question about one's ethical

judgments.

First, the persuasion technique, ethos, is widely used to convince readers of the

article. The article was first introduced in the Issues of Ethics back in the Spring of

1990 and published by the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara

University. The institution started The Center in 1986, and to this day seeks to enlighten

others by assisting them with decision-making and ethical awareness. Its shown they

have worked years to build the credibility of the school and the specific areas focus

such as Bioethics, Business ethics, Government ethics, Technology ethics, Engineering

ethics, Environmental ethics, and Religion ethics, etc. As seen there is a wide range of

topics covered at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. The Center staffs among 25

ethics scholars including, Ph.D. ethicists, lawyers, businesspeople, educators,

religious leaders, scientists, and journalists (About the Center. 2016). There is a
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presence of professionals trained in their respected fields, and leading to the credibility

of the article and the many scholars that influence students writing.

Next is pathos, the emotional appeals that drive us to continue reading.

Immediately the title of the article, Justice and Fairness, confuses the reader. The

phrasing of the two words separated by the word, and gives the interpretation that

both ideas have two separate meanings. As previously stated, many believe that the

two words mean the same. The reader wants to make sense of the context and now are

tempted to read. Even though it is not encouraged to confuse the reader, the authors

did a fantastic job sparking the interest of their specific audience. The authors appealed

to the reader by making the text easy to comprehend and follow each stage of

information. It was with the addition and development of examples helped to capture the

understanding of the text. Most of the cases were figurative to assist with manageable

pieces of information, but to understand larger ideas the authors use actual events. For

instance; Cotton Mills workers were exposed to deadly fumes, inhaling cotton dust for

many years that, over time, made them all sick and unwilling to work again. To help

further this thought, they add a personal statement of a worker that suffered in the Mills

and how he was unable to obtain justice along with other members of the Mill. Many

workers still have not received compensation for their disabilities. Many readers are

infuriated with the injustice that was given to the workers after a terrible event took a toll

on their lives. The tone of the article may be cruel and grim, but it is necessary to

convey the message that justice doesnt always come in the form of being fair.

The last would be logos, bringing facts and truth to the article. It gave the reader

concrete evidence and based solely on the author's speculation. At the beginning of the
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article, we see that the authors reference philosophers writings such as Platos, The

Republic and John Rawls, The Theory of Justice. The two articles both have different

views of what is fair and just in the world. Platos work on ethics and virtues contributed

to the teachings professors use today to lecture their classes. Another piece of facts

they used were the studies mentioning race playing a factor in the death penalty today.

It states that when, blacks murder whites, they are much more likely to receive death

sentences than when whites murder whites or blacks murder blacks (Velasquez &

Andre, 1990). This study indicates that injustice is present in the Criminal Justice

System. The article makes these points to obtain an audience base that has been

affected or felt affected by wrongs in todays society. The application of this study helps

to give readers events that they can see for themselves and place their judgment.

In conclusion, they were able to successfully persuade others to read their article

instead of millions of other submissions seen on the internet. They did this by tempting

the audiences curiosity and evoking certain feelings that motivate others to continue

reading. Through further research, someone can recognize there is an entire university

center dedicated to researching ethical issues. Then closing with liberal studies that

have been seen by so many scholars. This article uses these factors instrumentally to

give its audience a report they can relate closely too. After reading, the audience might

feel obligated to ask questions about whether the justice that is known is fair for all. Are

the injustices a part of the system that we must accept or can they be changed?
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References

Justice And Fairness - Markkula Center For Applied Ethics. (n.d.).

https://www.scu.edu/ethics/ethics-resources/ethical-decision-making/justice-and-

fairness/

Santa Clara University. (n.d.). About the Center - Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.

Retrieved from https://www.scu.edu/ethics/about-the-center/

Santa Clara University. (n.d.). Focus Areas - Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.

Retrieved from https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas//

Velasquez, M., & Andre, C. (1990). Justice and Fairness. Retrieved from

https://legacy.scu.edu/ethics/publications/iie/v3n2/homepage.html

Velasquez, M., Andre, C., Shanks, T., & Meyer, M. J. (2014, August 1). Justice and

Fairness. Retrieved from https://www.scu.edu/ethics/ethics-resources/ethical-

decision-making/justice-and-fairness/