Ta-Nehisi Coates’ argues in his article, “The Myth of Police Reform,” that the tactics law enforcement uses to solve social problems is ineffective. Coates provides multiple examples of ways that law enforcement uses force instead of authority to deal with society’s problems. These examples directly relate to his main claim which aid in getting the audience to understand his point of view. Coates’ pathos and kairos are both strong elements that make his claim effective. However, he lacks to provide a substantial amount of ethos and logos. Nevertheless, since Coates’ argument contains these critical elements, his argument proves to be effective in persuading his audience. In order to have a solid argument, one must focus on the values and beliefs of the intended audience. Coates’ use of pathos in his argument appears extensive which leaves the audience more likely to empathize and agree with him. For example, Coates describes the events of recent shootings that have happened in a way that will appeal to the audience’s emotions. Coates offers a few rhetorical questions for the audience to answer for themselves when he asks “Should the state repeatedly incarcerate Walter Scott for not paying child support? Does the presence of a gun really improve the chance of peacefully resolving a drug episode?” (Coates, 2). He …show more content…
He states “you will find a broad societal problem that we have looked at, thrown our hands up, and said to the criminal justice system, “You deal with this” (Coates, 2). This statement is meant to challenge the audience to look at themselves for they’ve been the ones to pass all their problems over for someone else to deal with. His kairos is effective in this moment due to the fact that he’s almost giving his audience an ultimatum. Either they can act now and choose to change the way they handle problems or these issues will remain stagnant in