Post #1: Rhetorical Analysis

Hello readers, and welcome to my blog about Race! As I read the book, I will be updating this blog with some of my thoughts. Race, a book by Marc Aronson, is focused on the history of race and racism, and how humans developed these concepts. In the introduction, he talks about prejudices and where they come from, but after that, the book generally moves in chronological order, starting with the Ancient World and moving through the present day.

So far, I have really been enjoying this book! Aronson’s writing style and rhetoric are consistently engaging, and the subject matter is fascinating. One way that he makes the information interesting and easy to process is by adding modern-day stories at the beginning of most chapters. These stories, which are sometimes hypothetical situations and sometimes true stories, are not only interesting, but they help me (the reader) to connect the historical information to modern-day situations. 

At first glance these situations may seem random -- a young Indian girl sold as a sex slave, a Super Bowl in which the underdog team wins, a high school lunchroom. However, as I continued reading, Aronson neatly drew the connections to reveal that each situation had been chosen to help the reader understand a concept. The football team wins because “they trusted one another to speak because they were so similar, and they knew their minds were superior (32).” A couple of lines later, Aronson reveals that “it is a precise analogy to the mind-set of the crafty Greeks after their clash with the massive forces of the invading Persians (32).” The analogy of the football game helps me to understand the Greeks, which in turn helps me to understand ideas about prejudices and superiority that began to take shape because of the Greeks. 

"Greco-Persian Wars." Britannica School, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 8 May, 2020. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/Greco-Persian-Wars/37907. Accessed 4 Mar. 2021.

The Battle of Salamis, which was won by the Greeks due to their intelligence (Aronson 36). Here, the Greeks are shown with shining uniforms and gold shields, whereas the Persians are shown in mismatched, tattered outfits. The ideas of superiority that the Greeks had after this battle are clear.

Aronson’s tone also adds to my understanding, as it varies depending on his topic. In the introduction, it is very personal. He offers his own opinions and standpoints and uses logic and anecdotes to back up these opinions. He also presents some potentially controversial topics in a very factual way, making it easier to understand and accept them: “Prejudice. I am prejudiced . . . when we see another person and form an opinion about him or her. It happens to all of us, all the time (1-2).” Without being overpowering, Aronson's tone is clear and firm enough that he leaves no room for argument, making it easier for the reader to accept this key concept before progressing with the book. 

However, as Aronson moves into the more historical part of the introduction and then into Part 1 (Before Race: The Ancient World), his tone shifts towards that of a story or extended explanation. Though he is still making claims, he weaves them into whatever historical event or concept he is describing. For example, after describing the relationship that Jesus had between Judaism and Christianity, Aronson states that “the hostility between Christians and Jews carried the seed of the idea that groups of people could be absolutely and unchangeably different (46).” Obviously, this is key to the concept of racism, but Aronson has given it much more depth by explaining the story and reasoning behind it. 

Though I am still at a point in Aronson’s timeline at which the concept of ‘race’ has not yet been invented, I can already tell that this book will help me to more fully understand how race and racism came to have such great impact on our modern-day society. Thank you for following along with me!