In his article, Sustainability, Christian Weisser describes the role of sustainability in the contemporary society. He defines the concept as the act of conservation of resources so that they can be utilized in the future. The author assesses various aspects of sustainability including its components, comparison with environmentalism, and its importance. The text reveals that there is a strong relationship between sustainable use of resources and food availability. It highlights that the current production and utilization has an impact on the future existence, creating a link between the current and future generations. This information does not only enlighten the public about the need for proper resource use, but also reveals the economic significance of sustainability. The author uses rhetorical analysis tools including ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade his audience.
The audience of this text are the general public in the current generation who utilize single or various resources every single day to make their ends meet. The author intends to describe the meaning and significance of sustainability to enhance the understanding of the audience. According to Weisser, sustainability is the “capacity to endure or continue the act of reusing, recycling, or repeating an activity to prolong its existence or occurrence” (602). He elaborates that most of sustainability discussions focus on the methods in which anthropogenic activities can be maintained in the future without jeopardizing the ability of future generation to access similar privileges. This shows that the target audience is the general public who are able to use resources and ultimately create an impact on the surrounding environment.
In the text, Weisser uses ethos to show the credibility of the message conveyed. This form of persuasion is commonly utilized by authors to show how credible they are to address a particular subject. In the case of Weisser, there is evident competence perquisite in the introduction section; the book describes the author as an associate professor having interest in environmental issues. It is stated that, “Two of Weisser’s interests are environmental rhetoric and what we might term as public rhetoric, moving rhetoric beyond the classroom into the world” (Weisser 602). Apart from being an associate professor, he has background knowledge in environmental matters which prove his credibility in discussing sustainability issues. This rhetorical tool is effective in appealing to the audience.
The author has also considered pathos in the attempt to persuade his audience. This rhetorical technique refers to the attempt of convincing the audience by invoking their emotions in order to relate to the subject discussed. In the text, the author manages to draw pity from the public by suggesting that unsustainable forms of development are detrimental to the environment. In addressing the importance of sustainability, the Weisser claims that “we” can only thrive in the future if “we” consider sustainability approach. He states, “You and everyone you know will be affected in some way by the choices our society makes in the future regarding the earth and its resources. In fact, your very life may depend on these choices” (606). The author tells the audience that the choices that the society makes regarding its resources might affect it in one way or another. It, therefore, shows that without taking precaution on resource utilization, the whole world, both present and future generation, will suffer from resource scarcity. The statement, invokes a feeling of piety among the audience towards the current and future development.
The text further considers the rhetorical tool of logos to increase credibility of the message. This technique involves the use of facts, statistics, or literal analogies to ascertain a subject. Weisser clearly outlines various logics to support their claims. He quotes historical facts to provide an understanding of the origin of sustainability. For instance, it is stated that in 1804, George Hartig, a German forestry researcher, defined sustainability as the utilization of forests in a manner that the future generations would still benefit just as the living generation (Schumtzernhofer 1992). By considering historical facts imported from existing sources (like Schumtzernhofer), it is evident that the information provided in the text is reliable. These facts and statistics increase the credibility of Weisser’s message.
In summary, Weisser utilizes three key rhetorical techniques: pathos, logos, and ethos to convince his audience on the relevance of his message. With the subject being sustainability and sustainable development, the target audience of the text is the general public who uses existing resources. Weisser explains that although there term “sustainability” has been used over the years to mean proper use of resources to ensure that the future generation gets the opportunity to use them. It is evident that the author considers ethos, logos, and pathos as key rhetorical techniques needed to persuade the audience. He convinces the audience that without adopting sustainable methods, then their future and that of their children will be affected. These techniques have effectively increased Weisser’s credibility and reliability considering his professional background and experiences.
Work Cited
Weisser, Christian. “Sustainability.” In Wiersum, K. Freerk. "200 years of sustainability in forestry: lessons from history." Environmental management 19.3 (1995): 321-329.
