Thanksgiving break just ended and it seems too soon. The holiday is a time to reflect on everything you have that you sometimes take for granted. In my opinion, we should live everyday like it's Thanksgiving, which is why I chose this article. This Editorial, like "Saudi Women Behind the Wheel", was written by the New York Times Editorial Board. The board consists of writers from all over the world and has an overall liberal perspective on news which generally shows through in their opinion pieces. The editorial was written the day before Thanksgiving, no doubt in honor of the upcoming holiday. Despite the Times' typical middle to upper-class, fairly educated, middle-aged audience, the Editorial Board appeals to all Americans, whether liberal or conservative, native or foreign, Christian or Muslim, educated or not educated, in this piece about coming together as one. The writing gives off a very optimistic, reflective, and patriotic feel. Phrases like "the warm embrace of inclusiveness", "a day devoted to family and amity", "Shared bounty and shared humanity", and "welcome to sit at the American Table", along with references to Abraham Lincoln and the establishment of Thanksgiving, and stories of immigrants and non-Christians alike celebrating the holiday establish this tone and the editorials purpose: to prove Thanksgiving a holiday, the one holiday, that unites all Americans. The authors even argue that the Fourth of July doesn't bring Americans together like Thanksgiving does.
Words like tandoori, daal, naan, chai, and Metta are used when describing various dishes eaten by Americans on Thanksgiving and are associated with the Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist religions and by incorporating them the author further emphasizes the unity the holiday creates by challenging the turkey tradition most Americans adhere to. Additionally, these words being intertwined in an article that references America's history and the Bible creates a further sense of unification by mimicking the exact process they are hoping to trigger in their readers' minds. The authors' appeal to credibility and history multiple times in this patriotic editorial. First they take quotes from writers of various religions on their own Thanksgiving traditions, then move on to quote Abraham Lincoln's proclamation that established Thanksgiving as an official holiday, and finally they bring in a verse from Exodus to both back Lincoln up on his idea that Thanksgiving should be a day "to praise tour beneficent father who dwelleth in the heavens", and elaborate on it to encompass all monotheistic religions of America. The entire editorial appeals to the reader's sense of gratefulness and patriotism. The piece is a compilation of all different types of syntax, yet specifically utilizes complex sentences consisting of hyphens, em-dashes, commas, semi-colons, and colons. This variety creates a rhythm that somewhat reflects the diversity of America the authors are hoping to emphasize. With their establishment of a patriotic and reflective tone, usage of diction and syntax to create a flow and connectivity, and skillful references The Editorial successfully created an editorial that appeals to and brings together all Americans.
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AuthorAveri Childress; high school student, culture addict, softball player, artist Archives
February 2018
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