Our Wall

Charles Bowden writes about the U.S.-Mexican border wall issue. He states that he does not agree with it and presents information on why he disagrees. His purpose is to inform the reader about the issue, give information about the opposing side, and explain how the wall is failing “to deliver security [despite] it keep expanding”. He believes that America used to pride itself on its diversity, and the wall takes that away from the U.S. Part of our culture, he explains, is being a melting pot, and the wall doesn’t allow that to happen.
One rhetorical strategy that Bowden uses is pathos. He uses this in order to appeal to emotion and achieve his purpose. He gets statements from the people that this affects the most. He writes about one Mexican man who shares that, “for so many years, we Mexicans have gone to the U.S. to work. I don’t understand why they put up a wall to turn us away. It’s not like we’re robbing anybody over there, and they don’t pay us very much”. Bowden writes about how the wall keeps people out, and how for generations, America has been a home to immigrants seeking the American dream. By including this first hand account, he appeals to the emotional side of the reader and helps them understand why this issue is so important to him.
I agree with Bowden and think that there should not be a wall. American culture is based off of being a melting-pot. I think that by putting up a wall, it separates us from the people who provide America with its diversity. However, I do think that there should be more security. I believe that people who are uneducated on the topic are passionate about the wall, but I don’t think that it will solve the problem of immigration. One reason that I am against the wall is because so many people are so against immigrants. They are quick to assume the worst of them. Personally, my mom is an Australian citizen, but lives in America. She is not a dangerous immigrant. Many people think “Mexican” when they think of immigrant, but fail to realize that people immigrate from all over the world.