Tara Westover’s Memoir Educated was published in 2018. The Memoir by Westover is a severe investigation into the nature and goals of education, both academically and in life. Memoirs typically have a narrower focus and concentrate on a single event or theme. Also, rather than focusing solely on the author’s life events, they frequently highlight the author’s feelings and inner life. Although Educated does cover factual circumstances in a primarily sequential sequence, its main focus is on Tara’s internal growth, both intellectual and emotional; this targets an audience that has gone through the same experience just like Westover had. Furthermore, its author is still relatively young and has many decades of life ahead of her beyond the scope of the book. Tara Westover expertly employs several rhetorical tactics and appeals in section one of “Educated,” but vivid imagery stands out; Westover employs precise language to paint vivid pictures that let readers picture the places she recounts.
Tara Westover uses several essential ethos components, such as credibility and trustworthiness, to persuade the reader; in the first half of her Memoir “Educated,” Westover develops her ethos by drawing on her own upbringing in an Idaho rural, conservative family. She bases her credibility as a storyteller on her experiences homeschooling her children, living off the grid, and being cut off from society. Second, Westover talks about her journey toward education as she moves through her story, including how she ended up with a Ph.D. from Cambridge University. Her background lends her credibility as a thoughtful and knowledgeable commentator on family, society, and education matters. Westover keeps her tone analytical and objective while bolstering her claims with facts and evidence. This strategy enhances her reputation as a dependable and trustworthy narrator. Westover presents herself as modest and contemplative despite her accomplishments, accepting the limitations of her own experience and the complexity of the problems.
Westover employs pathos in the Memoir; readers feel frightened and uneasy after reading Westover’s descriptions of her harsh and negligent upbringing. She talks of her father’s erratic and aggressive conduct, for instance, and the hazardous working conditions at her family’s scrapyard. The reader is emotionally engaged by this use of terror, which also emphasizes the pressing need for change. The reader can identify with Westover as she candidly and openly describes her difficulties in balancing the values of her family with her own ambitions and objectives. She talks about the hurt she felt when her family rejected her for questioning their beliefs and seeking an education, for instance. The reader is better able to relate to Westover’s story on a personal level because to this usage of empathy. The entire book is written by Westover with a sense of hope and optimism despite the challenging conditions she endures. She explains, for instance, how her passion for studying and dedication to her education enabled her to go over the constraints imposed by her background.
Tara Westover uses several essential components of logos in the opening section of her Memoir “Educated,” which helps the reader comprehend the larger context of her story by putting her family’s beliefs and practices in historical and cultural context. She explains, for instance, how the worldview of her family is influenced by the history of Mormons and the survivalist culture in rural Idaho. Westover uses reasoned justifications throughout to back up her beliefs and experiences. She claims, for instance, that because she didn’t have a formal education, she was more susceptible to exploitation and manipulation and that a formal education was essential to her freedom and independence. She backs up her claims with research and statistics from academic sources, as well as personal tales and observations. For instance, she examines and references research on the impact of solitude on mental health.
The best method of appeal is one that uses a vivid description. Westover’s rich descriptions of her experiences, surroundings, and emotions let the reader visualize Westover’s story. Her descriptions enable the reader to have a realistic picture of the surroundings and happenings, which makes reading more engaging. It makes the reader feel things: Westover’s descriptions are frequently visceral and emotive, making the reader feel dread, despair, and other strong emotions. This emotional resonance aids in strengthening the reader’s connection to Westover’s story. It raises the narrator’s credibility: Westover raises the narrator’s credibility by using vivid description by giving thorough and insightful accounts of her experiences.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Westover largely employs pathos in the early section of the Memoir to evoke the reader’s emotions and illustrate the difficulties she faced as a child growing up in a violent and isolating household. She discusses in detail the physical and psychological abuse she suffered, as well as the negative effects that her family’s religious convictions and skepticism of modern medicine had on her health and wellbeing. t will be fascinating to see how Westover uses appeals to tell her story as the reader moves on to parts 2 and 3 of the. To establish oneself as a trustworthy narrator and dispel any potential skepticism from readers who may not be familiar with her experiences or history, it might be crucial for her to add additional ethos, or trustworthiness. She might also wish to continue employing pathos to arouse readers’ sympathy and understanding while also adding logos, or logical appeals, to strengthen her cases and experiences.
Works Cited
Westover, Tara. Educated: A Memoir. National Geographic Books, 2022.
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