Going Rogue

Palin, Sarah. Going Rogue. New York: HarperCollins, 2009.
As in any argumentative piece, a solid background of logos, ethos, and pathos would undoubtedly strengthen the text. It shows the reader that the author has reliable sources, a strong passion for the argument, and believes in their position, as supported by facts. Unfortunately, even though Sarah Palin’s novel Going Rogue has meaningful ethos and pathos, logos are weak. The book focuses on the candidate’s life with perspective to her childhood, family, career, and the election. Palin appeals to emotions, pathos, when she describes the moment she found out her son had Down syndrome: “Did I have enough love and compassion in me to do this? Don’t you have to be wired a little differently to be gifted with the ability to raise a special needs child, a child who isn’t ‘perfect’ in the eyes of society” (Palin 178)? The author provides detail and personal anecdotes to capture her audience’s attention many times throughout the autobiography. In terms of ethos, her appeal to authority was illustrated when she illustrates her position as not only a political figure, but an ordinary mom, and wrote, “And she got to shout it out to the world with no one to shush her or to tell her to be humble and quiet. For me, standing there in the sunshine, it was one of those Mo Moments” (Palin 138). Sarah Palin exemplifies the classic mother while walking the halls of the Alaska Governor’s Mansion. If the author had focused on her own political statistics, content of bills she supported, and factual data of her administration, the piece would be more convincing and would have possibly changed her reader’s opinions. The text lacked logical material and it significantly changed the mood of the book.

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