A Rhetorical Analysis Of Sinead Burke's Why Design Should Include All

Nathan Graff

Professor Scab

LA-ENG 0802

20 March 2023

On Sinead Burke’s “Why Design Should Include Everyone”

Sinead Burke delivers a brief but powerful oration on her experiences as a person whom society does not account for when designing facilities. Burke utilizes rhetorical appeals to show to her audience the relevance and importance of the issue. She directs her message to the general public as she wants them to be aware that this is not her issue, but theirs as well. Using logos, ethos, and pathos, Burke convinces her audience that the challenges she faces are worth addressing on a societal level.

Logos is often used in arguments to offer fact-based reasoning to audiences to assure them that the issue is a legitimate concern to address. For instance, Burke uses logos when providing the statistic that 80% of little people are born to two average-height parents. Burke demonstrates the significance of this fact by explaining to the audience that this means that any of them could have children that would face the negative experiences society forced Burke to endure, a

Burke tells jokes about legroom on planes and coffee addictions, concepts that most of the audience finds relatable and understandable when they struggle to find the rest of Burke’s argument understandable as they have never experienced society’s design flaws in the way that she has. By identifying with the speaker, the issue feels more personal and significant because it allows the audience to more imagine themselves in the same situation. Additionally, Burke reaches out to her audience by giving them questions to consider, such as how they would define accessibility and to what groups are facilities made accessible, encouraging them to form their own opinions on the topic and allowing them to feel more involved in the conversation. Burke further strengthens her appeal to emotion by