An Open Letter to the Community

Essay 2 – An Open Letter to the Community

The letter from author Gibor Basri is full of passion and one that truly inspires students with a lot of articulate words that strongly represent examples of Pathos. One of these examples includes the statement “At Berkeley, we are passionate about the matters that shape our world; debate, free speech, and political activism are proudly defining characteristics of our campus.” His thesis statement is to the point and clearly indicated at the beginning of the letter “In order for all of us to thrive and succeed, our campus must be safe and welcoming, and disagreements need to be managed in a respectful and civil manner.” He includes expectations of the campus as well as benefits of following those expectations. By doing this right in the thesis I knew exactly what was to follow and the detriments of not following those expectations. His arguments on the issue include expectations of the campus and put ownership on the students to take responsibility for their actions versus talking down or giving orders. This gives one a sense of compassion and value. His solutions provide concrete examples of who will be involved, what will be involved, and how those actions will be carried out. Mr. Basri also describes the issue as requiring constant attention which indicates that this will be an ongoing solution, not just a one-time solution. The evidence is also clearly stated by proving examples of the dispute such as the graffiti and physical altercations and providing that they are never acceptable.