Assignment: Analytic Snapshot of "Veil of Fears"

Genre:

“Veil of Fears” is a persuasive essay.

Purpose:

The purpose of this essay is to try to persuade people to change their poor view of the Muslim veil.

Central Message:

Veiling is not a bad thing, but rather it is a way of life.

World View and Assumptions:

There are many world views and assumptions made in this reading. The author discusses the Muslim traditional view where veiling is embraced as one of the keys and fundamentals to their way of life. He also mentions the modern view of the veil. This is a view that sees the veil as a prison that traps women. The idea of trusting in state government versus family was another topic discusses in this essay. I also feel like the author made reference to family issues a lot. He referenced family in the American way (mom, dad, and children), as well as in a “partilineage” way (“band of brothers”).

Use of Tools and Evidence:

It was really hard for me to identify tools and evidence of persuasive writing, probably because I’ve never done it before! I did think that the author tried really hard to appeal to emotions, especially those relating to family issues. Once you have a reader feeling emotionally attached to your point of view, it is fairly easy to convince them to believe the rest of what you are trying to say. Another tool that he used was in referring to modern television. When he mentioned the negative influence of TV in the home, he had me convinced. But, then I had to take a step back and look if it was really a valid connection and valid proof. Overall, I had a really hard time finding tools and evidence. :(