I plan on writing an academic essay to the community of San Diego State titled, “Everything You Know About Our Aztec Warrior is Wrong.” My essay will be a modern piece and will provide reasoning to the members of this community that their beliefs of the Aztec being a perfectly suitable mascot for our university are completely unjustifiable. My problematic reasonings with their beliefs will include the clear signs of misappropriation and generalization of a culture, clashes with our architecture, and how this mascot genuinely makes no sense in relation to the location and context of San Diego State University.
My audience will consist of the students, alumni, and fans of San Diego State and their associated sports teams. I intend to use a number of rhetorical strategies such as cause and effect, prolepsis, support of ethos, and quite a bit of an appeal to logos. I believe cause and effect will surely signify the harms caused on native groups by having such an insensitive mascot as well as prolepsis because this will address a common counterclaim by the opposing party and completely deconstruct it. Both Ethos and Logos will also play important roles in developing my argument as they will assist in construction of the essay and in convincing the audience that my side is the only reasonable side to turn to.
I chose to go with this topic as I have gained suitable knowledge on the topic since my arrival at the university, and I feel it is necessary to share the historical context of this mascot and why it needs to go.
The Carpenblog 