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Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack

 

            In Peggy McIntosh's "Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack," the author introduces their observation and claims of what are men's attitude towards their privileges. In a manner corresponding to Peggy McIntosh, Associate Director of the Wellesley College Center for Research on Women, "white privilege is an invisible package of unearned assets which I can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was meant to remain oblivious." This knowledge came to her as she was writing a research paper concerning "Male Privilege in America." She came to found that as she was under the predominance of males, she also had predominance over other women who were not the same ethnic origin or color as her, singularly black women. .
             McIntosh had disinclination in the factor that some did not know of their privilege since whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege, as males are taught not to recognize male privilege (McIntosh, 327). McIntosh then uses this as a comparability to introduce her claim that since hierarchies in our society are interlocking, there is most likely a phenomenon of white privilege that was similarly denied and protected (McIntosh, 327). By structuring male privilege to line up with white privileges, she made use of ethos to continue persuading the readers that this is a very important issue, because till this day, the women's rights movement is still ongoing public issues. She continues with the importance and the inconsiderateness of the women's rights movement to her topic of white privilege. Also, because the topic of women's rights is an impassioned concern for her and many other women, the statement can also be seen to go with pathos. In the essay, "unpacking the Knapsack," Peggy McIntosh contracts multiple rhetorical strategies to contain her readers to validate her claim about racism as well as privilege. She contributes ethos, pathos, and logos to convince the readers to accept her claims, and these claims slowly build up her thesis.


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