Radical Homemakers: Appeal to Ethos

Hayes creates a strong ethos throughout the argument.  Beginning with her background, she grew up on a farm.  She went to school and earned her Ph.D. in sustainable agriculture.  After receiving this degree she "questioned the value of a 9-to-5 job" (291).  She realized that she was contradicting herself by working instead of being sustainable in her own home.  Hayes went on to say, "we'd require two cars, professional wardrobes, convenience foods to make up for lost time in the kitchen ... and we'd have to buy, rather than produce, harvest, and store, our own food" (291).  This paragraph in her argument shows the audience that she means well with her words.   By saying this, she points out her concern for sustainability and her ecological footprint.  The audience can see her passion for the argument she is making.  She appeals to be very knowledgeable on the subject of homemaking.  Originally both sexes equally divided up the housework.  Then the Industrial Revolution sprung about and "men left the household to work for wages, which were then used to purchase goods and services that they were no longer home to provide" (292).  This tells the audience that she has a clear understanding of the history of homemaking.