Rhetorical Analysis

The article “Altruism: New perspectives of research on a classical theme in sociology of morality” by Andrey Bykov was a very compelling scholarly article due to the writer’s great use of rhetoric. The author discusses what his argument is clearly about regardless of the abstract applications on the topic of Altruism and the several arguments concerning it. “Moreover, the main debate (which probably goes back to the dawn of philosophy) concerns the problem of whether a genuine altruism does exist … The aim of this article is by no means to resolve this controversy. Rather, it is to try to briefly trace the history of the concept in classical sociology and other social and behavioral sciences and to demonstrate how altruism gets its explanation in different fields, conceptions and approaches.” Bykov establishes his objective and summarizes what to expect throughout the article through this specific statement. This shows how the research he presents will be unbiased on the existence of altruism but instead a more broad understanding of what it is and how it develops. This implies that the article will be very informative and trustworthy and gives the reader a positive impression that the research is ethical. In general the author dives into the implications of altruism in society and the purpose of it. The author identifies how many other scholars and researchers discuss altruism from a moral and social standpoint. Altruism was developed to establish better relations with others over time and in this sense some argue that true altruism may not exist since it implies there is an objective behind it. Others believe it is just a moral thing to establish relations and doesn’t necessarily imply some other objective. This social definition and characteristic of altruism also reflects the social ideals of human behavior amongst women that is implied by Cinderella stories. In several stories the portrayal of Cinderella is always pure and altruistic implying how the social “rules of conduct” expected women to be naturally submissive to men. The stories also hint that their sacrifices and altruistic behavior would be rewarded. However, the rebuttal of the altruistic behavior in “Cinderella Cat” may imply that society of Italian culture was more egoistic during that time and didn’t have strict ideals for behavior for women.

Book Review

Have you ever wondered what the ideal woman is? Today this question may be a bit vague because everyone is unique and isn’t bound by their gender. However, this wasn’t the case for many women throughout history since they had a specific role in society for which a certain character made them ideal. Such idealism was popularly reflected throughout Western fairy tales in which women were expected to learn to be attractive to a man. This notion has been modified in many ways but one characteristic is believed to be ideal even today one such is purity and innocence. While purity and innocence have been the main characteristics of several fairytale heroines, it doesn’t justify the ideal women of society. The article “Altruism: New Perspectives of Research on a Classical Theme in Sociology of Morality” by Andrey Bykov talks deeply about this idea of altruism throughout history.

Bykov discusses the history of the meaning of altruism and the nature behind the social impact of altruism. He starts off by discussing how different authors discuss whether or not altruism is selfish due to human behavior. One author states that it is selfish since people sacrifice something for others so that they can get something back in return for their own benefit. Hence, people use altruism to fulfill their egoism. I agree with the notion that altruism is something that occurs subconsciously that people do to show benevolence, however, many people don’t find it obligatory to be kind to others. For instance, in “Cinderella” her character is naturally kind to others and sacrifices her desires for her family. I also believe that there was selfishness behind that benevolent intent since she had to be submissive to her stepmother to survive and hopefully get some freedom in return. Hence, purity and innocence are something humans have to adapt to for their own interests. Hence throughout history, such idealistic Cinderella-like character was something women had to adapt to, to survive in that society.

However, others believe that altruism has no intention other than being benevolent. Altruism is a trait that naturally occurs in a person out of their free will. This notion seems ideal, however, people can choose when to be kind, so there has to be a reason for being kind. People have to be kind in today’s society for reputation, survival, and motivation. In Basile’s “Cinderella Cat,” Zezolla wasn’t very benevolent and was perceived to be malicious. This portrayal of Cinderella shows one of the original stories of “Cinderella” without the censorship added. This goes to show how people have modified several pieces of literature to manipulate social standards. Hence, altruism isn’t a nature that can characterize a person truly in my opinion.

The author further discusses how in the modern day altruism is integrated into our moral standard to motivate an ethical society. People embrace altruism today to make better relationships and accept it as something natural to do. Even though altruism isn’t observed objectively since it takes away the motivational nature to make people feel good about being kind. If they are exposed then it discourages upright altruistic behavior. Overall this article gives a general overview of how altruism has developed through time and the way it has been interpreted. Overall I agree with the author’s objective notion and it is a good way to promote society to do great. But it shouldn’t be a trait to be a part of someone or else it implies that that person may have to sacrifice for the betterment of others as it was expected of women.