The Message

“Journalism Is Not a Luxury” includes several autobiographical elements. How does Coates use autobiography in this essay and throughout the book?

Identify the rhetorical situation of one or more of the essays in The Message. What is the audience for the text? What is Coates’s purpose in writing the text? What kinds of evidence and appeals does Coates use to connect with that audience?

According to Coates, why is storytelling important? What kinds of power does storytelling grant, and what responsibilities does it confer? How does Coates use storytelling to advance his arguments?