"The Ugly Tourist" Rhetorical Analysis

An analysis of Kincaid's rhetorical use in 'The Ugly Tourist'

‘The Ugly Tourist’ writes about how one feels about being a tourist. In the essay, Jamaica Kincaid argues that tourists are “ugly” and that they’re ruining the lives of other people by making them envious of the tourists’ wealth and ability to travel to other places. She presents her argument by using different writing strategies such as the use of pathos, logos, ethos, irony, tone, and diction.

Kincaid uses pathos to emphasize her points and evoke emotions in her readers. She attacks her readers by using dictions such as “ugly”, “lonely”, and “empty” to make them feel guilty for being a tourist. In this quote “An ugly thing, that is what you are when you become a tourist, an ugly, empty thing, a stupid thing, a piece of rubbish pushing here and there to gaze at this and taste that…” (Kincaid, 200), she emphasizes her main argument that tourists are empty and lonely, how they’re finding satisfaction by looking at other people who live in worse conditions than they do -- as quoted, “their ancestors were not clever in the ways yours were and not ruthless in the way yours were” (Kincaid, 200), she attacks the tourists through their own perspective and forcing them to come out of the dark. Kincaid's tone also plays a huge part in pathos -- her tone is cynical and aggressive, making her readers uncomfortable thus forcing them to think about their wrongdoings.

Kincaid’s ethos came from her credibility as a writer and her experiences living in the Carribean. Studying in New York City, she provides contextual insights about the tourists of America and the natives of the Carribean. Since Kincaid’s background is ethnically Antiguan, the readers are more likely to agree with her essay than if it was written by someone living in a metropolis. 

Other than her credibility as a writer, she also supports her arguments by providing logical arguments (logos) as to why the natives dislike the tourists so much. She presents her point that “they are too poor to go anywhere, and they are too poor to live properly in the place where they live” (Kincaid, 201), by logically arguing that the poor natives are envious of the wealthy tourists. She also writes from the perspective of tourists on how they are unfitted to the country, unable to adjust to their customs without looking silly or idiotic --  which is very true for tourists, and this gives Kincaid her logical appeal.

“The Ugly Tourist” successfully presented Kancaid’s main subject that tourists are just “ugly” -- not in appearances, but through their actions and thoughts. She used pathos to guilt-trip her readers who were (or are) tourists, making them feel miserable for what they’ve caused for the locals. Her credibility as a native as well as a famous writer makes her essay seem more trustworthy to the readers. Through providing different points of view, logical statements, and explanations, she successfully conveyed her idea to her readers and dislikes of tourists.