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Gordon Marino

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In the past, some people worked jobs they did not prefer to do but did it to provide for themselves or their family. Some people were fortunate enough to choose a career path they loved, such as law, medicine, teaching, and business, to name a few. Dr. Marino is a professor of philosophy who began life in a tumultuous family and did not regard a profession as important. It was through mentors who made a positive influence on his life that he turned his life around. Gordon Marino attended Columbia University, Yale, and University of Chicago, where he earned his Ph.D. in philosophy, with an emphasis on Soren Kierkegaard and existentialism. In this article that Dr. Marino wrote, “A Life Beyond ‘Do What You love,’” he addresses the balance between …show more content…

Gordon Marino effectively argues the importance of individuals doing what they need to do and not just what they love as a career. He builds his argument by including anecdotes, citing experts, and appealing to the audience’s emotions. To begin with, in his article, Dr. Marino builds his argument with anecdotal evidence to help readers see the importance of choosing to do more than what they love. The personal stories strengthen his argument and the use of pathos because he gives an example of his life saying, “My father didn’t do what he loved. He labored at a job he detested so that he could send his children to college” (page 2, para.2). He also uses logos by providing evidence from his counseling position at the college, when he states, “a sophomore made an appointment because he was worrying about whether he should become a doctor or a philosophy professor” (page 1, para. 1). Dr. Marino is well-educated in this …show more content…

Gordon Marino uses appeal to the audience’s emotions, which is a genuine introduction to pathos. His use of pathos begins with Gordon Marino speaking of his upbringing. Marino “grew up in New Jersey in a household where fights between his mother and father regularly escalated into violence” (Chin). He was not a good student and became a discipline problem, being “kicked out” of almost every school he attended. Another good example of pathos is the author’s ability to reach out to the underprivileged. Marino identifies with many underprivileged students and as a result, when he is not working in his scholarly position at St. Olaf’s College, he is counseling the economically challenged students in his town. “Many of them are used to delivering papers at 5 a.m., slinging shingles all day or loading trucks all night” (page 2, para 2). These young people are doing good work, but is it work they love? Probably not, but they do it with excellence because they are helping to support their families. This is the premise of “A Life Beyond ‘Do What You Love’” Marino counsels these young people to help them with a focus and hopefully gives them a deeper understanding of success and what they are good at doing. The young people he counsels may not like waking up or being up all night doing this job but they do what needs to be done for their

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