Analysis of Immigration Lecture

Kofi Annan, the 7^th Secretary General of the United Nations, gave a lecture at Colombia University in 2003 about immigration. In it he stated that both host countries and immigrants stand to benefit from interaction if immigration is handled and monitored in an efficient, successful, and humane way. Annan’s purpose behind this lecture was to remind his audience, mainly the student’s and faculty of a highly prestigious American University, that America was built on immigration and that immigration is needed for both a singular nation and an integrated world to be successful. He tries to persuade his audience that the world must work together “rationally, creatively, compassionately and cooperatively” (85) in order for this success to be achieved. Throughout his argument, he uses appeals to his ethos as well as appeals to the effects of pathos and logos on his audience. He draws upon each of these appeals to convince native-born Americans of the importance of immigration for both the United States and the world at large.