How much does the burden of student loans affect students' personal lives after completing their studies? The degree to which a person will have a financially successful future depends largely on obtaining a good education. However, not everyone manages to pay for such education. Therefore, students often resort to taking out student loans to help them offset their education. According to some sources, the average amount of student debt is equivalent to the price of a new car. Like many other Americans, Wearing Thin faces the same problem of paying off student loans without family support and says loans “are the cause of almost every stress in [her] life.” Not only does he associate his student loans with stress, but he also says his life is defined by his student loans. In the article "A Big Life", Thin seeks advice and turns to Cheryl Strayed, a writer, asking for her perspective on the situation. Cheryl, called "Sugar" in the article, responds by claiming that she too is a victim of student debt. He forms a bond with Thin and gives her hope by advising her to take the student loans and move forward from there. By establishing his credibility through sharing his life experiences and appealing to emotions through the use of empathy, Sugar attempts to inspire in Thin a sense of hope for a brighter tomorrow. Sugar, to establish ethics in her response, immediately establishes her credibility by stating that she too has gone through the same phase that Thin is currently in. Sugar begins his essay with a personal anecdote that Thin's "going crazy" over student debt is pointless. She states that she also "received zero funding from [her] p...... middle of paper ...... and she was a better person, “it gave me confidence in my abilities... They made my great life. They have contributed to an education that money can't buy. Sugar makes Thin believe that, despite all his tribulations, there can also be a silver lining to the matter she hopes to encourage Thin by helping her find a way to triumph over her problems. Paying off student loans is a huge burden to bear especially for young people like Wearing Thin. However, Sugar appeals to the emotions and establishes her credibility by sharing her story in the hope to make Thin understand that everything will be fine, if he just lets him. Not only Thin, but thousands of other Americans are going through the same problem of paying off their student loans as Sugar's letter not only serves as a spark for one, but for thousands of other people around the world.