Declaration of Independence: A Transcription

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” (“Declaration of Independence: A Transcription”). This statement from the Declaration of Independence, is very significant to many Americans. But how many Americans really believe that everyone is truly equal or if every American is actually considered equal? Jonathan Kozol’s article, “Still Separate, Still Unequal,” is an effective argument because of his brilliant use of pathos, successful usage of logos, and his notable use of his underscoring sympathetic tone.

First Kozol effectively argues to the reader the reality of segregation and inequalities that face our children in public schools by his brilliant use of pathos. He is able to stir a reader’s emotions, through his various testimonies from students, teachers, and facility and arousing imagery. He presents readers with many student testimonials that really paint a vivid portrait of what these children are seeing, feeling, and needing. For example, in one fifteen year old child’s testimony he conveys a sense of this heart wrenching pain, when she tries to explain her understanding of the racial segregation of her neighborhoods and schools. She states, “It’s as if you have been put in a garage where, if they don’t have room for something but aren’t sure if they should throw it out, they put it there where they don’t need to think of it again.” Kozol then solidifies his argument by including a question from the sixteen year old child next to the previous child that states that, “if people in New York woke up one day and learned that we were gone, that we had simply died or left for somewhere else, how would they feel” (205)? Then finally Kozol completes the finishing blow of emotions to the reader wit...

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...s writing is very factual, moving, and strategic. He portrays a realistic view that changes need to occur, but that it will not happen immediately. His purpose is to bring attention to the fact that segregation and inequality are a present issue, which needs to be addressed. After reading the article, Still Separate, Still Unequal,” Jonathan Kozol has proven to be an effective writer, but is he just as effective and successful in his other articles and books?

Works Cited

"The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription." National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2014.

Kozol, Jonathan. "Still Separate, Still Unequal." Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing. Ed. Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2013. 201-18. Print.