Peggy Sands Argument

The format of a piece of writing demonstrates the purpose of the writing. The purpose of persuasive writing is to convince. Many articles and speeches use persuasive writing to convince the audience about a specific topic he or she supports. In an article titled “What’s Wrong with the DREAM Act”, the author incorporates persuasive writing to develop the article into countering against the passing of the DREAM Act because the act is flawed and unfair. The author Peggy Sands goes further into the argument by including the reasons in which the DREAM Act will not be passed because of the discrimination, age broadness, and false marketing the act includes. These attributes categorize the article as persuasive writing because the author uses reasoning

to get her point across. The article “What’s Wrong with the DREAM Act” by Peggy Sands is convincing because she uses a clear argument, evidence, and formal language.

A clear thesis makes Peggy Sands argument convincing to the reader. Peggy Sands’ thesis clearly states that the DREAM Act contains flaws in what the bill entails and that the bill is unfair to those who do not benefit from the bill. The author has a clear thesis because she addresses her points in a straightforward manner and makes the reader aware of her disapproval towards the DREAM Act being passed. She expresses a clear thesis by providing the reader with reasons such as discrimination, age broadness, and false marketing to express the flaws of the DREAM Act. In the article, Peggy Sands’ includes her thesis in the introduction and conclusion to make readers aware of the argument she is trying to get across. For example, at the end of the introduction, before transitioning to her reasons that support her thesis, she explains that the DREAM Act will not be passed. Moreover, in her conclusion, she takes a similar approach in addressing her thesis by including why the DREAM Act will not be passed and the only way the DREAM Act could possibly be passed is by describing the act as a support system for illegal immigrants to

attend college. The author restates her thesis because she wants to make sure that by the end of her article the readers understand her position and choose her argument over the opposing one. The clear thesis Peggy Sands uses always connects back to her explanation of the evidence. In the article, she includes pieces of evidence that help defend why the DREAM Act will not be passed and then following her evidence comes a brief explanation of how the evidence she used connects to her thesis. For example, in one of Peggy Sands pieces of evidence she explains how illegal immigrants endure a shorter amount of time in the military compared to legal immigrants. Then for her explanation, she explains how her evidence shows that the DREAM Act is unfair, connecting back to her thesis. Throughout the article, the author reiterates her thesis clearly in which the reader is aware of the message she is trying to get across.
The use of concrete evidence assures the author’s position.

Concrete evidence assures the argument by allowing the reader to see sources that prove the argument true. The evidence provides proof because the author wants the reader to be on their side of the argument. The author uses credible sources as concrete evidence to validate her position. Peggy Sands provides evidence from the Chancellor of the California State University system to defend her position that the DREAM Act is being falsely marketed. In the article, the chancellor states, “We don’t ask students about their immigration status. If they’ve graduated from high school and qualify academically…” The evidence the author provides comes from a credible source and makes her position much stronger. In addition, the author provides evidence from the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute to maintain her position on the DREAM Act. The author explains how the Migration Policy Institute every year gives out more green cards than the previous year to illegal immigrants. The statement defends the author’s position because the evidence proves that the DREAM Act is unfair. The evidence also comes from a reliable source, the Migration Policy Institute, who need to have records of the number of individuals who have received green cards from them. The author uses another piece of evidence that relates to her thesis in regards to the DREAM Act being unfair to legal immigrants. Peggy Sands describes how illegal immigrants only

need to serve in the armed forces for two years while legal immigrants need to serve for three years. The evidence she uses is concrete because the statement follows through with the author’s purpose in which she wrote the article. The author’s position towards her attitude of the DREAM Act is supported with concrete evidence.