Rhetorical Analysis Essay “The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society” by Jonathan Kozol In the Essay “The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society” by Johnathan Kozol. Mr. Kozol uses quotes, key points, experiences and his knowledge companied by effective forms of rhetoric throughout the essay to speak to highly educated and intelligent individuals who have to power to make a difference. He explains in detail how an illiterate society is affecting not only the illiterate’s life, but also the country’s democracy, and endangering the lives around them as well. He interviews individuals who share their experiences of fear, hopelessness, confusion and frustration when dealing with everyday life situations that most people could figure out on their own. Mr. Kozol is conveying the essay to intelligent people, who have the power to make a difference in this matter. His message is intended to help schools, government, non- profit organizations and other affiliations see this and to find ways to improve education for those who are unable obtain it themselves. Mr. Kozol delivers this bluntly to keep the attention of his audience and to make sure he gets his point across, he give numerous …show more content…
His utilization of quotes from James Madison and also Socrates, helps him look more professional and intelligent. His stature continues to be built up and supported by quotes of illiterates themselves, which have gone through this on a daily basis. One woman from Washington D.C. reports “I couldn’t understand the bills, and then I couldn’t write the checks to pay them. We signed things we didn’t know what they were.” (34) By giving the perspective of someone who knows first-hand what illiteracy can do, Kozols message is much more reliable and worthy of being
Jonathan Kozol revealed the early period’s situation of education in American schools in his article Savage Inequalities. It seems like during that period, the inequality existed everywhere and no one had the ability to change it; however, Kozol tried his best to turn around this situation and keep track of all he saw. In the article, he used rhetorical strategies effectively to describe what he saw in that situation, such as pathos, logos and ethos.
Opportunities abound to stamp out illiteracy at the federal, state, and local level. Are these enough? For those in need, maybe not. Most everyone’s needs are unique. National Family Literacy Program helps those families nationwide with literacy problems. In our own state of Florida, Governor Jeb Bush has set up the Governor’s Mentoring Initiative Program which has helped over 9,000 adults and children improve their reading programs.
Education is one of the most widely debated issues of our country in this current day and age. Many people feel as though schooling is biased and unfair to certain students; meanwhile, others feel as though the schooling systems are not serious enough in order to properly educate students to prepare them for their futures. The three texts that will be discussed, are all well written controversial essays that use a great deal of rhetorical appeals which help readers relate to the topics being discussed. In the essay “School,” Mori manages to specify her views on how different modern education is in America as to Japan; meanwhile, in “A Talk to Teachers,” Baldwin presents his argument as to how all children, no matter
Pathos is the most effective appeal used in Food, Inc. because many strong visual images evoke the viewer’s emotions. The food industry’s maltreatment of farm animals provides several examples of pathos. A particularly disturbing scene of a close up of a dying chicken lying on his back, bleeding and gasping for air appears early in the film when a farmer allows cameras into her chicken houses. A farmer, Carole Morrison, explains quite candidly that the chickens are grown too quickly and that their bodies cannot support the rapidly growing internal organs and oversized breasts. The crowded filthy conditions in which the chickens live are deplorable. Later sick cows, unable to walk and mistreated by workers, further illustrates the deplorable treatment of farm animals. The filmmaker reinforces his point that the industry is inhumane to the animals prior to slaughtering them for food, while visually appealing to the viewer’s emotions.
The speakers in the film believe that the purpose of education is to create a public where democracy can thrive. This means creating a new generation of young adults that are highly knowledgeable and are able to make informed decisions about political subjects and can make their votes count when they are able to vote. They have the knowledge about how the government works and what they can do as an individual to make a difference in their community. They have the knowle...
Luigie Olmos Instructor: Danielle Panto English 105 November 28, 2016 Reaching For A Better Education Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” (2016). Mandela’s says that education is very powerful, you can use education to change the world or your life. This means that education is important in life and we all need a good education to succeed in life. In our society education is failing because schools demand too much for a great career. For example, schools take too much time to graduate and after we finish school there is no guaranteed employment. Therefore, students are dropping out of school and are going to the workforce or military. We could make education better for students
When talking about illiteracy there is a distinction between functional and primary illiterate, with the latter being persons that have absolutely no skills of reading and writing in any language and the former having possibly received some years of basic education but currently no more than the most basic writing and reading skills (OECD, 2013, Grotlüschen & Riekmann 2012). This may lead to devastating limitations of everyday life and professional life as well as dependence on others or isolating aspects. In this paper I will only refer to functional illiterates. There are 4.4 million functional illiterates with German as their first...
Jonathan Kozol, a writer best known for discussing public education, observed several specific schools in order to see how teachers aid young children into the future work force. Kozol believes young children in schools are being deprived of things they should be grasping at their age. Although this may be true, exposing children to real-life work responsibilities is clever and necessary in order to prepare them for the future while their brains are still growing and able to grasp the information easily.
To be successful in the world today literacy is vital. But what is the definition of Literacy? According to Merriam Webster it is “the quality or state of being literate”, but can it also be expanded and redefined as Culturally Literate “the ability to understand and appreciate the similarities and differences in the customs, values, and beliefs of one’s own culture the cultures of others? This essay will utilize the writings of Fishman, Mary Ann Zehr, and Jean Piaget to compare the definition of literacy by mainstream society to that of the Amish culture.
All throughout history, individualism has been key to the advancement of humanity including - most importantly the spreading of freedom. The world we live in has been changed greatly through the individual's critical understanding of literacy. The vigilant and knowledgeable use of the written word is what carries one's claims to the world. "Emancipatory literacy is a necessary foundation for cultural action and freedom, a central aspect of what it means to be a self & socially composed agent. X" This type of literature is used to empower the people who use it. It involves engaging in acts of writing and reading that are used to liberate humanity. How can anything be changed without the use of this emancipatory literacy? "We must write as if our lives depended on it. X" Literacy gives a voice to our ideas, and creates a space for us in the world to work toward change and to reflect on that change so that it is not forgotten.
Education has always been in existence in one form or another. As each child is born into this world regardless of who or where they are born, life lessons immediately begin. He/she will learn to crawl, walk, and talk by the example and encouragement of others. Although these lessons are basic in the beginning they evolve as the child grows. However, the core learning method of a child does not change. Learning from others, they will watch, listen, and then act for themselves. Thomas Jefferson believed that an education would lead men and women to the ability to be self-governed and become positive contributors to society (Mondale & Patton, 2001). Today, we can see how true this is by the examples of others. Those that are given the opportunity for education are more likely to find jobs and develop skills that not only improve a community, but influence the economic growth of their nation (Ravitch, Cortese, West, Carmichael, Andere, & Munson, 2009, p. 13). On the other hand, if an education is not provided to individuals, they can become a hindrance to that nation’s growth.
The cycle of low scholastic achievement is so prevalent in poverty stricken communities is the benefit the political system. The politicians continue to keep their jobs and political power and education is power. This is accomplished because illiteracy inhibits the knowledge required to vote for a qualified candidate for office. “Economies with low or high levels of education can escape the poverty trap, and inequality plays a key role in determining whether this occurs through a change in institutions or an expansion of education”Eicher.Garcia-Penalosa and Tanguy van Ypersele,p207.
The clearest type of repetition in his essay is in paragraphs 16 by means of 24. In each of those paragraphs both the first phrase or the first sentence includes the word "illiterate". By way of Kozol 's use of repetition, the word "illiterate" is used more than one times makes it possible for us to appreciate how real deprived non-readers are. These humans are no longer in control of their lives or actions and are consider helpless to vary their direction. Kozol desires them to be seen as victims of society and individuals who are literate. Also, to carry the dangers illiterates face in brand new society. Kozol repeats ‘illiterates can 't” to highlights the barriers of illiterate persons need to avert with a purpose to reside a typical American life. Kozol also has numerous “illiterates don 't” and “illiterates rely” to additional emphasize the shortage of liberty and dependency on different humans’s believe and sincere intentions. Via the repetition of the phrase Illiteracy, the reader can appreciate the ache and hardships illiterate individuals ought to expertise. The phrase becomes more robust with each and every point out within the essay. For illustration, in Paragraph 10 “Illiterate can not learn directions on the bottle of prescription medicine “that is the serious main issue the Illiterate face because they is also allergic to some drugs and they may be able to put their lifestyles in
Schools are the basic foundation of knowledge, which is imparted to children. They give a chance for children to gain knowledge in various fields such as humanity, literature, history, mathematics and science. By obtaining knowledge, they are in a better position to know the world around them. A school is a society where faith and other values are developed. Schools also play an important role in a democratic social set up. Students of today are the citizens of tomorrow. Schools are the backbone of a society, where children interact with other children and develop certain social skills. Education in schools opens doors to various opportunities that would not be possible if it had not been for the knowledge one gained at school. However, in the articles, “Idiot Nation” by Michael Moore and “Against School” by John Taylor Gatto, the authors express their concerns about the degrading quality of education. There are many problems the education system is facing today, and several of them are having negative effects on the quality of the education that the students are receiving which are highlighted aptly by the effective use of rhetorical strategies by Moore and Gatto.
Literacy and education are similar yet two very different concepts. Literacy is the ability to read and write. How ironic it is to be a part of the country where right to education is a fundamental right but half of the country’s population can’t even spell their own name. Illiterate people, no matters how talented or experienced they may be, fall into the traps of various others who have continued to exploit them since centuries. One may argue or debate that being literate is not the only means to