An effective argument is nothing if it’s not convincing to the audience; regardless of how much groundbreaking evidence an author has, they won’t sell a single book if it isn’t persuasive enough for people to pay attention. Marilyn Wedge is no stranger to these devices, as she uses numerous appeals throughout her book A Disease Called Childhood. Written in the height of what Wedge refers to as “an ADHD epidemic,” this book attempts to detail various causes and solutions to ADHD. In chapter six of A Disease Called Childhood, Marilyn Wedge appeals to ethos, logos, and pathos through a variety of rhetorical strategies and devices to convince the audience that the American education system is contributing to the ADHD epidemic. Wedge appeals to …show more content…
On page 126, she talks about her own childhood, saying, “I grew up in south Florida, and I swam or biked with my friends after school until our mothers called us in for dinner. Spending free time outdoors on our own inspired our creativity and boosted our curiosity.” She brought up this short memory when talking about the need for children to be active during the school day to improve their academic performance. By explaining the benefits she gained from physical activity as a child, she is reinforcing her argument that children need recess and gym class through the logic that if it worked then, it will work now. Playing outside as a child is also an event that many readers can likely relate to, which will allow them to apply their own experiences to this logic and further reinforce the claim. There is also a short story about Otis Orchards Elementary School on pages 133-134, and explains that the teachers there went through extensive training about how to help children dealing with trauma or problematic home situations. Wedge then goes on to talk about how the children at this school were better behaved and scoring higher on tests after this training had been implemented, essentially arguing that adverse personal lives should be properly dealt with at school in order to combat ADHD-like symptoms. Showing a real-life example of how this training was having a positive impact on children causes the reader …show more content…
These stories pop up all over the place, most prominently in the forms of anecdote and analogy. She discussed a patient of hers named Kyle on pages 138-143, where she detailed about the conversations she had with his parents regarding their strained home life. Telling this story may evoke a familiar storyline with some readers who have had similar experiences, and will bring forth feelings of pity and concern in nearly everyone who reads it. Anecdotes like these allow Wedge to disregard logic for a moment and make the reader focus simply on the emotions associated with the issue at hand. She also used an analogy about Huckleberry Finn to introduce the chapter on pages 117-118. Huckleberry Finn is a story that many readers are likely to be familiar with, even if they just know the basics. This makes this analogy a good choice because it’s something that many have knowledge of and can make a connection to. This connection evokes feelings of familiarity in the reader, which makes them more attentive to the claims that follow through the rest of the chapter. Wedge’s overall appeals to pathos make the audience not only believe her argument, but agree with it based on their strong emotional reactions to the
In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, there are lessons and recurring events in the book that allow it to be viewed in many different ways. This can be done by examining plot points in the book through various literary lenses. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn can be explored and better understood through the feminist and archetypal lenses. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, having taken place in the 1830s, displays minority groups in a negative light or denies them a real role in the development of the novel.
Smiley, an author of many books and magazine essays, writes her own criticism of Huckleberry Finn, “Say It Ain’t So, Huck”. Smiley has very strong arguments as she compares her own opinions and backs them up with Twain’s words from the book. Smiley argues that Twains real meaning behind the book is based off of racism. Twain never allows Jim to become a real human, as Jim will always be a slave whether he knows it or not. Although Huck and Jim end up creating a very strong relationship like brothers, Smiley believes that “Twain thinks that Hucks affection is a good enough reward for Jim” (Smiley 460).
Huckleberry Finn is unable to choose between his friendship with Jim and society. While he understands he “helped a nigger to get his freedom; and if I was ever to see anybody from that town again I’d be ready to get
Rhetorical Analysis of "How to Read and Write" (Frederick Douglass) During an era of slavery, Jim Crow Laws, and no hopes of abolition, Frederick Douglass invites his audience into a world where slavery enters the kindest of souls, and purifies the soul to have nothing but hatred and anger. In the empowering narrative, “Learning to Read and Write”, Douglass enunciates the cruelty of slavery and its pervasive impacts, with the help of Douglass’ vast journey to ultimately gain his thinking skills through reading and writing. Douglass expresses these actions with elaborate metaphors and immaculate details that keeps the audience on their toes to witness what happens next. Growing up as a slave, Douglass became curious about the art of reading
In the rhetorical analysis essay, “Grade Inflation Gone Wild,” Stuart Rojstaczer addresses that United States higher education has gone downhill. He states in his essay that students are not being academically challenged anymore. The lack of perseverance from the students and faculty has made it easier to pass classes and maintain a good GPA. Stuart claims that, “Grades continue to go up regardless of the quality of education” (68). He believes that grade inflation is a huge issue in our society and that something should be done about it.
Mark Twain, in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, seeks to expose many hypocritical, illogical patterns in human behavior, especially when it comes to pride, since this novel was after the Civil War he satirizes how badly people treat African Americans. Essentially, the novel stares down to the root issue of prejudice.
The novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is one of the most read books in America. Many schools throughout America have their students read this story. Maybe, it’s because many memorable themes are shown throughout the book. The Mississippi River, slavery, mockery of religion, childhood, lies and cons are some examples of the themes. Huck finds himself in situations where he has to lie to save himself from trouble.
In article called, “Honors Code” by David Brooks, there was a boy named Henry V and he is one of Shakespeare's most appealing characters. Henry was rowdy and energetic when young, then turns courageous as he gets older. But in Brooks article, Henry V went to an American school, where teachers find him difficult to manage in class and wanted his parents to put him on medication for “attention deficit hyperactive disorder”. As he grew older, he lost interest in trying and his grades would plummet, he would rebel if the culture was uber-nurturing, and day by day, he’d look completely adrift. “School have to engage people as they are”, this means that teachers should change the environment to fit the need of every student whether they have a disorder or not.
This is proof that exercising these programs primarily at school is not the solution, which indicates more needs to be done in these children’s homes. According to Maslow’s hierarchy, there are needs that must be met for children and without the needs being meet, it results in unacceptable behaviors like bullying. If parents at home can become aware of what is happening in schools, then parents can meet the children’s needs and educate them on how to be an advocate for
Huckleberry Finn is a story about a rambunctious young boy who adventures off down the Mississippi River. “The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain demonstrates a situation where a Huck tries to find the balance between what is right and what is wrong. Huck faces many challenges in which his maturity will play a part in making the correct decision for himself and his friend Jim. Huck becomes more mature by the end of the novel by showing that he can make the correct decisions to lead Jim to the freedom he deserves. One major factor where Huck matures throughout the novel is through his experience.
Peaches explores issues of censorship in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Citing popular arguments posed in support of the use of the novel in public schools for school age children, he then contrasts them with scores of African American reactions to the novel. Arguing that Whites are not even attempting to understand the case being posed. Peaches furthers the argument by interpreting the book and arguing that the message is not ‘racial enlightenment’, Huck, Peaches believes, is very much as racist by the end of the novel as he is in the beginning; the only change is Huck’s release of his conscious. Peaches argues that scholars have went to great lengths in order to view the book otherwise.
This shows how people view Jim and the severity of his escaping. The views of slavery are so set in stone that the black boy escaping is more heinous a crime than that of a white man killing his son. Twain uses figurative language throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. One example would be when he is describing a summer storm in chapter 9. Twain talks about the trees looking “dim and spider-webby,” and how when the wind blows through, it “set the branches to tossing their arms as if they was just wild.”
In the beginning of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain proscribes his audience from finding a motive, moral, or plot. In using rhetorical strategies such as satire, irony, and humor he challenges the reader to look for deeper meanings not only in the Notice, but throughout the whole novel. His purpose was to shed light on the false ideals that society represents as seen through the eyes of young boy. The ironic events that prohibit Huck from being a dynamic character suggest the inadequacy of blind faith in society. Twain uses satire to show the conflict between slavery and Christianity.
Children and their education are one of the if not most important factors for our future as a country and as individuals. Maria Montessori and Colin Powell take stances on opposing views when it comes to structure such as desks or basic learning opportunities in the classroom, to teacher intervention when it comes to helping a child. Maria Montessori and Colin Powell have contrasting views when it comes to matters regarding education and structure. Colin Powell uses the quote “The kids who didn’t have that structure or minding in the beginning,... and they start to realize … and they’re on their way to jail or on they’re on their way to being dropouts” to directly support his claim that without any layout of structure in the students life,
Analysis of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Everyday humans are faced with racial prejudice and societal stereotypes. These are, by no means, new topics of discussion. Such issues took hold in society centuries ago. Not only is it a burden on the minorities, but it has negatively affected humanity as a whole regardless of ethnicity.