Wendy Kaminer: "The War on High Schools"

Rhetorical Reading Response: Wendy Kaminer “The War on High Schools”

In Wendy Kaminer’s essay “The War on High Schools” (2001), she informs that instead of the school system allowing students to be expressive, they’re suppressing the individuality of the students. Kaminer develops the idea that students aren’t given the opportunity to be liberated by indicating different cases in which students were placed under disciplinary action for the words they uttered and the clothes they wore. Kaminer wrote this work in order to show that although the school system has its perks, there are certain actions that censor the students’ free speech and expressive dressings. The intended audience is the American school system.

The reading was extremely interesting to me because it’s something I can relate to. I have a very bubbly and outgoing personality, but even starting in elementary school it began to be taken away. At my old high school, we wore uniform, and I hated it because it was as if my last bit of individually had been stripped away. I enjoyed reading this essay because it’s an issue that is constantly overshadowed but was brought to light. It’s something that I believe everyone needs to read. Kaminer stated, “How will most students learn about freedom when schools treat censorship, surveillance, and conformity as social goods?”, and it is a question that needs deep thought and reflection because there’s no way for us to learn to be independent individuals when we're treated as if we're in prison. Administrators in the school system may believe that they’re doing what is best for us, but instead, they’re diminishing our character and conforming us into who they (the system) wants us to be. This essay was very impactfully and every word of it is true.

Kaminer effectively used ethos throughout her essay to back up her argument. She gave plenty of examples to ensure that we understood the various ways school can restrict students. “Unhampered by logic, judges have ruled that clothing choices are not expressive” (Kaminer). In this quote, Kaminer tells us that clothing is not expressive, so it’s not being protected by the first amendment. She further elaborates on how certain t-shirts, like vegan shirts, could be considered as a gang symbol. Kaminer then states how education is becoming militarized. “Under law, they are now required to address all school employees as “sir’’ or “ma’am,” as in “yes, sir” or “yes, ma’am” (Kaminer). The quote tells us that elementary students can now break the law by not saying “yes, ma’am” or “yes, sir” to their elders. Kaminer describes the kids as little army recruits to show how harsh the law appears. “Police officers armed with real guns are being deployed in some schools in order to provide security” (Kaminer). This quote further shows the extremes some schools take to provide their own definition of security. Kaminer also says that random drug searches happen bimonthly because of the tighter security. To sum up, Kaminer provided many examples of how schools are making children act more like machines rather than allowing them to have their own freedom and act like human beings. 

Works Cited

Kaminer, Wendy. “The War on High School” LaunchPadSolo. Originally published in The American Prospect, November 2001 http://www.macmillanhighered.com/launchpadsolo/readwrite/7385790/Home#/launchpad/item/MODULE_bsi__2B8776E4__C845__493C__8BFF__4BCA15B8E06E/bsi__2DEA38E2__048E__4C77__9959__92ED7F70E8D8?mode=Preview&getChildrenGrades=True&includeDiscussion=False&readOnly=False&toc=syllabusfilter&renderIn=fne

Rhetorical Reading Response: "Learning to Read and Write" Frederick Douglass

Richard Perez, Comfort Oyeyemi, Kadayjah Tanksley, and Tatiana Foster

January 25, 2018

English 1102

Dr. Greene

Rhetorical Reading Response: “Learning to Read and Write”

In Frederick Douglass’ excerpt “Learning to Read and Write” (1845), he explains that to learn to read and write that he had to persevere through all adversities faced. Douglass develops the idea by including experiences that hindered his learning, while also including experiences that helped his learning process. Douglass wrote this work in order to show that with determination and dedication, what is thought to be impossible can be achieved. The intended audience is the other slaves and people of color that needed inspiration.

I feel like Douglass depicts his life as a young slave trying to learn to read and write without a proper teacher. He not only speaks of his unconventional ways of learning but also what he learned about the world he was living in and the difference between the feelings and thoughts of literate slaves and illiterate slaves. He speaks of the pros and cons of having the power of knowledge and how it forever changed the man he became. I also feel that Douglas had a relationship with the audience that I would describe as an "I was in your position and it gets better", showing the audience the "before" and “after” Douglass.

Douglass uses his expertise in writing to vividly describe how important knowledge is to him. “Mistress, in teaching me the alphabet, had given me the inch, and no precaution could prevent me from taking the ell” (Douglass). This quote suggests that Douglass wants to learn more about the English language and that he has the determination to learn more than he already knows. The mistress only taught him the alphabet. Learning the principles of the English language made Douglass power hungry into learning more. “This bread I used to bestow upon the hungry little urchins, who, in return, would give me that more valuable bread of knowledge” (Douglass). Here, we see the lengths that Douglass would take just to learn some English from the little white boys. Douglass took advantage of the poor boys around his neighborhood by offering them bread in exchange for an English lesson. Douglass would rush his errand just to get a lesson from one of the white boys. “I have no doubt but that I should have killed myself, or done something for which I should have been killed” (Douglass). This quote shows us that Douglass is at his lowest point because of the thirst he had for learning. Unable to continue learning, he begins to realize the limitations the world has set on him for being a slave. Overall, it shows how deeply Douglass cared about learning and why it hurt him so much when he could no longer continue learning.

Works Cited

Douglass, Frederick. “Learning to Read and Write.” Launchpad, 1845. http://www.macmillanhighered.com/launchpadsolo/readwrite/7385790/Home#/launchpad/item/MODULE_bsi__2B8776E4__C845__493C__8BFF__4BCA15B8E06E/bsi__8FB79332__EC44__468A__9037__A5A9585409EA?mode=Preview&getChildrenGrades=True&includeDiscussion=False&readOnly=False&toc=syllabusfilter&renderIn=fne

Rhetorical Reading Response: “Ain’t I a Woman”

Richard Perez, Tatiana Foster, Comfort Oyeyemi, and Kadayjah Tanksley

January 18, 2018

English 1102

Dr. Cantice Greene

Rhetorical Reading Response “Ain’t I a Woman”

            In Sojourner Truth’s speech “Ain’t I a Woman” (1851) she reveals the harsh fact that women, especially women of color, aren’t receiving the amount of respect that they deserve. Truth develops this idea by providing religious allusions, repeated rhetorical questions, and analogies. This speech was written in order to argue for the rights of women and impact those who believed that women didn’t deserve fair treatment. Truth’s intended audience can be described as the men and women of that time frame.


            Truth’s speech was irritating to read. Truth talks about a conflict that has been solved in our current generation, which makes the topic uninteresting to me. The text of the speech is difficult to understand because of the thick southern accent the author is trying to imply. This makes the text hard to understand and makes me reread unknown letter combinations to help me comprehend what is trying to be said. However, the speech was somewhat enjoyable because of the brief imagery that Truth uses throughout her speech.

            Although the dialogue was slightly hard to comprehend, Sojourner Truth did a good job making the reader feel like part of the audience in the crowd. Truth uses imagery to describe how she wasn’t treated the same as white women. “Nobody eber helps me into carriages, or ober mud-puddles, or gibs me any best place!” (Truth), this quote gives three different scenes that we can picture in our head. It also helps us pinpoint the time frame and environment because of the word carriages. The way the text is written enhances the feel of being there. “And ain’t I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! (and she bared her right arm to the shoulder, showing her tremendous muscular power)’’ (Truth), in this quote, Truth is asking a question and is followed by a command with an exclamation mark. This makes Truth feel like she is in front of the reader. It also gives her a feeling of authority. To add on, Truth’s arm is described as muscular; giving us an idea of what she looked like. “Eliciting at almost every sentence deafening applause’’ (Truth), the quote describes the roaring claps that happen after every sentence that Truth says. This implies to our hearing sense to accomplish the feeling of being in the crowd. It also shows how empowering her speech is to the audience. Overall, with all these elements put together, it helps provide a captivating experience by making the reader’s senses visualize the given environment.   

Works Cited

Truth, Sojourner. “Ain’t I a Woman.” Launchpad, 1851. http://www.macmillanhighered.com/launchpadsolo/readwrite/7385790/Home#/launchpad/item/MODULE_bsi__2B8776E4__C845__493C__8BFF__4BCA15B8E06E/bsi__D0F47A8D__D83F__438F__AA63__932F9FD647AC?mode=Preview&getChildrenGrades=True&includeDiscussion=False&readOnly=False&toc=syllabusfilter&renderIn=fne