A Boy With Down Syndrome Rhetorical Analysis
Khaaliq Crowder
Professor Taylor
Advanced English Composition
September 24, 2015
Persuasive Essay Despite the United States law that allows freedom of speech, a debate continues on when using words that others find offensive. In an article by Patricia E. Bauer, she explains that the word retard or retarded should be banned in media and should not be used among individuals in daily conversations. Bauer’s daughter has down syndrome, an intellectual disability. What inspired her to write a lengthy blog post was when she and her daughter overheard someone using the word retard at the movies. She immediately cringed as many people would had if they take offense to the word. However as much as offended Bauer and Americans gets, it would be contradicting …show more content…
She explains how disabled people were denied rights in the early days, the media’s influence and the current dilemma many of them face. One example was her explaining on how she was told about “a boy with Down syndrome” (pg. 445) “who wasn’t allowed to go to school” (pg. 445) in a small town Georgia neighborhood. Later we see the passing of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1975 followed by Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. She explains the promotion of Tropic Thunder and its exploitation of the word “retard”. Bauer also used statistics to back her claim of stigma that America has on those with people with disabilities even in the modern era. Research was conducted by University of Massachusetts found that “half of young people wouldn’t spend time with a student with an intellectual disability”. (pg. 445) “More than half of parents didn’t want such students at their children’s school” (pg. 445) Towards the end, she argues against the stereotype or predictable future of a person with disability. She explains the surprising success her daughter has had despite the fact she has Down
Professor Taylor
Advanced English Composition
September 24, 2015
Persuasive Essay Despite the United States law that allows freedom of speech, a debate continues on when using words that others find offensive. In an article by Patricia E. Bauer, she explains that the word retard or retarded should be banned in media and should not be used among individuals in daily conversations. Bauer’s daughter has down syndrome, an intellectual disability. What inspired her to write a lengthy blog post was when she and her daughter overheard someone using the word retard at the movies. She immediately cringed as many people would had if they take offense to the word. However as much as offended Bauer and Americans gets, it would be contradicting …show more content…
She explains how disabled people were denied rights in the early days, the media’s influence and the current dilemma many of them face. One example was her explaining on how she was told about “a boy with Down syndrome” (pg. 445) “who wasn’t allowed to go to school” (pg. 445) in a small town Georgia neighborhood. Later we see the passing of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1975 followed by Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. She explains the promotion of Tropic Thunder and its exploitation of the word “retard”. Bauer also used statistics to back her claim of stigma that America has on those with people with disabilities even in the modern era. Research was conducted by University of Massachusetts found that “half of young people wouldn’t spend time with a student with an intellectual disability”. (pg. 445) “More than half of parents didn’t want such students at their children’s school” (pg. 445) Towards the end, she argues against the stereotype or predictable future of a person with disability. She explains the surprising success her daughter has had despite the fact she has Down