For Poor Leap To College Often Ends In A Hard Fall Siglitz Analysis
Jordan Wagner EN 101
Laura Kochman
11 April 2013
The Education Gimmick
America has always been seen as the land of opportunity. From employment to education, the principle of equal opportunity for all has been preached since America’s founding.
Statistics are showing however that the “equal” part of the opportunity principle in America is becoming less and less true. Specifically higher education is becoming a more complex goal among lower income families and minorities. In the article, “For Poor, Leap to College Often
Ends in a Hard Fall” by Jason DeParle, the journey of trying to get through and to manage the college lifestyle is detailed through the lives of three Texas teenagers. In the article DeParle gives the personal accounts of young women who had promising futures who just could not seem …show more content…
to break the barriers of their surroundings. One girl just could not seem to get over an old boyfriend who ended up being counterproductive to her education.
Another was bound by family ties and felt obligated to stay close to home lest she “dessert her family.” The last girl profiled in the article did not know how to handle the college experience and penultimately ended up limiting herself to where she could not be successful in college. The other article, entitled “Equal
Opportunity, Our National Myth” by Joseph E. Siglitz examines the gap in equality between races, social, and financial classes, and also how much wider the gap has become in recent years.
Throughout the article Stiglitz details certain policies in America such as the GI bill, that supposedly support the equality of opportunity in America but end up excluding some group of
people do to stipulations required for each policy. Together through accounts from people and examples of not so equal opportunity policies, it is safe to say that these articles agree on the notion that there is no such thing as equality of opportunity in the United States in education nor employment. One area that the two articles compare on right off the bat is their stance on the gap between rich and poor citizens in America. Both articles agree that the gap between affluent …show more content…
and low income Americans has increased greatly over the last few decades. After DeParle explains that the gap in education between the poor and rich have increased across the board, he goes on to state in his article that, “with school success and earning prospects ever more entwined, the consequences carry far: education, a force meant to erode class barriers, appears to be fortifying them (DeParle).” Consequently this means that in today’s society without a proper education, specifically a college education, financial success is a very difficult goal to achieve. At the very beginning of the article Stiglitz quotes President Obama’s second inaugural address in which he depicts America as the premiere land of equal opportunity when he says, “We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else, because she is an American; she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes of God but also in our own (Stiglitz).” He then goes on to say that “the gap between aspiration and reality could hardly be wider (Stigltiz).” This emphasizes the point that America’s opportunities are not so equal. In today’s society it seems, albeit cliche, that the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer, which explains the widening of the gap. Together these two examples in each of these papers strongly supports the statement, if you lack wealth then the dream of education is very difficult to reach.
An area in which these papers contrast is how each article conveys their point. As mentioned in my introduction DeParle’s article utilizes examples from the lives of actual people.
Whereas Stiglitz article uses examples from society and specific policies implemented by the government. Both articles utilize ethos and other elements that help to establish their credibility as writers very well. But specifically DeParle is trying to appeal to his readers using pathos and creating an emotional tie between his readers and the girls he profiles in his article. For example,he makes an attempt at making an emotional connection off the bat when he gives an account of the girls circumstances. DeParle states in his article that, “Angelica was a daughter of a struggling Mexican immigrant (DeParle).” He then continues in his description by introducing the other two girls as, “Melissa, an eighthgrade valedictorian, seethed over her mother’s boyfriends and drinking, and Bianca’s bubbly innocence hid the trauma of her father’s death.
They stuck together so much that a tutor called them the “triplets” (Deparle).” This helps to give the reader a taste of each of their own personal struggles while also showing that the girls used their circumstances as a connecting factor and a reason to stick together. However, Stiglitz uses logos more so in his article so that he can give a logical appeal and use reasoning to get his point across to his reader. For example Stiglitz does an excellent job of this when he states, “Perhaps a hundred years ago, America might have rightly claimed to have been the land of opportunity, or at least a land where there was more opportunity than elsewhere (Stiglitz).” He then goes on to give good reasoning for this claim while also establishing his credibility when he states, “the
Pew Research Center has found that some 90 percent of Americans believe that the government should do everything it can to ensure equality of opportunity (Stiglitz).” His use of a definite
statistic show that he has done his research on the topic, and that he also has knowledge on the topic he is discussing.
The last thing that each of the articles agree on the both authors did exceptionally well was conveying to the reader the difficulty of trying to obtain a quality education as a product of a low income home. DeParle’s use of the girls account of their strife to obtain a clear path to a bright future gives the reader good background. He then goes on to describe their struggles with college when he says, “Melissa lasted at Texas State for all of two hours” which is just one of example of “the triplets” struggle (DeParle). In turn, this shows how even after making it to college the struggle is not over. Stiglitz does this well also when he says, “the life prospects of an
American are more dependent on the income and education of his parents than in almost any other advanced country for which there is data (Stiglitz).” This means that even if the student has the will to achieve greater goals than students that are more affluent, he is still weighed down by the fact that he comes from a low income household.
So in summary these articles each agree in content on the idea that equal opportunity does not exist in the United States. DeParle’s use of personal accounts of those who have experienced this first hand, and Stiglitz use of explanations and integrations of supposed equal opportunity policies, give finite support to the argument that minorities and lower income families are still at a disadvantage in today’s society.The use of these techniques ultimately inform the reader of the problems and disadvantages minorities face.
DeParle Article Summary
Education is becoming a more and more pressing problem in America. In the article, “For
Poor, Leap to College Often Ends in a Hard Fall,” Jason DeParle describes the life of three girls who go on a journey to obtain a quality education. In Galveston, Texas there lives three girls by the name of Angelica Gonzales, Melissa O’Neal, and Bianca Gonzalez. Each one strived to be better than their parents. Angelica was the daughter of a struggling Mexican immigrant. Bianca had to raise her younger siblings due to her father’s untimely passing. Melissa had to deal with a alcoholic mother and her string of alcoholic boyfriends. All three overcame their initial adversity and made it through high school. Bianca ended up attending community college near home.
Melissa traveled to former United States president Lyndon B. Johnson’s alma mater, Texas State.
Angelica traveled to Georgia to attend Emory University. However once the trio reached college their circumstances was too great for them. Melissa could not achieve her full potential because she was stuck on an old boyfriend. After Bianca’s grandfather passed she felt that she would
be abandoning her family if she transferred to a four year university. Due to miscommunication left
Angelica with a plethora of debt issues and having to work more than study.
Stiglitz Article Summary
America is still considered by many to be a land of great opportunity compared to most other nations. Joseph Stiglitz is not one of those in the majority. In the article “Equal
Opportunity, Our National Myth,” Joseph E. Stiglitz profiles education in America and the increase in its importance. Stiglitz believes that the popular slogan, “America, the Land of
Opportunity” was once true. However that has changed over the last couple of decades. Stiglitz says the gap between the affluent and low income has become increasingly wide over that time.
According to a study done by the Pew Research Center, about ninety percent of Americans feel that the government should be responsible for ensuring the equality of opportunity. However some feel as tho that would make America a socialist nation.Stiglitz believes also that those born into a certain environment have a high tendency of being a product of that environment.
According to research done by the Brookings Institution, only 58 percent of Americans born into the bottom fifth of income earners move out of that category, and just 6 percent born into the bottom fifth move into the top. Stiglitz also feels there are a certain way to approach the equality of opportunity. Stiglitz goes on to say that “one way of looking at equality of opportunity is to ask to what extent the life chances of a child are dependent on the education and income of his parents (Stiglitz).” Those students are less likely to be successful.
Works Cited
DeParle, Jason. "Poor Students Struggle as Class Plays a Greater Role in Success
NYTimes.com."The New York Times Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/23/education/poorstudentsstruggleasclassplaysa
greaterroleinsuccess.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&>.
Stiglitz, Joseph E.. "Equal Opportunity, Our National Myth NYTimes.com."Opinion
Opinionator NYTimes.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.
<http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/16/equalopportunityournationalmyth/
>.
Laura Kochman
11 April 2013
The Education Gimmick
America has always been seen as the land of opportunity. From employment to education, the principle of equal opportunity for all has been preached since America’s founding.
Statistics are showing however that the “equal” part of the opportunity principle in America is becoming less and less true. Specifically higher education is becoming a more complex goal among lower income families and minorities. In the article, “For Poor, Leap to College Often
Ends in a Hard Fall” by Jason DeParle, the journey of trying to get through and to manage the college lifestyle is detailed through the lives of three Texas teenagers. In the article DeParle gives the personal accounts of young women who had promising futures who just could not seem …show more content…
to break the barriers of their surroundings. One girl just could not seem to get over an old boyfriend who ended up being counterproductive to her education.
Another was bound by family ties and felt obligated to stay close to home lest she “dessert her family.” The last girl profiled in the article did not know how to handle the college experience and penultimately ended up limiting herself to where she could not be successful in college. The other article, entitled “Equal
Opportunity, Our National Myth” by Joseph E. Siglitz examines the gap in equality between races, social, and financial classes, and also how much wider the gap has become in recent years.
Throughout the article Stiglitz details certain policies in America such as the GI bill, that supposedly support the equality of opportunity in America but end up excluding some group of
people do to stipulations required for each policy. Together through accounts from people and examples of not so equal opportunity policies, it is safe to say that these articles agree on the notion that there is no such thing as equality of opportunity in the United States in education nor employment. One area that the two articles compare on right off the bat is their stance on the gap between rich and poor citizens in America. Both articles agree that the gap between affluent …show more content…
and low income Americans has increased greatly over the last few decades. After DeParle explains that the gap in education between the poor and rich have increased across the board, he goes on to state in his article that, “with school success and earning prospects ever more entwined, the consequences carry far: education, a force meant to erode class barriers, appears to be fortifying them (DeParle).” Consequently this means that in today’s society without a proper education, specifically a college education, financial success is a very difficult goal to achieve. At the very beginning of the article Stiglitz quotes President Obama’s second inaugural address in which he depicts America as the premiere land of equal opportunity when he says, “We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else, because she is an American; she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes of God but also in our own (Stiglitz).” He then goes on to say that “the gap between aspiration and reality could hardly be wider (Stigltiz).” This emphasizes the point that America’s opportunities are not so equal. In today’s society it seems, albeit cliche, that the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer, which explains the widening of the gap. Together these two examples in each of these papers strongly supports the statement, if you lack wealth then the dream of education is very difficult to reach.
An area in which these papers contrast is how each article conveys their point. As mentioned in my introduction DeParle’s article utilizes examples from the lives of actual people.
Whereas Stiglitz article uses examples from society and specific policies implemented by the government. Both articles utilize ethos and other elements that help to establish their credibility as writers very well. But specifically DeParle is trying to appeal to his readers using pathos and creating an emotional tie between his readers and the girls he profiles in his article. For example,he makes an attempt at making an emotional connection off the bat when he gives an account of the girls circumstances. DeParle states in his article that, “Angelica was a daughter of a struggling Mexican immigrant (DeParle).” He then continues in his description by introducing the other two girls as, “Melissa, an eighthgrade valedictorian, seethed over her mother’s boyfriends and drinking, and Bianca’s bubbly innocence hid the trauma of her father’s death.
They stuck together so much that a tutor called them the “triplets” (Deparle).” This helps to give the reader a taste of each of their own personal struggles while also showing that the girls used their circumstances as a connecting factor and a reason to stick together. However, Stiglitz uses logos more so in his article so that he can give a logical appeal and use reasoning to get his point across to his reader. For example Stiglitz does an excellent job of this when he states, “Perhaps a hundred years ago, America might have rightly claimed to have been the land of opportunity, or at least a land where there was more opportunity than elsewhere (Stiglitz).” He then goes on to give good reasoning for this claim while also establishing his credibility when he states, “the
Pew Research Center has found that some 90 percent of Americans believe that the government should do everything it can to ensure equality of opportunity (Stiglitz).” His use of a definite
statistic show that he has done his research on the topic, and that he also has knowledge on the topic he is discussing.
The last thing that each of the articles agree on the both authors did exceptionally well was conveying to the reader the difficulty of trying to obtain a quality education as a product of a low income home. DeParle’s use of the girls account of their strife to obtain a clear path to a bright future gives the reader good background. He then goes on to describe their struggles with college when he says, “Melissa lasted at Texas State for all of two hours” which is just one of example of “the triplets” struggle (DeParle). In turn, this shows how even after making it to college the struggle is not over. Stiglitz does this well also when he says, “the life prospects of an
American are more dependent on the income and education of his parents than in almost any other advanced country for which there is data (Stiglitz).” This means that even if the student has the will to achieve greater goals than students that are more affluent, he is still weighed down by the fact that he comes from a low income household.
So in summary these articles each agree in content on the idea that equal opportunity does not exist in the United States. DeParle’s use of personal accounts of those who have experienced this first hand, and Stiglitz use of explanations and integrations of supposed equal opportunity policies, give finite support to the argument that minorities and lower income families are still at a disadvantage in today’s society.The use of these techniques ultimately inform the reader of the problems and disadvantages minorities face.
DeParle Article Summary
Education is becoming a more and more pressing problem in America. In the article, “For
Poor, Leap to College Often Ends in a Hard Fall,” Jason DeParle describes the life of three girls who go on a journey to obtain a quality education. In Galveston, Texas there lives three girls by the name of Angelica Gonzales, Melissa O’Neal, and Bianca Gonzalez. Each one strived to be better than their parents. Angelica was the daughter of a struggling Mexican immigrant. Bianca had to raise her younger siblings due to her father’s untimely passing. Melissa had to deal with a alcoholic mother and her string of alcoholic boyfriends. All three overcame their initial adversity and made it through high school. Bianca ended up attending community college near home.
Melissa traveled to former United States president Lyndon B. Johnson’s alma mater, Texas State.
Angelica traveled to Georgia to attend Emory University. However once the trio reached college their circumstances was too great for them. Melissa could not achieve her full potential because she was stuck on an old boyfriend. After Bianca’s grandfather passed she felt that she would
be abandoning her family if she transferred to a four year university. Due to miscommunication left
Angelica with a plethora of debt issues and having to work more than study.
Stiglitz Article Summary
America is still considered by many to be a land of great opportunity compared to most other nations. Joseph Stiglitz is not one of those in the majority. In the article “Equal
Opportunity, Our National Myth,” Joseph E. Stiglitz profiles education in America and the increase in its importance. Stiglitz believes that the popular slogan, “America, the Land of
Opportunity” was once true. However that has changed over the last couple of decades. Stiglitz says the gap between the affluent and low income has become increasingly wide over that time.
According to a study done by the Pew Research Center, about ninety percent of Americans feel that the government should be responsible for ensuring the equality of opportunity. However some feel as tho that would make America a socialist nation.Stiglitz believes also that those born into a certain environment have a high tendency of being a product of that environment.
According to research done by the Brookings Institution, only 58 percent of Americans born into the bottom fifth of income earners move out of that category, and just 6 percent born into the bottom fifth move into the top. Stiglitz also feels there are a certain way to approach the equality of opportunity. Stiglitz goes on to say that “one way of looking at equality of opportunity is to ask to what extent the life chances of a child are dependent on the education and income of his parents (Stiglitz).” Those students are less likely to be successful.
Works Cited
DeParle, Jason. "Poor Students Struggle as Class Plays a Greater Role in Success
NYTimes.com."The New York Times Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/23/education/poorstudentsstruggleasclassplaysa
greaterroleinsuccess.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&>.
Stiglitz, Joseph E.. "Equal Opportunity, Our National Myth NYTimes.com."Opinion
Opinionator NYTimes.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.
<http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/16/equalopportunityournationalmyth/
>.