Battling the Stigma of Community College March 28, 2013 2
Battling the Stigma of Community College
March 28, 2013
2
Battling the Stigma of Community College
March 28, 2013
Table of Contents
Cover Page………………………………………………………….1
Table of Contents………………………………………………..3
Introduction……………………………………………………….5
Final Analysis………………………………………………………8-12
Draft Analysis………………………………………………………14-18
3
Introduction
Most college papers require some kind of analysis as part of the pre-writing process. This
semester I have learned the art of rhetorical analysis; the ability to critique and analyze a piece of
writing. Despite the many struggles this semester, I am taking many skills with me outside of the
classroom. I am more analytical of myself as a student. Many questions are asked : How and
when am I studying effectively? When is the best time to write? Revise? Think?
Through this assignment I have learned to use many skills such as description, summary,
definition, and comparison among other things. Specifically, I have been struggling on Rhetoric
this semester, and it has taken a lot of patience and vigilance to grasp the concepts of persuasion.
I have learned very quickly that rhetorical analysis is not about the subject the author is trying to
persuade, but rather how the writer goes about accomplishing the task of persuasion.
Many struggles have reared their ugly head in this class, and I have felt like the lamb to be
sacrificed during the last Holy meal, but this was only an invitation to a challenge. I felt during
my rhetorical analysis, however, I was all but unbiased, therefore making my experiences in the
classroom a direct cause of the attitude I took on the piece written by Liz Addison.
Battling the Stigma of Community College
March 28, 2013
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Battling the Stigma of Community College
March 28, 2013
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Battling the Stigma of Community College.
Final Analysis
Community College Biology Graduate, Liz Addison, submitted an essay titled” 2 years are
better than 4” as a part of a college essay contest done by NY Times Magazine. In her essay she
argues the validity of an opinion piece written by Rick Perlstein titled “ What’s the matter with
college?” Liz Addison discusses what used to be in her counter essay. She starts by describing a
story of a former university graduate, who believes college no longer provides dreams to the
students it harbors, but then adds her own points of view on the matter. She argues college hasn’t
died, and still provides many dreams and goals needed, only it does it through the Community
Colleges of America. She praises community colleges, mentioning they are easily accessible and
financially affordable, and goes on to say it is the graduates of the Community Colleges that
change the world, not those of the universities. Addison also mentions her own experiences going
to college, and how it changed her. She concludes her writing piece asking students to reconsider
the position of the community college relative to the 4-year university.
Battling the Stigma of Community College
March 28, 2013
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Addison’s purpose is to convey the idea that college really does still matter through her own
community college experiences. Unfortunately, Addison adopts a sarcastic tone and a graceless
voice, making it very hard to connect with similar feelings and similar educational experiences.
Instead of attempting to persuade an audience that hold opposing opinions, she gears her writing
towards people who have the same opinion as hers. Her sarcasm weakens her rhetorical reasoning
to a fallacious argument that holds little value in terms of proof, but high value in terms of
propaganda. Use of sarcasm and humor is a persuasive technique to influence her reader to look
over the holes in the argument being presented. The use of fallacy is explored with an emphasis
on ad hominem attacks as an appeal to ignorance. The use of ethics and logic are examined along
with her abundant use of pathos, the appeal to emotions, with a final conclusion on the strength of
the argument made by Liz Addison.
Battling the Stigma of Community College
March 28, 2013
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Originally the main publication source was NY Times Magazine, and Addison directly
targeted Rick Perlstein. Her purpose in targeting Perlstein was simply to argue his original claim.
The likely readers for this essay aside from Perlstein are the many readers of the magazine,
targeting a low-income demographic; this is evident with her negative attitude towards those
likely to attend the “University of Privilege” She writes to the low-income, the minority, the
single parent. She displays this as one of her targeted audiences, because all of her major
arguments rely on the idea that anyone can attend the great community college. Her statements
imply that she feels this demographic is sub-par in the area of academia. Addison conveys a
strong connection with this demographic through her passion for the Community College.
OH THE HAND WRINGING in big bright capital letters written to mock Perlstein and
intended to take a stab at his credibility, followed by a quote by Perlstein “ College as we know it
has come to an end”. She immediately classifies her essay as
informal and impersonal. The technique was a great way to
capture the interest of the reader though. Yes, I could agree
that college is vital but the cenacle tone regarding the 4-year
institution seems a bit ignorant, especially coming from
merely a community college graduate with zero personal
experience with the so-called University of Privilege.
Addison says “ The Philosophy of the community college and I have been to 2 of them is it
unconditionally allows students to begin.” This assertion was very important in laying the
Battling the Stigma of Community College
March 28, 2013
8
foundation for her direct argument. Her direct argument begins to lead readers in the direction of
Community College superiority. The assertion is logical, but is it relevant to her direction so far?
Yes, community college is open to everyone despite previous education. Most 4-year institutions
have specific guidelines for admission. At this point does it even matter? Does that make it a
better education? I doubt it. This claim is weak because it is not relevant to he idea that 2-year
colleges are better than 4-year Universities. The doors may be closed for some, but never locked.
Later in the 3rd paragraph she makes yet another assertion “ at the community college you will
find your first independent film, first independent thought and first independent study, the college
experience is as it should.” This is a strong, emotional and logical assertion but as this point is not
consistent with the C.C being superior. These experiences are
not solely found at the community college. What it did
accomplished is a strong stand on the importance of Community
College being a valued stepping-stone and it shouldn’t be overlooked.
“The Community college system is Americas hidden public service gem,” says Addison. The
blanket statement gave me the feeling we were back in the 60’s fighting LBJ’s war on poverty.
The essay would benefit her more with statistics or some kind of solid proof. She then goes on to
talk about a college essay contest for low-income students and how she was so disturbed because
no one mentioned the community college. Are there some other viewpoints that are not being
mentioned or blatantly being ignored? I think there are, but Addison does not bother to mention
the existence of any other points of view. As a reader I’m receiving the message that because I
come from a low-income family my place is on the campus of a community college. What does
she mean by public service gem? Is it the same category as public housing or public assistance?
Isn’t this adding to the stigma of the sub-par community college? Shouldn’t we be encouraging
more diverse numbers in the 4 year institution, rather than avoiding it? This assertion is very
Battling the Stigma of Community College
March 28, 2013
9
weak and based solely on her personal experience. Couldn’t all educational systems be deemed
public service gems?
The essay was clear concise and simplistic, making it very easy to understand. These
techniques allowed her to successfully appeal to a certain demographic in the community, which
see college plausible at best. Through the essay, she maintained a strong voice that keeps your
attention. She makes it very clear that she is passionate about the topic and pleas for the passion
of others. Unfortunately, Addison’s argument is moderate at best. She used valid logical points in
her direct argument, but her child-like cheap shots towards the original author backfired and
stabbed her ethos, making it easy to contradict her beliefs and invoking distrust and feelings of
immaturity.
I believe this to be a serial argument; her premises attempt to lead you to the conclusion or the
belief that community college is one of America’s great institutions; this conclusion is the
premise for the secondary conclusion and the heart of Addison’s counter argument, College still
matters! I found the essay to be relatively unpersuasive, despite agreeing with many of her points.
Addison’s strong voice came off condescending and ignorant and this indirect strategy weakened
her argument tremendously. Good points were made through direct argument ,but she only
Battling the Stigma of Community College
March 28, 2013
10
backed up those points with an anecdotal narrative and uneducated opinion.
Addison was right in arguing the statement made by Rick Perlstein What’s the matter with
college? Yes, I agree, college does matter. Addison argues that college still matters by way of the
community college institution. I could also agree community
college can be a big value to the community for many
people, but she uses a contrast technique towards the 4-year
university to prove her claim, implying the university was a
sub-par educational institution. The assertion Addison tries to make screams fallacy.
In my own evaluation of a great institution, I find that productivity, not just the ability to be
admitted determine greatness; the quality of teachers, high graduation rates, career prospects and
low levels of debt, probably have a higher factor in determining a great institution. (Addison very
quickly mentions cost not debt at the very most in her own argument) What really determines the
quality of a school is not how easy or hard it is to be admitted, but what it does for its students.
Look at retention rate; are students staying and finishing their degrees? Students are more
likely to stay where they are actively engaged. Advising is another place where colleges can
excel; if a student has no idea what to study, they can easily get overwhelmed. Students who
receive ongoing support usually make better decisions and tend to be more goal oriented. A
college that emphasizes teaching rather than research will probably attract professors that enjoy
mentoring. All these things collaboratively make a great institution, and all of these things can be
found at multiple educational institutions: community colleges, private schools, ivy’s and state
schools.
Look beneath the label of community college or 4-year university, it doesn’t really matter
much. Ultimately, great schools come from the needs of the individual. Depending on the student,
many types of educational institutions could be noted as great.
Battling the Stigma of Community College
March 28, 2013
11
“ The essence in education lies in drawing the very best in you” –Mahatma Ghandi
Battling the Stigma of Community College
March 28, 2013
12
Draft Analysis
Community College Biology Graduate, Liz Addison, submitted an essay titled” 2 years are better
than 4” as a part of a college essay contest done by NY Times Magazine. In her essay she argues
the validity of an opinion piece written by Rick Perlstein titled “ What’s the matter with college?”
Addison’s purpose is to convey the idea that college really does still matter threw her own
community college experiences. Unfortunately, Addison adopts a sarcastic tone and a graceless
Battling the Stigma of Community College
March 28, 2013
13
voice, making it very hard to connect with similar feelings and similar educational experiences.
Instead of attempting to persuade an audience that hold opposing opinions, she gears her writing
towards people who have the same opinion as hers. Her sarcasm weakens her rhetorical reasoning
to a fallacious argument that holds little value in terms of proof, but high value in terms of
propaganda. Use of sarcasm and humor is a persuasive technique to influence her reader to look
over the holes in the argument being presented. The use of fallacy is explored with an emphasis
on ad hominem attacks as an appeal to ignorance. The use of ethics and logic are examined along
with her abundant use of pathos, the appeal to emotions, with a final conclusion on the strength of
the argument made by Liz Addison.
Originally the main publication source was NY Times Magazine, and Addison directly targeted
Rick Perlstein. Her purpose in targeting Perlstein was simply to argue his original claim. The
likely readers for this essay aside from Perlstein are the many readers of the magazine, targeting a
low-income demographic; this is evident with her negative attitude towards those likely to attend
the “University of Privilege” She writes to the low-income, the minority, the single parent. She
displays this as one of her targeted audiences because all her major arguments rely on the idea
that anyone can attend the great community college. Her statements imply that she feels this
demographic is sub-par in the area of academia. Addison conveys a strong connection with this
demographic through her passion for the Community College.
OH THE HAND WRINGING in big bright capital letters written to mock Perlstein and intended
to take a stab at his credibility, followed by a quote “ College as we know it has come to an end”.
She immediately classifies her essay as informal and impersonal. The technique was a great way
to capture the interest of the reader though. Yes, I could agree that college is vital but the cenacle
Battling the Stigma of Community College
March 28, 2013
14
tone regarding the 4-year institution seems a bit ignorant, especially coming from merely a
community college graduate with zero personal experience with the so-called University of
Privilege.
Addison says “ The Philosophy of the community college and I have been to 2 of them is it
unconditionally allows students to begin.” This assertion was very important in laying the
foundation for her direct argument. Her direct argument begins to lead readers in the direction of
Community College superiority. The assertion is logical, but is It relevant to her direction so far?
Yes community college is open to everyone despite previous education. Most 4-year institutions
have specific guidelines for admission. At this point does it even matter? Does that make it a
better education? I doubt it. This claim is weak because it is not relevant to he idea that 2-year
colleges are better than 4-year Universities. The doors may be closed for some, but never locked.
Later in the 3rd paragraph she makes yet another assertion “ at the community college you will
find your first independent film, first independent thought and first independent study, the college
experience is as it should.” This is a strong, emotional and logical assertion but as this point is not
consistent with the C.C being superior. These experiences are not solely found at the community
college. What it did accomplished is a strong stand on the importance of Community College
being a valued stepping-stone and it shouldn’t be overlooked.
Later in the essay Addison goes on to say, “The Community college system is Americas hidden
public service gem'. The blanket statement gave me the feeling we were back in the 60’s fighting
LBJ’s war on poverty. The essay would benefit her more with statistics or some kind of solid
proof. She then goes on to talk about a college essay contest for low-income students and how
she was so disturbed because no one mentioned the community college. Are there some other
viewpoints that are not being mentioned or blatantly being ignored? I think there are, but Addison
does not bother to mention the existence of any other points of view. As a reader I’m receiving
the message that because I come from a low-income family my place is on the campus of a
Battling the Stigma of Community College
March 28, 2013
15
community college. What does she mean by public service gem? Is it the same category as public
housing or public assistance? Isn’t this adding to the stigma of the sub-par community college?
Shouldn’t we be encouraging more diverse numbers in the 4 year institution, rather than avoiding
it? This assertion is very weak and based solely on her personal experience. Couldn’t all
educational systems be deemed public service gems?
The essay was clear concise and simplistic, making it very easy to understand. These techniques
allowed her to successfully appeal to a certain demographic in the community, which see college
plausible at best. Through the essay, she maintained a strong voice that keeps your attention. She
makes it very clear that she is passionate about the topic and pleas for the passion of others.
Unfortunately, Addison’s argument is moderate at best. She used valid logical points in her direct
argument, but her child-like cheap shots towards the original author’s self backfired and stabbed
her ethos, making it easy to contradict her beliefs and invoking distrust and feelings of
immaturity.
I believe this to be a serial argument; her premises attempt to lead you to the conclusion or the
belief that community college is one of America’s great institutions; this conclusion is the
premise for the secondary conclusion and the heart of Addison’s counter argument, College still
matters! I found the essay to be relatively unpersuasive, despite agreeing with many of her points.
Addison’s strong voice came off condescending and ignorant and this indirect strategy weakened
her argument tremendously. Good points were made through direct argument but she only backed
up those points with an anecdotal narrative and uneducated opinion.
Addison was right in arguing the statement made by Rick Perlstein What’s the matter with
college? Yes, I agree, college does matter. Addison argues that college still matters by way of the
community college institution. I could also agree community college can be a big value to the
community for many people, but she uses a contrast technique towards the 4-year university to
Battling the Stigma of Community College
March 28, 2013
16
prove her claim, implying the university was a sub-par educational institution. The assertion
Addison tries to make screams fallacy.
In my own evaluation of a great institution, I find that productivity, not just the ability to be
admitted determine greatness; the quality of teachers, high graduation rates, career prospects and
low levels of debt, probably have a higher factor in determining a great institution. (Addison very
quickly mentions cost not debt at the very most in her own argument) What really determines the
quality of a school is not how easy or hard it is to be admitted, but what it does for its students.
Retention rate: Are students staying and finishing their degrees? Students are more likely to stay
where they are actively engaged. Advising is another place where colleges can excel; if a student
has no idea what to study, they can easily get overwhelmed. Students who receive ongoing
support usually make better decisions and tend to be more goal oriented. A college that
emphasizes teaching rather than research will probably attract professors that enjoy mentoring.
All these things collaboratively make a great institution, and all of these things can be found at
multiple educational institutions: community colleges, private schools, ivy’s and state schools.
Look beneath the label of community college or 4-year university, it doesn’t really matter much.
Ultimately, great schools come from the needs of the individual. Depending on the student, many
types of educational institutions could be noted as great.
“ The essence in education lies in drawing the very best in you” –Mahatma Ghandi
Battling the Stigma of Community College
March 28, 2013
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March 28, 2013
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March 28, 2013
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