Gianna Perez

Professor Kairis
English Composition 101
16 October 2015
Cover Letter
Personally, at first I found this paper to be difficult for me to my thoughts down onto the
paper. I knew what I wanted to say but I just did not know how to communicate it. Later on in
the paper though I found it to get easier. When I went back to revise my rough draft I found it a
lot easier to get everything out. I really like my point about quotes in my paper. Even more than
that though I like my paragraphs about images and videos. I struggled a lot to get into the
specifics at first but when I went back through the argument and really pulled out what I needed
it got a lot easier. I definitely think that I need to sit down after my first attempt at the writing anf
really get into it. The peer review made me realize that I needed to stop being so general and go
back and talk about what is mentioned in the article.

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Gianna Perez
Professor Kairis
English Composition 101
9 October 2015
Analyze This!
Throughout history the African-American people have had their fair share of trials and
tribulations. The history of African-Americans is long and full of obstacles they have had to
overcome. Coates in Case for Reparations makes an argument that they deserve something in
return for the awful events and horrible treatment that they endured. He clearly states that the
only way the American society can move forward is if reparations occur. In his argument he talks
about a lot of topics that could be considered taboo by some but none the less need to be
discussed. It is important that these topics are talked about and understood because it is the only
hope to amend the wrong that has been done repeatedly. Coates supports his argument using
different types of evidence such as quotes, images and anecdotes.
Quotes are one way that Coates supports his argument for reparations that are desperately
needed. He uses quotes from people of different statuses to try to achieve various reactions from
the audience. Important people such as past Presidents, historians and experts are quoted by
Coates in his argument. He uses the people of those statuses to try to build a sense of importance
around his argument. National recognition is something that Coates is striving to accomplish
when he uses quotes from someone like a former President. It is accepted that topics that a
President talks about are important and people listen to that. Coates wants to enforce the
importance of his argument even more by not only using quotes of Presidents but also that of

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historians and experts on these topics. If a historian or an expert are bothering to speak about
these issues, they have to be knowledgeable on them and think that the issue at hand matters.
There can also be something said about the fact that every chapter starts with a quote. Sort of as
if Coates himself is bolding the words and saying Here look at this, this is important. For the
beginning of each chapter to begin from a quote within, it could be possible that the particular
quote is something that the audience should pay close attention to.
Contrasting to the important figures, Coates also quotes everyday people. In doing this he
draws attention to these people, and the sheer number of them is impressive. These people are
scattered in different locations, which tells us that the issue is not confined. That then leads to the
idea that these incidents were not isolated and collectively all of these people shine a brighter
light than just a few. The popular thought was that the events Coates talks about, like the
mortgage scams, were only happening in the South but in reality it happened in places as North
as Chicago. By also including the average joes words he is also making the issue relatable to
the reader. Coates makes these problems into something that happened to real people and that
alone makes it more than mere words on a piece of paper.
Anecdotal evidence is another kind of evidence that Coates uses to try and support his
claim. In certain cultures all over the world, their histories are spoken by word of mouth. That
gives credit to how much a persons words can mean. That is why the stories that Coates includes
are so important, they add another layer of understanding of why African-Americans deserve
reparations. These narratives appeal to the pathos of the reader. While reading Clyde Ross story
one can feel nothing but sympathy for the man and all of the others that lived through similar
situations. His story gets an emotional rise and that reaction is exactly what Coates wanted. He
wanted the reader to react on a deeper level and show them something that could not be shown

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with words. In addition to pathos, the narratives also address the readers ethos. The anecdotes
show that the people who went through all of the mistreatment were still people and were not
treated as such. That they were human beings just like me and you. These stories of their lives
were also first accounts of the horrors that occurred in their lifetimes. Those people saw, first
hand, all of the barbarity. These accounts are what made people take a step back and realize that
these scams and mistreatments of people were widespread situations. With all of those life stories
coming from various areas in the nation there is no way to say that they were isolated
occurrences. Another suggestion as to why Coates uses anecdotes is that he wants to engage the
reader. One complaint that someone reading the article might have is that it is too long and
complex to understand fully. By adding in some narrative into the argument, it transforms it into
a story that keeps the audience interested and makes them care about the issue.
One of the strongest ways Coates supports his claim is by using multimedia. They say a
picture holds a thousand words and when it comes to the media that he uses they would be
correct. When it comes to the images, Coates uses pictures of people and images of heinous
actions. The pictures of the people are individuals that are sharecroppers and from the Contract
Buyers League (CBL) along with many others. These pictures appeal to the readers pathos by
making them feel emotional while looking at them. The typical emotion they activate is
sympathy. It is hard to write something that would have the same effect in the end and that is
why Coates uses the pictures. When Coates uses pictures of horrible actions taking place his
overall goal for the reader is different. These pictures are still appealing to the audiences pathos
but in a way that brings out feelings of disgust and infuriation. He wants to push the specific
buttons of the reader to make them appauled by the situation of those people while also unveiling
the social situation of the time period too. During the time of Jim Crow in the South they

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accepted lynching as normal behavior, even encouraged it. In this day and age it should be
looked at with trepidation. That being said just shoes that society has changed in some ways and
how hard it must have been for African-Americans living in the Jim Crow South. The use of
these images paints a picture in the readers mind exactly the way Coates wants.
In addition to these types of evidence, Coates uses various enforcements throughout his
argument. He does a reputable job of supporting his claim all the way through to the end of the
article. In Coates case for reparations to the African-American people in America he is
completely right. It is only decent and just for these people to get what they deserve. They have
gone through so much already and should not have to continue to suffer. By the end of the
article, Coates comes out strong and clear about his beliefs and how they would make for a better
society today.America would finally be able to move forward while still understanding the past
and hopefully learning from it.