Running head: RHETORICAL ANALYSIS 1

Rhetorical Analysis:

Mexican American in School

by Thomas P. Carter

Lopez, Isaac

The University of Texas at El Paso

RWS-1301

Dr. Vierra

October 15, 2018

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Abstracts

The problem under investigation is how Mexican American students are abused

educationally by teachers and/or the school district by not simulating them into the community.

The participants of this essay are Thomas P. Carter and the focus of the book is mainly about the

unfair treatment of Mexican American students. They type of research that was conducted was

obtaining a monograph and reading about chapters that support the claim. The research found

does support the claim. As the finding show most Mexican American children in the United

States drop out at an early age from school (p. 24). Also, more research shows that school tend

not to help these students assimilate these students into the community (p.34). As a result, the

research shows that the claim is supported by the evidence provided. As well the problem under

investigation is still existent today as a result from the current president elections.
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Rhetorical Analysis:

Mexican Americans in School: A History of Educational Neglect

According to Downs rhetoric analysis is a set of principles that shape, explain and predict

how the world interacts with each other (p.459). By Downs definition of rhetorical analysis, do

authors use rhetorical appeals correctly and if so do they help students with their research. As so

rhetoric analysis does help student with research and help them obtain a basic understanding of a

situation or question.

In the book, “Mexican Americans in School: A History of Educational Neglect” (1970),

the author Thomas P. Carter informs the reader about school’s cultural deprivation of Mexican

American students. Cultural Deprivation according to Carter, is an idea where certain ideas on

developing cultures are not provided with the necessary influences to make children successful

and acceptable in school and major society situations (pg. 36). This implies that school’s main

role is to help and assimilate these both poor or foreign students into accepting the culture.

However, these so-called school manipulate these basic needs that need to be meet. These

manipulations can be referred to as accusations as to why the school has failed to teach these

students properly and make them “successful” and “equal” to the higher society. Such examples

of these accusation could be how the school board blames house holds for a lack of “educational

tradition”. This lack of “educational tradition” can be referred too according to school boards as

a lack of language and reading skills. The school’s job is to make Mexican Americans students

equal as to the blue eye’s blond hair American.

As both books provide a general understanding of the problem they both are a type of

genre according to David Y. W. According to David Y. W. Lee article, Genres, registers, text

types, domains and styles: Clarifying the concepts and navigating a path through the BNC

jungle, try to explain the different types of genres that are available (p. 37). In both the lecture
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and the article, it states that there are many different types of genres in the world. Such examples

would the film genres as in horror, romance, comedy and action but that every genre different

from each other. Like academic genres, its stated that there are different subsets of these genres

such as monograph and computation and anthology. Monograph in the article and lecture is

stated to focus on one argument and advance knowledge. Computation and anthology are mix of

different authors and publishers and each chapter has its own argument. Both the article and

todays lecture share some of the similar information. However, the article goes more into depth

with genres using words such as genre, register, text type, domain, sublanguage, and style.

Discussion

Audience

The authors are taking an interdisciplinary approach to reach a larger audience. As

Thomas P Carter credentials are sociology and education. These interdisciplinary credentials

show how Carter wants the board of education and

Ethos

According to Downs, ethos the credibility of a speaker such as Thomas P. Carder

credentials being sociology and education (p. 469). Although, those are Carter. Thomas P Carter

credentials a credible source because of his degrees in education and psychology not to mention

teaching those two thigs at The University of Texas at El Paso. He has published two

monographs one of which is a history of neglect of Mexican American children education. While

the other is how schools should approach on how to teach Mexican American children.

According to the Journal of Latinos & Education (2006), Carter was well activist that fought for

the educational rights and improvements for Mexican American students around the United
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States. Although his untimely death took everyone by surprise his contributions can still be

noticed around school districts in the United States.

Pathos

According to Downs pathos is an emotional connection to an audience. Such examples

could be pictures from the book or certain text that the author writes to connect to the reader in

an emotional way (p. 469). Thomas P Cater tugs at the heartstrings of readers with a picture that

is seen on p. 202. The picture is of a poor Hispanic boy with tattered clothes. He lives in a

neighbor that some would call the slums but there it would be called a Colonia. This makes

readers think about the children living in these conditions and how they make it by.

Unfortunately, many people do not have much sympathy for this child. As stated by Cater many

racist thinks, “that Mexicans are doomed by their genetic or cultural inheritance” and there,

“genetic inferior intelligence” (p.203). Although, most do not have sympathy others have a kind

heart and will try to help as much as possible.

Logos

In Downs own definition, logos can be defined as logical argument. This means things

such as proof to a claim basically data. This date can be shown throughout a book in the images

of charts and percentages. As of this Thomas P. Carter provides his proof with charts that

provide information of drop-out rates across different nationalities (p. 27). These charts help

Carter claim that Mexican American tend to drop out faster than other ethnicities because it

shows the reader the information that the author has collected. As well these charts can go more

into depth as it can categories things such as dropout rates between female and male children in

throughout there middle and high school years.

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Conclusion

As stated previously, rhetoric analysis does help student with research and help them

obtain a basic understanding of a situation or question. As stated by Downs, rhetoric analysis is a

set of principles that shape, explain and predict how the world interacts with each other (p.459).

Therefore, rhetorical analysis is an every day to day thing that helps people and students alike to

understand and learn new things.

References

Carter, P. T. (1970). Mexican Americans in school: A history of educational neglect (1st ed.).

New York: College Entrance Examination Board.

Lee, D. Y. (2001). Genres, registers, text types, domains and styles: Clarifying the concepts and

navigating a path through the BNC jungle.