Running head: Genre analysis

Genre Analysis

Carlos Vila

University of Texas At El Paso

 Genre analysis 2

Introduction

The disparity’s in the educational system in the United States is something that separates and

provides unequal education amongst students based on their age and racial background. This

alarming segregation of education amongst many children is something that is overshadowed by

big names or grand achievements by individuals who’s economical level is higher. In order to

inform society about this alarming complication, these two individuals decided to execute two

different genres, which involved a video and a blog. In the video “How America’s public schools

keep kids in poverty”, by Kandice Summer she explains her experience on growing up in poverty

and going to school with limited resources compared to those who’s economical background was

more stable. In addition to, the article “Unequal opportunity: Race and Education” by Linda

Darling- Hammond, she intends to showcase this problem to society by exemplifying it on data.

This date contains race, age and income. Overall, both of these genres showcase the same

conflict but intend to analyze it differently. One is with personal experience and the other one

with demographics, additionally they are specifically intended to be targeted to specific

discourses.

Structure and delivery

The overview of both genres is generalized by the idea of educational inequality, but such similar

subject of the genres also have grand differences between them. The reason is the way both

genres are executed to the audience, one genre consists of a video and the other one of an actual

piece of writing. In the video “How America’s public schools keep kids in poverty”, Summer’s

way of structuring her video outgoes by her inflicting her own personal experience with the

inequality that happens in the educational system. She uses both her racial background and first-

hand experience with extreme poverty in her situation. Summer insists on even though what she
 Genre analysis 3

experienced was in a time where the government was blinded by racism it still happens in

today’s modern society. She also delivers attention to such controversial topic by exemplifying

todays segregation between educational institutes due her career of being an elementary teacher.

She explains that her students, who are very young do notice the differences of their school

compared to others. This is because the school in which her students reside is surrounded by low

extreme poverty and violence within the community. Summer also inputs how sometimes, even

the own school lacks monetary income to fulfill the educational tools for both the students and

the faculty. Summer, in order to furthermore convey her experience with educational inequality

she showcases various pictures and witnesses so her message can reach more to the audience. By

adding visuals, her speech successfully conveys the audiences that in fact, educational inequality

is happening. Secondly, the genre that showcases this conflict in a different way is the article

from Hammond (1998). The article consists mainly about analytical information regarding

various ages and races of students completing school. Such information represents the topic of

educational inequality by showing how different students with different economical background

and racial, have a different percentage of completing their education . In fact, Hammond’s

(1998) interpretation and opinion about educational inequality is more reliable because it goes

off based on real life demo graphs, rather than a personal experience like summer. Noticeably,

Hammonds (1998) inputs various incidents with students being treated unfairly, the reasoning

why she does this is to better help her claim and conceive the audience’s attention.

Audience and purpose

The intended audience for Summer’s video genre is to those who are going through educational

inequality. Meaning to those who’s economical standing is not stable enough yet are trying to get

an education without them regarding the disadvantages of them being segregated from education.
 Genre analysis 4

Summers main purpose on her speech is to inspire those who struggle.. In the other hand,

Hammond’s main purpose for her article is to inform society in general how the educational

system in fact is unequal to different people. She also inputs factual evidence to prove her point

regarding her claim. She not only provides demographics about the students in poverty going

education and successfully graduating compared to those who have a more stable economical

standing but also highlights the effect of race affecting the students career. In general, both

genres are trying to either convey or inform different discourses. In the video by Summer, she is

trying to reach those seeking an education in poverty, while Hammond’s article her intended

discourse is overall society in general. Her article doesn’t go based off personal experience if not

more of a researcher point of view. Her main purpose is to study the demographics based on

students in poverty while also posting her findings so the public can inform on her research.

Relatively, both genres do in fact fall under the same topic, which is educational inequality. They

both discuss the problem in specific detailed ways that may differ yet are similar. In fact, a grand

similarity from such two are that they input a brief summary on their genres trying to inform the

audience first before doing claiming their opinion’s or findings. In the hand, both genres are also

very different. Summers video is shown as a visual refiment as for Hammond’s article is typed.

Both execute their genres this way due to the fact that both intended to target different

categories. Summer’s video is to appeal to those who are going through the wrongful acts of the

educational system and to empower them by her adding different witnesses, and images

showcasing their situation. While as for Hammond’s her main purpose is to share her data to the

public. It has no opinion or say from her view of point. It is just to pass knowledge to those who

seek such topic.

Rhetorical issues: Ethos, pathos, and logos

 Genre analysis 5

Since both genres are intended to provide information to a specific discourse, its noticeable how

the authors include rhetorical appeals in their genre. As we analyze Summer’s speech, her video

entry about her own personal experience and herself mocking little kids who are underprivileged

who are questioning the inequality they suffer from makes the audience appeal more to Summers

claim of educational inequality. The usage of the literally device pathos, inputs to her audience

that her information is more reliable. Not only because she’s using emotion, but also due to the

fact that she’s using witnesses and her own hand to hand experience with the educational system.

It is no secret that Summer’s usage of little kids helped her claim be more credible. Because

that’s what her whole argument revolves around. Society in general have more of an emotional

appeal towards children rather than a full-grown adult. So due to Summer implementing little

kids and their struggles it helps her evoke an emotional reaction from her discourse. As for the

article from Hammonds, her analytical information is more than evident throughout her article.

The usage of Logos makes her article more than credible. Hammond’s is actually showcasing

what real life individuals go through the system. Not based on experience and witnessing but

rather real life, more prominent information that comes from many individuals across the nation.

This appeals another rhetorical device which is Ethos. Ethos because of the delivery of factual

evidence and sources she gathered her information from. Although such genres do appear to

successfully evoke to their discourse there is in fact some lacking rhetorical devices on both. In

Summer’s video the lack of Logos made her claim more of a personal conflict rather than an

actual problem in the nation while also missing sources to back up her linguist numbers that she

claims to be true. As for the article form Hammond’s, her way of serving information to her

discourse is dry and mellow. Her lack of Pathos indeed cause grand lack of empathy from
 Genre analysis 6

reading her article. It was credible, but it lacked emotion to furthermore reach more individuals

attention.

Conclusion and synthesis.

In conclusion, both genres main goal is to discuss and promote awareness of educational

inequality in the nation. The effectiveness of proving the unequal treatment amongst educational

institutes and different students is best represented by Summer’s video. Although in the

beginning Hammond’s article seemed more prominent on its effectiveness of conveying the

message, her lack of emotion made it seem that her article was dry, that was just a bunch of

numbers pinged into a graph and thrown into a random piece of writing. Summer’s main point of

effectiveness was her heavy usage of pathos. Not only did it make her intended discourse believe

her more, but it promoted her claim to a larger audience rather than her intended one. Another

factor why Summers genre was more successful is due to the fact that one can see her actual

speech. Her facial reactions, the implementation of little kids and pictures made her point

successful. Overall in this case, emotion is more credible than actual numbers. Emotion in which

touches many who aren’t intended to hear her speech. Emotions that fire up not only those who

suffered or are going through the hardships but to those who can closely relate to the topic.

References

Darling-Hammond, L. (1998). Unequal Opportunity: Race and Education. The Brookings

Review, 16(2), 28. doi:10.2307/20080779

 Genre analysis 7

Sumner, K. (2015, November 21). How America's public schools keep kids in poverty. Retrieved

fromhttps://www.ted.com/talks/kandice_sumner_how_america_s_public_schools_keep_k

ids_in_poverty?language=en#t-818296