Luna 1

Jessica Luna

CTW1: LEAD Education and Identity

Dr. Cruz Medina

2 November 2020

Lens Essay Assignment

As a first generation college student born from immigrants, the idea of meritocracy was

ingrained into me since birth. For the majority of my life I solely believed in the idea that if one

works hard, they are destined to succeed. I believed it because my family was a prime example

of meritocracy working. My parents came to America not knowing how to speak English, and

now they own the house we live in, and have their children attending prestigious universities. As

a child I thought that my classmates who were not as successful as me because they did not work

hard enough. Throughout the years however, I have grown to realize that many aspects influence

meritocracy, making it fraudulent. In ​Just Mercy​, Bryan Stevenson addresses various layers of

society, such as mass incarceration, classism, and racism, through discussing various of his

cases. When further analyzing his work, he gives a special interest to children and their futures

under our current unequal society, and its obsession with meritocracy. In theory, meritocracy

states that if one works hard, they are destined to succeed, but if they do not, it is because they

either did not work hard enough or deserve their failure. In Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy, the

ramifications of meritocracy are underlined through the lens of Christopher Hayes’ Meritocracy

and its Discontents, showing how socioeconomic status and its relation to merit specifically

affects children, who are society’s future leaders.

Based on its definition, meritocracy guarantees that anyone can be successful, however,

there is historical evidence that proves merit has not resolved discrimination nor its pervasive
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effects. In Just Mercy, Stevenson brings up the fact that, “Even decades after the Civil War and

Emancipation, the African American population toiled in the fields of the “Black Belt” as

sharecroppers and tenant farmers, dependent on white landowners for survival” (Stevenson 22).

Due to forced dependency and persisting racial biases, the black population was never fully able

to recuperate from their oppression, much less were they able to accumulate generational wealth.

Having made discriminatory assessments under the guise of meritocracy, Hayes points out that,

“Before the SAT, America’s elite colleges were closed off to immigrants, Catholics, and

Jews...The result was that WASP boys with C averages from prominent families were admitted

to Harvard while overachieving Jewish boys from Brooklyn were kept out” (Hayes 7). By

including this, Hayes makes an important case that the original purpose of assessments was to

keep certain groups from attending certain schools under the excuse that the student had scored a

below proficient score. Since its creation, meritocracy has been a double-edged sword, forcing

society’s lower ranks to be dependent on it through promising success, all the while

simultaneously gatekeeping education and progress. This is specifically applicable to black folks

and minority groups because even after discrimination was technically abolished, powerful

individuals and private institutions found a way to keep these groups dependent on them or as far

away as possible.

Furthering the idea that it is difficult to be successful under meritocracy due to prevailing

historical discrimination, the idea of generational wealth and its effect on socioeconomic class

also comes into play when discussing meritocracy. At the beginning of his memoir, Stevenson

recalls a quote that has stuck around with him for several years: “People without money, or

capital, were the ones who were punished” (Stevenson 5). Here, Stevenson alludes to the reality

that those without money (or those on the lower end of the socioeconomic ladder) suffer more in
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every aspect of life. Going off of the same phenomenon, Hayes notes how, “The test prep

industry for national standardized tests like the SAT is now a booming, multimillion-dollar

business... one of the best ways to predict a student’s SAT score is to look at his parent’s income:

the more money they make, the higher the score is likely to be” (Hayes 8). From this statistic,

Hayes shows the audience how capital and merit are tightly intertwined. Unfortunately, this

difference in socioeconomic status affects children academically, as those on the lower spectrum

tend to score less than their more wealthier peers. Not only do these children achieve less than

their counterparts in school, but they are also more likely to struggle as they do not have the

capital or access to as many resources as the latter do. It is definitely possible for a poorer

student to score just as high or even higher than a richer student, however the odds are not in

their favor according to this statistic. Although the function of meritocracy can easily be applied

to any aspect of a person’s life, it is specifically noticeable in terms of academic success.

Stevenson’s mention of labeling correlates directly with Hayes’ point of meritocracy as a

form of self-worth in academic settings, which can negatively affect a child’s academic

opportunities. In the introduction to Just Mercy, Stevenson depicts how America as a society has

been quick to label and misjudge citizens under capitalism and meritocracy. Stevenson states,

“We’ve institutionalized policies that reduce people to their worst acts and permanently label

them...identities they cannot change regardless of the circumstances of their crimes or any

improvements they might try making in their lives” (Stevenson 15). No matter how hard one

may strive to rectify their past, it is nearly impossible for them to start a new life under

meritocracy. Similarly, Hayes’ lens on this issue is oriented towards the school setting. While

describing the lesson of a dystopian novel Hayes summary, “The education system begins testing

all children, and the score becomes their defining identity... The bright children are segregated
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early on and put in special schools that are lavished with resources...it does not squander

precious educational dollars and teacher resources on the dull or lazy members of the

aristocracy” (Hayes 11-12). Although this novel was written as a warning to society, it has

ironically become the cornerstone for meritocracy’s high-functioning achievement potential. In

America, it is the norm for children to be tested on a national scale several times throughout their

lives as a way to keep track of who is succeeding in terms of capitalism’s ideals. Specifically,

highschool students who are applying to college are required to take the SAT, a scale used to

measure a student’s intellectual ability. Unfortunately, this quickly puts a label on students,

categorizing them into either high achieving, proficient, average, or below average students.

When a student does poorly on the SAT, this one-time test severely affects their chances of

getting into a prestigious university, therefore affecting their future college experiences and

young adult life. Likewise, citizens who have been committed of crimes are also unable to make

up for their previous poor actions; this record follows them throughout their life. No matter how

hard an inmate works to rectify their mistakes and make peace, our society’s belief in

meritocracy can negatively affect them, as it rules that they deserve all the bad that happens to

them.

Not only does meritocracy quickly and permanently label individuals, but these

classifications affect society’s perception of these individuals, neglecting them from the support

they need. In Just Mercy, Stevenson brings up a shocking scientific theory: “Influential

criminologists predicted a new generation of “super predators”. Sometimes expressly focusing

on black and brown children, theorists suggested that America would soon be overcome by

“elementary school youngsters who pack guns instead of lunches” and who “have absolutely no

respect for human life”” (Stevenson 135). According to professionals, certain children of color
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do not deserve to succeed, they claim, solely focusing on a child’s appearance of merit. Hayes’

perspective is closely tied to this in regards to academic success, quoting, “While kids who

naturally needed those resources much more than us wallowed in the mire of a broken

system...Kids are losing the opportunity to go to college or obtain a career because no one taught

them long division or colors” (Hayes 3). At Hunter High School, hundreds of students are turned

away from admission solely because they did not score high enough on their entry exam. This

disproportionately affects children of color and students on the lower end of the income scale

because they are the ones that are most in need of higher education and success. As Stevenson

points out, instead of trying to mitigate these effects of capitalism and meritocracy, professionals

instead decide to label unsuccessful children that fall into occasional crime as perverse criminals

worthy of being incarcerated. This is a huge problem for our youth because under meritocracy,

society blindly assumes that whatever happens to us is what we deserve. However, this way of

thinking does not take into account the pre-existing unequal playing field for people of color and

families with no capital. In turn, ignoring the historical inequality among certain populations in

America severely challenges their predecessors’ children from succeeding in academics and in

life.

As Stevenson makes the claim that meritocracy is harmful to society, applying Just

Mercy to the lens of Hayes exposes the reader to meritocracy’s effect on children, specifically in

terms of academic achievement. Although created under the belief of creating more equality,

meritocracy still fails to mitigate the uneven playing field due to historical oppression that has

yet to be curved. Meritocracy also naturally favors those with more generational wealth, as their

capital power gives them the privilege to access more resources and opportunities. Unfortunately

for students on the lower end of the socioeconomic ladder, they are often not able to succeed as
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well, and are more commonly labeled as ‘less proficient’, reducing their opportunities for

success. Under meritocracy, children from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to be cut

from opportunities that would benefit them, as meritocracy does not take into account one’s

struggles and background. Although meritocracy is a unique theory to success, it fails in practice

because the historical inequalities have not yet leveled the playing field for all groups in society.
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Quotes
● 2….“​People without money, or capital, were the ones who were punished”
(Stevenson 5)
○ The test prep industry for national standardized tests like the SAT is now a
booming, multimillion-dollar business... one of the best ways to predict a
student’s SAT score is to look at his parent’s income: the more money they
make, the higher the score is likely to be​” (Hayes 8).
○ “​The vastly unequal quality of the schools across lines of neighborhood,
class, and race, Hunter has never had a student body that matched the
demographic composition of the city… the school could, before long, have
its first entering class without a single black or Latino student...particularly
in a city that is 25 percent black and 27.5 percent Latino” (Hayes 6)
● 3….“​We’ve institutionalized policies that reduce people to their worst acts and
permanently label them...identities they cannot change regardless of the
circumstances of their crimes or any improvements they might try making in their
lives” (Stevenson 15)
○ The education system begins testing all children, and the score becomes
their defining identity... The bright children are segregated early on and put
in special schools that are lavished with resources...it does not squander
precious educational dollars and teacher resources on the dull or lazy
members of the aristocracy” (Hayes 11-12)
● 1….“​Even decades after the Civil War and Emancipation, the African American
population toiled in the fields of the “Black Belt” as sharecroppers and tenant
farmers, dependent on white landowners for survival” (Stevenson 22)
○ “​Before the SAT, America’s elite colleges were closed off to immigrants,
Catholics, and Jews...The result was that WASP boys with C averages from
prominent families were admitted to Harvard while overachieving Jewish
boys from Brooklyn were kept out” (Hayes 7)
● 4…..“​Influential criminologists predicted a new generation of “super predators”.
Sometimes expressly focusing on black and brown children, theorists suggested
that America would soon be overcome by “elementary school youngsters who
pack guns instead of lunches” and who “have absolutely no respect for human
life”” (Stevenson 135)
○ “​While kids who naturally needed those resources much more than us
wallowed in the mire of a broken system...Kids are losing the opportunity to
go to college or obtain a career because no one taught them long division
or colors” (Hayes 3)
Hayes Meritocracy Analysis
● In Meritocracy and its Discontents, the author makes it his mission to expose the
underdeveloped ideologies of meritocracy in America when it pertains to professionalism
within the business and educational departments. Throughout the chapter, the author
gives various profound examples of the ramifications that meritocracy has on young
children specifically, which become amplified due to the pre-existing inequalities in the
country. When describing Hunter College High School, an elitist public school, the author
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notes that the vast majority of the children’s parents heavily rely on the test prep industry
in order to ensure their children’s success. In regards to the test industry, Hayes writes,
“​The test prep industry for national standardized tests like the SAT is now a
booming, multimillion-dollar business... one of the best ways to predict a
student’s SAT score is to look at his parent’s income: the more money they make,
the higher the score is likely to be​” (Hayes 8). Although this may seem like a simple
explanation, there are multiple factors which have resulted in a disproportionate
obsession with the test prep industry. In American culture, it is common belief that one
can be successful in life based solely on their hard work and nothing else. Although this
may seem like a good idea, it is inadequate in practice because it implies that there is a
leveled playing field in which everyone starts on. However, when one analyzes
America’s history, one can easily find horrific examples of discrimination and restriction,
some of which still persist today. Due to America’s historical inequality, it is disheartening
to hear that a child’s ‘success’ in the SAT can be accurately predicted by their parent’s
income. This goes to show that the pre-existing advantages in America, such as
inherited wealth (or lack thereof) can severely affect lower income families, which
uncoincidentally are usually non-white families. America’s obsession with our flawed
meritocracy leads thousands of families to pay thousands of dollars a year to prepare for
a one-time test, unfairly skewing the general test performance upward and out of reach
for low income or colored families.
●
● Continuing his argument of a flawed hierarchical system, Hayes brings up the book that
catapulted this ideology into exponential growth among the American society: The Rise
of Meritocracy. Originally, The Rise of Meritocracy was a dystopian novel focused on the
ramifications of overly focusing solely on meritocracy. Ironically, this novel becomes the
forefront catalyst for America’s obsession with individualistic achievement. As the author
sums it up, “​The education system begins testing all children, and the score
becomes their defining identity... The bright children are segregated early on and
put in special schools that are lavished with resources...it does not squander
precious educational dollars and teacher resources on the dull or lazy members of
the aristocracy”​ (Hayes 11-12). Although the context of this quote is a summary of the
dystopian fictional novel, it embodies the reality of meritocracy. Eerily enough, the
college application process is very similar to this description; but the application process
to Hunter College High School is an exact mirroring of this. At a very young age,
prospective Hunter students are subject to a three-hour long test that essentially
determines their middle school and highschool experience, and ultimately their life’s
success. Widening the perspective, there is a surplus of examples of underfunding that
are outside of Hunter College. When reflecting upon America’s history of segregation,
redlining is a huge indicator of underfunding entire neighborhood sections. While this is
happening, affluent neighborhoods are flooded with an excess amount of resources, just
like in The Rise of Meritocracy. Upon further reflection, Hayes states that many
aristocratic people full heartedly believe that meritocracy was the only factor to their
success, and often hold classist ideologies. This type of fixed mentality can be seen
whenever one blames the innate characteristics of a person and classifies them as “dull
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or lazy” when they fail or are not as successful as the latter person. In short, Hayes
concludes that meritocracy is both dangerous and damaging because it fixates on an
individual’s achievements without taking into account their environment, socioeconomic
status, or struggles.

A ​lens provides a frame through which to interpret and make-meaning​—lenses support,

complicate, and ​reveal important contradictions about the subject of interpretation​. A lens
can ‘change the game,’ provide a completely ​new way of reading a text that can be
completely against the grain.

We never analyze in a vacuum. When we make an argument about a text, our explanation of
how and why are often informed by previous ideas that we—the reader, analyst and
writer—bring to the text. In rhetorical analysis, questions about audiences and appeals guided
our interpretations of Just Mercy. When we analyze a text through a particular lens, we analyze
make claims about what’s happening in the text based on the concept or idea of the lens text.

Purpose: In this essay you will apply the lens of Hayes’s discussion of “meritocracy” or hooks’
class consciousness to make claims about Just Mercy. Through one of these lens texts (Hayes
or hooks), your analysis should explain an aspects of the legal system such as mass
incarceration, death row, or racial inequality just to name a few. This assignment asks that you
re-examine Just Mercy through concepts such as meritocracy or class consciousness from the
readings, thereby providing a more complicated and nuanced interpretation of Bryan
Stevenson’s biography based on the critiques of meritocracy and class.

Audience: For this assignment, you will be writing for an academic discourse community familiar
with Just Mercy, Hayes’s text and hook’s text.

Should Include:
An introduction that defines the lens and with a well-formulated thesis (not too narrow or broad
with enough complexity for the length of the project, using where, who, what, why, how)
Topic sentences with well articulated claims about meritocracy, or class consciousness that
argue about an experience or situation in Just Mercy
Evidence should include quotes from Just Mercy as well as the lens text to illustrate the claim
articulated in the topic sentence/point of paragraph (2 quotes/paragraph)
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Analytic work should explain how and why the quotes from Just Mercy illustrate the topic
sentence claim/point abou the lens concept AND provide a clear example for how the lens
quotation affects what is said in Just Mercy
Clear sentences, MLA format, free of errors
Paragraphs organized by the contents rather than the length; non 5-paragraph; non 3-pronged
thesis

Remember that you are working to:

To demonstrate an understanding of how one text can provide a lens for interpreting another
text
Critical thinking includes the whole process of selecting complex enough claims, appropriate
evidence (and the correct amount of quotation)
Successful use of an analytical lens will not simply compare and contrast, but instead explain
how the lens/frame text impacts, affects, or changes your reading of Just Mercy.
A successful lens analysis will take chances with analysis and not be afraid to make calculated
leaps in interpretation
Submission Directions: 3 drafts documented with photos, pdf scans (or Google Doc) in
e-portfolio AND submitted electronically to the “Assignments” section of Camino in order from
Final draft, second draft, first draft [Be sure you save each draft as a different Word document
so that you can add them all to the final document].

Format: MLA Guidelines, 12 pt font, Times New Roman, double spaced, 1 inch margins, page
numbers, etc (see MLA example on OWL Purdue on d2l); Page length: 4-5 pages. Works Cited
page.

First Draft Due: 10/29 (Individual Conferences) Draft 2: 11/3 (Peer review) Final Due: 11/5
(drafts must be included with Final draft)