In a time where thousands of kids each year can’t afford to go to college, and millions more need student loans that leave them in large sums of debt upon graduation, someone is finally trying to make a change. Senator Bernie Sanders, an Independent Senator from Vermont, has issued a bill that would “eliminate undergraduate tuition. Titled the ” College for All”, the bill would eliminate the $70 billion dollar tuition costs at all 4-year public colleges and universities”. The author, Michael Schramm, takes his personal stance on this article by making it clear that lowering college costs is the way to make our nation great again. He chooses to quote Bernie Sanders to make an emotional appeal to the reader. He highlights Sanders saying, “We live in a highly-competitive global economy and, if our economy is to be strong, we need the best-educated work force in the world”. Rather than focusing on the extreme amounts of money required to pay for it all, he makes it sound more of a necessity. He uses this quote almost as a threat by saying if we want to be the best and stay the best, we must have a very educated work force. I believe Bernie Sanders and subsequently Michael Schramm use an either-or fallacy in their arguments by giving the reader only one option of being the best in the world, when in reality this isn’t the case. Robert Reich of the Huffington Post writes, “the biggest absurdity is that a four year college degree has become the only gateway to the American middle class.” Many people go to college to stand out to employers, but this is becoming harder and harder to do with the number of people attending 4 year universities is increasing. I think that the American people need to stop being told that a college degree is necessary because often times people graduate from college and end up finding a job that didn’t require a college degree.
http://college.usatoday.com/2015/05/19/bernie-sanders-issues-bill-to-make-4-year-colleges-tuition-free/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/why-college-isnt-and-shouldnt-have-to-be-for-everyone_b_6920436.html
Megan Conrad says
I like how you chose an argument that is relative to us. I also like how you incorporated quotes into your blog. This issue is becoming larger because now a days more employers are looking for workers that have a high level of education.
tmb5839 says
I really agree with the article and think it does a great job of using rhetorical appeals to persuade its readers. The use of quotes to appeal to the audience was a good rhetorical technique that you pointed out. I really feel like this article gets it point across that the college tuition system needs to be adjusted. Eliminating undergraduate tuition will surely help students be successful after college instead of paying off debt
cam6505 says
I really liked the article choice and the stance you took on the topic as well as that you included the idea of an either-or fallacy on the part of the two people mentioned in the article.
bwm5275 says
Nick, a good choice of article. Your headline was well written and to the point. The “best-educated work force in the world” quote was a great addition. It really opens up the reader to the mind of Sanders. The addition of Robert Reich’s quote also made a good representation of the middle class. This topic raises a somewhat serious issue, and I’m glad that there are people willing to tackle this.