Introduction
Many writers and speakers apply rhetorical devices, techniques, or appeals to form or support their arguments to persuade their targeted audience. The author should identify the main aim of her writing and the understanding of the targeted audience in a move to raise an argument. Based on this perspective, authors ensure a relationship of facts to develop a series that is easier to comprehend offering evidence. Hence, the writers depend on rhetorical devices such as flashbacks, hypophora, and rhetorical questions to formulate unified and compelling arguments. The essay focuses on the article Why American Students Haven’t Gotten Better at Reading in 20 Years by Natalie Wexler. The essay discusses the rhetorical strategies applied by the author as she defends her arguments in the article.
Discussion
Wexler uses flashbacks, as one of the main rhetorical techniques in her writing. Flashback entails a rhetorical device that involves the writer recalling earlier instances that occurred before the present events. In the article, Wexler has demonstrated many flashbacks as she remembers how the system of education was two decades ago. The article’s preface has, “Math scores have been flat since 2009, and reading scores since 1998 with just a third or so of students performing at a level the NAEP defines as proficient” (Wexler, 2018, p.5). In this case, Wexler is reflecting on the students’ academic performance in the past years to the present.
Furthermore, Wexler provides a flashback on the observations presented by many education researchers and considerations that were made in past seminars and meetings to defend her arguments. For instance, “On Tuesday, a panel of experts in Washington, D.C., convened by the federally appointed officials who oversee the NAEP concluded that…” In addition, “The federal No Child Left Behind Legislation enacted in 2001, only intensified the focus on reading” (Wexler, 2018, p.9). This flashback highlights the inspiration of the writer was not specific and could also lead to the suspense. Flashback in this article is employed to characterize the educational system condition as demonstrated by Wexler. Further, she used this device mainly to add configuration to the article.
In a similar perspective, the author applies hypophora and rhetorical questions to convey her message to the audience. A rhetorical question is posed by a writer during the narration but does not necessarily need a direct response to reflect on the writer’s idea. In the article, Wexler asks, “What’s the reason for the utter lack of progress in reading scores?” (Wexler, 2018, p.10) This question illustrates the existence of a discussion between the audience and the reader. In addition, the questions generate curiosity in readers to continue reading and focus on the writer’s message. In this article, the writer is confident and seems to control her arguments by asking questions. The questions aid in emphasizing the principal subject of the writer’s argument. Wexler is concerned with the progress in reading scores among American students in high schools.
In the article, American students have become bad readers for many reasons. At first, the writer confirms from the panel that poor reading skills come from strategies schools use to instruct reading. According to Wexler, schools stress tutoring basic reading skills to students failing to consider their level of comprehension (Wexler, 2018). Hence, it becomes difficult for students to learn by themselves with a partial understanding and knowledge of how to read. The main issue impairing the students from becoming good readers is schools impact different content among them and examination designers provide them passages that they have no concept from their tutoring.
Consequently, Wexler noted that reading enables the students to attain knowledge and understand the vocabulary and concepts associated with the study topics. Therefore, reading is essential for the students to discover the assumptions that the author omitted in her writing to assume authors will identify. Reading develops students’ pronunciation skills and makes them learn the repeated ideas in the curriculum; hence, they can retain knowledge (Wexler, 2018). Ultimately, students need to understand what they learn and eradicate the gap that exists between the reading scores of low-income and wealthy peers. The writer notes that reading has not been given the required attention in schools to impact progress in reading scores among the students.
Conclusion
Wexler concludes that for enhanced reading scores and a better future for the next generation, educators need to direct the students on given texts for children at their respective levels to enable them to understand clearly. Further, examiners need to integrate standardization in their settings to capture the understanding and knowledge of all students at varying grading levels. In addition, teachers must be ready to adapt to transformations predetermined by the NAEP and teach through strategies that support their research. Moreover, the future relies on providing students with tests according to their given curriculum. Examiners should focus on settings that adhere to students’ learned materials and concepts. This will allow them to apply what the students learned in class other than setting different concepts. Therefore, there is a need to embrace reading relevant materials at a given level to avert hurting the students and holding their intellectual advancements backward and developing their abilities.
Reference
Wexler, N. (2018). Why American students Haven’t gotten better at reading in 20 years. Association for Psychological Science – APS. Web.