OUTLINE

I. Introduction

A. Summary

B. Claim (Thesis)

II. Body Paragraphs

A. General ideas (Controversial? Who would agree? Disagree?)

B. Ideas about reasons for claim

C. Ideas about the evidence of her claim

D. Ideas about Responsible Reasoning

III. Rhetorical Appeals

A. Talk about Aims of Argument; Mention rhetorical appeals used, give examples

B. Summarize again in closing

ROUGH DRAFT

I. Introduction

In “Waking Up and Taking Charge,” Anya Kamenetz discusses the unparalleled potential power that a strong national, generational movement could have. The power of student lobbying can only go so far, and Kamenetz mentions that the most practical way to make a change is a student movement organized state by state. She encourages students to join Political Action Committees to make a change in the Generation Debt crisis. She believes that a campaign massive enough could tackle issues such as loan interest rates, credit card debt, funding for schools, fighting for tuition freezes, better health care, and more. She touched on the fact that young people in the United States are not as actively involved as young people in other countries when it comes to issues that affect them. Kamenetz revealed a few models that the US could look to, such as the student unions set up in EU and Latin American countries. Students in the US could also look to the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) as a prime example of what could happen if students rallied together. Though the results on a congressional level may not be seen right away, a significant movement such as this could set a precedent for the future. Small steps have already taken place in rural Virginia with a student-led PAC that is known as VA21. “Waking Up and Taking Charge” claims that the best way to make a real change is through a strong national, generational movement, and Kamenetz’s argument is practical and convincing.

II. Body Paragraphs

Anya Kamenetz is a Yale graduate and published education writer who wrote the book Generation Debt in which “Waking Up and Taking Charge” was an excerpt. Her background in handling college debt alone is enough to make me, as a reader, take her argument seriously. Her proposal, like going out and joining a PAC for instance may not be perceived well by everyone. It is appealing for a young college student like myself, who would love nothing more than to keep tuition costs down, but not everyone would see things through my eyes. College administrators come to mind when thinking of those who would be against her claim. Tuition freezes or lower tuition costs would mean salary or budget cuts. Her claims would also spark controversy on a political level because PACs are not citizens, nor are they voters. Still, they can influence the outcome of elections through the funding of specific candidates. Personally, my feelings about joining a PAC are positive. If not for entering a PAC, how else is it possible to build steam against the people making the rules?

There are a few key reasons Kamenetz brings up as to why students should become active in the issues affecting them. One is the substantial student debt facing students in today’s society. Who is the one calling those shots? Well, the federal government, of course, because, “They say how much you can borrow in guaranteed student loans and how high an interest rate the banks can charge.” She made me realize that students can not only “stand up for world peace” but stand up for student debt, credit card debt, tuition hikes, and even lack of available health insurance. Kamenetz sees the need for people to lobby for the things that directly affect them because of the “social safety net” that has been established throughout America. After all, it was built by “people lobbying for their own lives.” We cannot just assume that everyone has our best interest in mind, so we must be the ones to do it ourselves.

Kamenetz doesn’t just talk about the reasons a national, generational movement needs to happen, but she provides an abundance of evidence to back up her stance. Students have had success with sit-ins at Yale to bring change to their financial aid policy, but this is only one school in the US. In Canada, students have created the Canadian Alliance of Student. They represent thousands of students and schools, not just one. Can you see where Kamenetz is going with this?

CASA realizes the importance of holding sit-ins, rallying, but they also know how important it is to build steam against the rule makers, as mentioned before. Now, Kamenetz intent when bringing up CASA was to spark some anger out of her readers. As you’re about to find out, CASA has had wild success, but the US hasn’t. EU and other Latin American countries have had success, but once again, the US hasn’t. Kamenetz mentions that The United States Student Association barely even has a functioning website! Does this make you mad? Because it makes me mad, and that’s exactly what Kamenetz wants. CASA leader James Kusie says, “You can be rallying outside and shouting through the window, and that’s an important piece of building public support. But you also need to be at the table with them, engaging them on the issues.” Once again, the US is not doing this. This type of close and active involvement is so important because, for them, it shows to be the most effective. Kamenetz is working to persuade readers by making them angry, encouraging them to join a PAC, and change the poor performance that the US has had for years now. What better way to do that than to follow the advice of Kusie! Using these methods, CASA has managed to win tuition freezes and cuts, attain better grants for low-income students, and there’s no reason the US could not achieve the same.

Without funding, it’s a bit hard to get a movement going. Kamenetz brings up a PAC that is starting to make headway in Virginia called VA21. It has almost 15,000 members and a small staff that works directly with Virginia’s capital. Kamenetz brings up that in 2004, VA21, “celebrated passage of a state budget with $275 million more for higher education than the year before.” That’s huge! And it was all possible through the power of the PAC.

III. Rhetorical Appeals

“Waking Up and Taking Charge” covers an abundance of information in a relatively short essay, but Kamenetz still managed to keep her readers in mind. She started off the article speaking directly to the readers and made it clear that she was trying to connect with young people about the things that mattered to them. This is just one criterion for being a responsible reasoner. I personally believe she meets them all. She is incredibly well informed and provides a plethora of evidence to support her ideas, as outlined in this essay. She understands the context and history of her argument. She brings up the feminist political movement of the 1970s and how students can use that attitude and ideology and apply it to today’s student debt problem. Last but not least, Kamenetz is self-critical. When speaking about the student organization VA21, she mentioned that they depend on corporate contributions for funding. Their donors included a slew of credit card companies, but if you read her article at all, you would realize that she thinks they are part of the problem. Her rebuttal to this was, “It’s hard to imagine VA21 addressing issues like unfair credit card marketing. Still, they’re getting results, and lawmakers are taking them seriously.” While being funded by credit card companies isn’t ideal, these political action committees need to start somewhere, and what works now may not be forever.

Kamenetz works to convince her readers that the only way to make the changes needed would be through organized political action committees. But not only does she want her readers to agree, she wants her readers to go out and do something about it. She uses essential reasons and evidence to persuade students and young people to go out and join a PAC for academic change. With that said, the most apparent form of rhetorical appeal that she uses would be reason. Kamenetz’s logic is that “An effective student movement should be organized state by state, to pressure the governors who make decisions about public schools. . . only national political organizing will do.” She provides on-point evidence to support herself, like the success of CASA, and VA21. One other form of appeal that Kamenetz works in her article is that of character. Kamenetz wants students to organize against student loan and credit card companies, insinuating these organizations have a rather low moral fiber diet. She doesn’t agree with making young people “profitable customers for $10,000 lines of credit,” and to be frank, neither do I. In conclusion, the best way for young people, especially students, to make a difference is to join a national movement such as a PAC. Instances such as VA21 locally, and CASA internationally show that this approach is productive. Now let us get out there and start the movement!

In Class discussion: persuasion: she’s poking you with a hot stick by bringing up others success while the US tends to fail.