Analysis of Satire

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5.06 * Nile Verleur 4/11/15 Article 1 Report: Our High Schools May Not Adequately Prepare Dropouts For Unemployment 1. What is the essential cultural observation or situation being satirized? What clues lead you to this conclusion? * This article satirizes the lack of support geared towards creating successful students and the misuse of support programs and resources applied towards the failing and less successful students. For example, the author uses sarcasm to point out the lack of support for students when he quotes, “Our public high schools place too much focus on preparing kids for professional careers.” The author later criticizes the unorganized approach teachers take towards the discipline and teaching of students when he quotes, ‘"Educators do a lot to ensure that the most hopeless students slip through the cracks... Arbitrary rules, irregularly enforced discipline, and pointless paperwork are just the first things that come to mind."’ 2. What rhetorical strategies does the writer use to achieve this satire? List them, and explain how each is used. * The author utilizes hyperbole, sarcasm, analogy, and an inverted point of view, in order to criticize the function of public schools. The author uses the hyperbole to engage the reader through acute exaggeration, making his points more memorable. For example, the author uses a hyperbole later in the article to emphasize how dire the situation is when he quotes James Dunham, the principal of HS 445 in New York, who states, ‘"We are doing a terrible, terrible job. We literally could not be doing any worse."’ The use of sarcasm is flagrant in order to emphasize the deficiency of the school system and to entertain the reader because it makes the article rather comedic. The analogy is used in this article to draw attention to the flaws in the public school system. Near the end of

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