Reasons why "I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read" was an Effective Arguement

Recently in class we have been discussing "I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read" by Francine Prose and I felt as though this text was considerably effective. The main purpose for Prose to write this was to inform people of how the education system is lacking and how it is effecting young readers.While Prose uses a variety of rhetorical devices to help convey her message, pathos and ethos are utilized a lot and is successful.

In the very beginning of the essay, Prose uses pathos to help convey her message. This is achieved when she starts mentioning famous books that she knows most people have read. Prose realizes that most of the audience has enjoyed these books when they read them and uses this to get her point across. I believe that she mentioned such critically acclaimed books because it would grab the readers attention.For example, when I was reading this and saw the books she mentioned I thought "hey! I read that book!" and it just intrigued me because I wanted to find out what she thought was wrong with the book that I had enjoyed so much. Some of the famous books that she mentioned are Lord of the Flies, To Kill a Mockingbird, Brave New World, and A Separate Peace. Personally, I was surprised when she mentioned these books because I had also loved most of them. My personal favorite out of the group of books she mentioned was To Kill a Mockingbird because of how you could relate to the characters. The book also had a wonderful plot line and the ending was unexpected, which is what I loved so much. For those of you who haven't read it, I strongly recommend it. But back to the point of this blog.
 
Prose then continues by establishing her ethos by stating all of the research that she has done to support her claim. Prose conducted a research and gathered about eighty or so reading lists from high schools all throughout the country and stated that it was "a numbing sameness, unaffected by geography, region, or community size." Prose also establishes her credibility when she discusses her position teaching college students. Both of these were successful because it granted her a credible vibe that readers will notice and be more likely to have an open mind while listening to what she has to say.

Prose also makes the assumption that kids today don't like reading, and I agree. I feel as though the texts we read in school are boring to most students so they aren't interested in discussing them. Even though I am an avid reader, I have to admit that some of the things we are asked to read in school are unappealing. Prose also says that teachers are lazy. Well, this is something that I have to disagree with. I don't think that teachers are lazy, I just think that they are teaching their students what they were taught. That's not their fault is it?

Finally, I do agree with what Prose says when she mentions the future of literature in education systems, primarily in the last paragraph. Prose states that "... the roaster of literary masterpieces we pass along to future generations will continue its downward shift, and those lightweight, mediocre high school favorites will continue to rise, unburdened by gravity, to the top of the list." This is the last sentence of her essay and I feel that it was a strong and powerful way to end it. Prose is using her last sentence to prove a point, to challenge the education system, and to provoke thought in the readers mind. Will the education system change and allow for different teaching methods? Or will we allow things to remain the same, unchanged, for the generations to come? She leaves the choice up to us.