"Girls Just Want to Go to School"

I think most high school students can agree at one point or another, we have had a strong dislike for attending school, taking a test, or doing homework. Or maybe its just my high school. A teacher you don't like, homework that takes to long, over-protective parents scheduling extra conferences, or parents who don't attend conferences at all. Well, one fourteen year old Vietnamese girl named Dao Ngoc Phung has a very strong dedication to her school work. One that our country sometimes lacks. This article from The New York Times by Nicholas D. Kristof tells of the perseverance and love of education as Dao fills the mother role to her two younger siblings, takes care of a household, and works hard at her schoolwork. Her day begins at three in the morning and ends sometimes as late as eleven at night. For only a fourteen year old, that is absolutely incredible. Her love for school consumes her when she is not preparing a meal or performing a chore and that strong willed attitude in such a poor family will take her so far. After reading this article, I admire Dao so much for her optimistic attitude on life and how she uses that in her education.  Nicholas D. Kristof uses a variety of rhetorical techniques in this pathos article. To begin with, there is already the emotional appeal when he writes about the loss of Dao's mother to cancer. His diction just overall speaks the truth behind the story and audiences can sometimes really love to read these true, heartbreaking stories and how the people they are about have such strength. Kristof's overall approach to writing the article, in the sense of a daily schedule for Dao was very effective. It described all the aspects of how she went about her day. He also explains the culture in Vietnam and the values of Confucianism to help inform the audience of Dao's culture. Kristof quotes Dao and her father about their approach to education, which proves effective. He also includes some statistics that bring in the United States. One statistic is that the United States is 23 out 27 in high school graduation rates. One quote that shows Kristof's opinion is, "I wish we Americans, especially our politicians, could learn from Phung that our long-term strength will depend less on our aircraft carriers than on the robustness of our kindergartens, less on financing spy satellites than on financing Pell grants," (Kristof). Nicholas D. Kristof writes an emotional article about how high the value of education should be in "Girls Just Want to Go to School." Source: Kristof, Nicholas D. . "Girls Just Want to Go to School." The New York Times10 Nov. 2011, sec. Opinion: n. pag.The New York Times. Web. 10 Nov. 2011.