The Seat Pleasant 59: Part Two

After reading the first article by Paul Schwartzman about the 59 fifth graders from Seat Pleasant Elementary, I couldn't resist. I had to keep reading. Schwartzman has me hooked on this story of a philanthropic movement to help kids from a community achieve the unexpected. This part two of the story's trilogy focuses on the fifth graders as they moved through middle school, who made it through high school, and those who achieved the original goal of graduating college. I enjoyed reading about Darone Robinson, who was definitely Schwartzman's main focus of this article and how he had to move on from the death of his cousin, struggle to overcome problems in high school, fights, make it to college, and then walk across the stage with a diploma. After reading through a couple of the student's stories, I see how college is not always the dream for every kid in America, whether there is too much violence or not enough money. I can definitely say I have taken my plans to go to college for granted because I am very lucky that I will have the opportunity to attend a university and further my education. Not going to college was something I couldn't really understand, but Schwartzman helped me see the other side.

Once again Schwartzman's main appeal is pathos with his audience. The audience can't resist reading about this opportunity these kids were given and want to know the outcome. We root for them, and want them to overcome all odds. The emotional tone keeps the audience intrigued, however once again, Schwartzman throws around a couple of the kids names without giving a description that can help the audience remember which student is which and what Schwartzman has previously wrote about them. I guess this calls for efferent reading and multiple read throughs. The author's honesty is another technique that appeals to the audience. For example, Schwartzman writes, "it was clear that not everyone was going to make it to college" (Schwartzman 2). Some authors could've tried to butter up the situation and make it seem like all of the students' success came from this investment in their college education. But, not Schwartzman. He makes it clear to the audience the truth of what happened to the 59 fifth graders, even if they did not make it to college.

Source: Schwartzman, Paul . "The Reality: Daunting difficulties for the children promised college scholarships." The New York Times 17 Dec. 2011, sec. Local: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 21 Dec. 2011. 

The Seat Pleasant 59 Dreamers

Ever read a book or an article where afterwards you just think, "Someone did the right thing"?  Well, this article was definitely one of them. Back in 1988, Abe Pollin and Melvin Cohen were two very wealthy businessmen that established a $325,000 fund for 59 fifth graders to go to college. They wanted to help in this philanthropic movement to help these kids have a chance to go to college. The money was the equivalent of an in-state tuition to University of Maryland. Seat Pleasant Elementary was chosen by the Prince George's superintendent because they were "in dire need of help," (Schwartzman). The stories of some of the Seat Pleasant students described how there parents had the ambitions of their children going to college, but weren't sure how they were going to pay for it. I believe that the opportunity Pollin and Cohen gave to the fifth graders at Seat Pleasant was a really wonderful thing to do because they had the money to accomplish it and they found the means to.

The pathos appeal is Paul Schwartzman's strongest technique in his Washington Post article "The Promise: Two wealthy men set out to transform the lives of 59 fifth graders". The philanthropic action that Pollin and Cohen took to help those students of Seat Pleasant Elementary is a story that just warms any audience's hearts as they root for the best outcome of these students. That technique alone is Schwartzman's strongest aspect of the article. The diction is hopeful for success, however there are a lot of names used that can be mixed together by the audience. Schwartzman could have used some more description when he writes of each of the students and their parents. After reading the first article in the series of the Seat Pleasant 59, I look forward to continue reading about their journey of a free college tuition.

Source: Schwartzman, Paul. "The Promise: Two wealthy men set out to transform the lives of 59 fifth graders." The Washington Post 17 Dec. 2011, sec. Local: n. pag. The Washington Post. Web. 18 Dec. 2011.