“Waking Up and Taking Charge,” by Anya Kamenetz is about college students needing to stand up for themselves by forming Political Action Committees and making a difference by getting the cost of schooling down. Kamenetz shows how college students are being taken advantage of because most don’t know what they’re getting themselves into. She takes note that most young adults today don’t know the dangers of debt when it comes to school or even opening a credit card or signing a loan. Kamenetz is trying to shine a light on this issue by convincing students to rally together and demand a change. I believe that Kamenetz’s essay was convincing enough to make me want to make a change. However, she does not talk about the negative consequences it could have by having s campaign. She definitely got her point across and tugged at everyone by relating to them, but her plan is not all that though out and it may not turn out the way everyone would hope. Change definitely needs to be more student let, but they cannot do it all on their own. They would need some outside sources or even those who work at the college to have their back when trying to make this change.
Kamenetz supports the use of a state political action committee or known as a PAC because she believes that these students formed groups are the key to changing how schools run and the unfair amount that they charge to attend their schools. Kamenetz says, “VA21, the first student-led state PAC, addresses voters between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four on economic issues like tuition, book costs, and education budget cuts.” Kamenetz wants the students and anyone else that reads her argument to understand that when you attend college, they are informing you on these issues, and they are not going to change the way they run things unless students form together to make it happen.
Kamenetz includes stats on how well some PAC’s are doing. She says, “In 2002, students at the public College of William and Mary formed Students PAC to help pass a $900 million state bond issue for higher education. In the summer of 2003, the coalition, now called Virginia21, went statewide. It now boasts over 14,500 members at all fifteen public four-year colleges and universities in the Commonwealth.
Kamenetz understands the demands that colleges and universities hold on their students. She attended a prestige school: Yale university, and they definitely run you down for money. Kamenetz wants students to take control in what they believe in, and if they want a change in how things are run, they need to do it themselves. She has shown us evidence in how forming your own group can be a big impact even if it starts off with just a few students. I truly believe in what Kamenetz is saying, and I think she has support to back herself up, however, if no one stands up for what they want then how are you supposed to get anywhere? It’s hard going to a new school, and to be the one that starts it all, at a place that you are paying a ton of money to, can be scary. It just takes on person to stand up for what they believe.
Kamenetz uses emotional appeal and reason for her rhetorical appeals in this essay. She uses emotional appeal by giving real life examples by showing how students struggle to understand the concept of debt and money. She makes reference that most young adults and teenagers do not understand the dangers of debt and how fast it can accumulate. Most people who acquire debt don’t think about the end factors and think of it as a “later problem.” That’s where people mess up because when debt starts to build up people don’t realize how deep you are in and it makes it a lot harder to get out. Kamenetz also uses reason by saying “If we don’t march for us, who will?” This really puts it into perspective that if we as students want something done FOR US, then we need to make it happen. We are the ones who need to initiate change and work for something that we want. We aren’t going to be handed things as we get older, so we have to start putting in some work if we want to turn things around.
Kamenetz’s argument has convinced me that in order to make a change you need to stand up for yourself, because if you don’t, who will? You are your biggest advocate, and you cannot expect someone to do things for you, so if you want something to be different, you need to demand it. Kamenetz’s essay shows and effective example of the aims of argument because she includes rhetoric appeals like the emotional appeal and reason. She also uses evidence to back her claim up. Kamenetz’s essay helps guide me to use different appeals in my future essays, and making sure I have information to back myself up.
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