Lost In America Rhetorical Analysis

Is the American educational system preparing students to deal with the problems in an increasingly interconnected world? Douglass McGray, editor and contributing author for Foreign Policy Magazine, dove head first into this topic. His article “Lost in America”, published in 2009 in Foreign Policy Magazine, dwells on the idea that American students are not being taught the proper lessons to be able to lead future global markets. This piece was aimed at the creators of each state’s curriculum (the educational legislators) to try to persuade them to fill the gaps in America’s educational system. McGray uses statistics and export opinions to appeal to the logical minds of every board of education in America. The nature of McGray’s job, his impressive

The credibility of this author or his sources is not to be questioned. However, his use of anecdotes brings out a human side to this paper. The reader suddenly feels a connection to whichever character McGray puts in his article. This appeals to his reader’s emotions and factual evidence to back it up strengthens his argument. Douglas McGray uses anecdotes, statistics, and expert opinions to influence school boards to curve the teachings to fit a more globally focused world.

McGray’s article holds a tone of concerned professionalism dotted with hints of humor that helps bring a human side to key points being argued. This use of anecdotes is a key factor in the way he connects to his readers’ emotions. The humorous tone of this article is essential to how McGray compels his audience to rethink the current educational system. By elaborating anecdotes that display just how inept the average high school student can be while trying to understand foreign affairs, “Lost in America” demonstrates this issue in a way that compels a persuasive argument. McGray uses anecdotes that provide a colorful background to the copious statistics in his article. A character in an after school program that

McGray establishes his own credibility by showing that other educated logical people are stating evidence and giving their honest opinion on the subject. People tend to take the opinions of educated or experienced professionals seriously, especially when accredited authors respect the expert’s opinion. McGray utilizes the opinion of the social studies content specialist of the San Francisco United School District, Peter Hammer, to demonstrate that it’s “mostly individuals who, because of their personal experiences, value international education”(McGray 356). This shows the school board directors that it is up to them to hire teachers that are willing to adapt to a globally minded curriculum. While statistics and expert opinions may seem similar in their goal to convey a feeling of credibility, expert opinions go deeper to appeal to the reader’s judgment of character and experience of the source of the information. Some readers need understand someone else’s opinion on a subject before they would feel comfortable forming their own opinion. McGray expresses the difficulty of creating a system for a globally minded education by expressing the opinion of principal Yvonne Chan that there is “…no curriculum out there… There is no model”(McGray 357). The audience’s reasoning understands that a principal is a person with many years of education experience; so this