Leonard Pitts Argument Essay

Some may dream to have high school English classes write about their work, but for Leonard Pitts Jr. it is a reality. After recently reading three of Pitts’s articles it has been made apparent that he is a great writer in more than one way. Pitts uses many effective strategies in his articles: “Don’t lower the bar on education standards”, “Torture might work, but that’s not the issue”, and “The poor of Flint were left under the cover of darkness”. In “Don’t lower the bar on education standards”, Pitts analyzes the problems with schools lowering the bar for minorities. Pitts argues whether torture is morally ethical in, “Torture might work, but that’s not the issue.” Lastly, Pitts addresses how the inhabitants of Flint were treated terribly by city officials, politicians, and the media in, “The poor of Flint were left under the cover of darkness.” Four styles Pitts uses frequently throughout his three articles are pathos, colloquial tone, analogies, and powerful statements. To start, Pitts uses pathos throughout all three articles. In “Don’t …show more content…
In, “Don’t lower the bar on education standards” he uses the phrase, “So I’m in college right?” This makes the audience notice how informal Pitts is with his writing. In, “Don’t lower the bar on education standards” it shows the audience that he can connect with what is occurring. Another example is, “Beg pardon, but we have been asking the wrong question.” This quote was taken from the article, “Torture might work, but that’s not the issue”. Pitts addresses the audience directly, thus hoping to keep them interested in his article. Lastly, Pitts says, “And it’s not until today that yours truly is writing about it.” Pitts includes the quote to keep the audience engaged when reading. It adds to the point of the article, which is the media waited too long to release the story. Pitts uses colloquial tones in his articles, which helps him develop his