Margaret A. Miller's The Privileges Of The Parents

The idea that education is something that is to be sought after and beneficial to its recipients is universally known. What happens, however, when only a portion of the population has access to a higher level of learning after high-school? That is the question Margaret A. Miller proposes in her essay “The Privileges of the Parents” which was published in the 2008 issue of Change. There is a myriad of reasons why certain people cannot succeed in higher fields of learning- reasons that are exclusive to each individual, but the main culprit is lack of educated parents which is a precursor to uneducated children. It is a cycle that is ever present in our culture. With the use of the rhetorical triangle, an emphasis on pathos and logos, and various other helpful devices Miller produces a compelling essay. …show more content…
Miller’s essay is divided into two distinct parts - what the problem is and how to solve it. Although the bulk of the essay is on the problem aspect it still deems successful. Delving into Miller’s thoughts is refreshing because of the amount of passion she has about the topic as well as an abundance of factual evidence. Her claims are not whisked out of thin air but are backed up through charts, surveys, and data collection. Her primary strategy tactics come from the implementation of pathos and logos and that is where the essay will focus on from here.
The sympathy Miller has for the young people of America is moving and effective pathos. Especially her personal story of her daughter-in-law’s friend who desperately wants to provide her son with a brighter future than hers academically with college as an option. The problem here is that since the friend has no structured education she cannot help her son as well as say, Miller’s