As you read the passage below, consider how Paul Bogard uses • evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims. • reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence. • stylistic or persuasive elements, such as w

In the article " Grading Colleges on Access to the American Dream", Leo W. Gerard argues that the cost of attending universities and colleges has increased considerably in recent years and that regulations should be made in order for the applicants to be able to afford the education these schools offer. Gerard effectively supports his argument by presenting statistics, contradicting the past and the present, and making use of vivid language.

Throughout his address, Gerard uses several figures to deliver an appealing argument. " Over the past three decades, the average tuition at a public four-year college increased more than 250 percent ", he states, while " family income rose only 16 percent". By showing these numbers, the author means to demonstrate the reality of the rising cost of higher education in a transparent, measurable way, which surprises the readers as they may not expect the number to be that high. On the other hand, Gerard also states that the debts all these students receive may reach $1 trillion in total . This, according to him, means these students have to experience a "$4 trillion lifetime wealth loss" . As readers reach this point, they were almost shocked by the surprisingly high numbers the author shows. Since these figures are pure data, which are difficult to oppose, using such statistics contributes the author's credibility and makes the readers more likely to believe in his claims. As a result, readers find it impossible not to agree with Gerard that the rising cost of attending universities is overly tremendous.

Gerard's argument is also strengthened by his mentioning how affordable universities were to the earlier generations compared to present days students. He argues that in the 1960s and 1970s, three months of working in a factory or a mill are enough for teens to "buy a year of college", while nowadays, tuition has far excelled wages from such jobs. By referencing to the past, Gerard emphasizes on the excessive changes that have happen to the cost of education universities provide, and at the same time, appeal to the feelings of those in the earlier generations, who are now "parents and grandparents of today’s 18-year-olds ". These people who have lived through the period in which attending universities seems so affordable will find it easy to relate to what Gerard writes, and therefore, more likely to agree with his claims. Together with the figures Gerard displays, this contrast between the past and the present successfully capture Gerard's claim that the tuition has increased far too much.

The final rhetorical technique that Gerard employs to further his argument is his use of vivid linguistic choices. Such phrases as "embarking on a journey", "capture their piece of the American Dream" and " permanently encumbered" act as a tool to draw the readers in the author's view emotionally. Upon noticing these phrases, the audience directly feel a sense of hope in the first two phrases " embarking on a journey" and "capture their piece of the American Dream", and also a sense of disappointment in the last phrase "permanently encumbered"

Responding to the dramatically growing cost of tertiary education in the US, Leo W. Gerard makes an argument this trend should not be continued and that students should receive such educational opportunities without concerning about their financial aspects of . By utilizing techniques of presenting figures, displaying the contrast between the past and present, and making use of appealing language, Gerard persuades the audience of his claim