First Draft 1

Courtney Roome

Academic Writing

Rhetorical Analysis

“Undocumented and Unafraid”

Jessica Perez, the author of the Ithacan article on December 8^th 2010, “Act would give education to undocumented youths,” wrote about an Act called the DREAM act (The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act) and how in many ways it would be very beneficial towards America today.  This act would allow undocumented youths to be able to obtain a conditional permanent residency, which only lasts for 6 years, by either attending college or serving in the military.  Perez uses in this article logos and ethos to support her claim and enable political leaders as well as the public to understand how beneficial the DREAM Act could be in effect.

A strong claim that Perez states is, “It is dangerous and irresponsible for such political leaders to ignore the advantages of our collective future because of restrictive thinking” (par. 3).  Perez discusses the issue of people in the Senate refusing to pass or even look at the act, one reason being the need for a better and stronger security system at the boarder.  Political leaders should not overlook an Act that can strengthen the economy as well as give undocumented youths a more fulfilling life and the opportunity to succeed.  One reason it is irresponsible to ignore the advantages of our future is because, “Congressional Budget Office recently released a series of economic estimates which shows that the DREAM Act would strengthen the U.S economy” (par. 3).  The facts stated that would strengthen our U.S economy are that, “Enacting the bill would reduce deficits by about $1.4 billion over the 2011-2020 period.  Another study by the UCLA North American Integration and Development Center, estimates that the total earnings from the beneficiaries of the DREAM Act would be anything between $1.4 trillion and $3.6 trillion” (par. 3).  I think that Perez used good supporting facts for her claim as well as uses logos to introduce these facts and numbers.  Having no previous knowledge of the DREAM Act, I think Perez could have introduced the Act more thoroughly as well as talked more about the earnings and benefits of this Act for the future.  I am also curious about how and why deficits would be reduced billions of dollars over the next decade and how the U.S economy would change if this Act were to be passed and effective. 

Perez also discusses how the effort to pass the DREAM Act is still an on-going battle.  She states that there are many efforts including hunger strikes, marches, and civil disobedience demonstrations that are being planned and implemented by undocumented youths.  Perez uses ethos in this paragraph to get across the vigorous and continuous efforts of undocumented youths fighting for certain rights.  This effort put forth by undocumented youths is also very dangerous because they put themselves at risk of deportation by exposing the fact that they are illegal immigrants.  Perez states, ‘They chant “undocumented and unafraid,” and they continue to fight for their dreams and the dreams of the 2.1 million youths who live in uncertainty’ (par. 4).  These statements explain a portion of what undocumented youths go through in their lives and the struggles they go through to achieve their goals and desires. 

It is uncertain and unclear what the occasion is in this article, besides raising awareness of the Act, Perez states in the second paragraph, “A vote is expected for the DREAM Act in both the House of Representatives and in the Senate this week.”  This statement is very vague and does not provide the reader with enough information about the “expected vote” and how it would affect the Act. 

            In this article, Perez uses good evidence to support her claim that this should not be something that is put on the back burner but should be discussed and worked on.  This article also provides a good amount of information about the effort undocumented youths are putting forth, and estimates on potential money saved and gained.  I think that there also could be more information on the DREAM Act and where it stands today, and how the public can help, not just scold politicians for what they are doing wrong.