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Margaret Barrs Idea Of Best In Class

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Margaret Talbot’s “Best in Class” is an enticing and informational article about the argument on whether or not Valedictorians are a good thing. Having one valedictorian has been a tradition in schools for many, many years; however, as times change, students are becoming more invested and determined in school, so many kids are missing being valedictorian by 0.001%. Therefore, Talbot brings to light both sides of the story in this extraordinary article. Although Margaret seems to not choose a side, it is obvious through her strong diction and testimonies that she believes that appointing a single valedictorian is an unfair custom throughout U.S. schools. In “Best in Class,” the author, Margaret Talbot, appeals to people’s emotions because of …show more content…

Talbot’s use of testimony helps her pathos throughout her article. For example, Talbot uses Kylie Barker’s story of striving to be valedictorian as a testimony. Kylie Barker strived for being valedictorian for “pretty much forever” and she believed valedictorian was something “you worked really hard for.” Talbot brings to light the stressful and hostile battle for being valedictorian; she even talks about how Barker’s school called her mother to tell her that “[Kylie Barker is] in a pressure cooker [at the school], and she’s about to burst.” In the end, Kylie and her opponent decided that they would be co-valedictorians. Even though there were two co-valedictorians, many people were still upset because they weren’t getting acknowledgement. If valedictorians didn’t exist, if everyone who worked hard was recognized in some way, if there wasn’t so much pressure on a student to be the best, students would be happier and feel more accomplished when they graduate. Talbot is trying to get the reader to sympathize with the fact that it would be unfair if only one person got rewarded for their hard work. Working hard with no reward is a horrible thing, and Talbot is able to make a connection with the reader because, although some readers may not have experienced this kind of rewardless work, readers can understand what that must feel

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