Rhetorical Analysis Of Almost Every Child By Holt

Bradley Curtis English 101 4/10/24

Holt begins his essay with the powerful statement: "Almost every child, on the first day he sets foot in a school building, is smarter, more curious, less afraid of what he doesn’t know, better at finding and figuring things out, and more confident, resourceful, persistent, and independent than he will ever be again in his schooling." The tone for the remainder of the essay is established by this thought-provoking statement, which grabs the reader's attention right away. Anecdotes are a clever tool that Holt uses to make his points. He creates a striking image of the enthusiastic, inquisitive child who first arrives at school and contrasts it with the progressive loss of self-assurance and independence that

The impact of the essay is greatly enhanced by Holt's word choice. "Dull and ugly places, where nobody ever says anything very truthful," is how he describes schools. The negative implications arouse feelings of disappointment and imprisonment. Additionally, Holt takes issue with the directive nature of schooling, where students are instructed on what to read and how to read it. He bemoans, "If we don't make you read, you won't, and if you don't follow our instructions exactly, you can't." His argument is strengthened and readers' emotions are piqued by the use of direct quotes from educators. Holt casts doubt on the core tenets of the educational system, thereby challenging its authority. He contends that it is "crazy" to take kids out of the real world and put them in traditional classroom settings. His use of logic and common sense challenges readers to consider the value of education critically. But occasionally, Holt makes use of logical fallacies that undermine his case, like generalizations and "either-or" thinking. For example, he says that because schools discourage independent inquiry,