Analyzing Message in "Arne Duncan blasts House effort to revise No Child Left Behind"

In the following blog post, I will be answering several questions both regarding thoughts from A Students Guide and the insight they provided toward my the purpose of my article.

Of the bullets provided in the Message and Purpose section, which are the most relevant to my text? Why?

             Respond to a particular event or occasion- My text is a response and description of Arne Duncan's press address regarding education inequality, so it is clearly responding to a particular event.

             Reflect on a topic- The text itself only presents a majority of Duncan's argument and reflects on what he is saying, rather than making its own claims. The author provides some insight and specifics on the topic of education inequality.

             Advocate for change- Though the article is quoting Duncan, who is advocating for change, the author is also an apparent liberal and, through their elaborations, is also evidently advocating for change in the education system.

Which bullets are not relevant to my text?

            Move the readers to feel a certain way- While this is an article which presents an argument, it does not try to influence the readers emotions in any particular way. There is no prominent use of ethos or pathos to invoke an emotional response in the reader.

             Analyze, synthesize, or interpret- The article does analyze the situation and problem of education inequality, however, it does not predominantly synthesize nor interpret the information. Seeing that it is referring to a very specific speech, it does not have the chance to do much interpretation of its own.

Are there nuances or layers to the message the speakers are trying to get across? If so, what are they? If not, why?

               There are two layers to the message of the article; the message of Duncan and the message of the author. While the author does elaborate more on Duncan's message that there is financial inequality and that it needs to change, they take it further into interpreting the specifics of the argument itself, as well as Duncan's standpoint itself. The specific data the author provides and the political events she references lead into her message that the situation is indisputable and needs to change. These messages are not distinctly different and have heavy overlap, but, nevertheless, are layers of the text's message as a whole.

Johnson, Nick. "Porpoise P6281620r3" 6/28/08 via Flickr.com

Note: this image is a pun