Group Members: Raaed Zaman, Madeha Hussain, & Victor Pena

WRITING SECTION VON UHL

For this assignment, please read, annotate, and engage with your assigned readings (found on the Writing section schedule on BB). Then read the New York Times article, “Stephen Miller’s Dystopian America” 

(https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/28/opinion/stephen-millers-dystopian-america.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage). Finally, define the rhetorical situation by examining the article with your assigned group members and work together to draft well-developed and nuanced arguments (the purpose of the NYT’s article is not to vote for Biden) for the definition of the rhetorical terms in the table below.

Definitions should be five to seven sentences (one paragraph) and be well-structured and grammatically correct; your group should also include evidence and support from the article by citing the article correctly at least two times throughout the worksheet. Here is how: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_in_text_citations_the_basics.html

Genre (by Victor Pena):

Jean Guerrero, the author of the article “Stephen Miller’s Dystopian America”, has undoubtedly conveyed all the messages she was trying to articulate about a controversial topic in our society. Guerrero accomplished this solely because she knew which particular genre she needed to base her writing on, and how to use it effectively. Genre is the accumulation of recognizable and common writing strategies and techniques from various sources. In other words, if an author can respond to a particular situation using a recurring theme from previous responses, then that author is exercising the use of genre in his/her writing. Knowing how to use genre can significantly benefit an author’s writing ability in a rhetorical context, and clearly, Guerrero did nothing but employ this strategy in her article. Throughout the design of her presentation, she announces different claims Stephen Miller was involved in, and she further elucidates these remarks by using potent phases, such as; “…brown and black people will destroy white civilization…” (Guerrero, 2), or “…Mr. Miller seeks to re-engineer immigration into this country to keep brown and Black people out…” (Guerrero, 8), as diction to demonstrate the seriousness of her tone. It is now evident that Guerrero was utilizing an “activist” genre and standpoint, with the sole purpose of spreading awareness to our community, that these powerful statements are inhumane and accusatory towards specific groups of people. Moreover, the genre also describes how an author can form an appropriate response based on the location and audience the writer wants. An “activist” genre targets all types of people, no matter what race, age, and gender you classify as everyone is affected by said injustice. Guerrero exploited this fact efficiently, as she coherently gave examples, such as shootings that only targeted Hispanics and promoted falsified crime statistics in minority groups, to create affinity and sympathy towards these people to endorse apprehension and eventually action. In the end, Jean Guerrero, the author of the article “Stephen Miller’s Dystopian America”, has successfully implemented all the messages she wanted to depict, by using the writing strategy genre.

Purpose (by Raaed Zaman):

An author is always going to have a reason in which he/she decided to write a text along with the intended audience. The purpose is defined as the author’s intent for writing a certain text. Jean Guerrero exemplifies this clearly by writing “Stephen Miller’s Dystopian America” in which she had a set mind that she wanted to write this text to inform the readers on what is going on in the world today when it comes down to politics. She not only wanted to inform the readers but also persuade them on certain news that should be brought upon. She is strictly trying to bring upon the issue of white supremacy along with racism in the world today. Jean Guerrero is seen to be a very passionate person when it comes down to politics based on her word choices and the format of her writing. As seen throughout the text she is providing her audience with factual evidence that is going on in the world today but she uses the evidence that is going to help her prove her point to be correct. Her goal is to convince the readers to see things from her point of view. She brings up certain situations that show how certain races are getting mistreated while whites don’t have to deal with this problem. “ … and depicts the destruction of the white world by brown refugees described as “monsters”, ” beasts” and “toiling ants teeming for the white man’s comfort” (Jean Guerrero. “Stephen Miller’s Dystopian America.”nytimes.com, 2). This strategy will help the readers be persuaded into realizing that these problems are serious and that racism is something that has to be put to a stop. She brings up the issue that people of color as depicted as monsters and other disgusting words when they are humans as well and deserve the same respect. “This obsession with the supposed dangers of people of color, particularly immigrants or left-wing extremists, ignores reality. Right-wing extremists have committed the most terrorist attacks in the United States since the 1990s” (Jean Guerrero. “Stephen Miller’s Dystopian America.”nytimes.com, 9). Jean Guerrero also brings up the fact that people are ignorant and don’t realize that most terrorist attacks aren’t caused by the people of color but instead of the right-wing extremists that mistreat other races. She is trying to bring up the importance of these issues to her audience to get for getting them to realize that change has to happen. 

Tone (by Raaed Zaman):

Tone refers to a particular method used in which a publication speaks to its audience. The reader’s understanding of tone is vital as it contributes to the author’s purpose in writing their work. Jean Guerrero implements a formal tone by writing from a political standpoint. Critic Guerrero expresses how she feels towards Stephen Miller and his actions, “These alliances are a real-life manifestation of the mob of Mr. Miller’s nightmares. But that “mob” will not destroy America, as he imagines. It will destroy the white supremacist fantasy he and so many others live inside” (Jean Guerrero. “Stephen Miller’s Dystopian America.”nytimes.com). Throughout her writing, a formal tone is conveyed through her use of diction. She uses powerful words such as “manifestation” and “fantasy” to depict how serious she feels about the topic of racism and white supremacy. Jean Guerrero also uses this tone to help educate her audience.

Audience (by Madeha Hussain):

The audience is a key element to any rhetorical situation. It refers to the listeners at a speech or the readers of any literary work. It’s vital to understand who you’re reaching out to and how you get the audience to register that message. In Stephen Miller’s Dystopian America, Jean Guerrero’s message is intended for the general public particularly the citizens of the United States. The political party that would further agree with her stance is democratic due to her opposition to the Republican Party. She informs the audience of Stephen Miller’s doings in a comprehensible manner. When incorporating an audience into a rhetorical situation the evidence provided is essential as well as how you implement these details. Guerrero uses current events that can relate to her readers for them to better understand what her claims are. “Last August, a gunman drove to a Walmart in El Paso, targeting Hispanics in a massacre that left 23 people dead.”(Guerrero 11). These are formidable circumstances that listeners and readers are aware of and understand the impact it had. Guerrero is aware of her intended audience and what they agree with so her informing them of Stephen Miller’s effects in America can have readers further decipher his actions. As Jean Guerrero understands who her intended audience is this will also act as a guide to achieve her purpose in writing. 

Design/Media (by Victor Pena):
The design and media an author decides to use, coincide with what the writer’s purpose and audience are. For the intention of Guerrero’s message, she decided to publish her resounding article on The New York Times website classified as an “opinion”. That being said, she knew that New York City has more of a democratic political affiliation, so posting her literary work on one of the influential journalist companies in all of New York City, gives Guerrero the leverage she needed for her message and information to be heard. Moreover, the controversial topic of Guerrero is trying to convey is one with political and social attributes. She knew about the logistics and affiliations that Trump’s administration has with “racism” and “white supremacy”, and she’s also aware of the unreasonable justifications Mr. Miller is trying to make, such as; Miller’s promotion of the “…racist-dystopian novel The Camp of the Saints…” (Guerrero, 2) and “cancel culture” since “…Democrats as elites seeking to ‘decimate’ America through immigration” (Guerrero, 6). New York City is the most diversified region in the entire country, nearly a quarter of New York residents are immigrants, while almost one-fifth of residents are native-born U.S. citizens with at least one immigrant parent. These people who are devoting themselves to working long hours, learning how to speak English, engaging in their respective communities, following the rules and regulations of our government, contributing to the economy, respecting the American culture, and living a life with freedom and prosperity on a country known to be “the land of opportunities”, gets labeled and judged harshly by these politically-induced individuals, in their own undignified and unreasonable affiliated claims. Consequently, Guerrero’s decision to issue her potent statements on The New York Times website did nothing but benefit the purpose of her literary work, and that is to entice activism and amendments against these inhumane and obsessive individuals, by making these people, who are being labeled and mistreated, aware of the political situation.