The Negative Side of Affirmative Action :: Essays Papers

The Negative Side of Affirmative Action Affirmative Action†¦Is it positive or negative? â€Å"Remembering the Negative Side of Affirmative Action,† a reflection of the graduate college life and experience of Lisa Chavez, a Mexican American, is a strong article of the negative aspects of affirmative action. Published in the Chronicle of Higher Education in 2002, the article provides a somewhat modern approach or view to the controversial issue. Chavez’s article addresses her own personal experience of teaching a class filled with affirmative actions students, brought in from previous- offender’s programs. She provides details of the situations that she was placed in, and their effect of her teaching at that time and in the future. This article is a valuable example of a negative view on affirmative action. This article is very persuasive thanks in part to all of the direct evidence she provides. Chavez discusses her job offer to teach a college level English class to some immigrant and previous offenders that came from the local jail. I thought that affirmative action would extend a helping hand to those who might otherwise learn about available opportunities†¦I learned however, that affirmative action could be a double-edged sword, even though its intended beneficiaries.(1) This example gives the framework for the argument she is trying to present. The majority of these students were unwilling to learn and resulted in using negative gestures toward Chavez in order to â€Å"strict up a rise† with the other students. They took every chance to embarrass me, and I soon found out that open-ended writing assignments usually turned into fantasies of what they would like to do to me if they could get me alone sometime. (1) Chavez also explains the repercussions that the university was willing to hand down. The university was unwilling to discipline the students; they merely told Chavez to handle the problem herself. This left Chavez with no place to turn and limited ideas. Later Chavez tried to incorporate the student’s ethnic background with the lesson being taught. This leads to Chavez receiving threatening phone calls, and damages to her personal property. This evidence provides a more believable thought for the author’s argument. By using Pathos, or emotions, she appeals to her audience. By looking for sympathy, caused by all the bad events that had taken place, Chavez is able to grab the heartstrings of her audience.