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Jacob Sheridan

Dr. Ann Brown

Eng 211

21 October 2018

Agency in America

In the two articles “If I Were a Poor Black Kid” by Gene Marks and “If I Were a Wealthy

White Suburbanite” by DNLee, they discuss both sides of the argument concerning the ability

for inner city black kids to gain access to the middle class. Marks provides several solutions on

how they can gain access and Lee rebuts Marks’s argument. Contrary to Lee’s opinion,

individuals can find and take full advantage of agency in their own lives in America if they take

advantage of the resources available to them and the people in their communities.

Lee’s rebuttal of Marks’ argument is based on the fact that his article isn’t useful to inner-

city black kids, rather than discrediting the actual points that Marks makes. One of the main

points she uses to support this is that he published this article in Forbes, which is a magazine

focused on business news and financial information, which is a magazine that the majority of

poor children don’t’ read. This is a valid point, but it doesn’t discredit the content of Marks’

argument, his points are still valid and his argument is still truthful, he just didn’t publish his

article in the best way for it to be useful to the concerned audience.

Marks' first point that he makes is that “if [he] was (sic) a poor black kid I would first and

most importantly work to make sure I got the best grades possible. (Marks pg. 259)” This is one

of the core issues concerning the access to the middle class for those below the poverty line.
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Education is one of the best ways to move up in the economy because with education comes

higher paying jobs. If the students were to focus on acquiring a good education, it would be

significantly easier for them to move up on the socioeconomic ladder. Lee’s rebuttal to this point

is that the inner city black kids are already being told that education is important by everyone

around them, which may be true, but that doesn’t invalidate Marks' argument.

Marks’ second point is that “[he] would use the technology available to [him] as a student

(Marks pg. 259).” This is another true fact concerning their ability to gain an education and move

up on the socioeconomic ladder. Technology is one of the best resources available to people

when they are acquiring an education. The plethora of resources available for free online are

fairly easy to find and take advantage of, and since computers are so common nowadays, it is

really easy to use that resource. Marks mentions several online resources such as Google

Scholar, Sparknotes, and more as some of the online resources available to kids on the internet

that they could use to help with their studies in school. Technology is one of the best resources

available for education in the modern era, but if one doesn’t take advantage of it, then they won’t

be able to reap the benefits that using online resources would provide.

Children in the inner city also have access to a lot of people who could help them achieve

what they want for their education. Their counselors and teachers at school, as well as the

librarian at the local public library, could all help them achieve academic success. One of the

most important people in their education is their parents because the parents have the best ability

to drive their children to want academic success. The teachers, counselors, and librarians are

only there to help the kids achieve success. All it takes to achieve academic success in a modern

setting is to put in the work.

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In conclusion, the resources available to the inner city children for education are

available, and while the road to the middle class isn’t easy, if one puts the effort into their

education, they can move up on the socioeconomic ladder.

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Works Cited

DNLee. “If I Were a Wealthy White Suburbanite.” Poverty/Privilege: A Reader for Writers,

edited by Connie Snyder Mick, Oxford University Press, 2015, pp. 262-266.

Marks, Gene. “If I Were a Poor Black Kid.” Poverty/Privilege: A Reader for Writers, edited by

Connie Snyder Mick, Oxford University Press, 2015, pp. 258-261.