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Jessica Bui

Dr. Cruz Medina

English 1A

3 October 2023

Rhetorical Analysis Draft 2

Whether you're a first generation college student navigating the foreign world of higher

education without the assistance of family members who have already been through it, or a first

generation in general, it’s not easy navigating a world your parents are unfamiliar with. It's a

journey that includes not only academic achievement but also a variety of life decisions, such as

selecting a career and adapting into a new culture. I myself have felt this way especially during

the time when I was deciding on my academic and professional future. I had no one to turn to for

guidance except my mom’s limited experience when she went to community college a few years

back. The author of My Time Among the Whites, Jennine Capó Crucet offers insightful

information on the difficulties of being a first-generation student and professional. Crucet utilizes

pathos and making logical connections to identify with first generation students and a lack of

diversity.

Firstly, the author, Jennine Capó Crucet appeals to pathos that brings an emotion of

anguish and frustration when bringing up the American Dream. She says,“But I’ve come to see

the American Dream for what it really is: a lie my parents had little choice but to buy into and

sell to me, a lie that conflated working hard with passing for, becoming, and being white.”

(Crucet 21) Regardless of their backgrounds, readers can relate to experiences in their life where

they had to face painful facts or realized that what they had previously considered to be true was

actually a "lie." Due to this emotional connection, Crucet's message is able to cross cultural and
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social barriers and resonate with a broad audience of readers who have gone through their own

periods of disappointment and personal growth.

Furthermore, Crucet demonstrates her everlasting faith in the value of hard work as a

path to achievement while allowing readers to feel sympathetic towards her. She says, "You can

accomplish anything if you work hard enough for it. All you have to do is work hard. My parents

really believed this, and I believed it long enough to get me to college" (p.28). It emphasizes the

hopeful and emotionally driven idea that hard work can lead to achievement. Readers who have

their own goals and aspirations may find this to be motivating and inspiring. The phrase gains a

personal feel when it is mentioned that the speaker's parents valued effort. Many people may find

this to be emotionally resonant because it indicates a feeling of familial values and history. The

emotional impact is also heightened by readers' memories of their own family's morals and

experiences. The concept of putting out a lot of effort to achieve something can be related to by

readers, which might inspire empathy.

Moreover, in the chapter "Say I Do," Crucet uses pathos to eloquently convey the

emotional impact of her limited exposure to white American weddings. She also reveals how her

perception of a wedding DJ was influenced by a humorous depiction in popular media,

particularly through Adam Sandler's character in "The Wedding Singer." She mentions,“I’d been

to only two white American weddings in my life by that point, and my concept of this DJ type

was largely conflated with my memory of Adam Sandler’s character in The Wedding Singer...”

(Crucet, 74). Crucet's experience of clashing cultures at white American weddings is highlighted

in the quote. For first-generation students from diverse cultural backgrounds, the feeling of not

completely understanding or relating to specific cultural practices or expectations can be a

typical experience. Many first-generation students may be able to relate to the experience of
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navigating unfamiliar cultural situations, such as weddings where they may not have previous

experience or understanding. However, The ideological conflict that Crucet encountered may not

be fully recognized or understood by some readers from dominant cultural backgrounds. Since

they belong to the cultural majority, they might not understand what it's like to feel isolated at

events like white American weddings. Additionally, The author must have learned her Caucasian

knowledge through Western media, hence mentioning Adam Sandler. By referencing Adam

Sandler in this quote, she is using logos to tell the readers how this establishes a logical

connection between the author's idea of a DJ and a well-known cultural reference. By providing

a specific and well-known example from American culture, such as Adam Sandler's character,

the author establishes this logical connection and makes it simpler for readers to understand and

connect to the author's point.

Lastly, Crucet explores her experiences as a professor of color in majority white schools

in the chapter "Imagine Me Here, Or How I Became a Professor," using pathos to effectively

address the emotional problems that women and students of color face. She states, “When I

speak at other predominantly white campuses, I've reminded the students of color and the women

about this fact: This place never imagined you here, and your exclusion was a fundamental

premise in its initial design,” (Crucet, 174). This statement makes significant use of pathos. By

addressing "students of color and the women," the author specifically refers to the feelings and

hardships of these underrepresented groups. In a setting that has historically neither anticipated

or welcomed them, she acknowledges the emotional weight of their presence. With her audience,

she can inspire empathy and a sense of shared hardship by recognizing their struggles. Many

first-generation students may have experienced feeling excluded or "out of place" in mostly

white educational settings, similar to students of color and women. The quote refers to the
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psychological challenges that female and students of color encounter when navigating

predominantly white schools. First-generation college students understand the psychological

burden of feeling like they don't quite fit in or aren't taken seriously by the institution. For

first-generation students, seeing a professor acknowledge the difficulties and obstacles

experienced by people of color can feel encouraging. They may feel seen and heard, which might

strengthen their perception that their experiences are real and shared by others.

In conclusion, as a first-generation student, navigating the difficulties of higher education

can be a difficult path. You may not have family support and may be in a foreign environment.

Academic success, job decisions, and cultural acculturation are all parts of this path. Jennine

Capó Crucet, the author of My Time Among the Whites, offers helpful insights on the difficulties

of being a first-generation student and professional. In order to engage with first-generation

students and emphasize concerns of diversity and inclusion, Crucet uses pathos and logical

connections in an effective way.

Works Cited:

Crucet, Jennine Capó. My Time Among the Whites: Notes from an Unfinished Education.

Picador, 2019.