What kinds of jobs would you describe as enviable? Is teaching assistant on your list? Probably not. In the Mississippi Delta communities around Greenville, however, the position of teaching assistant ranks quite high. Miriam Hall, education fellow at Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism, explains why in this January 2016 article in Slate.
Read it here: Hall, “In this impoverished Mississippi community, teacher assistant is a coveted job. It pays $9 an hour”
- In order to make a larger point, Hall focuses on the lives of teaching assistants in the Delta region of Mississippi. Is her principal argument about that region? About education in general? Both? Neither? Summarize Hall’s main argument and comment on how well her profiles of teaching assistants in the Delta support that argument.
- Hall provides figures for average incomes at the local, state, and national levels, as well as average incomes for teaching assistants in Mississippi, two other states, and nationally. How useful are these figures for her argument? Why? Might her argument have been stronger if she had included more information, such as cost of living figures? Why or why not?
- Hall gives flavor to her account with descriptive words and phrases such as “elusive destination” and “family-friendly calendar.” Some of the descriptive words, however, may be more intended to elicit specific emotional responses in her readers; for example, she mentions that the high stature of a low paying job in the Delta “speaks depressingly” of the rural economy. Examine the descriptive language in Hall’s essay and point out examples of emotional prompts. Is such emotional manipulation of the audience an effective strategy in this essay? Why or why not?
- Read (or re-read) Charles Murray’s essay in Chapter 16 of your text. Although his larger argument is more complex, one point he makes quite overtly is that a 4-year college degree is simply not for everyone. How might Murray respond to the situation that Hall describes? What might he say? Point to specific passages from both essays to support your conclusion.
- Hall’s article has attracted many reader comments. Read the first twenty to twenty-five comments and select two to respond to: one with which you basically agree, and one with which you disagree. Write an essay that gives a careful and thorough response to each, using the comments and Hall’s article as your They Say. (Remember to mention in your essay which comments you are responding to.)
They Say I Blog 
Halls main argument is about how economic opportunities in rural parts of the country, like the Mississippi Delta, are extremely difficult to achieve, especially if your a woman and/or person of colo. She compares statistics from the rest of the country to Greenville, Mississippi to show how behind the Mississippi Delta is compared to the bigger cities and what needs to be done. Descriptive words are incredibly necessary for the article, to give an emotional response.
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