Post #2: Analysis of Technique

Hey Readers!

As we are back with another blog post and progressing in the book, I thought that now would be a great time to review and analyze the author’s unique writing style. When I continued to read more into Pushout, I began to see similar patterns that kept occurring throughout the chapters. In this overview I will be discussing my thoughts on the author’s rhetoric and utilization of various techniques, and ultimately, their effectiveness.

The first thing one notices when they open up Pushout, is that it is not a story book of one individual. It is a combination of short but important interview qoutes extracted from multiple black girl’s experiences across the US. That, intertwined with the author’s individual opinions on her chosen topics. Pushout explores various topics from chapter to chapter, however the first topic the reader will be introduced to focuses on black stigma and stereotypes in and outside of the classroom. With more pressing topics such as these, we see much more of the author’s signature bold, blunt writing style. This technique primarily presents itself in the opening and ending lines of each paragraph, a stylistic choice that gives the text a sense of urgency. Some examples of these strong, unfiltered statements include: “Black girls in classrooms across the country have been granted permission to fail by the implicit biases of teachers.” (50)  “In (Faith’s) eyes - and her words - was a rejection of the patriarchy and the idea that she was inferior just because she had been born a black girl.” (52) “I noticed posters in the classroom [...] a photo of president Obama [...] The Obama’s smiles felt inappropriate in an institution that provided so little response to girls with such significant needs.” (53) These quotes all have one thing in common, they are all extremely blunt. Morris does beat around any bushes and does not care who is reading.

,

What's wrong is wrong.

. This bluntness is what makes Morris’ language and approach to rhetoric one that is perfect for this topic.

Furthermore, in the chapters i've read so far, I was impressed by the author’s physical structure of words on the page. The phrasing of the passages neatly breaks up different ideas. Morris also frequently plays with the different usage of tones. In the first chapter, Morris’ tone was more bold and alert, however as the section progressed the tone mellowed out into a more reflective state. An example of this is when Morris stated, “people who have been harmed are the ones who harm others.” (85) This reflective and sentimental tone then becomes more academic, shortly after the author states “In my conversations with black girls and young women across the country, it became clear black girls interpreted their attitude not as a stagnant expression of anger [...] rather it was a continuum of responses to disrespectful or degrading triggers [...] many of which were present in their learning environments.” (86) I think being able to utilize different tonal colors in your writing shows your readers that you’re versatile. It was nice to see this change in progression from the bold and dramatic statements earlier on. And for the most part I loved the author’s interpretation of both. However there is a difference between being bold and being dramatic. And this is where I felt the author’s stylistic choices interfere with the reader’s understanding of the topic.

Being dramatic at the right points in a book can draw attention from the reader making that passage more memorable.  I have noticed that Morris tends to use many dramaticized expressions as her way of conveying the horrificness of a situation. I also think that when overused, this makes the author’s writing hard to understand sometimes. One example of a dramatization that struck me was “ when teachers feel physically threatened by a six year old or when “bad tantrums” are the cause for handcuffs, there is a larger problem” (64)

While it is completely inappropriate to handcuff a six year old under any circumstance, I do not quite clearly understand the entirety of this statement. The course of disciplinary action described in this quote is unacceptable, that’s very easy to see. But I find it hard to understand that anyone, nevermind an experienced teacher, could feel “physically threatened” by a six year old. They may throw tantrums that are extremely exhausting or act in violent anger, but I can not see any situation in which this is a legitimate fear that an adult could not overpower. Infact, one of the reasons adults take most of the control in a child’s early years, is due to the toddler's helplessness and vulnerability. Many parents at this stage physically will stop their child from doing something dangerous. I am also confused about where this example of “handcuffs” comes from, as there is no specific reference to it earlier in the text. If it is referring the imprisonment they will potentially face later, I feel the author should elaborate more on this. This example as a whole sums up the same problems with other statements similar to it.  

This so far is the only issue I have with the author’s writing style, in whole I love how Morris makes the passages transition smoothly and how it's easy to understand most of the key concerns she wants to raise throughout the book. Personally, I think the author could improve by giving a full scope view on some issues and dramatize less, as it can sometimes be confusing and misleading.