Close Reading 12/8

For deteriorating Trenton Central High school conditions, seeing is believing

Found at: http://www.nj.com/times-opinion/index.ssf/2013/12/editorial_for_deteriorating_tr.html

In this editorial from New Jersey Times, the author uses a variety of rhetorical devices such as diction, imagery, and syntax to prove how awful the conditions are at Trenton Central High School, and how essential it is that these conditions are paid a little attention to in hopes of raising the graduation rate.
The author primarily uses colloquial diction which keeps the article casual so the reader can easily relate to it, making it clear that the author is like an average person you could run into on the streets. The author does use some words that help the passage going and enforce the point that the school is in such tragic conditions, quoting the school is "a ticking time bomb." This quote gives me an impression that something needs to be done quickly for the conditions are getting worse and worse. The author also mentions some of the obstacles that are preventing the school from being fixed, "a snarl of bureaucracy, politics and hard times." The use of "snarl" made me think of an angry dog that was too viscous to be petted or helped, and therefore does a good job portraying the bureaucracy as out of hand and fierce. The diction the author chose to use in this article played a large role in emphasizing the treachery of the school and the importance to fix its decaying walls.
The author also describes several scenarios throughout the article, intending to paint vivid images in the readers mind to help portray the severity of the schools poor conditions. The school's "abysmal" conditions seen by powerful visitors are well described by the author and allow the reader to have a harsh reaction. The sights of visitors at the school describe, "seeing mold, crumbling plaster, and "the waterfall" - a wall in the gym where water streams down during rainstorms." This instantly places a dismal and dreary image in the mind of readers, emphasizing how awful this school is. Without this image, the article would have lost a crucial piece of information that leaves a large of an impact on the readers and maintains the urgency this article needs.
The syntax also plays a large role in showing the importance of this article. Sentence length is one element the author varies in order to help made some points more important than others. The author uses some shorter sentences to show the concerns of the ones the poor conditions are affecting, "teachers have testified at state hearings" and "parents have pleaded, and students have rallied." These short but key sentences are vital to directly show how the conditions are affecting the teachers, parents, and students. The author also uses longer sentences when providing more detailed information, such as the stats of how many students have graduated in the last year. Without the changes in the sentence length, this article would loose the significance of the impact on the students and their teachers and parents, as well as other important information relevant to this cause.
I found this article very interesting and convincing, I am worried for Trenton Central High School and hope that it will receive the help that it needs soon. I, as a reader, was given this impression because of the authors use of diction, imagery, and syntax.