Civil Rights Essay

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Maggie Baumgarten

Mrs. McKay

AP/IB Language and Composition

10/7/2021

Student Debt:

An analysis of format, style, and content as presented by Williams and Zyglis

Since the 1980’s, the student debt in America compared to income has been increasing at

an alarming rate. Now, in 2021, the total national student debt in America has skyrocketed to 1.5

trillion dollars. This issue is faced by more than 45 million Americans today, and they must use

up to one fifth of their salaries for debt repayal. This problem has been examined by many

experts, who have proffered many solutions for dealing with it. Among these analysts are Mark

T. Williams, who wrote the article, “POV: Student Debt Is Hurting Our Wallets and Our Health”

for Boston University, and Adam Zyglis, who drew the political cartoon, “Billionaires Making

an Impact” for the Buffalo News. Through differences in format, style, and information

represented, the global issue of student debt is presented clearly, yet differently, in these two

works.

The format of the article, “POV: Student Debt Is Hurting Our Wallets and Our Health”,

and the political cartoon, “Billionaires Making an Impact” creates a different vision of student

debt in America. To begin, the article by Williams uses logic and reasoning in text form to give

the audience a view of student debt. It is a traditional essay that begins with background

information that describes the issue in detail, then moves on to ten solutions with reasoning. This

evidence is used to paint the picture of a resolution that could work in the real world. The

problem and solution format of the article shows the audience that the issue of student debt is a
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real world problem with viable solutions, and allows the audience to consider the carefully

reasoned solutions presented. On the other hand, the political cartoon, “Billionaires Making an

Impact” uses the format of a split-screen drawing to ridicule two billionaires and their opposite

impacts on student debt. This cartoon is divided into two sections, one with a billionaire

cancelling the student debt, and another with the billionaire Secretary of Education cancelling

applications to forgive loans. The small-scale solution on the left is shown to be impossible to

implement nation-wide, as the government won’t allow these loans to be forgiven on a large

scale. The solution of wiping out student debt with billionaire money (the left side) is ridiculed

with the idea that most students’ loans would never be forgiven. This simple two sided format

creates this big picture, and has the intended effect. The audience can clearly see that even if

billionaires try to ‘make an impact’, they will be thwarted on a national scale. These issues are

both presented clearly, but one has the clear logic of an article with many branching solutions,

while the other focuses on one negative unintended consequence of a solution in its short format.

The humorously critical style presented in the political cartoon by Adam Zyglis places

the issue of student debt into a very different light than the more practical solutions-minded

article by Mark Williams. To begin, the political cartoon uses a humorous style to represent two

billionaires who are making decisions for students. The left side of the cartoon portrays a

billionaire (Robert F. Smith) with exaggerated wizened features and a college graduation cap and

gown. The right side of the cartoon depicts the secretary of education (Betsy DeVos, also a

billionaire) as a woman with horse-like features who is moving in a blur as she denies 99% of

applications for loan forgiveness in rapid succession. Smith’s seriousness is exaggerated, while

DeVos's absurd features as she destroys students’ chances to have their debt forgiven carries out

the effects of Smith's actions are also exaggerated. This results in a clear physical distinction
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between a solution for some students and the reality for most students, and creates a humorous

view on the issue for the audience. The cartoon also adds humor to how DeVos, who is also a

billionaire, is making decisions for all students. Conversely, the article is oriented on finding

solutions to the issue of student debt. With phrases such as, “Managing this sprawling financial-

health crisis demands a multipronged solution.”, and “Previous debt crises have taught us that it

is better to address the risk sooner than later.”, the author uses a formal, and direct style. The

author keeps the reader focused on student debt, which allows the reader to evaluate the solutions

the author gives. However, the length of this essay may deter readers from obtaining the quantity

of information they can more easily obtain from the cartoon.

The content and information contained in each work also delivers a different message to

the audience. In the article, vast amounts of background information and reasoning are given in a

total of eighteen paragraphs. Facts and statistics are combined with solid logic and figures that

paint the picture that student debt is a pressing issue but can be resolved. The facts provided are

also relatively unbiased, which presents a strong case for the solution. For example, the article

says that, “Stakeholders, including lenders and colleges, must do better at teaching financial

literacy to students, while disclosing the true cost, risk, and long-term consequences of debt.”

This solution is based on the background information that was provided at the beginning of the

article: “High school students often base their college decision not on affordability, but on

factors like the most prestigious institution or where friends are going. Loan repayment options

are often confusing, and default rates—even in this relatively strong economy—are now 10.8

percent”. This content clearly demonstrates to the audience that the problem and solution

structure of the article is effective and persuasive. On the contrary, the political cartoon has little

content and more implications. The biased nature of the political cartoon presents two
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billionaires making decisions for many students, but does not resolve the issue. The exaggeration

and ridicule of the characters and their opposing actions show that there are no simple solutions

to the student debt crisis. A large portion of the information contained in this cartoon is delivered

through the captions involved. The main title introduces the main theme of the cartoon,

“Billionaires Making an Impact”. On the left, the billionaire Robert F. Smith is standing over a

podium labeled ‘Morehouse College’, and is saying, “I’m personally wiping out the debt for all

400 of you”. This is in reference to how the benevolent Smith wiped out the student debt for

Morehouse College in 2019. On the right hand side, secretary Betsy DeVos is seen stamping

‘denied’ on loan forgiveness applications. The caption implies that student debt cannot be so

easily resolved through billionaire loan forgiveness, because other billionaires like DeVos will

deny forgiveness to 99% of students with debt.

The format, style, and content of the article, “POV: Student Debt Is Hurting Our Wallets

and Our Health” by Williams and the political cartoon, “Billionaires Making an Impact” by

Zyglis, present the civil rights issue of student debt very differently. To begin, the problem and

solution format of the article and the split-screen format give audiences a different perspective on

student debt. Additionally, the humorous style of the cartoon and the objective style of the article

create very different outlooks on the effects various student debt solutions could have. Finally,

the very content involved in both works provide distinct views on the same topic- one being that

student debt has numerous, plausible solutions, and the other being that student debt cannot be so

easily resolved. Both authors conveyed their points clearly with their literary techniques.
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Works Cited

"Universal Declaration of Human Rights." United Nations, United Nations, 1948,

www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights. Accessed 16 Sept. 2021.

Williams, Mark T. "POV: Student Debt is Hurting Our Wallets and our Health." Boston

University, Trustees of Boston University, 1 May 2019, bu.edu/articles/2019/student-

debt-hurting-our-wallets-and-health/. Accessed 16 Sept. 2021.

Zyglis, Adam. “Billionaires Making an Impact.” The Buffalo News, 2019,

https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/06/10/political-cartoons-graduation-and-student-

debt/

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