The Case for Reparation

Name: Huyen Bui Instructor: K.C Harrison

Course: PSTL 1525W

Date: 09/22/14

The Case for Reparation

As I read the article “ The Case for Reparations” by Ta-Nehisi Coates, he writes about black people during 20th Century in America. He uses other people’s opinion to support his own argument. There’s some examples that show how Coates use of the “ They say/ I say” technique to respond his own argument, whether it’s the agreement or disagreement.

In the quote: “The lives of black Americans are better than they were half century ago. The humiliation of WHITE ONLY signs are gone. Rates of black poverty have decreased” ( Coates. 60), which tell us that many people believe there are more opportunities to help black get over the poverty, and white people’s finally no longer insult them like half country ago. However, Coates assumes that it is just exterior facts, but the reality is different and what he means by different is base on another quote, which respond to his argument, such as “ But such progress rest on shaky foundation, and fault lines are everywhere. The income gap between black and white households is roughly the same today as it was 1997” (Coates, 60), like he mentions in this quotation, the truth’s there are nothing change much, the amount of poverty still stay the same, black people still have less opportunities. If you look at the second quote carefully, you will notice how Coates uses the word “ but” to disagree the fact that poverty’s rate of black people have been decrease. It’s one of explicit moment that Coates uses to respond this argument because when I look into the quotation, I can see clearly how Coates argues that the poverty’s rate of black people decrease and he respond in to that isn’t true when other people admit that at the same time.

There’s other evidence that engages to the “ They say/ I say”, which can help me identify how Coates responds to his article, “ Liberals today mostly view racism not...