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Here is your page: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98908295

Group Members: Beth Ryan Alyse Tanis Lauren Buddy Ashley

Purpose-Ryan Nelson The purpose of the essay can easily be found in the opening line: “ I believe you don't have to move out of your neighborhood to live in a better one.” The rest of the essay explains why you don’t have to move out of your neighborhood to live in a new one. For the author, growing up in the decaying South Bronx, all she wanted to do was to leave the Bronx after college. To her, growing up in the Bronx was a stain on her past, branding her as a “pimp, pusher, or a prostitute.” She had to move home, at that point, she found her calling: helping clean up the Bronx and make it better, like her view of the Bronx when she was seven years old. Now she feels proud to be from the Bronx. This article feels more like a feel-good article. As for the effectiveness of the article, it is not one for the masses, instead, it is effective towards its target audience, the people who live in poor decaying communities who want to change it.

Problem- Tanis Rozeveld The problem in this article is the area to which the author is referring, which is South Bronx. Many people have heard of the reputation held by the Bronx, and will have no trouble agreeing that this is an area known for its violence and less than reputable people. It can also be understood that the lack of community involvement is a problem, with the solution being the establishment of the park. A bit more detail is needed in order for the audience to understand this concept versus the first, which is relatively well known. The explaination given about the prospect of a waste facility being built in the community is helpful because it appeals to pathos and gives the audience something to feel passionate about. It allows the reader to think about what they would do if this were occurring in their own community.

Voice-Beth Caldwell Majora Carter uses her voice in this short reading to persuade her audience in her favor. As you read this article, there is a lot of emotion behind the words that can be felt. She started off cheerful and slowly changed to a more sad and desperate tone. We get a clear view that the author is older and reminiscing on her life growing up. There is a sense of pride that is showing the author's voice when she reveals how she made a change in her home town. She no longer has a feeling of embarassment but one of pride and accomplishment. Majora Carter is writing to inform her readers that they too can make a difference and change the outcome of anything.

Ethos - Lauren Sypniewski Ethos is all about credibility. The reader must be able to believe the author before the writer can even hope to persuade the reader by pathos or logos. Ethos is about being able to trust and respect the author and believe that he has high moral standing. In “This is Home,” I am able to believe what Majora Carter has to say about the South Bronx. To begin with, the article has a preface about who the author is and what momentous steps she has taken to help her neighborhood. In the article, Carter is very straightforward and honest about how she felt growing up there. She has an honest respect for safety: “I felt watched over. I felt safe.” As a reader, I too felt safe because of how she worded her writing and because of how reacted toward the Bronx. When she talks about her brother being killed, she has strength and sincerity – both characteristic of ethos. Carter goes through the stage of wanting to escape the Bronx, but ends up returning due to financial issues. Here, she is honest and open. She doesn’t try to sound heroic, saying that she returned out of genuine interest for the place or people. She admits this, and by that, reinforces her credibility. Yet, she is propelled to act when a huge waste facility was planning to be put in the South Bronx. Her zeal and outrage illustrate her valor, vigor, and good-will. She is proud of the fact that she, along with community members, built a park and managed to keep the area environmentally friendly. She ends emphasizing her pride: “This is home, and it always will be.” Not only do all of these virtues strengthen her ethos by illustrating her moral character, but she also writes intelligently and with organization, proving her ethical integrity.

Logos - Alyse Redman Logos is a tool writers use to appeal to their readers by using logic. It's a way of separating the fact from fiction by using reason. Although Carter uses the tools Ethos and Pathos much more to appeal to her audience in This Is Home, she still uses logos, for a piece of writing is more valid when all three are used. She uses logic to describe her choices that she made. When Carter says, "In order to afford graduate school, I had to. I was almost 30 and could only afford to live at my parents' home," she is stating common knowledge that living at home was the most feasable, practical thing to do to get her through graduate school. Another time when logos can be used is when the author is giving well-known information or information that can be easily believed. Carter does this when she talks about the waste facility that is scheduled to come to her neighborhood, "At the same time, the city was planning a huge waste facility here." (NPR, 2009)

Audience- Ashley Yuill  The audience of Martha Carter’s essay “This Is Home” consists of National Public Radio readers and listeners. The readers—the majority of whom are intellectually curious, educated, and interested in current events—are looking to read a personal narrative that is both informative and thought-provoking. Before reading this essay, the audience knows that South Bronx is part of a larger borough of New York City known as The Bronx. Most of the audience also knows that South Bronx is a neighborhood burdened by high crime and poverty rates. The audience values community, personal initiative, and pride in one’s origins. They also value the idea of home. To Americans, home is more than a house: it is an idea, an origin, a place of ties and roots. The audience needs a personal account of the current situation in the South Bronx. It is not enough for them to read a headline that says “New Park Built in South Bronx.” They need a personal background and the story behind that park, so that they may understand how a new park represents a movement to improve a community. The audience may come to this article with a negative perception of the Bronx. When most people think of the Bronx, they automatically picture a ghetto; the audience does not associate the Bronx with people of high class, intelligence, or bright futures. Carter acknowledges this stereotype when she says, “to be from the South Bronx meant that you were a pimp, a pusher or a prostitute.” Carter attempts to refute this negative image of her home by sharing with the audience a positive and uplifting story of her drive to better her community and her home.