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statement to the U.S. House Committee"

by Daniel Dae Kim

I was speaking to a pollster during the recent elections and I asked him why, when I see polling results do I see a breakdown of results by gender – men and women, by age – old and young, and also by race – African American and Latinx, but rarely do I see a polling category for Asian Americans. After I asked why, he looked me dead in the eye and said “Because Asian Americans are considered ‘statistically insignificant.’” Those words rang in my ears. Statistically insignificant. Now all of you listening to me here, by virtue of your own elections, are more familiar with the intricacies of polling than I am, so undoubtedly, you already know what this means – statistically insignificant literally means that we don’t matter.

Maybe that’s why it’s been so difficult to feel like our government cares about the Asian American Pacific Islander community. After all, it was this very same government who categorically barred the Chinese from entering our country in the first law that prevented all members of a specific ethnic or national group from immigrating to the US. It was this government that refused those of us already living here the right to any path to citizenship, coining the term “permanent alien.” It was this government who imprisoned more than 120,000 Japanese American citizens for simply looking like the enemy, even though throughout the entirety of World War 2, not ONE was ever found guilty of treason against our country.

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Question
Use the passage to answer the question.

In 3–5 sentences, evaluate the author’s use of rhetoric in the passage. Identify specific examples and explain how well they contribute to the power or persuasiveness of the text.

(4 points)

The author's use of rhetoric in the passage is powerful and persuasive. By highlighting the history of discrimination and exclusion faced by the Asian American Pacific Islander community in the United States, the author effectively conveys the sense of marginalization and injustice experienced by this group. The use of concrete examples, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act, the term "permanent alien," and the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, helps to solidify the author's argument and emphasize the long history of mistreatment. Overall, the author's use of rhetoric effectively communicates the urgency and importance of addressing the issues facing the Asian American Pacific Islander community in the present day.