2. Read the following excerpt from “All Together Now”:
What can parents do? We can put our faith in young people as a positive force. I have yet to find a racist baby. Babies come into the world as blank as slates and, with their beautiful innocence, see others not as different but as enjoyable companions. Children learn ideas and attitudes from the adults who nurture them. I absolutely believe that children do not adopt prejudices unless they absorb them from their parents or teachers.
What would be a good question to ask about Jordan’s comment that she has “yet to find a racist baby”?
Does Jordan believe babies can be racist?
How do babies tend to view their parents?
How does Jordan believe children become prejudiced?
3. What phrase from the excerpt helps indicate Jordan is making an appeal to emotion?
"adopt prejudices"
"beautiful innocence"
"ideas and attitudes"
Questions one and three are clearly answered in the excerpt. Don't the attitudes of peers (learned from their families) also effect the prejudices of children?
"Beautiful" would elicit a positive emotional response. However, "prejudices" would seem to elicit a negative emotion in contrast to "attitudes," which is more neutral.
For question 2, a good question to ask about Jordan's comment would be "How does Jordan believe children become prejudiced?" This is because she states that children do not adopt prejudices unless they absorb them from their parents or teachers, so asking about how she believes children become prejudiced would provide further clarification on her perspective.
For question 3, the phrase from the excerpt that indicates Jordan is making an appeal to emotion is "beautiful innocence." This phrase evokes a positive and emotional response, as it describes the pure and untainted nature of babies. Appeals to emotion aim to evoke feelings and create a connection with the audience, and the phrase "beautiful innocence" contributes to that effect.