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argument. To what extent does her argument use objective evidence, personal experience, 5
and other tools of persuasion. Point to specific examples from her text in your response.
2. Argument. See Cummins’s bullet lists summarizing the research results on pages 26–27.
In these lists, Cummins notes which rhetorical moves or strategies make arguments more section two
and less persuasive, according to the research. Select one of these points to focus on and write
an argument that either supports or refutes the researchers’ conclusions. You can refer to your
own experiences and/or conduct additional research to support your point of view. /
3. Connection. Has a conversation or something you’ve watched or read ever succeeded in
changing your mind on an issue you care deeply about? If so, why was the message and its
delivery so effective? If not, why did the message fail to persuade you? In your discussion, be
sure to consider elements Cummins describes. Michelle Alexander
4. Speaking and Listening. Try out Cummins’s suggestions by holding a debate about an issue
in which one person, or group, uses only objective evidence, while another uses a variety of
types of evidence. Afterward, evaluate each side’s approach. Was one approach more
effective than the other? Explain your response.
5. Research. Go to Reddit or a similar site where ideas on various topics are discussed. Find an
idea that interests you and examine the arguments, using the results that Cummins identifies
on pages 26–27. What did you notice about the language (calm, downbeat, upbeat,
emotionally neutral, hedging, etc.), the types of evidence, and the number of challengers? To
what extend do your observations back up or refute Cummins’s own discussion?
6. Multimodal. Create two posters about an issue that you feel strongly about. Use the
same visuals and clear claim in both. But, in one of the posters, use the types of language
and evidence that Cummins identifies as least effective, and in the other, use what she identifies
as most effective, including the use of analogy and metaphor. Show your posters to as many
people as possible and determine whether your conclusions match those of Cummins.
7. Creative Writing. Write a short scene from a play in which one character tries to persuade
another character of an idea. Describe the set, costumes, props, lighting and other aspects of
the stage, and be sure that the dialogue you use reflects the characters and uses some of the
approaches that Cummins recommends.

What if We’re All Coming Back?

Michelle Alexander

A civil rights lawyer and advocate, and a New York Times
columnist, Michelle Alexander (b. 1967) is the author of Ben Garvin/The New York Times/Redux
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of
Colorblindness. As director of the Racial Justice Project
at the ACLU of Northern California, she led a national Pictures
campaign against racial profiling by law enforcement. She
was a law clerk for Justice Harry Blackmun at the U.S. Supreme Court. A visiting professor
at the Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, she explores the moral and
spiritual aspects of mass incarceration. This piece was published in the New York Times on
October 29, 2018.

Michelle Alexander, “What if we’re all coming back?” The New York Times, October 29 2018, Copyright © 2018 by The New York Times
Company. All rights reserved. Used under license.
29
Copyright © Bedford/St. Martin’s. Uncorrected proofs have been used in this sample chapter.
Distributed by BFW Publishers. Strictly for use with its products. Not for redistribution.

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