Adam Shaw s article, Gross injustice : Of 10,000 refugees to the US, 56 are

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Horatio Stokes
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1 Studetto 1 Student Studetto Matthew Schmidgall WR February 2017 Rhetorical Criticism Adam Shaw s article, Gross injustice : Of 10,000 refugees to the US, 56 are Christian (2016), is an effective article that claims that the United States of America has committed an injustice towards the christian refugees that are seeking asylum from Syria Commented [ML1]: Keep personal opinion out of your summary paragraph. to America. Shaw supports his claim by providing statements, statistics, and laws to validate this claim. Shaw s purpose is to clarify to the American citizens that the United States government has claimed that they are committed to accepting and prioritizing refugees of certain religion from areas in which they were likely to be targeted for genocide, but the statistics show that they have accepted very few refugees of this demographic. This is article is both a claim of fact, and a claim of value. And, though the nature of this particular news organization (FOX) may be somewhat bias, Shaw appears to be writing for the general American reader to be aware of a situation that is occurring. So, it is my opinion that, though the news organization itself may appear to be bias in nature, Commented [ML2]: Identified audience is excessively vague. The audience is not mentioned after this one short statement. this article is quite non-bias. Shaw efficiently accomplishes his goal by elaborating facts, statements, credible statistics, and possible reasons behind why this injustice is occurring to Syrian refugees that are being specifically targeted for genocide because of their religion.

2 Studetto 2 Shaw begins the article by stating: The Obama administration hit its goal this week of admitting 10,000 Syrian refugees. This appears to be a positive note about the presidential administration. However, the author swiftly turns the tables and states,...yet only a fraction of a percent are Christians, stoking criticism that officials are not doing enough to address their plight in the Middle East. Immediately, the author is implying that, though the Obama administration may seem to be helping the refugees from Syria that need our aid; there is still an abundance of controversy over whether or not the United States is helping the right demographic [the groups most in need the groups most oppressed] of those refugees. Commented [ML3]: Be very careful with word choice. This statement could be interpreted to mean that there is a wrong demographic. The author then begins to back up their claim by stating some statistics along with a graph provided by the Refugee Processing Center that support these statistics: Commented [ML4]: Inconsistent spacing. Of the 10,801 refugees accepted in fiscal 2016 from the war-torn country, 56 are Christians, or.5 percent. A total of 10,722 were Muslims, and 17 were Yazidis. The numbers are disproportionate to the Christian population in Syria, estimated last year by the U.S. government to make up roughly 10 percent of the population. Since the outbreak of civil war in 2011, it is estimated that between 500,000 and 1 million Christians have fled the country, while many have been targeted and slaughtered by the Islamic State. Commented [ML5]: Note that if both block quotes and the heading were removed, then this paper would only be just over two pages in length. Providing this information to the reader effectively gives further validation to the possibility of an injustice being committed in this situation. Shaw then proceeds to elaborate on the former Secretary of State John Kerry s statements that he has made,

3 Studetto 3 regarding the genocide of these specific religions in Syria, in order to show that the United States government has set a high priority for these particular refugees. But, the statements he has made, lead us to ask; why are there so few refugees of these certain demographics being admitted to the United States? Shaw provides the reader with some reasonable statements made by professionals, other than himself, about possible reasons why this might be. One of the most profound statements that were provided by Shaw was made by Kristin Wright, director of advocacy for Open Doors USA. She stated: Many have fled to urban areas instead of the camps, so they may be living in Beirut instead of living in a broader camp, meaning many are not registering as refugees They may still come to the U.S. but may come through another immigration pathway. Leading the reader to understand that the United States is not the only receiver of asylum seeking refugees, and that they may not be coming to the United States as refugees, but as immigrants instead. Shaw then wraps up his article in an effective manner by stating that Senator Tom Cotton Commented [ML6]: Avoid using block quotes in a 3 4 page paper. Also, if you do use block quotes, make sure to explain the quote. of Arkansas had introduced legislation in order to prioritize the refugees that are being targeted for genocide. Which shows that there are people trying to address this very serious issue. However, we are left with a concluding statement made by Matthew Clark of the American Center for Law and Justice, claiming that what the United States has been doing in regard to the genocide, appears to be all talk and no action. And, within the week of September 2, 2016, the American Center for Law and Justice, filed a lawsuit against the State Department for not responding to Freedom of Information Act requests

4 Studetto 4 about what the administration is doing to combat the genocide. Once again, effectively clarifying that there is an injustice occurring to these refugees. Commented [ML7]: This use of injustice keeps the focus on the article s claim rather than Studetto s personal opinion.

5 Studetto 5 Citations Gross injustice : Of 10,000 refugees to the US, 56 are Christian. FOXNEWS, 02 Sept., 2016, 56-are-christian.html

U.S. plans to accept more refugees, but security rules will limit number

U.S. plans to accept more refugees, but security rules will limit number By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff on 09.24.15 Word Count 909 U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (center) meets with