Sergio JacksonProfessor Laurel RayburnExpo E-15March 16, 2014Professor Laurel RayburnAnalyzing an Argument: Issues in EducationIn his article entitled Teaching to Transgress, Bells Hooks effectively speaks to his readers using the rhetorical strategy of personal narrative, argumentation and exemplification, in order to request a "renewal" (29) of the teaching method called "engaged pedagogy" (35). By this Hooks means that teachers should not simply invite students to participate in class discussion, but also to define themselves as “vulnerable” (49), running the risk of pairing their points of view, or “confessional narratives” (49) , with that of their students, consequently defusing the image of an "omniscient" teaching authority (49). While Hooks' theory is clear and his methods of argumentation and exemplification introduce his pedagogical theory, his method of personal narrative requires the reader to be able to relate to his daunting experiences. As a result, readers who have had different experiences than Hooks may not understand her point because they cannot identify with her. Hooks begins her argument with a personal narrative, explaining her experience as a college student who was “treated with contempt” by professors. due to his questioning and impassive behavior (41). This beginning gives the reader a very personal and heartfelt tone. Through comparison, Hooks translates the endless and difficult times with the words: “…now, we were taught mostly by white teachers whose lessons reinforced racist stereotypes. For black children, education was no longer about the practice of freedom… The classroom was no longer a place of pleasure or ecstasy” (8). Hooks makes a similar comparison and uses the same strategy… half of the article… it seems likely that readers would have a greater ear for an “established theory” than their own personal account; in this, one might be seen as more "proven" than the other. More important than his rhetorical methods, Hooks' ability to pair his understanding of Hanh with his experience with his student, Gary, and how Hooks brings these two lessons together. Hooks states that Hanh's works allowed her to see the idea of ​​both students and professors as "striving not just for knowledge in books, but for knowledge about how to live in the world," (33). As it turns out, a different outcome may occur as the reader is forced to see a pedagogical theory at work in the life of the student Gary. Hanh's works concern Hooks' growth as a student and scholar. But the topics also show how to apply these experiences and lessons to students, which supports the idea of ​​the teacher as healer (35).