Rhetorical Analysis: “Debt Collectors Cashing In on Student Loans”
Summary
The New York Times Article, “Debt Collectors Cashing In on Student Loans” reveals how private lenders, federal government, and debt collection agencies are profiting off of student loan debt. Author Andrew Martin uses pathos, ethos, and logos to persuade readers that collectors are not doing as much as they should to prevent student loan debt. Martin brings up personal stories about students getting too far behind and owing far more money than they initially started with because of defaulting. He opens terminology that will help current students understand what being in debt is all about. Martin also taps into facts about year to year interest percentages going up and how many students are unaware of programs that help loan borrowers.
The way that the author wrote this article made it very hard for college students to understand, as the content and terminology that he used are very confusing; I know that I had some trouble myself and had to look up some terms. That being said, Martin makes a great effort to educate the audience on how debt collectors make profit off of those who cannot pay off their student loans. In a previous year it’s recorded that, “the amount of defaulted loans [is at] 76 billion” (Martin). That is just for one year’s worth of accumulating penalties and interest. Imagine how much adds up after just four years; the average amount of years it takes for a college student to graduate from University.
Advantage of Pathos
Martin plays on everyone’s emotions by bringing up personal stories about students in debt. There is sufficient evidence within the article to show how far in debt some students have been in after accumulating interest and penalties. Martin takes advantage of real life examples to prove the reality of college debt. For example, Jake Brock, “defaulted in May [2008] on a federally guaranteed loan of $8,000… [and now age] 29 and owes a total of $100,000 in student loans” (Martin). That is $92,000 more than the original total. At this point Jake will have a difficult time digging himself out of this debt hole. Jake is not the only one. Martin reveals that Ms. Franke owes $115,000 in student loans, $325 per month in federal loans, and $250 per month in private loans. Ms. Franke wraps up the article with, “‘I will never have my head above water” (Martin). This is completely true and leaves readers to feel angry at collectors and empathetic for Ms. Franke.
Advantages of Logos/Ethos
Where you see a great amount of credibility in the article is when Martin brings up Obama and his administration. Just like myself, there are far too many college students who do not know about the programs that teach students to get out or avoid default. Obama himself said, “‘too few borrowers are aware of the options available to them to help manage their student loan debt” (Martin). This is completely true! Even if there are students in programs, there are still 412,000 borrowers waiting to get accepted. This is not even the worst of it. There have been efforts from the Obama administration to rewrite regulations. However, efforts have been halted by the federal court judge. It’s sad that collectors know they are making a profit from borrowers and are not doing much to change it. This is because, “agencies get paid much higher fees for collection or rehabilitating a defaulted loan” rather than getting rewarded when borrowers pay off their loan on time (Martin). It’s clear that private lenders, federal government, and debt collection agencies are wanting to profit then see the struggling students in debt.
Overall Message
“Debt Collectors Cashing In on Student Loans” does more than admit that private lenders, federal government, and debt collection agencies are making money. It uses personal stories, lots of numbers and percentages to get the audience sucked in and say, “Wow.” It allows readers to understand what is going on behind the scenes with collectors. In a way the article is a wake up call to encourage further investigation on what how so many students get trapped in student debt for life.
New York Times Article: “Debt Collectors Cashing In on Student Loans”
Works Cited
Martin, Andrew. “Debt Collectors Cashing In on Student Loans.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 2012. Web. 03 Oct. 2016.
