Summary Of We American Neglect Our Children

Josh Lord Ms. Lane English 12 13 March 2024 Placeholder The article “We Americans Neglect Our Children” by Nicholas Kristof, addresses many prominent issues in the United States and includes what could be done to fix them. Most importantly, he includes why it is critical to solve these issues. He draws an effective contrast between how parents view their kids and treasure them and how the country as a whole treats them, with many going hungry and living in poverty. He also includes how the United States once prided itself in its education system, being far ahead of other countries but has since fallen behind, and how something must be done to change it. The paper uses strong persuasive language and conveys its point very well. While the article …show more content…
These are important pieces of information as they greatly affect whether the programs Kristof suggests later in the article would be effective and the subsequent cost of these programs. Another crucial piece of information is how the United States has, “...over the past 50 years,... faltered in supporting and educating children overall as other countries have moved ahead” (Kristof). The article says this quote but does not precisely explain how and why the United States has fallen behind, just that it has. When comparing various policies and spending of the United States and other countries, the article often fails to give a potential reason as to why they could be so different. Another issue is when addressing the mortality rates of young people in the U.S. and other countries, the article gives a flat number but fails to compare percentages, which would give a better idea of what the true difference is. Overall, the article could benefit greatly from better comparisons, which would allow the reader to truly grasp what Kristof was trying to convey. The article written by Smeeding and Thévenot expands upon this