Make College Free for All - Bernie Sanders

It has only been in recent times where student loan debt has dragged down future Americans. Student loan debt is at an all time high of $1.3 trillion dollars - higher than credit-card debt or auto-loan debt within the US. In Make College Free for All, Bernie sanders develops his urgent tone and call to action, leverages juxtaposition to compare the U.S to other countries, and cleverly uses anaphora to emphasize how making college free for all is a wonderful investment for the people of the United States.

Bernie Sanders develops his urgent tone and call to action to provide free college for all with the repetition of phrases such as “we must…” and “we cannot wait…” These phrases inherently build a sense of urgency amongst the audience. This, along with evidence that many American’s aren’t able to send their kids to college because of their own financial situation, provide a bigger perspective of the problem to the audience in which Sanders is attempting to address.

In Bernie Sanders speech, “Make College Free for All”, Bernie leverages juxtaposition to compare a hypothetical environment which Germany has established with their free college system, providing statistics such as “4,600 students leave the United States and enroll in German universities. For a token fee for about $200 per year…” and how “governments in these countries [Germany, Finland, Denmark, etc.] understand what an important investment they are making.” By presenting evidence on how the free college system in other countries has allowed for them to reap rewards, such as having these students serve as “teachers, architects, scientists, entrepreneurs, and more”. Bernie hopes to have the audience draw a logical connection of more accessible education equating to a better society.

Furthermore, Bernie Sanders use of anaphora in his speech emphasizes why education is essential for individuals, stating evidence such as “We live in a highly competitive … and if if our economy is to be strong, we need the best-educated workforce in the world” and “We won’t achieve that if… hundreds of thousands of bright young people cannot afford to got to college while millions more leave school deeply in debt.” Bernie emphasizes the current inequality and inaccessibility to communities who may not have the resources to go to college. By pointing out such problems within society, he allows his audience to provide further reason to support his campaign for free college, as its marketed as a solution for this problem at hand.

In conclusion, Bernie effectively addresses the issues of rising student debt and economic situation within America, and presents a possible solution to address these problems. By developing an urgent tone, leveraging juxtaposition, and clever use of anaphora, Sanders effectively delivers a powerful speech on the effects that free college can bring the the young generation of American students.