Article Response

Comparison

According to the articles, both urban and rural youths face some similar challenges which need to be addressed. School culture influences them a lot, and through it they develop the ideas of success and life. Due to the bad school culture that is characterized by lack of communication, value disagreement, and little collegiality among students and teachers, both rural and urban youths see themselves as worthless, incompetent, and incapable.  Such a bad culture can render the youths to develop a negative identity irrespective of being an urban or rural youth.

Contrast

Although both urban and rural youth share some similarities, the articles have expressed some differences among their experiences. Urban youths live in a different community set up as compared to rural youths. Urban youths are mostly influenced by hip-hop and media culture which is not the case for rural youths.  Urban youths are also faced by gang violence, alcohol and drug abuse which does not affect rural youths a lot. Rural youths are mostly influenced by the disdain they receive from the well up families. Teachers also seem to disdain the poor rural youths thus influencing them negatively.

Comment on the Response

This response has critically analyzed the two articles in that it has raised the issues affecting both urban and rural youths. However, this response did not describe some issue clearly. For instance, in its comparison part, the discrimination explanation was not well put. The writer should have elaborated further on what was meant by discrimination, that is, explain the form of discrimination faced by the youths. On the contrast section, the writer dealt a lot on the urban youths and did not explain the issues which are faced by rural youths in deep. The contrast section was one sided whereas it was supposed to contrast both sides.