Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has long been professing his determination not to lose hope in the city of Detroit. He has long been deceiving citizens in his attempts not to lose his job. He is corruptly striving not to lose his battle against the law, and is highly motivated towards preventing the loss of support he seemingly feels is held for him by his family and part of the public.


Maybe the mayor should be more concerned about an essential aspect which he has ultimately lost among many; Respect.


One specific Detroit citizen takes a stand and speaks out against the actions of Kilpatrick on behalf of his city. Darnell Gardner Jr., a junior at Davis Aerospace Technical High in Detroit, voices his opinions in an effective way in which it logically appeals to the reader. Darnell speaks his words with passion; with a hope and desire that each one is being heard.


The point of view used in Darnell’s essay highly contributes to its effectiveness. Darnell crafted this essay based upon firsthand experiences. By exploiting his opinions in first-person point of view, Darnell captures the pain and anguish of being a true Detroit citizen. He states, “In the past 10 years, I have seen every aspect of Detroit decay. My neighborhood, East English Village, once a diverse, safe and clean gem of the city, has crumbled before my eyes. I have forgotten what it feels like to be at peace. Whether it is gunshots, loud and profane music, or dime bags left on my sidewalk, something reminds me every day of how low this city has fallen.” Although it has been portrayed daily on the news, most of us have not been directly exposed to the turmoil of Detroit. Darnell’s account reveals the exact point of view of a teenager struggling to live in the mist of it all. Based upon his experiences and life as a citizen of Detroit, his views on the mayor can presumably be considered correct.


Darnell’s choice of tone used throughout the essay has a great impact in its effectiveness as well. He exhibits a constant tone that is logical, yet is mocking and to the point. Darnell’s opinions are made clear within his writing. The many aspects of this tone can all be summed up in his closing statement: “Kilpatrick should give us a break and please leave office. If he is forced out, it will only make Detroit look that much worse.” Contempt for the Mayor is shown in this line, along with an opinion of logical reasoning to what course of action should be taken by Kwame himself. In this final line of the essay, Darnell’s point is strongly reinstated and attributes to the tone used throughout his work. Darnell’s tone helps to strengthen the essay due to its validity. Some of the description used supports his tone as well. By making statements such as, “Yes, many suburbanites and many whites do not like this city, but how can you blame them? Half the people in this city do not like it, and we are black!” and “Just when I had thought things could not get any worse, as I should have predicted, Kilpatrick managed to somehow dig Detroit's grave even deeper”, Darnell truly voices his opinion, creating an efficient and thoroughly well-written essay.