In Margaret Talbot’s essay “Best in Class,” Talbot uses a variety of rhetorical strategies to expose the competitive and cut-throat fight to be named Valedictorian in today’s schools. Talbot highlights the troublesome nature of naming a Valedictorian by recalling an interview with a seasoned principal. Talbot references a quote from the teacher of a contender for the Valedictorian title where he states Kylie Barker is “in a pressure cooker” and that she is “about to burst,” effectively using a metaphor to compare Barker to a “pressure cooker” to signify the cruel comments and adversity Barker faced while being a top competitor for Valedictorian (Talbot 114). This use of a metaphor furthers the emphasis of the stress placed on top-performing…show more content… The overdramatic interpretation of the graduation created by the hyperbole was meant to emphasize the strained and…show more content… The Judge in a case where one Blair Hornstein sued her school for not naming her sole Valedictorian references the school’s handbook which states that it strives to “minimize competition” by not stating individual class rankings, but inadvertently “highlights the levels of competition” by continuing with the tradition of naming a Valedictorian (117). This irony of the school creating the exact atmosphere it strives to prevent points out the unsuccessful attempt of administrators to properly relieve the pressure among top students without giving up the practice of naming a Valedictorian. By including this bit of irony, Talbot states that the only way to get more results in trying to decrease feuds between students is to get rid of the primary culprit: The Valedictorian title. To highlight the growing competition, Talbot mentioned the repercussion Hornstein faced by her own hometown. Talbot references a “mocking” website on the internet titled “The Blair Hornstein Project” (117). This work is a direct allusion to the popular found footage horror film The Blair Witch Project, and compares Blair Hornstein to the witch in the movie that preys upon and curses unsuspecting townsfolk. This backlash towards the Hornstein case was just enough to make Hornstein not want to attend her own graduation. The reference to this
