Answer:
Summary
In Societal Evolution class that day, Jared raises his hand and says, “I’d like to discuss how affirmative action discriminates against members of the majority.” Going on, he says, “Let’s observe, shall we? I’m ranked number two in our class, I’m captain of the baseball team, I do community service on the weekends, and I got higher test scores than Justyce…yet he got into Yale early action, and I didn’t. I know for a fact it’s because I’m white and he’s black.” Jumping in, Justyce asks why Jared has assumed that he received better test scores than him. The two boys then compare their scores and discover that they’re more or less the same. “It just doesn’t make sense,” Jared says, and when Justyce asks why this is the case, SJ says, “Because it negates his assumption that because he’s white and you’re black, he’s more intelligent than you are.”
Analysis
Jared and Justyce’s conversation about affirmative action clarifies the entrenched assumptions Jared has about black people. Rather than stopping to consider that Justyce actually deserves to get into Yale, Jared makes the unfounded and unfair assumption that he got in because of his race. In reality, Justyce is a well-rounded student with high grades and test scores. And although neither Justyce nor SJ mention this, it’s worth noting that college applications take more into account than test scores and class rank. The way students present themselves in their personal essays also matters a great deal, and it’s entirely possible that Justyce’s essay was significantly better than Jared’s. Despite this possibility, Jared chooses to attack the entire selection process, acting as if it’s absurd to think that Justyce is more qualified than him.