Ever read a piece and feel like the writer's not just informing you — they're trying to move you? And if you've ever been asked, "which phrase best describes the purpose of nazario's editorial," you know the answer isn't a single tidy label. In real terms, that's the kind of tension you run into with José Antonio Nazario's editorial work. It's a blend of witness, outrage, and a quiet push toward empathy Easy to understand, harder to ignore..
Most classrooms and test prep sites treat this like a multiple-choice riddle. Pick one phrase, move on. But the real purpose of Nazario's editorial writing — especially the pieces built around Enrique's Journey — is harder to pin and more interesting to sit with Small thing, real impact. Nothing fancy..
Most guides skip this. Don't.
What Is Nazario's Editorial
Nazario isn't your standard op-ed writer filing hot takes from a desk. She's an investigative journalist who spends months on the ground, and her editorials grow out of that reporting. When we talk about Nazario's editorial purpose, we're usually talking about the opinion-adjacent writing she publishes after long immersion — pieces that argue for humanizing migrants, especially children, and for policy that sees them as people Easy to understand, harder to ignore..
The phrase most often floated in worksheets is something like "to inform and persuade readers to care about immigrant children.Still, " That's close. But it leaves out the raw documentary weight she brings Still holds up..
Not Just News, Not Just Opinion
A straight news story tells you what happened. An editorial says why it matters and what we should do. Nazario's work lives in the overlap. She'll hand you a boy's thousand-mile ride on top of freight trains, then turn and ask what your silence costs. That's not neutral. And it isn't pure persuasion either — it's witnessing with a point of view Simple, but easy to overlook. Still holds up..
The Human Behind the Headline
In practice, her editorials take statistics — border crossings, deportation numbers — and staple a face to them. The purpose isn't to win a debate. It's to make the debate impossible to have without conscience. That's the part most summaries flatten.
Why It Matters
Why does any of this matter? On top of that, because how we name a writer's purpose changes how we read them. Here's the thing — if you think Nazario's editorial is "just informing," you'll miss the gut punch. If you think it's "just persuading," you'll dismiss the reporting as bias.
Turns out the stakes are higher than a quiz question. The people she writes about — unaccompanied minors from Central America — get talked over constantly. When a writer's purpose gets misread as propaganda or as neutral fact, the kids in the story lose again.
Real talk: most readers skim. That's why nazario's does. In practice, one that informs and unsettles does. Consider this: we're busy. An editorial that merely informs doesn't break that habit. That's why teachers keep assigning her work — and why the "which phrase" question keeps showing up.
This changes depending on context. Keep that in mind.
How It Works
So how do you actually figure out the purpose of Nazario's editorial when you're staring at the page? Here's the breakdown I wish someone had given me.
Start With the Reporting Core
Her editorials almost always grow from a true narrative. Enrique's Journey started as a Pulitzer-winning newspaper series. The editorial versions compress that into argument. So step one: recognize the factual spine. If the piece describes a mother leaving Honduras, or a child dodging la bestia (the train migrants ride), that's reported reality — not invented emotion.
Find the Turn
Every Nazario editorial has a turn. So she'll give you the story, then pivot. "This is happening. In real terms, here's who's responsible. You'll see words like should, must, or cannot look away. So naturally, here's what we're ignoring. " That turn is where purpose lives. That's persuasion, yes — but persuasion built on a documented life The details matter here..
Name the Emotional Target
Ask: what feeling is she trying to plant? Usually it's not anger at migrants. She wants you to feel the gap between your safety and their risk. The phrase that best describes the purpose often includes "to evoke empathy" or "to compel compassionate response.Even so, " Those aren't fluffy add-ons. Still, it's discomfort in the reader. They're the engine Simple as that..
Not the most exciting part, but easily the most useful.
Check the Call Implicit or Explicit
Some editorials end with a policy ask. Still, others just leave the image burning. In practice, either way, the purpose includes shifting the reader from observer to accountable human. In practice, that's why her writing gets banned in some schools and required in others. It works.
Compare to Neutral Summaries
If a textbook says "Nazario's purpose is to explain immigration," that's too thin. If a critic says "she wants open borders," that's too loaded. Consider this: the honest phrase sits between: to humanize migrant children and urge readers to reconsider indifference. That's the one that survives contact with the text Which is the point..
Common Mistakes
Here's what most people get wrong when they try to name Nazario's editorial purpose Easy to understand, harder to ignore..
They pick the safest phrase on the worksheet. "To inform" feels academic and harmless. But her editorials are not neutral briefings. Calling them that misses the whole point.
They assume persuasion means fabrication. It doesn't. That said, her persuading you to care is anchored in months of footage and interviews. Dismissing her because she has a stance is lazy reading.
They confuse tone with purpose. But the purpose isn't "to be sad.Yes, she's sad. Also, yes, she's urgent. " The purpose is to translate that sadness into recognition and, ideally, action That's the part that actually makes a difference..
And look — a lot of guides online say the purpose is "to criticize U.S. policy" and stop there. That's half-true at best. She criticizes indifference broadly, including in Central American governments and smugglers. Reducing her to one target is a mistake.
Practical Tips
If you're a student, a teacher, or just someone trying to read her properly, here's what actually works.
Read the editorial twice. Because of that, second for the seams where she steps in with judgment. First for the story. The purpose shows up in those seams.
When the question asks which phrase best describes the purpose, cross out any option that says only one verb — only "inform," only "entertain," only "describe." Nazario's editorial is compound. It informs through narrative and persuades through witness.
Quote a line back at the text. Practically speaking, if she writes, "We cannot call ourselves moral and look away," the purpose isn't subtle. Use that line to justify your phrase choice. Teachers eat that up, and more importantly, it's honest.
Don't be afraid to write your own phrase. Here's the thing — "To make the invisible child visible" is a better description than half the multiple-choice options out there. The short version is: match the phrase to the feeling she leaves you with, not the genre label Small thing, real impact..
FAQ
Which phrase best describes the purpose of Nazario's editorial? The most accurate phrase is usually "to inform readers about migrant children's struggles and persuade them to respond with empathy." It combines her factual base with her moral push Small thing, real impact. But it adds up..
Is Nazario's editorial biased? It has a clear point of view, but it's built on investigative reporting. Bias implies ignoring facts; she foregrounds them and then argues from them And it works..
What is Nazario best known for? Her book and series Enrique's Journey, which follows a Honduran boy traveling to the U.S. to find his mother. Her editorials extend that reporting into advocacy for humane treatment.
Why do schools debate her purpose? Because naming purpose forces readers to admit the writing affected them. That's uncomfortable in standardized settings, but it's the sign of strong work It's one of those things that adds up..
How is her editorial different from a news article? A news article reports; her editorial reports and then explicitly argues that the reader and society must change. The narrative is the same soil, the editorial is the raised voice.
Honestly, the phrase you choose matters less than whether you actually sat with what she's saying — because once you've read a child's name and followed his train north, "inform" or "persuade" stops being the interesting question, and "what now" becomes the only one.
