Richer And Poorer Accounting For Inequality Rhetorical Analysis

In the book, Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich writes the story, “Serving in Florida.” She describes her experience living as an undercover waitress when in reality she’s a journalist for culture and politics with a doctorate in biology. Ehrenreich experiences trying to survive on multiple low income jobs to understand what it is like to be in their shoes instead of being apart of the higher middle class. Ehrenreich uses imagery, diction, pathos and logos to strategize her story and make it more appealing to the readers who are higher income people wanting them to understand how difficult low income life can be.

William Hazlitt composed his passaged, “On the Want of Money” to express that “one cannot get on well in the world without money”. Although many believe money is not necessary to be happy Hazlitt provides his audience with a substantial argument that money is needed to live happily. Within Hazlitt’s sharp excerpt, he uses several different rhetorical strategies to strengthen his argument and express his views on the importance of money.

Ethos is “the character and credibility of the writer in the eyes of the reader.” An example of this is, “We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions..”. The author shows their credibility by stating they are representatives of the United States of America. The authors also portrayed this by, “In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms.” By saying this, the authors show they have tried to set agreed terms with

Paul Krugman author of the article “Confronting Inequality” stresses the inequality of our social classes in the United States, he uses statistics to demonstrate the staggering consequences of this inequality within our social classes. Krugman emphasizes the fact that a majority of our wealth is owned by about one percent of the population, which is leaving the middle and lower class at an extreme disadvantage. One example Krugman uses is education; children that have wealthy families, have a higher percentage of finishing college than those of lower income families, proving the statement that Krugman was accentuating, “Class-inherited class- usually trumps talent.” The parents within this middle to lower class have been exceed their financial

In a New York Times article, “Too Poor to Make the News,” author Barbara Ehrenreich focuses on the impact the recession has caused to the lives of the working poor. She begins her article by describing how the newly group, known as Nouveau poor, have to give up valuables where as the working poor have to give up housing, food, and prescription medicines. Ehrenreich’s purpose is to inform her readers who are blessed enough not to suffer like the working poor. Barbara Ehrenreich’s article examines the impacts the recession has on the lives of the working poor, by demonstrating pathos, and makes readers aware of the sufferings the poor have to face.

In Bell Hooks’ essay, “Seeing and Making Culture: Representing the Poor”, Hooks addresses and clarifies the misinterpretations that people have of the assumptions made of the poor, how poor individuals are viewed in human culture and how the poor are represented on television. She helps the audience understand how these assumptions are wrong.

The past is the past, but sometimes the past comes back and bites us on the butt. In Ta-Nehisi Coates’s article, “The Case for Reparations”, Coates describes the wrongful acts done by white supremacists towards African-Americans. Throughout his article, Coates provides strong logos and pathos to his argument. The one issue that he fails to discuss is ethos or credibility towards his argument. In the use of rhetorical appeal, ethos was not affected in his article’s argument.

Paul Krugman in “Confronting Inequality” attempts to explain how bad inequality is and the things that can bring inequality to high or low levels. He gives reasons of why he and Americans should care about the increase in inequality.

In the book Nickel and Dimed, written by Barbara Ehrenreich, the author argues how challenging it is to live in a life of poverty. To prove to herself as well as others that this statement is accurate, she makes the decision to experience this lifestyle firsthand by taking low-wage jobs and recording the results. Ehrenreich took on jobs including a maid service, waitressing, and assisting the nursing home to make enough money for a place to sleep and food to eat. The work’s central argument is the fact that minimum and low wage workers face a myriad of difficulties in getting by in America; they receive very low pay, harsh treatments from their employers, and the inability to have an actual life. The author provides various amounts of evidence from her factual recordings, her personal insight as an effective technique, and rhetorical choices of ethos, logos, and pathos to support her position.

Nightjohn, a novel written by Gary Paulsen, takes location throughout one of the finest periods of prejudice and racism in American records. Nightjohn is the story of a young slave lady named Sarny. Within the book, Sarny meets any other slave named Nightjohn, he teaches Sarny a way to study and write. Ultimately, after Nightjohn is punished for coaching Sarny, he runs away, however, later he returns to complete coaching Sarny. Sarny failed to accept the fact that she was a slave or the unfairness in opposition to her prevent her from learning. This literary analysis paper, will discuss Gary Paulsen’s use of prejudice, bravery, and freedom to advance his perception of the book, Nightjohn.

As a reader reads Barbara Ehrenreich’s book Nickel and Dimed on (Not) Getting by in America, they get an insight on what it is like to live a low income life. Ehrenreich proposes the argument in the introduction that poverty is a serious matter and just because one has a job does not mean they are not considered poor. She wants to persuade us to realize that American is not the land of opportunity as promised and portrayed and there are regular people who are struggling to live a comfortable life. Throughout her book she mentions her experiences with living on minimum wage, the hiring process, and how she felt being put in that position. After reading Ehrenreich’s book I am thoroughly persuaded.

Poverty; a word that is commonly used so often when it comes to individuals being a low classed, low income, American citizen who struggle to find success and an efficient job that pays well. In Barbara Ehrenreich’s article It Is Expensive to Be Poor, published in the online news article company The Atlantic, on January 13,2014, she argues that those who are struggling to support their own family or find an efficient well paying job are obtaining no support from the self-centered government. Ehrenreich also tries to inform the readers that those who are in poverty are treated unfairly and unjust. Through Ehrenreich’s argumentative article, she tries to persuade the readers through reasoning, credible personal background and history, as well as emotional appeals.

“Poverty is like punishment for a crime you didn't commit” this quote was said by Mahatma Gandhi and it relates so well with this article “It is Expensive To Be Poor”, answer the question yourself, Is it expensive to be poor? This article is titled like that to get the audience's attention early and have them thinking ahead of reading. The author Barbara Ehrenreich is building a pre thought when she does this which helps support her claim. “It is Expensive To Be Poor” by Barbara Ehrenreich is an article posted on “The atlantic” “which is where you can find your current news and analysis on politics, business, culture, and technology”. Knowing what “The Atlantic” offers for readers this gives Ehrenreich a detailed look at who she is writing to. The article talks about poverty within america and the issues and resolutions connected to the economy. In “It is Expensive To Be Poor” Ehrenreich claim is that people in poverty are not in that situation because of self habits but because they simply do not have money at the moment. she explains that anyone

Though it is difficult for logic to prevail over emotion. Pathos is yet an important effect in an argumentative essay. As it affects the reader’s emotion, gasping their attention, and allowing them to feel the author's main point. Many great writers use pathos to dragging the reader into the story as for this article the use of pathos was neglected. The statement “Women have to work three to five hours a day to collect wood fuel for cooking and heating. Not only do they get sore feet from the walking long distances, but also they get back and neck pains as a result of overloading” (Tweneboah 2003, para. 10). This quote forces the image of a woman over loaded with much needed materials walking slowly in pain. It gives the readers a visual but

“When the poor or newly poor are asked to define poverty, however, they talk not only about what’s in the wallet but what’s in the mind or the heart” (Shipler 10). The United States of America is a place which has an enormous population filled with foreigners and immigrants. Many enter America to get a better job, a fresh start, and to live the American Dream. In the 21st century, the gap between the rich and the poor has greatly widened even though America’s economy is skyrocketing as the years go by. Poverty has been a major issue due to various occasions but people who are in the middle and high classes do not know the hardships these poor workers go through just so that they could have a chance to own valuables. Although America