Ehrenreich's Rhetorical Analysis: Too Poor To Make The News
Eng 103-D200
27 Sept 2012
Rhetorical Analysis
In Barbara Ehrenreich's New York Times article, “Too Poor to make the News”, she investigates a phenomenon that has been swept away by the waves of media headlines about “middle class cutbacks” and “the super-rich giving up private jets”. (pg 322) She talks to people she met while writing her book “Nickel and Dimed” and uncovers stories of people whose ends could not be met before the recession, and are even less likely to be met now with increasing layoffs, foreclosed homes, and unavailable loans. She describes the problem well, and provides several sad tales, including one about her own nephew and his family's problems. She raises a crucial issue. Accepting the ways in which poverty is …show more content…
measured, it seems as though poverty will dramatically increase over the next year and possibly longer. Forcing the fact of reality, people must focus on those who have entered and will enter poverty and those who remain in poverty as a consequence of the recession. A further question arises, what has the recession done to the chance to exit from poverty? Ehrenreich applies logos as well as pathos to grab the audience’s attention creating a heartbreaking narrative of what it is like to be poor in the recession that has gripped America. Ehrenreich delivers strong views that should be addressed; poverty has been an on-going issue for years. But now, with loss of jobs and cuts in wages, economic times have worsened and people are far more in debt than ever. For example, Ehrenreich writes about a woman whom she met when writing a past book “Nickel and Dimed”. “Melissa” has worked for Wal-Mart for nine years and with a pay increase of three dollars over that span of time, it is
Pl 2 unlikely a substantial amount to make a change in her economic cushion.
Ehrenreich also writes about her nephew and the hardship that he and his family faced when his mother-in-law had a heart attack and was not able to provide for her disabled child and two grandchildren. The mother-in-law could no longer make her mortgage on a single-wide trailer that had depreciated as much as a used car. Unemployment rates increased as much as twenty percent in some areas and during the height of the real estate boom, rents quickly spiraled higher and higher, leaving many lower income individuals no choice but to cram as many as five people into a tiny one bedroom apartment. Dividing the rent among five people was affordable but uncomfortable and sometimes unlawful. Zoning laws were broken due to parking thus causing expensive fines for people who can’t afford to pay other obligations; domestic violence has risen due to stress filled apartments or homes due to overcrowding. The working poor is a term used to describe “individuals and families who maintain regular employment but remain in relative poverty due to low levels of pay and dependent expenses.” (Wikipedia.org) some people do not acknowledge and others have not heard of this group which consists of individuals who work at least one full-time job and sometimes even two or three part-time jobs that only pay minimum wage and have no health benefits, in order to support themselves and their
families. The point of this article is not to offer clear and easy solutions to end poverty; it is to enlighten people who have never experienced such deprivations. Her editorial is effective in the fact that it casts light on situation of the poor and she offers no solutions, only vague visions of future class warfare, “In good times and grim ones,” writes Ehrenrich, “the misery at the bottom just keeps piling up, like a bad debt that will eventually come due.” (pg 325)As some may not focus on the poor, but only worry about what bill of their own will get paid, the struggle of
Pl 3 escaping poverty may only be a block away. The resent recession in the economic downfall has painted a grim picture for the poor, increasing hardship on those who had already felt the crush of past recessions. Jobs are fewer, rising cost and the struggles of everyday living is no surprise for those who have to decide whether to put food on the table or pay the electric bill. The individuals who could possibly create profound change in our society are usually not poor or deprived; they are educated and financially comfortable and probably never had to worry with the economic devastation. But those who live with what is now and have been, is the struggles everyday life.
27 Sept 2012
Rhetorical Analysis
In Barbara Ehrenreich's New York Times article, “Too Poor to make the News”, she investigates a phenomenon that has been swept away by the waves of media headlines about “middle class cutbacks” and “the super-rich giving up private jets”. (pg 322) She talks to people she met while writing her book “Nickel and Dimed” and uncovers stories of people whose ends could not be met before the recession, and are even less likely to be met now with increasing layoffs, foreclosed homes, and unavailable loans. She describes the problem well, and provides several sad tales, including one about her own nephew and his family's problems. She raises a crucial issue. Accepting the ways in which poverty is …show more content…
measured, it seems as though poverty will dramatically increase over the next year and possibly longer. Forcing the fact of reality, people must focus on those who have entered and will enter poverty and those who remain in poverty as a consequence of the recession. A further question arises, what has the recession done to the chance to exit from poverty? Ehrenreich applies logos as well as pathos to grab the audience’s attention creating a heartbreaking narrative of what it is like to be poor in the recession that has gripped America. Ehrenreich delivers strong views that should be addressed; poverty has been an on-going issue for years. But now, with loss of jobs and cuts in wages, economic times have worsened and people are far more in debt than ever. For example, Ehrenreich writes about a woman whom she met when writing a past book “Nickel and Dimed”. “Melissa” has worked for Wal-Mart for nine years and with a pay increase of three dollars over that span of time, it is
Pl 2 unlikely a substantial amount to make a change in her economic cushion.
Ehrenreich also writes about her nephew and the hardship that he and his family faced when his mother-in-law had a heart attack and was not able to provide for her disabled child and two grandchildren. The mother-in-law could no longer make her mortgage on a single-wide trailer that had depreciated as much as a used car. Unemployment rates increased as much as twenty percent in some areas and during the height of the real estate boom, rents quickly spiraled higher and higher, leaving many lower income individuals no choice but to cram as many as five people into a tiny one bedroom apartment. Dividing the rent among five people was affordable but uncomfortable and sometimes unlawful. Zoning laws were broken due to parking thus causing expensive fines for people who can’t afford to pay other obligations; domestic violence has risen due to stress filled apartments or homes due to overcrowding. The working poor is a term used to describe “individuals and families who maintain regular employment but remain in relative poverty due to low levels of pay and dependent expenses.” (Wikipedia.org) some people do not acknowledge and others have not heard of this group which consists of individuals who work at least one full-time job and sometimes even two or three part-time jobs that only pay minimum wage and have no health benefits, in order to support themselves and their
families. The point of this article is not to offer clear and easy solutions to end poverty; it is to enlighten people who have never experienced such deprivations. Her editorial is effective in the fact that it casts light on situation of the poor and she offers no solutions, only vague visions of future class warfare, “In good times and grim ones,” writes Ehrenrich, “the misery at the bottom just keeps piling up, like a bad debt that will eventually come due.” (pg 325)As some may not focus on the poor, but only worry about what bill of their own will get paid, the struggle of
Pl 3 escaping poverty may only be a block away. The resent recession in the economic downfall has painted a grim picture for the poor, increasing hardship on those who had already felt the crush of past recessions. Jobs are fewer, rising cost and the struggles of everyday living is no surprise for those who have to decide whether to put food on the table or pay the electric bill. The individuals who could possibly create profound change in our society are usually not poor or deprived; they are educated and financially comfortable and probably never had to worry with the economic devastation. But those who live with what is now and have been, is the struggles everyday life.