Is Poverty a Kind of Robbery?
Author
Thomas B. Edsall
Pathos:
EXAMPLE [Alice] Goffman described some of the effects of extreme poverty by quoting the words of a Detroit resident to whom she gave the pseudonym “Marqueta”:
"Your fingers get slow, you know, your whole body slows down. You can’t really do much, you try to put a good face on for the kids, but when they leave you just keep still, keep the covers around you. Almost like you kind of fold into the floor. Like you’re just waiting it out. You don’t really think about too much.… November your stomach is crying at you but by December you know, you start to just shut down…. Around 3 you get up for the kids. Put the space heaters, so they come home and it’s warm in here."
RESPONSE Although the majority of the article does not rely on exploiting the readers' emotions, Edsall still attempts to grab your attention by relaying the experience of a struggling mother with children struggling to maintain confidence for her children despite the unfortunate and difficult circumstances. The utilization of pathos sentiments continues a bit further but to a fairly limited extent that avoids alienating the reader. Such statements are certainly relevant as the subject matter naturally incites pity
the title itself prepares your emotions for the material!
Logos:
EXAMPLE Hunger has grown sharply since the financial collapse of 2008, although it is felt acutely by a relatively small percentage of the population. In 2007, 12.2 percent of Americans experienced what the Department of Agriculture describes as "low food security," including 4 percent who fell into the category of very low food security. By 2011, the percentage of those coping with low food security rose to 16.4 percent, and those experiencing very low food security went up to 5.5 percent.
RESPONSE Much of the article centers on the political perspective of the poverty issue and, therefore, statistics become a major element of the material especially since the economic status of the country often takes center stage amid the political scene. The numbers become a foundation built upon throughout the article to explain the social pressures and ethical and moral complications of the left and right positions of the election. As well, the numbers are used to really emphasize the troubled economy and failure to provide effective solutions against the growing exploitation of poverty-stricken individuals and families.
Ethos:
EXAMPLE ...How different would the nation's politics be if either party, or at least the Democrats, added the concept of economic exploitation to its repertoire?
Not only would doing so risk inflaming the issue of race, but it would put at risk existing sources of campaign finance on which both parties are dependent. The finance-insurance-real estate sector is the single largest source of cash for the Democratic Party, $46.3 million in the current election cycle, and for the Republican Party too, at $67.7 million.
This dependence on moneyed interests effectively precludes exploitation as a theme for either major party to develop. These sources of campaign cash would dry up if they became the target of policies or positions they found threatening.
RESPONSE It seems that Edsall utilizes ethos most proficiently. The issue of exploitation becomes a matter relatively untouched amid the fight for presidency and the reasons violate a very sensitive ethical principle: benefiting from another being's misery. Not only does it feel wrong, but it is nearly impossible to avoid without severely harsh consequences
almost a necessary evil for both political parties. Edsall does a fantastic job getting the reader to think about the true picture of reality and the fallacies of life whether amid politics or one's own everyday dealings; Edsall's effective use of ethos prompts within the reader a reevaluation of the modern society.
