AP English 3
Mr. Soeth
February 16, 2011
REHUGO- Current Event
B. Articles
"Middle-Class Consumerism Is Out of Control" by Rodney Smith
"Middle-Class Consumerism Is Not Out of Control" by Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Warren Tyagi
C. Argument
In the first article, Rodney Smith argues that the middle-class is fading away. The values of hard work and sacrifice that the earlier generations had have not been passed on to the young generations. In the second article by Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Warren Tyagi, the argument being presented is that the society is not wasting money but are saving more than it did before. They are arguing that the middle-class is still safe.
D. Evidence
In his article, Smith uses logos by having logical statements to support his argument. He states that "[parents] found that there was more to life than working and raising children. There were hobbies and other pleasures to pursue." This is a logical statement that Smith uses to present the idea that over time, as we modernized, people started to worry about spending time on activities other than working. This evidence is useful in proving the argument because it is an example of how the society cares more about other things than trying to work hard. This logical statement proves the argument in that when the society experiences the moments of pleasure instead of working, it wants more of those moments. This increases the amount that they put into these pastime activities. With more entertainment going on, people want to work less and this further influences their children. By giving the entertainment time to children, both the parents and children do not realize that there is work that needs to be done. Later on, there are consequences, such as being fired from job, that can contribute to the decrease in the middle-class. Another evidence that Smith uses is pathos. In the article, he states that "[primarily] the traditional values of hard work and sacrifice were not universally passed on to the next generations. The values of materialism and pleasure replaced those values. Hard work was replaced by laziness and intolerance of boredom." This quote suggests an appeal to emotions because it presents the idea of how lazy the society has gotten and does not work hard. By appealing to the emotions through this statement, the audience realizes how the society is starting to spend more than what it has or earns. This supports the argument because when one spends more than earns, he loses money and this contributes to the decline of the middle-class.
In the article "Middle-Class Consumerism Is Not Out of Control," evidence of logos is used by presenting data and statistics. The authors bring up the point that "typical two-income family today earns nearly 75 percent more than their one- income parents earned a generation ago." This evidence is useful in proving the argument because it gives an example of how the society today is earning more than it did before. Since it is earning more, there should be no problems in spending more than they did in earlier generations because it is supposed to balance out. Along with the money spending increase, the income has also increased. Therefore, there should be no threat to the middle-class because there is the economic balance. Another evidence that is used in the article is ethos. This strategy is used when the authors mention credible sources like economist Robert Frank and economist Juliet Schor. By citing an expert in the article, it enhances the credibility of the authors. When these experts say that society is spending more money but there is also more income, the audience is more likely to be convinced because of their credibility.
E. Rhetorical Strategies
The rhetorical strategies used in the article by Rodney Smith are comparison and contrast and allusion. The first strategy, comparison and contrast, is used to show how the older generations used to work hard and spend less time on entertainment. The author mentions in the first sentence that "[this] is a symptom of traditional middle-class wisdom and values being lost on the next generation." This quote is comparing how earlier generations used to have values for work and how hard they used to work. It is being compared to how today, generations are getting lazy and not working because those same values are not passed on the coming generations. The comparison and contrast supports the argument in that with less hard workers in the future, the middle-class would slowly fade away. Another rhetorical strategy used in this article is allusion. This strategy is used when Smith mentions that "[the] Europeans and Native Americans they supplanted knew that unless they sacrificed time and pleasure to work long and hard they would starve or freeze to death in the next winter. Discipline was the way of American life." In this statement, Smith alludes to the Europeans and Native Americans working hard and maybe even extra to store so that the families do not starve in the following season. The effect of this strategy is that it shows that by working hard, the society kept their families from starving and because of this the societal classes stayed balanced.
The rhetorical strategies used in the second article are cause and effect and rhetorical questions. Cause and effect are used when the authors state mention "who cooks at home anymore? With Mom and Dad both tied up at work, Americans are eating out (or ordering in) more than ever before." This gets the audience to think about why are families spending more money on eating out than cooking at home. The reason for that is because both parents are working now and there is no one to cook. This quote supports the argument in that now both parents are working harder which means that the middle-class is safe. The cause and effect is used when pointing out that because the families eat out more now, they save more money because they do not have to spend so much money on buying the groceries. The cause is that "families are saving big bucks by skipping the T-bone steaks, buying their cereal in bulk at Costco, and opting for generic paper towels and canned vegetables." By eating out, they are having the effect of spending less of the money for buying groceries and cooking at home.
F. Position
My position for this argument is that the middle-class is in threat of fading away. I agree with Rodney Smith in that the values of hard work and sacrifice have not been passed on to the next generations. Instead the laziness has started to appear. Although there is a rise in the number of people in a family working and an increase in income, the expenses are still more than the income. In this generation, there are the common expenses that the parents have to worry about. However, in addition to those regular expenses, there are are the desires to get something that is not needed. Not only do the children want the newest products, but the parents are also getting into the habit of it. With regular expenses and extra money being spent on pleasures, there is not enough income to balance it out. Therefore, the middle-class would tend to fade away.
Citation
"Middle-Class Consumerism Is Out of Control." The Middle Class. Ed. David M. Haugen, Susan Musser, and Vickey Kalambakal. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 17 Feb. 2011.
"Middle-Class Consumerism Is Not Out of Control." The Middle Class. Ed. David M. Haugen, Susan Musser, and Vickey Kalambakal. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 16 Feb. 2011.
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