REHUGO

Quinci Woods

Mr. Soeth

English 3 AP

February 16, 2011

REHUGO- Government: “Middle Class Consumerism Is Out of Control” vs “Middle Class Consumerism Is Not Out of Control”

A. The two articles are “Middle Class Consumerism Is Out of Control” by Rodney Smith and the other opposing one is “Middle Class Consumerism is Not Out of Control” by Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Warren Tyagi.

B. Attached are the two articles of opposing views.

C. Rodney Smith’s argument in his article “Middle Class Consumerism Is Out of Control” is that the younger generation is not inheriting the middle class virtues of hard work. This materialistic generation is caught up with expenses that the middle class has disappeared. In Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Tyagi’s argument in their article “Middle Class Is Not Out of Control” is that our generation is saving more than ever before.

D. “The only recent federal Congress that did not spend more than it received was the Newt Gingrich Congress in the mid 1990s.” Smith appeals to logos by stating facts about his argument of how the government is borrowing money to stay with the economy and stay in authority are influencing the loss values of the middle class. He states facts and gives examples of federal Congresses to make his argument stronger and more realistic if he points out accurate examples in the world. “The authors of Affluenza rail against appliances ‘that were deemed luxuries as recently as 1970, but are now found in well over half of U.S. homes, and thought of by a majority of Americans as necessities: dishwashers, clothes dryers, central heating and air conditioning, color and cable TV.’” Warren and Tyagi appeal to ethos by creditability of sourcing an author of the topic of how families are spending less than they were in the 1970s. The appeal to ethos makes the argument stronger by another perspective of the same interest.

E. “Middle-Class Values Are Lost to Consumerism and Laziness. This is a symptom of traditional middle-class wisdom and values being lost on the next generation.” Smith uses definition to define his topic. The effect is what the topic is going to be about and what he is going to elaborate on. “How can this be?” “Outfitting the home?” “What about cars?” The rhetorical strategies that Watson and Tygai use in the beginning of the paragraphs to open with the topic and then answer the question.

F. While there are so many hardships in the world and it seems like the middle class is getting the worst blow, the middle class is still surviving. Middle class families have been saving more than they ever have. My family and all the other families in my city are saving and putting down their pleasures. The middle class is here to survive and stay.

MLA Format:

"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.

Document URL

http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&prodId=OVIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010663213&mode=view&userGroupName=trac9483&jsid=f7f0dd0db5950eac378130c7ce12c90a

"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. 17 Feb. 2011.

Document URL

http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&prodId=OVIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010663214&mode=view&userGroupName=trac9483&jsid=a07b6a0cda6af6f5a221d9cb38e7249b