II. Important Information:
1. The main idea is that owning stuff is not the key to happiness and that consumers today own more than they need and it also impacts the environment. Hill demonstrates this by showing statistics of global warming due to consumerism. Hill also claims that most of our stress comes up when we are managing our own personal belongings, whether it be moving to a new house or selling stuff, and that he is personally happier in life owning less items than the average American consumer. Hill claims that “. . . Relationships, experiences and meaningful work are the staples of a happy life.” (213)
2. The intended audience is college educated consumers. Hill assumes that the reader will understand his vocabulary, discussion …show more content…
Hill discusses that the average temperature of the globe has been higher than the average for nearly the entire 20th century. He then claims that housing size is currently more than double what it used to be sixty years ago, and that the amount of people per household has gone down. Plus, people end up renting out storage units to hold onto their belongings once they have stuffed their garages so full to the point that their cars can’t even be parked inside of them anymore. Finally, Hill discusses that while consumerism is at an all-time high, happiness levels have not risen with …show more content…
His claim, or thesis, is that he is happier living with less than the average consumer and that it is better for the environment due to his small carbon footprint. His rebuttal is directed at those who believe he is biased for not liking stuff, when in fact he says that he does still like material things similar to others, just that he has his limits. His qualifier is that he is living with less, not nothing. Meaning, that he is not saying the way to fight consumerism is to stop it completely, but to reflect on just what it is that we buy in life that we don’t really need. His evidence are the statistics, researchers, and personal experiences that he brings into his article to support his points. His warrant, which is left unspoken, is that he is happier living with less, and that his readers likely would be too. Finally, his backing to the warrant exists when he claims how big his life is living with less and how proud of himself he is with his small carbon
1. The main idea is that owning stuff is not the key to happiness and that consumers today own more than they need and it also impacts the environment. Hill demonstrates this by showing statistics of global warming due to consumerism. Hill also claims that most of our stress comes up when we are managing our own personal belongings, whether it be moving to a new house or selling stuff, and that he is personally happier in life owning less items than the average American consumer. Hill claims that “. . . Relationships, experiences and meaningful work are the staples of a happy life.” (213)
2. The intended audience is college educated consumers. Hill assumes that the reader will understand his vocabulary, discussion …show more content…
Hill discusses that the average temperature of the globe has been higher than the average for nearly the entire 20th century. He then claims that housing size is currently more than double what it used to be sixty years ago, and that the amount of people per household has gone down. Plus, people end up renting out storage units to hold onto their belongings once they have stuffed their garages so full to the point that their cars can’t even be parked inside of them anymore. Finally, Hill discusses that while consumerism is at an all-time high, happiness levels have not risen with …show more content…
His claim, or thesis, is that he is happier living with less than the average consumer and that it is better for the environment due to his small carbon footprint. His rebuttal is directed at those who believe he is biased for not liking stuff, when in fact he says that he does still like material things similar to others, just that he has his limits. His qualifier is that he is living with less, not nothing. Meaning, that he is not saying the way to fight consumerism is to stop it completely, but to reflect on just what it is that we buy in life that we don’t really need. His evidence are the statistics, researchers, and personal experiences that he brings into his article to support his points. His warrant, which is left unspoken, is that he is happier living with less, and that his readers likely would be too. Finally, his backing to the warrant exists when he claims how big his life is living with less and how proud of himself he is with his small carbon