Rhetorical Analysis Of Poverty 'By Matthew O' Brien

Superior Essays
What would it be like to become so malnourished that you are forced to seek immediate medical attention? Matthew O’Brien brings this issue to light in his article, “Poverty is literally making people sick because they can’t afford food”. The article’s purpose is to expose us to the reality of poverty. He discusses how low-income people get hospitalized when their monthly welfare benefits run out. O’Brien introduces his point that states that the people at the low end of the income level become ill when they run out of benefits. He extensively backs up his claim with facts from notable scientists and researchers. Later in the article, he transitions to a more emotional language as he speaks out in frustration. While O’Brien does an effective …show more content…
He uses a credible economist to bolster his argument that increasing minimum wage could boost incomes at the bottom. This supports his opinion that increasing minimum wage is a possible solution to poverty. However, this is just an opinion and has no proof to back the claim. O’Brien then makes a claim that once you resolve one part, the whole thing will fix itself because “poverty begets poverty”— poverty gives rise to poverty (O’Brien). He supports this claim by using a statement from a credible source in the field of health and social policies. This source says exactly what O’Brien wants, which is to “[give] poorer people more [money and they can] afford more food at the end of the month” (O’Brien). This source he uses gives a general, broad statement that no one could deny because increasing welfare could save money by saving the person an expensive medical visit. This ultimately supports the idea that poverty gives rise to poverty. However, O’Brien didn’t consider both sides of the argument, try to prove the argument wrong, or consider other possibilities of what they would do with this extra money. If he did this, his article would be more effective than it is now. While O’Brien used credible sources, these statements he used are just their opinions in their field, not facts and evidence. The reader would probably believe these statements are true because they are written by credible sources, that people know how to solve the issue, and that the group O’Brien blamed earlier is the main reason why it isn’t being resolved. Again, this gives the wrong message to the reader and limits the overall effectiveness of the

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    In Tim O’Brien’s speech “Heroes,” O’Brien describes what he defines as a hero. O’Brien describes a hero as someone who is not fooled by what is going on around them. To personify his definition of a hero, O’Brien uses Elroy Birdall, an old man he met before he made his decision on whether or not he was going to dodge the draft, to show how Birdall has met his criteria of a hero is. O’Brien uses physical descriptions of Birdall to convey his message. Birdall is described by O’Brien as “tiny” and “shrunken” (O’Brien 277).…

    • 393 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    O’Brien utilizes flashbacks a great deal because he is telling a twenty year old war story. When he takes the readers into the past it is more than just a flashback. O’Brien makes it feel real, the past becomes the present. That is what creates depth. He is trying tell a war story, the best way to tell a story is to put it before the reader's eyes, like watching a movie.…

    • 533 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Dear O'Brien, Today, the purpose of this letter is to question you, just like what you have done to all your victims. However, I am merely asking you, not forcing you to answer by asserting “… power over another [man]”. Even if I did have the power, I would not do so, because I am human whereas you are an insane old creature with no kindness for others. Speaking of power, we have reached the purpose of my letter, power. It is not about acquiring power nor about power itself.…

    • 1339 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He references CDC data sheets when drawing conclusions. He uses ethos to appeal to readers, using words like “stupid” and “fuzzy logic”. This language makes readers want to do their own research and find out for their own. He also uses historical data to support his claims. Ellison presents his argument well.…

    • 674 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    “The Privilege of Poverty” is Joan Mueller’s attempt to reincorporate the women of the Franciscan Order and the role they played during their medieval time back into the early Franciscan history that is often written without any mention of them. Joan Mueller seeks to correct that problematic gap, lacking women’s voices and experiences, in the historiography of the early Franciscan movement. To accomplish this goal, she focuses on the history of the Franciscan Rule of St. Clare which was finally approved in 1253, only two days before she died. The encompassing theme of the book is the insistence on the “Privilege of Poverty” by Clare of Assisi and the women of St. Francis that was finally granted to them one day before with Clare's death…

    • 1248 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Additionally, the article Hunger in American, one of my favorite reads, explores this concept. Authors of Hunger in America states that America's weak economic system contributes to rapid growth in the numbers of households seeking and receiving food assistance. As the gap inequality widen, the middle-working class population will continue to t disappear and the number of people participating in SNAP or needing meals will grow immensely (). Programs such as Empty Bowls are conversation starters. As a society, we should be resilient as we fight for or request policies and laws to actively addresses food insecurity and its depending social issues as such employment, homelessness etc...…

    • 107 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Nutrition deficiency is a problem worldwide, consisting of people not eating enough healthy foods. This issue is thought of for people who are underweight but one might not know that people with obesity are also lacking nutrition. One obvious reason for nutrient deficiency is food deserts that make is so people can not get the healthy foods they should be eating. Erika Nicole Kendall wrote “No Myths Here: Food Stamps, Food Deserts, and Food Scarcity” explaining the problems of food deserts with people growing up in neighborhoods with no access to nutritious food. The article “Food’s Class Warfare” by Tracie Mcmillan shows similar and contrasting issues relating to problems of food desert.…

    • 828 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    In a society where “giving food to starving kids in Africa” has become almost a cliché, utilitarian philosopher Peter Singer makes the readers of The New York Times step back and reevaluate their spending choices in his 1999 essay “The Singer Solution to World Poverty”. Through a mixture of examples and facts Singer calls upon those with excess money, typically used on luxuries, to instead donate that money for overseas aid agencies. In order to persuade the reader to follow through with his solution, he utilizes anecdotes and facts, emotional statements, and an impression to communicate the importance of donating to these agencies. At the start of the article, Singer opens with an anecdote from the movie “Central Station”.…

    • 1672 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Unrealistic American Dream The Declaration of Independence sparked a political revolution throughout the American colonies in 1776. “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” is a revolutionary concept that is still instilled in our ambitions today (Declaration of Independence). With that idea came the American Dream; it was believed that everyone can achieve prosperity with hard work and persistence. Today, that can be attributed to economic mobility: the ability to improve one’s economic status.…

    • 1151 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Essay On Malnourishment

    • 1456 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Malnourishment is often thought of to be people who are underweight, however it also affects overweight people as well. Most people do not know that there are a greater number of overweight homeless Americans then there are overweight non-homeless Americans (Koh, Hoy, O’Connell, Montgomery). The problem often…

    • 1456 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Everyday millions of people around the world suffer in circumstances, in which they could die from lack of proper care and resources. In Famine, Affluence, and Morality, Peter Singer acknowledges this issue facing humanity and argues for the moral obligation to give large amounts of money to those in need. Singer believes that all who are able should be giving up many, if not all of their luxuries to help give the less fortunate their necessities. I will begin by summarizing the argument that Singer dictates in his article and then explain my reasoning for believing his notions to be sound and valid.…

    • 2212 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Poverty Capstone Paper

    • 838 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Introduction of Topic The basic definition that the dictionary provides for poverty is “the state of being extremely poor” (CITE). The effects of poverty can be felt in most, if not all, levels of society. In fact there are many leaders and politicians that focus a lot of their campaigns on finding a solution to poverty.…

    • 838 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    It means not having enough income to meet basic needs such as food, shelter, and clothing. There is a close connection between poverty and poor health. We must recognize that poverty has an impact on healthcare practices (Masters, 2017, p. 149). The destitute are often exposed to higher environmental health and personal risks. They have less information and have limited access to health care and hence leading to higher risk of illness and disabilities.…

    • 1290 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Billions Cursed by Poverty In this world, there are more than a billion people who are currently living below the poverty line; millions of stories are recorded which manifest ethos, pathos and logos. Poverty is the main cause in this world which is snatching the lives of billions of people. Thus why is poverty extremely atrocious and monstrous? The answer lies in our tiny little brains.…

    • 1260 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Poor Kids Movie Analysis

    • 1252 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In the same way the emotional condition of poverty alters the individual living in poverty, they too are confronted by physical challenges. The LIFE CHANCES of individuals living in poverty is severely reduced. Most families experiencing poverty are not provided adequate nutrition, which impedes both their physical and mental health. The CONSUMER PRICE INDEX does not take into account the continual fluidity of the expense of gas. The consumer thereby suffers this rising cost of fuel as stores pass along the outlay in higher prices at the grocery store.…

    • 1252 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays