Rhetorical Analysis Of What Is Poverty By Jo Goodwin Parker

“Can you be silent too?” The previous quote is mentioned by Jo Goodwin Parker in her essay, “What is Poverty?”. Parker could no longer be silent and decided it was time to let her voice be heard. She reached out to grab the attention of those who do not know the struggles of everyday life in this lifestyle, those who place stereotypes on every person in poverty, and to make a statement, that anyone can be in poverty no matter what their background may be. She could no longer be silent and allow others to continue to suffer the way she and her children did. Ultimately, Parker used a pathos style of rhetoric to create a metaphorical essay; thus, making her material appeal to the emotions and views of readers. Pathos is defined as an appeal …show more content…
It is remembering quitting school in junior high because “nice” children had been so cruel about my clothes and my smell.” Parker states “Poverty is remembering.” as a use of metaphorical language. She is relating poverty to her childhood in the fact, she had to quit school because of her smell, clothes, and the bullying from the “nice” children. The author come across with an informal tone and simplistic word choices to show her lack of education. With the choice of an informal style, the essay is able to focus on her personal experience and not about the statistics involved with poverty. While she could have incorporated the statistics of poverty, the main points of her essay would be lost and hidden under numbers. With the addition of statistics, research would be necessary, which would cost money, time, supplies, and the long trips to town, all of which the family did not have nor could …show more content…
My neighbor will take me when he goes; but expects to get paid, one way or another…. He is that large man who spends his time at…. the corner store complaining about the government spending money on the immoral mothers on illegitimate children.” The use of irony is placed here, as an emotional tactic, to show how difficult it is for Parker, just to make it into town without walking. This is ironic in the fact that Parker, herself, is one of these “immoral mothers” to her neighbor. Parker is able to defend a paragraph earlier in the essay, with this one single quote. She admits she did ask for help and received seventy-eight dollars per month; but, then explains that this is not nearly enough to barely survive after rent is paid. Parker had stated that she was once able to get out of her poverty stricken lifestyle and be married to a man but after he lost his job things went down-hill. She was sending the message to her readers that anyone could be in her situation no matter what background you may have. During this part of the essay, Parker does not change her sentence structure, or use of language. A majority of her sentences are imperative sentences that are choppy and short. These types of language are effective in allowing the message to be heard without time to wonder; meanwhile, acknowledging the criticisms which come along with poverty and government money as the