Jordan+M

1. A writer is an artist, who, rather than using paint or a pencil, uses words to create their masterpiece. A writer uses their words to portray their feelings or beliefs, in hopes of helping the reader see things through their eyes. When one writes, it is done to either persuade, entertain, or inform, all of which require a different style of writing. When writing to persuade, the writer must state their stance on a particular topic, provide facts to support that stance, and explain those facts. The final product should be a writing that convinces the reader that the writer is right. When writing to entertain, the writer must devise a storyline that is new, interesting, and leave the reader wanting more. When writing to inform, one must do research on a topic, and write a piece informing the reader about what they see as the important aspects of the topic at hand. From these three primary forms of writing branch of many other forms, such as poetry, lyrics, novels, essays, and even just writing a letter to someone. Regardless of the type of writing, it is meant to be a work of art.

-Jordan McMahon

3. The article "Is It Now a Crime to Be Poor?" by Barbara Ehrenreich discusses how the poor are progressively being treated worse and worse. This article is very emotional, because it paints a picture, showing how our own government is treating the poor in American society today. Ehrenreich tells the story of a man who was taken out of a homeless shelter for not appearing at court after he was charged with criminal trespassing, as he slept on a sidewalk. The author states that “They arrested a homeless man in a shelter for being homeless” (Ehrenreich 1). Here, the author appeals to our emotion through enargeia, giving us the image of an ironic crime, as the homeless man was charged with sleeping on the street, as he was homeless. Yet, when this same man finds a shelter to sleep at, he was taken out on a previous charge, although the problem was solved. Another instance in which the author uses enargeia is when she states “he lost his slot in the shelter and now sleeps outside the Verizon Center sports arena, where the big problem, in addition to the security guards, is mosquitoes” (Ehrenreich 1). Here, she is painting the picture of a man who was not able to maintain his spot at a shelter, and is now forced to sleep outside, where he faces such discomforts as mosquitoes. All in all, this article is very effective in appealing to the emotions of the reader, as it is hard not to imagine what it would be like to be in the shoes of the homeless after reading this article.

-Jordan McMahon