Barbara Ehrenreich begins her argument with two hypothetical situations. She compares two jobs with very opposite incomes and uses the situations to express what one would score if the people were robbed. Also in the first paragraph she uses a metaphor, calling the poor a “juicy target” to make a business off of stealing from them. The problem she identifies is that because you are classified as poor, you are basically trapped in a whirl pool that sucks everything out of you, and gives you a very small chance to ever make up for what is taken away. She assumes her readers are unaware of the issue, and has a neutral but informative tone. Her purpose is to address the issue, and convince the readers to take action. In order to accomplish the purpose, the writer appeals to Logos by using cause and effect, and giving insight about the cash advance businesses, credit card companies, and the harsh and unjust laws that are just made to make a buck in the system. She also appeals to Ethos by including stories of people who have felt the arrows shot at the poor. The writer refutes her argument by concluding with possible solutions. Her outcome is not clear but the bottom line is that “Before we can "do something" for the poor, there are some things we need to stop doing to them. Overall the argument Ehrenreich makes is effective because the actual issue is addressed clearly, she uses strong strategies to back up her argument, and finally it leaves you feeling more educated about these “Shark-bite” strategies that businesses and our own government are using to make money that has no value because all they are making is just more debt.
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