What makes effective editorial writing?
Initial
Discussion: How does editorial writing differ from other forms of persuasive media?
Some further thoughts on Editorial Writing
Some further thoughts on Editorial Writing
Watch: How To Write an Editorial
View: The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Series by Kathryn Kingsbury in the Boston Globe.
A quick acronym
about style and content you may find in persuasive writing:
Anecdotes
Facts
Opinions
Rhetorical
Devices
Exaggeration
Statistics
Triplets
Using what you
know about editorial writing and the Pulitzer Prize criteria, write a paragraph or two (200+words) that evaluate one of Kingsbury’s articles. You should demonstrate awareness of what editorial writing is (point, acknowledging counterpoint, inspiring action), identify of at least 2 style/techniques/devices, and evaluate the overall effectiveness. For in-text citation, please refer to the electronic sources advice here. PARAGRAPH(S) TO BE POSTED IN THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THIS BLOG ENTRY BY 11:59pm.
Tipping system exacerbates unfair pay at restaurants
ReplyDeleteIn this article by Kingsbury she talks about the unfair pay and misdistribution of money in the restaurant business. Kingsbury brings up how many of the waiters/waitresses and bussers basically are barely surviving off of their tips and that they don’t actually earn the minimum wage from their employers. Which could be both good and bad. Kingsbury explains that if a person is a waiter on a busy night they could exceed the minimum wage that they earn from tips, however the down side is that if they work on a slow day or night they may not come close to the minimum wage that they should earn. In this article she acknowledges this problem and gives solutions that other states have adopted. She also notices the difference in working conditions and pay between women and men. She uses many facts throughout the article to further backup her point so that people cannot argue with the fact that restaurant workers make less than minimum wage. This could also be added onto statistics which makes her point clearer and more persuasive. The overall effectiveness of this article would be good. It gave clear facts and statistics which are hard to prove false and persuades the reader to believe something can be done and should be done.
Sustained and comprehensive understanding of Kingsbury’s article, demonstrating understanding of how selective facts can be used to persuade readers of an author’s point. Avoid using the adjective “good” in writing; try to come up with a more precise descriptor (in this case about the persuasiveness of an author’s writing). :)
DeleteChyna Collins
ReplyDeleteDiners should pay attention to workers, not just the food:I believe this was written very well because she uses a lot of good points in her discussion. She uses pathos by describing the way people are treated in this industry making people feel bad about these issues. She also uses emotional appeal in this way. Her story makes us think more about the people who prepare and serve our food when many of us probably didn't think about it at all before reading this. Her editorial is effective because she explains her points and uses good techniques in doing so. You get the main idea of the story while also hearing her opinion. She also uses great logos by giving facts about the issue that proves her point. We get an emotional appeal while learning the information about it. She explains these facts very well and it is very convincing to the readers. She gives facts that makes people aware of how serious this situation could be. All these techniques makes this editorial very effective.
Direct and clear description of persuasive devices to include emotional appeal and logos. Some confusing syntax like “you get the main idea of the story while also hearing her opinion”: a story is usually told through a personal lens and is thus opinionated. Try to use precise adjectives rather than value judgements like “good” or “great”. :)
DeleteDevon Slone
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article “Tipping System Exacerbates Unfair Pay at Restaurants” by Kathleen Kingsbury I feel like I have a better sense of how editorial writing should be executed. Prior to reading this article I wasn’t really familiar with the tipping system and how it began or how it’s changed over the years. Kingsbury had a good point in saying that restaurants should pay their wait staff minimum wage or whatever their negotiated wage is: and tips should be what the word implies a tip, a bonus in which someone earns on top of their standard pay. One of Kingsbury’s techniques that helped to make her article credible was the fact that she added statistics rather than just stating her opinion and a solutions to the ongoing issue. Also, the use of an anecdote from a waitress who has directly experienced the injustice in the tipping system made me realize if I didn’t before that the problem does exist and doesn’t get much attention. The solution that Kingsbury proposed to fix this issue wasn’t far-fetched or unlikely. It was a simple idea that would work and fix the issue all together. Overall, I feel that this editorial is well done and an excellent example of how one should be written.
Immediate personal connection to the article and comprehensive understanding of how a topic has changed over time. Clear understanding of statistics and anecdotal evidence and how they affect readers. Excellent overall shape of your response, Devon! :)
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete"For $1 per Big Mac, a truly livable salary for millions"
ReplyDeleteThis article was extremely engaging and informative. As a high school student who works at a fast food restaurant herself (Dunkin' Donuts), it was very intriguing for me to see the numbers presented in such a blunt way. I, an 18 year old, am the youngest person working at the East Ave Dunkin' Donuts. I remember being shocked when I saw how many middle-aged adults with relationships and families and homes are working at a fast food restaurant full time. I too had been under the misconception that the majority of fast food employees were teenagers.
This article focused on the raising of minimum wage to fifteen dollars an hour. This would significantly assist any person whose fast food income is all that they have to make ends meet. Kathleen Kingsbury clearly acknowledged the counterargument, bringing in the example of "In 'N Out", providing clear facts and statistics that make it blatantly obvious how ridiculously low minimum wage is. This article utilized the persuasive technique of plain folks in order to create a bond with the audience and it worked! I was immediately able to relate with those normal Americans that Kingsbury was discussing because I'm one of them.
Kingsbury was very conscious of covering her steps, ensuring that all arguments were discussed and providing clear and concise reasoning. Her great attention to detail made this article incredibly successful and impossible to ignore. It was informative and witty, and brought every element of editorial writing that it needed to in order to make the article a success.
Immediate personal connection to the document and demonstrated empathy with some of the workers. Multiple paragraphs marshaled points effectively, particularly the acknowledgement of a counterpoint. (Sometimes recognizing a counterpoint is tricky, as writers will crush them as soon as they’re introduced!) Astute awareness of the use of the “plain folks” technique. :)
Delete"For $1 per Big Mac, a truly livable salary for millions"
ReplyDeleteThis article was extremely engaging and informative. As a high school student who works at a fast food restaurant herself (Dunkin' Donuts), it was very intriguing for me to see the numbers presented in such a blunt way. I, an 18 year old, am the youngest person working at the East Ave Dunkin' Donuts. I remember being shocked when I saw how many middle-aged adults with relationships and families and homes are working at a fast food restaurant full time. I too had been under the misconception that the majority of fast food employees were teenagers.
This article focused on the raising of minimum wage to fifteen dollars an hour. This would significantly assist any person whose fast food income is all that they have to make ends meet. Kathleen Kingsbury clearly acknowledged the counterargument, bringing in the example of "In 'N Out", providing clear facts and statistics that make it blatantly obvious how ridiculously low minimum wage is. This article utilized the persuasive technique of plain folks in order to create a bond with the audience and it worked! I was immediately able to relate with those normal Americans that Kingsbury was discussing because I'm one of them.
Kingsbury was very conscious of covering her steps, ensuring that all arguments were discussed and providing clear and concise reasoning. Her great attention to detail made this article incredibly successful and impossible to ignore. It was informative and witty, and brought every element of editorial writing that it needed to in order to make the article a success.
Michele Wright
ReplyDelete"Tipping system exacerbates unfair pay at restaurants"
Kathryn Kingsbury’s article clearly speaks about how waiters at restaurant struggle with their pay. There are times when waiters can make minimum wage or more on a good day when the restaurant has many customer, but on the days where it is slow, those waiters don’t make minimum wage. She tells us the pros and cons of being the waiting and also a possible solution for waiters. Kingsbury has a very emotional appeal in her article because she gives you details on how the people who work as a waiter feel about the situation. She gives a lot of statistics on the matter which makes her article very persuasive and hard for the readers to have doubt on what she is saying on the matter. Her article is straight to the point and gets the reader to actually read the entire article because it is not just a random ramble on the topic. Unlike, some writers, she give in depth detail about the statistics that she discovered, therefore the reader actually understands what everything means. The readers can clearly follow along with Kingsbury article. All the different techniques that she uses in her article is why her article is so well written and gets the reader interested.
Decisive opening and understanding of Kingsbury’s article. Try to maintain formality by referring to readers as “the readership” or “readers” rather than “you”. Clear understanding of “emotional appeal” and the use of statistics. I personally like how you stated what Kingsbury does NOT do: ramble. :)
DeleteAleah Adams
ReplyDeleteFor $1 per Big Mac, a truly livable salary for millions
This article focuses on the poor benefits of fast food workers, that aren’t fortunate to obtain a high minimum wage or insurance backing. Her editorial was opinion based due to her believing that fast food employees should have a raised minimum wage and more assistance. She appeals to the reader’s emotions by using the anecdote about the single mother of three, Dunkin Donuts employee, Hope Shaw. The use of Pathos is effective in this context because it shows that all fast food employees aren’t just delinquent teenagers, and that the workers may have struggling backgrounds behind them. “Her heating gas was shut off last winter for failure to pay; the electric bill for her Dorchester apartment is consistently three months overdue. She’s gone without health insurance for more than a year” (Kingsbury). Her editorial was effective also in the sense that she stuck by her opinion however she raised the counterpoint of how some fast food chains support their employees and allow them to live comfortably. Kathleen Kingsbury uses statistics to support her counterpoint as well as hers. Food chains like McDonald's “frequently cites the fact that it already offers ‘competitive pay,’ suggesting that anything more would put it at a competitive disadvantage” (Kingsbury) whereas the In- N- Out Burger Corporation “takes pride in paying starting employees $10.50 an hour, and within a few months most are making at least $2 more” (Kingsbury). The use of statistics and anecdotes to support her opinion about raising minimum wage for fast food employees is very effective. It reassures the readers of her editorial that her views are well supported and sustained.
Convincing opening statement and understanding of how opinionated the article and writing is. Your understanding of pathos is clear, although try to identify the actual emotion (in this case, sympathy?) that is invoked. Quotations are synthesized seamlessly and concluding sentence is sophisticated. :)
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIn the article “For $1 per Big Mac, a truly livable salary for millions,” Kingsbury talks about the unlivable wages of people who work in fast food. She mentions a single mother of three named Hope Shaw who is an assistant manager at Dunkin’ Donuts in Boston, she has many difficulties paying her rent, health insurance, heating gas and electric bills on time. Even with working a nine hour shift. “My rent is $1,100 a month,” she says. “Every month I feel like I’m choosing between paying that or putting food on the table.” (Kingsbury para. 2). Fast food workers across the country have been striking for minimum wage to be raised to $15, with that being mentioned the price of fast food products would be raised by 10%; estimated by economists at UC Berkeley. Half of fast food workers’ families rely on government aid given to multibillion-dollar private corporations, McDonalds “McResource” urges full time workers to sign up for food stamps, Medicaid, and welfare, but the hotline was recently shut down which cut off the employees and their families to enroll in local and state assistance programs. Executives also play a role in why the wages of fast food employees are so low, they want to make more money, so all in all its all about greed instead of trying to care for everyone’s needs. “CEO Donald Thompson earned a salary of nearly $14 million — or about $7,000 per hour. In fact, industry-wide research by the Economic Policy Institute finds that restaurant CEO pay was 788 times higher than average employee earnings last year — a stark example of the way executives can reward themselves for keeping the wages of others low.” (Kingsbury, para. 9). If at least 10 of the big name corporations decided to raise minimum wage to $15 an hour, there wouldn’t be room to argue for competitive pay or disadvantage, which will open more doors for families that want the send their kids to college or pay their monthly bills. Kingsbury uses anecdotes and facts to compete her argument to urge the increase of minimum wages. This is very effective because it’ll attract teenagers and adults attention.
ReplyDeleteImmediately demonstrated understanding of Kingsbury’s overall view, augmented by embedded quotations. Avoid simply summarizing and instead think about evaluating and analyzing- naming Kingsbury’s use of quoted interviews or statistics. (You do this at the end, however.) Clear understanding of audience. :)
DeleteAlyssa Schulwitz
ReplyDeleteOff the Menu
In this article by Kingsbury, she talks about how the workers of buffets and diners feel that they are in a prison. For example, they say “the labor was grueling.” They worked twelve hours a day, six days a week, cleaning and doing food prep. Kingsbury brings up how the employees were taken to a house and were locked in for the night, not being able to leave when they wanted to after each shift. A former employee of the Grand China Buffet, Felipe Merino Sanchez, said that he hid one day when a police officer knocked on the door in fear of losing his job or even being deported. She also brings up a point about a few diners “in Raynham that could be a venue for what amount to human rights violations.” Kingsbury says that “the restaurant industry is run on a more informal basis than most.” She uses emotional facts in her articles as well.
Another thing Kingsbury brings up is that these diners are “problematic on their own terms,” and “they also create a fertile environment for conduct equivalent to human trafficking.” According to a 2012 analysis by the Brookings Institution, more than one-fifth of all food service workers are foreign-born. Of the foreign-born employees, the ones who are mistreated are the ones who are fully legal. She states that “most customers don’t think twice, especially when the food is cheap and the cuisine is ethnic.” It shows that customers only really think about the food, and not the workers who make it. Sanchez, crossed the border from Mexico in 2003, and was headed to NYC. He got into a van, driven by a stranger, and although didn’t know where he was, embarked on the 200 mile North journey to the Grand China Buffet, because “it was a job with food and housing.” In the end, no criminal or trafficking charges were filed, although the owners and managers of the Grand China Buffet were “charged with failure to pay employees minimum wage and failure to pay them in a timely manner”, as well as many other charges. “The Grand China Buffet was also cited for breaking child labor laws,” and were ordered to pay $181,000 in fines. Kingsbury also made it clear that several laws to protect workers like Sanchez were put in place.
Insightful understanding of Kingsbury’s purpose as well as common misconceptions that average customers have. Try to avoid summarizing the article and instead focus on identifying the tools that Kingsbury uses; you name those tools, but that should be the central purpose of a response like this. Well done! :)
Delete“For many restaurant workers, fair conditions not on menu”
ReplyDeleteAs a part-time cashier working at $9.50 an hour at a local grocery store, reading this editorial was particular effective to me. For me to make three times as much as an individual working full-time, with a larger workload, in drastically worse conditions truly put in perspective how disadvantaged these individuals were. It’s made even worse when it comes to mind that these people have little to no opportunity elsewhere. Kingsbury captures these grievances perfectly, not through loaded language or theories, but with overwhelming evidence that is nearly impossible to ignore.
This editorial was incredibly effective at bringing across the major points of concern and economic issues around worker exploitation in the restaurant industry. The editorial itself focuses around restaurants and eateries across major cities, especially in Boston, Massachusetts. Kingsbury brings to light numerous facts and details that greatly help in highlighting her issue. The editorial is riddled with numbers and percentages that give insight into the impact of this mistreatment. She not only brings across the hardships that these workers are forced to endure on a daily basis, but also the economic losses and disadvantages that this brings for themselves, the state, and the country at large. She makes an effective use of statistics to demonstrate the grim nature of this senseless oppression. While she acknowledges the claims made by various companies that increasing the wage of workers is unreasonable due to aspects such as competition and slim profit margins, Kingsbury deftly debunks these excuses. California, in particular, she turns to as a reason for increasing higher wages by bringing to light their estimated growth and and economic success as a result of increasing worker wages. She also brings in the personal experiences of foreigners and other disadvantaged individuals to make an emotional appeal to the reader. It helps the reader to relate to their position when compared to their own, especially in comparison to the average requirements of living adequate, which she also acknowledges. Kingsbury ends the editorial with the actions made by government and state officials alike to prevent and advocate an end to restaurant worker exploitation. By ending on a positive note, it proposes a direct solution for how a small and, considered unremarkable, individual can speak out against the big businesses working against them.
Personal connection to the content matter (and expressed empathy for fellow workers’ plight) made for an effective start. Try to avoid verb strings like “brings across” and instead use verbs like “conveys”, “communicates” or “articulates”. Clear understanding of techniques as well as the layered nature of Kingsbury’s presentation of evidence. Some sophisticated diction such as “exploitation” and “deftly debunks” (not to mention some dental alliteration there!). :)
DeleteStarr Ryland- Buntley
ReplyDeleteA welcome victory for fast-food workers
By Kathleen Kingsbury: In this editorial Kathleen Kingsbury brings to light the National Labor Relations Board’s legal opinion that was issued, and is leaning toward addressing a root cause of income inequality. She informs her readers of the large percentage of the working poor or those who work full time but don’t earn enough to cover their basic needs. Her article proved to be very informative and makes a very good point when she states that many of the workers are eligible for public assistance and that tax payers have to cover the cost that the employees should cover. When Kingsbury stated this it kind of struck me becomes a lot of the debates we hear surround the use of tax payers money, and how it should be used and if they have to pick up all the cost they want to be in the know how much and why. Kingsbury seemed really informed but she didn’t exactly explain the opinion that was issued by the National Labor Relations. She does mention that they think that in labor disputes McDonald's could be treated as a joint employer but there is not much info other than that. But aside from that the article was enlightening.
Central idea of the article is astutely identified in the opening sentence, insightfully expressed as “a root cause of income inequality”. Try to explicitly incorporate analysis as you summarize the article. (“She informs her readers through the use of statistics of the large…”) Personal evaluation at the end shows a personal connection and sensitive reading of the article. :)
DeleteOff The Menu
ReplyDeleteKathleen Kingsbury
In this article Kathleen Kingsbury is trying to make people aware of human trafficking in the food service industries. She specifically talks about foreigners who come to the United States looking for work. Many employers take advantage of their situation and offer them food and shelter. They provide them with these necessities, but also mislead them; they are not paid fairly. Some do not even make minimum wage or don't get paid at all for the hard grueling work they do on a daily basis. Kathleen is trying to make people acknowledge what is currently happening in New York City, and that it is not right to any degree of how these employers are exploiting their employees. Many laws have been in place since this case in NYC to help prevent human trafficking, but there is still a lot to be done. Specifically Massachusetts has the strictest regulations in the country. " in 2013 recommended a well-funded, worker-led program aimed specifically at labor trafficking to offer comprehensive legal and social services. That proposal should be taken up. Even consistent, coordinated data collection — to better understand how prevalent this problem is — would help."
Clear awareness of the subtleties of exploitation in the food industry- how employers provide food and shelter yet also abuse employees. Avoid referring to an author by his/her first name. Try to name the tools that Kingsbury uses (like anecdotes, statistics, persuasive diction, etc), as you clearly understand the article and what editorial writing can do. :)
DeleteJacob Eckhaus
ReplyDeleteFor $1 per Big Mac, a truly livable salary for millions by Kathleen Kingsbury
This award winning editorial challenges the fast food industry and the debate over wages for employees in this industry. Kingsbury begins her editorial by addressing the issue, quickly moving into one employee’s story and her struggle to provide for her family. She then moves into several paragraphs which acknowledge counterarguments and fast-food corporations reasoning behind the low wages they offer. Kingsbury concludes her editorial with several paragraphs that provide statistics and disprove the counterarguments. She explains that a raise in wages could be possible if everyone paid one additional dollar for their Big Macs. Throughout her editorial, Kingsbury uses several techniques to attempt to prove her point. While telling the story of the employee, Kingsbury says, “...But her life is one of unrequited toil. She lives paycheck to paycheck. Her heating gas was shut off last winter for failure to pay; the electric bill for her Dorchester apartment is consistently three months overdue. She’s gone without health insurance for more than a year.” This quote utilizes pathos, through its multiple statements which, stacked on top of each other, paint a picture which draws emotions such as sadness and empathy. Later in her article, Kingsbury says, “In return, the extra $5 per hour would transform the lives of hard workers like Shaw and their kids.” Once again, she uses pathos to attempt to reach the reader. However, she also uses, in a way, exaggerations, through her word choice. Overall, this editorial is very effective and is able to connect to the reader and convince them of her point.
Effective opening with decisive statement that encapsulates the author’s thesis. Quotation used to demonstrate pathos is particularly well-selected in addition to identification of specific emotions invoked by the author. Concluding sentence rounds off a well-organized response. :)
DeleteEffective Editorial Writing: For $1 per Big Mac, a truly livable salary for millions
ReplyDeleteKathleen Kingsbury’s editorial was very effective. She leads her article with clear point acknowledging the issue of minimum wage and fast food workers. The introduction was straight-forward, the topic was displayed with an emotion aspect to appeal to the readers. She talks about how the fast-food industry tries to depict the workers as teenagers or college students. This I not the case at all. She gives an example of a 38 year old mother of three. “My rent is $1,100 a month,” she says. “Every month I feel like I’m choosing between paying that or putting food on the table.” Kathleen Kingsbury supports each claim with clear evidence. Facts, details, statistics and quotes were included showing that she did the research needed. For example, “Because the value of the minimum wage hasn’t kept pace with inflation, a full-time minimum wage worker now makes the equivalent of $5,400 a year less than in 1968, according to the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center.” This was pulled from a source relevant to the issue of the article. She used persuasive techniques, pathos and logos. The emotion appeal was used throughout the article. This was used so that the reader would feel pity or sorrow. Kingsbury concluded the editorial with her solution of raising minimum wage. This was paired with an effective quote. Overall her argument was strong, she supported her position with solid facts. Kathleen’s argument was not just solely based on her opinion which made the editorial effective and easy to connect to.
Clear awareness of author’s deliberate shaping of her article. Try to avoid referring to the author as “talking” as she has written the article. Awareness of devices (like statistics, quotes, etc.) as cumulative and persuasive is outstanding and sophisticated. Closing evaluation of overall effect again shows comprehensive understanding of the article. :)
DeleteKathleen Kingsbury’s award winning editorials each give insight into the fast food restaurant industry. Her first editorial, Diners should pay attention to workers, not just the food, gives the reader information about the possibility “for higher pay and benefits” (Kingsbury) for employees. After addressing her point of gaining fair worker pay, Kingsbury refutes her counterpart, who she claims to be “industry bigwigs and some politicians,” (Kingsbury) by saying that the pay and benefits can be higher for the employees. She then goes into how the public can help workers gain benefits and higher pay. “Demand intelligence…Patronize the good guys…Tip in cash…Push for higher wages and workers [sic] rights.” (Kingsbury) Kingsbury’s ability to follow and touch on each aspect of editorial writing demonstrates her ability to write effective editorials. Kingsbury also utilizes important techniques that strengthen her editorial. One technique is statistics. Kingsbury researches her supporting facts. For instance, she looks up where an eatery’s health code violations and its labor practices are stored. “Unlike health code violations, an eatery’s bad labor practices aren’t regularly catalogued in any city-run online databases.” (Kingsbury) In doing this, she is making sure that her information is correct to make her point is well received. Kingsbury also uses opinionated words to express her position on the matter such as “industry bigwigs…ever-more-frazzled public.” (Kingsbury) The word choice gives us insight into how she feels about each side of getting higher pay and worker benefits for employees. These editorial devices contributed to the overall effectiveness and meaning of the editorial.
ReplyDeleteExcellent diction and syntax used in introducing Kingsbury’s central objective in the opening line. Delineation of techniques supported by quotations and evaluation makes for an effective response. Closing sentence rounds out a thoughtful analytical response. :)
DeleteKingsbury’s editorial, “For many restaurant workers, fair conditions not on menu”, is a shockingly effective expose into the terrible conditions of the food industry. The article rockets out of this gate in this regard, immediately going for a pathos-heavy approach. Kingsbury opens her editorial with vivid description, particularly that of the bodily harm which can, and does befall many kitchen dishwashers. She attempts to gain sympathy from the reader and create a sense pity. She then expertly leads into a related anecdote, relying on a quote from a former dishwasher himself to bring legitimacy and truth to her claims. The transition into her second paragraph utilizes even more persuasive techniques, notably hyperbole and loaded language. By claiming that “the restaurant industry in the United States is exploding…”, and by describing“the powerful lobby and a franchise system that makes union organizing difficult and impractical…” as “it provides the scraps at the bottom of the income ladder”, Kingsbury works with the idea of sensational news, focusing on the immediate and immense struggles that she sees, forcing the reader to be on higher alert, and more engaged.
ReplyDeleteShe then switches her lens to be more statistical and logical in nature. She begins to rely heavily on empirical data, and presents facts to the reader to prove her point. Significantly, she focuses on one number, $2.13, the hourly wage of many workers in the food industry. Kingsbury provides this primarily to compare it to the national minimum wage of $8.00 an hour, and showcase how little workers are really getting paid. She continues to bombard the reader with numbers, such as how the number of restaurant jobs in California is expected to rise by 9.1% by 2024, despite a law requiring all food industry workers to also earn minimum wage. Kingsbury continues to use these techniques throughout the article, and brilliantly argues her point that food industry workers are not being given enough pay, quality working conditions, or the resources to become successful in their lives.
Sensational opening sentence with diction like “shockingly”, “expose” and “terrible” indicates a vivid personal response. Awareness of author’s craft through acknowledgement of transitions and language again shows sensitivity to the art of writing. Identification of “empirical data” again shows in-depth consideration of persuasive techniques used by the author. Well done! :)
DeleteAnn Schrader
ReplyDeletePowerless fast-food workers need organizers, advocates
In one of Kingsbury’s Pulitzer Prize-winning editorials about injustices toward workers in the fast food industry, she makes a persuasive argument that workers should take the initiative in banding together to increase the likelihood of gaining higher wages and benefits. Kingsbury’s most successful means of persuasion comes primarily from the structure of her editorial. Beginning with sympathetic stories of workers who were treated unfairly after attempting to bargain for higher wages, and moving to more generalized statistics, Kingsbury creates a solid foundation, invoking emotional appeals, or ethos, from her audience. She later transitions to compare how larger unions and smaller more specialized unions have attempted to work with fast food workers for better wages. “Beyond its workplace justice campaigns, however, ROC-United offers its 10,000 nationwide members benefits such as free job training and an affordable health plan” (Kingsbury). With these comparisons, Kingsbury weaves her own call for workers to band together for themselves throughout the information she dispenses.
Kingsbury’s style of writing largely falls on her switching between throwing many statistics and names at her audience, followed by a thoughtful explanation of why the former are important and what the mean to her overall message. As a result, her audience is shocked by her bare numbers and continues to feel their significance as she relates her previous information back to her main point. In a way, she is invoking strong emotional responses and then focusing them on her main cause through her own logical conclusions. The entirety of her editorial can be said to follow this structure as she comes full circle in discussing one of the workers from the beginning of her piece. “It has emphasized key parts of the National Labor Relations Act that allow for any employees to join together and seek better terms, with or without a union, says Boston labor attorney Louis Mandarini…”(Kingsbury). By discussing their success, she not only gives the editorial a full feeling of the downtrodden worker finding justice, but she also proves that her course of action will work for everyone as it did for the worker.
Evaluative opening immediately demonstrates understanding of the article and the author’s craft. Awareness of Kingsbury’s use of transitions and comparisons again shows a sophisticated understanding of how authors structure written work. Awareness of writing techniques that invoke emotional responses again demonstrate understanding of the tools an author uses to persuade readers. :)
DeleteChristian Simmons
ReplyDeleteDiners should pay attention to workers, not just the food
Kingsbury’s article Diners should pay attention to workers, not just the food is an effective editorial because in her article she uses many techniques to get her point across on the topic. In the article (Diners should pay attention to workers, not just the food) it was about a series of editorials over the past year, the Globe has detailed the challenges that food service workers routinely face. In Kingsbury’s article she uses a great number of facts and statistics to help understand and make it more clearly for the reader to see her opinion of the argument. For example in the article the statistics she says is “Yet, in discussing proposals for a $10 minimum wage, Chipotle’s chief financial officer, Jack Hartung, shrugged it off. A move to $10 would have an effect, but not too significant, Hartung told analysts last January. In other words, an extra buck an hour isn’t a major threat to Chipotle’s bottom line, but the chain is also in no hurry to get there. For the Chipotle crew member trying to support a child, a raise to $10 represents a 11 percent pay hike and can mean the difference between making rent and being evicted, paying the gas bill, even putting enough food on the table”. The facts she gives are food service workers routinely face were wages too low to live on, minimal job security, few organizing rights, the risk of wage theft, and even human trafficking. This is what makes her articles so interesting to me and the statistics and facts she puts into her articles make it easier to agree upon.
Opening sentence clearly delineates purpose of response, well supported through identification of tools that the author uses. Avoid referring to the publication as “detailing” the challenges, as the author is the actual creator of the text. Don’t be afraid to excise the text you want to use as evidence for your analysis rather than long quotations. The points you list at the end of the response evince your comprehensive understanding of how many points Kingsbury made to support her central ideas. :)
DeleteNicholas Walker
ReplyDeleteA welcome victory for fast-food workers
This article is acknowledging the way fast-food workers are paid and arguably, or maybe even blatantly, how little or how much. She demonstrated how life is hard for fast-food workers, especially economically. She starts her editorial off by explaining how her argument can be disputed and answering it in a small, yet truthful and efficient way. Then she explains the “enemy” and position in this situation. Stating the rules and regulations that each McDonald’s should follow to a certain degree and even going as far as to go as in depth as saying “McDonald’s has 14,000 US outlets, 90 percent of which have independent owners,” proving that she knows a fact that someone else could have tried to take advantage of in the hopes of arguing wither her. After all of this, she says what can make all of the previous points mute but how it may have still been worth arguing over. ” The restaurant is a McDonald’s, and operates under the aegis of the McDonald’s corporation.”
Kingsbury, Kathleen. http://www.pulitzer.org August 3rd 2014
Awareness of central purpose and deliberate structuring is clearly introduced in this response. Keep improving your writing by using sophisticated verbs; however, adept inclusion of quotations in your personal response. Some more explicit identification of key tools that Kingsbury uses would enhance this response further. :)
DeleteAllan Johnson
ReplyDeleteMs. Cloonan
Journalism
2/2/2016
In Kathleen Kingsbury’s series of editorials she discusses the issues with the American food service industry, she talks about everything from restaurant wage theft to unfair working conditions.
More specifically in Kingsbury’s piece on December 29th, 2014 Kingsbury discusses the importance that restaurants should value not only their food but their employees also. Kingsbury opens by talking about the trend in America of asking if the conditions the animals in our food face are humane but she feels we should be asking if the conditions our workers face are humane.
This last piece of Kingsbury’s series feels like a summary and a way to cement her words. The argument Kingsbury makes is that of logos. Kingsbury’s position is that wages and conditions have to be better, and she explains some ways that could happen and names successful businesses that do, such as Chipotle Mexican Grill. Kingsbury is very concise and her logic is very sound, she states facts, displays examples, and dishes out solutions. Actually her facts are also very strong in supporting her argument like the specific minimum wage for different employees in different companies.
Kingsbury, Kathleen. http://www.pulitzer.org December 29th 2014
Outstanding initial demonstration of understanding of not just a specific Kingsbury piece, but also her entire series. Try to be more explicit when discussing writing techniques by incorporating quotations; however, insightful identification of logos through the use of facts. :)
DeleteCaroline Smith
ReplyDeleteFor $1 per Big Mac, a truly livable salary for millions
BY Kathleen Kingsbury
In this Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial, Kingsbury addresses one of the most controversial issues among the working class: minimum wage, particularly in the fast-food chain. In the beginning, she describes that many fast-food restaurants delineates their workers as teenagers saving for college. However, that is not the case, and she states that these workers are "a distinct minority." This is used as evidence that not all workers are delinquent teenagers, and many are actually adults. She then proceeds by discussing the hardships of Hope Shaw, single mother of 3 children who is an assistant manager at Dunkin' Donuts. Shaw works a 9 hour shift 6 times a week, only to make less than $24,000 a year. She captivates the reality of her struggle, stating, "My rent is $1,100 a month. Every month I feel like I'm choosing between paying that or putting food on the table." This incorporates the ethos technique, as Shaw is seen as a credible source since she has worked in the fast-food chain herself. Shaw's struggle also used a pathos technique, as people can feel empathy for her situation, and it hits home, as someone that has dealt with this challenge my entire life. As many people can sympathize and relate to this scenario, this becomes concrete persuasion for her proposal. Kingsbury elaborates on the idea of raising minimum wage, including her opinion as well as counterarguments. While developing these arguments, Kingsbury's style of writing is revealed by exchanging statistics and providing explanation how the information relates to her perspective. She starts off with stating that the simplest solution would be to increase minimum wage from $8 an hour to $11 by 2016. It would ultimately result in paying $1 more for a Big Mac burger. She brings back the ethos technique by including McDonald's counterpoint, as they state that any higher wages would put the company at a competitive disadvantage. After expanding on the multiple perspectives from various fast-food chains such as Burger King and In-N-Out Burger, she concludes that raising the wage would, "transform the lives of hard workers like Shaw and their kids." The use of many perspectives and the focus on the struggles of Hope Shaw are very effective as they are hooks to keep the reader indulged and interested throughout all sections of the editorial.
Kalvon Morrison
DeleteMs. Parker
Journalism-5
2 February 2016
"For $1 per Big Mac, a truly livable salary for millions"
This article focused on the raising of minimum wage to fifteen dollars an hour. This will help anyone in the fast food business/service whose income is fairly low and which is probably the only place they are having income flowing in. Kathleen Kingsbury showed her opinion through this article due to her believing that minimum wage should be raised, making this article opinion based. It engages the reader because of the fact she uses a single mother who works at Dunkin Donuts. This relates to something personal in my life because one of my family members who work at Dunkin Donuts is a single mother of two. In this article it utilizes Pathos in which it says, “She’s gone without health insurance for more than a year.” It engages the reader to have some type of sympathy or a sense of emotion. Kathleen also shows through this article the research she has done. She facts such as “full-time minimum wage worker now makes the equivalent of $5,400 a year. “ Overall Kathleen’s argument was understandable being that it had solid facts and she showed her opinion throughout the article.
Caroline: Sophisticated syntax in the opening sentence, opening your response in a decisive manner. Sensitive understanding of how Kingsbury criticizes generalizations about food service employees being teenagers. Identification of pathos as well as the use of a credible source is well articulated. Further identification of statistics and invocation of ethos reflects a careful and thoughtful response to the article. Final sentence, revealing an evaluative summation of the article, concludes a well-crafted overall response! :)
DeleteKalvon: Awareness of who possible readers may be is excellent in opening sentence and I encourage you to always consider the audience- also indicated by the publication in which an article appears. Personal connection to article as well as the use of pathos rounds out a concise yet thoughtful response. :)
DeleteFor $1 per Big Mac, a truly livable salary for millions by Kathleen Kingsbury
ReplyDeleteThis editorial written by Kathleen Kingsbury focuses on the food industry and the economic treatment of its workers. This editorial follows the struggles of a woman's family. The structure of the editorial shows the food industry's arguments for their low wages, shifts gears to a plethora of arguments that completely disprove the corporations arguments. One such name sake argument is that if the company McDonald charged one additional dollar for big macs, the wages of their workers could increase. She mentions the ridiculous amount of money that the CEO earns “CEO Donald Thompson earned a salary of nearly $14 million — or about $7,000 per hour. In fact, industry-wide research by the Economic Policy Institute finds that restaurant CEO pay was 788 times higher than average employee earnings last year — a stark example of the way executives can reward themselves for keeping the wages of others low.” this figure is used by Kingsbury to illustrate how incredible greedy these corporations can be. This kind of corporate greed is also reflected in the living conditions of the workers. “She lives paycheck to paycheck. Her heating gas was shut off last winter for failure to pay; the electric bill for her Dorchester apartment is consistently three months overdue. She’s gone without health insurance for more than a year.” This quote uses the persuasive technique pathos by appealing to the reader's emotional and compelling sympathy/empathy from her audience.. Kingsbury also uses logos throughout the piece to further support her point. She states several facts which support her overall message.
Careful understanding of a central contrast that Kingsbury presents between average workers and CEOs, reinforced through the inclusion of a quotation. Comprehensive demonstration of the meaning of pathos and logos as you apply both terms to this article. Try to incorporate quotations more seamlessly through punctuation and capitalization. :)
DeleteKathleen Kingsbury is known as one of the greatest journalists of all time, simply because she’s displays great mastery in writing editorials with such expertise. One of the articles I've read, "Diners should pay attention to workers, not just the food" really captures the way she writes with such detail and organization. The article starts with the thesis statement, "Americans have started to care deeply about how their food came to be." After the thesis statement, she brought rhetorical questions to the mix, to captivate her audience. "At restaurants, we ask probing questions: Are the greens organic? Were the cows grass-fed?" At the end of the intro, she ends with a couple rhetorical statements, but the second statement really gets the audience's attention and the she continues from there. "In short, we’ve come to demand high quality and sustainable sourcing in every part of a restaurant’s operation... Well, except in how the employees who work there are treated." Throughout the article, you notice more technniques she uses, with one of them being Facts. She incorporated different facts about fast food corporations such as Bolco giving their employees "a minimunm wag of $10", as well as "transportation subsidies, and English-language courses". On the hand, she also uses Annecdotes as well. One example was when she incoporated Jack Hartung's quote on the subject of Chipotle receiving a minimum wage of $10 as well. “'A move to $10 would have an effect, but not too significant,' Hartung told analysts last January.” So overall, this article significantly showcase her ablity as a journalist.
ReplyDeleteInitial appraisal of Kingsbury’s work is evaluative and thoughtful, later reinforced through close analysis. Identification of rhetorical questions and facts are well-supported through quotations and thoughtful explanation of their effects. Quotations and transitions are particularly effective in supporting your argument. :)
DeleteAn editorial is an article that represents a newspaper’s opinion on an issues and reflect a majority vote of the editorial board. In Kathleen Kingsbury’s editorial, A Welcome Victory for Fast-Food Workers, she gets straight to the point. She instantly acknowledges the fact that low wages and inadequate benefits of fast-food employees are the foot causes of income equality. Most of her article is very opinion based but has some facts, good information and sources to back up what she is saying. She uses logos as a rhetorical technique by including statistics about how McDonald’s has 14,000 US outlets, and 90 percent of which have independent owners. She ends her editorial by also talking about the opinions from the opposing point of view that refute directly on the same issue.
ReplyDeleteSuccinct yet clear understanding of what an editorial’s objective is, especially the urgency with which an editorial writer must declare his/her intention. Furthermore, your example of statistics reinforce the logos that you identify as an overwhelming rhetorical device. Consider backing up your other claims (opinion-based, “good information”) with similarly precise references. :)
DeleteFor many restaurant workers, fair conditions not on the menu
ReplyDeleteBy Kathleen Kingsbury
` Kingsbury's article was an editorial about the inadequate wage average for restaurant worker. She uses the persuasive techniques, such as using factual examples, statistics and triplets in order to prove her point. Concluding her editorial with a call to arms to end the unfair conditions of restaurant workers- a prominent character of editorial writing.
This was an and editorial and not just a persuasive article because she uses facts and individuals stories as examples to explain why and how people go to jobs and can legally and sometimes not legally get paid such low wages. She shares Filiberto Lopez's story, stating her was working eighty hours in a work week but "Lopez was paid $5 an hour and never overtime. “I didn’t speak English and didn’t have legal documents,” Lopez says. “I assumed I had no rights at all.” How as a kitchen hand he was working extremely hard but was still being taken advantage of by the restaurant and being paid and treated unfairly, and not even knowing that their conditions were not only unacceptable but also illegal. Kingsbury also uses statistics to show how prevalent the unfair wages of restaurant workers, that the unfair wages are not just a small town problems but happen everywhere and on a much larger scale. Kingsbury uses statistic from the US department of labor to prove her point, stating, "The Boston office of the US Department of Labor conducted 165 investigations in the restaurant industry in fiscal year 2013, collecting more than $1.7 million in back wages from employers who violated wage-and-hour laws.” Lastly, Kingsbury uses the persuasive technique of triplets to further persuade her readers that her opinion is not only valid and proven true, but also an ethical and moral issue. The use of triplets in proving points can be connected the use of " the father, the some and the Holy Ghost", connecting to readers that the points they are reading are at a deeper almost subconscious level.
Comprehensive understanding of topic and sophisticated expression of Kingsbury’s thesis. Identification of persuasive techniques in the opening paragraph establishes your credibility. Inclusion of quotations to bolster points alongside accurate identification of author’s techniques make this analysis incisive. I love how you spotted the technique of a tripartite list (triplet!), even when you were just introduced to it! :)
DeleteTipping System exacerbates unfair pay at restaurants
ReplyDeleteKingsbury’s editorial about the tipping system quickly caught my attention because I myself work as a waitress at a restaurant. The article touched on how unfair employees who receive tips are treated by their employer. Managers and/ or owners feel as though waiter, waitresses, and table bussers, should be paid less because of the idea that they MIGHT receive tips. I can give a first hand testimony of how nice and polite I am to customers and still don’t receive any tips within my entire shift. I was once tipped $.04. Once upon a time, tips were considered extra pay, but now they’re being incorporated into people’s weekly wages. It isn’t right and it needs to be changed.
Immediate personal connection to the subject matter, bolstered by your own first-hand testimony and vehement support of the need for fair pay. I’d love to hear more about your claim that tips are being incorporated into weekly wages- what does this look like? :)
DeleteThe editorial Off the menu, by Kathleen Kingsbury’s was intriguing to read because, personally I had no knowledge on human trafficking in the food industry. There were multiple clues that would make one knowledgeable of the subject suspect that human trafficking was occurring in the Grand China Buffet. There were low prices, the employees worked long shifts and did not receive pay, other than tips. Kingsbury helped the readers understand the point of her editorial by using emotional appeals and personal stories from people that experienced human trafficking. Kingsbury also stated that the people that were in the mist human trafficking in a sense benefited from it, as her counterpoint. Many of the workers were illegal immigrants and needed food and shelter as a basic necessity which was given to them by their employer. Many workers allowed themselves to be trafficked because they were working and receiving the bare minimum they needed. I was also given the impression through the device of conflict, that the workers were fearful of not being able to find another job as well as being deported. Kingsbury’s goal was to get people to recognize or at least think about how the employees are treated by their employers, and to recognize when meals are so cheap and reflect on that idea. There may be human trafficking and it is time for the consumers to help and/ or make a change.
ReplyDeleteFormal treatment of the analysis, which comes across as sophisticated and well-supported. Your sense of how Kingsbury used emotional appeals and the device of conflict was thoroughly evidenced through references to the text- consider using quotations to make analysis even more precise. Engagement with content shows understanding of Kingsbury’s writing as well as editorial writing in general. :)
DeleteI read the article about how the current tipping system is unfair. I have recently started waitressing and I definitely agree; most if not all of the other servers and bartenders I work with have multiple other jobs to supplement their income. I am a student and currently only able to work part time and I actually have minimal expenses that I am responsible for myself, so this does not yet affect me on a larger scale. However, I can see how difficult it would be completely independent and support myself or a family solely based on what is made on a flatline wage that is supposed to be inflated by tips. Kingsbury’s article is particularly effective in its use of logos with the use of facts and figures to support her original claim. She did the research necessary to produce a true and impactful editorial. She exposed something that has a real importance, it is not fair that the food service industry continues to advance and that the pay of its workers does not. Kingsbury sheds light on ineffective government actions surrounding the topic, as well as inaction. There is also mention of a call to action at the very end, urging readers to ‘tip well’ in the meantime before something is done to correct the system.
ReplyDeleteYour personal engagement with the article supplements your analysis. Sophisticated diction and identification of logos and facts/figures, although some more specific reference to text would bolster these devices. Finally, your awareness of an editorial’s overall purpose and call to action is clear. :)
DeleteBirnela Heganovic
ReplyDeleteTipping system exacerbates unfair pay at restaurant
This Article Explains how in the tipping started off as a way to reward peasants and slaves for what they do. Kingsbury Goes on to say waiters and servers in many states are paid below the minimum wage rate, and the tips received are added on to what their employers pay barely reaching the minimum wage rate. Kingsbury says that many customers tip to pay bonus or appreciation for the great service and should tip higher. They believe the tip is being added onto a set pay rate by the employer, when in fact it is being used to add on to the employer pay to reach minimum wage. Kingsbury explains how "owners are happy to save on labor costs". Kingsbury makes her point obvious and clear, that she believes an employee should be paid the minimum wage, and any bonuses or tips given by customers for whatever reason should be additional money for outstanding work. Kingsbury explains both sides to the argument however she managed to have her opinion obviously stated throughout the article, which she says either give higher tips or have servers payed at least the federal minimum wage. Kingsburys article is very well written and she used facts and evidence to prove her point.
Effective incorporation of quotations that support a clear overall understanding of the article. Try to apply those quotations directly to the devices that you identify towards the end of your analysis. Evaluative approach and distinct voice throughout. :)
DeleteTazmara Doctor
ReplyDeleteJournalism
Parker/Cloonan
February 2,2016
For many restaurant workers, fair conditions not on menu
In this article written by Kingsbury, she talks about the labors of the worker and how they don't get paid enough for the condition they work in.Kingsbury also uses statistics to get her point across .” For this backbreaking work, the hourly pay frequently doesn’t exceed the state minimum wage of $8.” This is her telling the world what she has found out about the food industry.” The number of restaurant jobs in the Golden State is expected to rise by 141,000, or 9.1 percent, by 2024 despite workers having higher guaranteed pay, outpacing Massachusetts’ projected jobs growth of 5.7 percent over the same period. this is outrageous the states around us are rising up but we are still making innocent people suffer and do hard work for minimum wage.For example she appeals to people's emotions by describing the gruesome conditions of which they work. in the article it says “Another requirement is they have to carry dishes across a slippery kitchen.” Another piece of evidence showing her appealing to emotion is “they must plunge their hands into boiling hot water to unclog industrial-size dish-washing machines.” the story is amazing and can impact other to help out and speak out.
Clear identification of devices deployed by Kingsbury, particularly the use of statistics and emotional appeal. Quotations are effectively used to support claims, resulting in a convincing evaluation of Kingsbury’s editorial writing. Well done! :)
DeleteKatrina McCullough
ReplyDeleteSenior journalism
Parker
02-04-16
The article “Winning Work” by Kathleen Kingsbury speaks about the unfair transition of an employees work to what they see in their paycheck. Kingsbury speaks about minimum wage workers such as fast food employees, waitresses, cleanup crews and even kitchen dish washers and how they receive unfair wages for their work. The article shows how based on data and new research the minimum wage that many Americans are paid hourly are extremely unfair and not at all sufficient to live on. It speaks about how many do not get paid time and a half for hours they have worked over during the week and some simply do not get paid for their overtime at all. Seeing how Kingsbury explained and laid out the different spectrums of today’s economy I feel that it better helps me to understand editorial writing. I feel it helps me to understand it more because of the format she used while writing and specifically how she laid out every minimum wage and how if effected different family and age group around the country. Allowing me to view they layout in a different way and understand better where many are coming from and why.
Immediately effective and direct statement of Kingsbury’s thesis. Your understanding of the effect of Kingsbury’s work (informing you about the topic, as a reader) is well stated, but it would help to have more quotations to support your claims. Evaluation of the article and topic is well done. :)
DeleteThe article "Powerless fast-food workers need organizers, advocates," by Kathleen Kingsbury is an informative look into the struggles of organizing labor in the apparently forgotten fast food industry. low wages and no representation makes already struggling working class citizens have little authority over their own conditions. Kingsbury uses multiple examples of labor injustice to introduce her point, workers who took action to improve their conditions. Because of the lack of union representation were seriously disadvantaged against their employer. Kyle King and Georgina Guiterrez were instead forced to accept fewer hours on already bare-bone hourly wages. In the center of the editorial, statistics regarding the rate of unionnized workers in fast food it used to demonstrate the need for more support. Kingsbury continued to show how union support greatly helps in the fight against labor injustice in these cases. Her argument is persuasive through her use of factual instances where her opinion was true, and citizens were given a fighting chance against chain food restaurants with the help of organized labor. Kingsbury's writing helped me to understand the structure of en editorial through its concise "thesis" if you will, and the elaborately researched facts, examples, and statistics regarding unionization of fast food workers. As the reader I have no doubt about the author's sources and am left with few to no questions at the end of the presentation.
ReplyDeleteplease forgive me for late work, as I could not complete work in the car monday and tuesday. I will continue to submit work in chronological order.
Comprehensive understanding of the multiple layers that Kingsbury explores in terms of fast food labor struggle. Identification of the use of examples (anecdotes), facts, and overall persuasive argument. Citation of specific individuals in the analysis evidences close textual analysis. Sophisticated syntax in this response is particularly impressive! Well done. :)
DeleteIsis Cable
ReplyDeleteIn this editorial Kathleen Kingsbury is giving a lot of information about the food industry. She begins with examples or anecdotes of situations that relate to her topic with “Long deep scars often line there forearms” is an example of the stereo typical food service workers condition. She also includes opinions of experienced workers so there is an agreement of her topic behind her theme of “for many restaurant workers, fair conditions not on menu”. She uses statistics to provide people with numbers behind her words. Her language also expresses the circumstances of the situation “grim, adequately and unheard of”. With her many uses of these techniques She conveys her massage well and gives me a clear understanding of what an editorial is and what it includes.
Excellent identification of anecdotes and opinions, reinforced by textual support. Identification of statistics as a rhetorical device is apt, although an example of this device would be even more persuasive. You identify the emotive language of Kingsbury’s style that makes her effective and award-winning.
DeleteIn Kathleen Kingsbury's editorial piece, "Off the Menu", it is very apparent that we do not pay as much attention to the workers that deliver our food as we should. This editorial is very unsettling, especially when it talks about the working conditions of small fast food restaurants. She starts out by talking about a crisis at a small Chinese buffet, then it talks about how most restaurants are not this dirty and corrupt, and then closes with a fantastic way to solve this problem. She says " In Massachusetts, an interagency task force headed by Attorney General Martha Coakley in 2013 recommended a well-funded, worker-led program aimed specifically at labor trafficking to offer comprehensive legal and social services. That proposal should be taken up. Even consistent, coordinated data collection — to better understand how prevalent this problem is — would help." This is the perfect way to stop human trafficking in the fast food industry, while calling attention to restaurants that were complying to these rules to begin with. She uses easy to understand language to help make sure that everyone can understand the message of her editorial, while appealing to our emotions when she brings up the ways that these workers are mistreated. She only asks that these situations and issues are solved, but doesn't put all of the blame on store owners and companies, but also makes the point that we as consumers must help stop this crisis before it escalates even further.
ReplyDeleteYou accurately point to Kingsbury’s accessible language and appeals to emotion as persuasive devices, citing textual support. I encourage you to refer to Kingsbury as “writing” rather than “saying”. (We don’t hear her talk, right!?) Using precise verbs will make your writing sparkle!
DeleteWeston Costello
ReplyDeleteMs. Cloonan
Journalism
11 February 2016
In this editorial she is providing a lot of information on the food business and the ways in which they are functioning. She began her articles with many anecdotes giving each a story of their own. “She lives paycheck to paycheck.” This quote basically explains most people who are working in the food industry well fast food industry, because it is a stereotype that people who work in fast food are uneducated and are useless to society. Kingsbury includes many sources from people who are experiencing life in the restaurants showing how unfair it is to be working there. Use of statistics and numbers were one of her ways to persuade people that there is something wrong with the way all of these restaurants are functioning. The results of unfair pay to waiters and waitresses because of tipping. She explains how basically that maybe tipping should be no longer a thing in the US because it would be one way to save unfair pay and make that go in the right direction. Many surrounding countries and other countries don’t tip due to the fact they are paid more because of “no tipping.” She conveys her opinion well through her editorials and gave a clear understanding of her perspective, this actually helped me understand how to write an editorial more thoroughly.
You identify devices that Kingsbury uses to include anecdotes and statistics- essential parts to writing an editorial, as your state. A well-shaped response with evaluative statements at the end.
DeleteThis editorial provides a lot of information on the food business and the ways in which they are functioning. She makes the story her own and adds her personal opinion to it. Most people who eat this type of food base their lives on it by spending "paycheck to paycheck". Unfair pay beyond the industry is what everyone who works for them concerned and upset. They all believe that they deserve better pay and to be treated like a person sitting at a desk would. She shares her opinions well through out her writings and gives a clear understanding of her perspective.
ReplyDelete