Tow #25- New York Times Article/ "Is It Now A Crime to Be Poor?"/ Barbara Ehrenreich

Reading Goal: Correctly identify the author's purpose 

Writing Goal: Use and cite direct quotes; don't just paraphrase

Societies all over the world experience conflicts related with poverty and the gap between rich and poor. The poor are notoriously associated with crime and danger, leading to societies that have no trust for those below the poverty line and no desire to help them. Author and journalist Barbara Ehrenreich, through the use of irony and exemplification, argues that this mindset about the poor is misguided and a result of stereotyping.

Ehrenreich's article relies heavily on examples to show that treatment of the poor and blame for illegal behavior is wrong in many of America's cities. She first starts with the results of a recent study that investigates the "criminalization of poverty" (Ehrenreich), where the impoverished are blamed for crimes or are put in poverty because of common stereotypes and guilty looking behavior. When, for example, someone on the brink of poverty is fined for littering or illegally crossing the street and can't pay, they could end up homeless or in prison for not paying their bills or their fine. This is often even more true for African American and Hispanic citizens, who have to deal with racial stereotypes as well, not just being blamed for suspicious actions. The author also uses the example of Al Szekely, an elderly man in a wheelchair from Washington D.C. Though he is an innocent, polite man and a minister, he was put in prison and forced to leave the homeless shelter he lives in "for not appearing in court to face a charge of 'criminal trespassing'" (Ehrenreich). He received this charge because he was found sleeping on a sidewalk of the city, which is illegal for all U.S. citizens, homeless or otherwise. Ehrenreich uses other examples as well to make the point that the treatment of people in poverty is unfair and that these people have a disadvantage when it comes to this treatment or the laws they must follow.

Irony is another tool Ehrenreich uses often to make her argument. By way of many of her examples, she examines cases where people in poverty where unfairly arrested, fined, or imprisoned and became impoverished as a result of this treatment/circumstance. The act of imprisoning criminals and upholding the law is supposed to prevent crime and help, much less get in the way of, poverty. Instead, there are many situations where "upholding the law" (Ehrenreich) has created poverty. Also, Ehrenreich comments on how law enforcers frequently find the impoverished or poor at fault and blame them for illegal behavior because they can almost always profile a person as a "potential suspect" if that person is just "strolling around in a dodgy neighborhood" (Ehrenreich). Through the use of irony and sarcasm in statements like the one above, the author is questioning how fining and imprisoning the poor is of any benefit. They cannot pay the fines, and they take up unnecessary space in prisons if they are there for simple reasons like loitering or laying on the street. The poor are stereotyped and blamed when, Ehrenreich argues, "we can't afford to help the poor", or "go on tormenting them" (Ehrenreich).

Author Barbara Ehrenreich uses examples and irony to make a point about America's treatment of the impoverished: that it is unfair and doesn't accomplish anything. She challenges the common stereotypes about the poor and those in poverty and claims that law enforcement is too quick to blame these people for illegal actions, crime and general suspicious activity. Overall, Ehrenreich questions whether people take the easy way out by blaming the impoverished and also questions why many seem to think it  now a "crime to be poor" (Ehrenreich).

Ehrenreich, Barbara. "Is It Now a Crime to Be Poor?" The New York Times. The New York Times, 08 Aug. 2009. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.

IRB #4 Introduction Post

Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife

By Mary Roach 

Spook is all about the scientific evidence that both supports and debunks ideas on the "afterlife". It focuses on finding factual explanations for the beliefs of many cultures and religions, using the studies of certified scientists, historians, and other experts on the subject. The author, Mary Roach, wrote the book because she was curious about what happens after people die, and decided to collect information both for against the argument that some sort of afterlife exists. The book is supposed to be informative, cultural, and funny. 

I chose this book because science has never been one of my favorite topics, and I was trying to branch out from what I normal read/have read for my other IRBs, subject-wise. So far, I've read a book on Native American history, a memoir about food (cheese), and a psychological, somewhat "self-help" book by Malcolm Gladwell. Reading something comparing religion and science seemed a good choice and more challenging topic since, at least to me, it enters official "non-fiction territory". Also, religion is very important to me on a day-to-day basis. I'm an active member at my church, so I've considered a lot of the questions the author appears to think about and argue about. I'm hoping that this book rounds out the information I've learned from reading IRBs this year and is as good as its reviews. 

Tow #24- Slate Magazine Article/ "In the Name of Love"/ Miya Tokumitsu

Reading Goal: Identify the type of writing as well as strategies used.
Writing Goal: Write a well-developed TOW essay, but keep it more concise than recent TOWs.

The statement, "Do what you love, love what you do" is a common American saying, so common that it inspires many to go off and live their dreams, including college students with no idea of their future career. Some criticize this statement because it is based on personal preference, and not economic, political, or social benefit. Some say that this philosophy only really works out for the rich, educated, privileged American, and not the majority of the population. Whether  it works or not, Ph.D. and author Miya Tokumitsu argues through exemplification and counter-argument that people should consider the economic, political, and/or social consequences that could arise from working because of the passion they have for that job or art.

Tokumitsu is very thorough when refuting others' claims about "Doing what you love..." (DWYL) to make her own points about the hazards of DWYL. She starts her article with some history on the statement and the application it had in Steve Jobs' life. The example she makes of him, a successful man who did what he loved passionately and benefited from it by convincing others to work for him doing the same thing, seems to counter her own claims at first, but actually makes her argument stronger. Jobs' is a prime example that the DWYL philosophy is somewhat "self-centered" and works best for people who have the means to be successful if it doesn't work out, and using someone so widely known as a counter-argument creates both appeals to logos and pathos in a way that helps readers understand her interesting perspective. She also dives into the weaknesses of the DWYL philosophy in detail with more examples. Perhaps going from personal experience, she explains how many academic minds, such as Ph.D.s, and artists of different sorts are resigned to low incomes due to the idea that they are "doing what they love". DWYL can be used as an excuse for poor salary, poor recognition, and other consequences of certain jobs. Tokumitsu claims that the worst jobs are either jobs no one wants, or jobs with lots of passion, and provides quotes from many sources. Overall, she paints the DWYL philosophy in a bad light and backs up this claim with connectable examples readers will understand.

Author Miya Tokumitsu uses counter-arguments and examples to debate that "doing what you love" is not beneficial in today's society. She thinks that it can be used as an excuse and self-centered inspiration for a job. But though a job is important to others, is it really the work THEY will have to do for the rest of their careers?

Tokumitsu, Miya. "Stop Saying “Do What You Love, Love What You Do.” It Devalues Actual Work." Slate Magazine. Jacobin Magazine, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.