Analysis of Petula's Column: Handing over your whole paycheck for child care? That’s so wrong. |
SOAPSTONE Analysis
Speaker: Petula, of course. But she uses her perspective as a working mother to assist her argument and viewpoints.
Occasion: She writes this because of Obama's State of the Union speech. One topic within this speech was the outrageous expense of childcare. Child care is crucial (so mothers can continue to work, especially if they are single mothers), but it costs so much that working mothers end up spending their entire salary on child care.
Audience: This column is directed to working mothers from middle-class families. She effectively uses logos to deeply resonate with people who meet this criteria. It also appeals to an audience that is well-educated, because it resonated with me, despite the fact that I am not a working mother in need of child care. Her evidence just makes sense.
Purpose: Petula's purpose for this column is to inform readers and to persuade them to agree with her point of view. Her message is that working mothers are paying too much for child care. Most women are either breaking even (with paycheck and child care cost) or having only a small portion of their paycheck left. For some women, it's more cost-effective to stay at home to take care of the baby than work. However, most women can't afford to take a year or two off of their job. If skills are not practiced, they will dissolve. By the time the child is in school and the mother tries to return to work, she has lost her skills and cannot return to the same position she was previously in.
Subject: Child care costs too much to be sustained. It's important for mothers to return to work, but it's also very important the the child be looked after. Childcare is the bridge, the compromise. But it's too expensive and people are opting out.
Tone: Petula uses an indignant, forthright tone throughout the paper. This tone is very convincing. She speaks passionately about the topic.
Speaker: Petula, of course. But she uses her perspective as a working mother to assist her argument and viewpoints.
Occasion: She writes this because of Obama's State of the Union speech. One topic within this speech was the outrageous expense of childcare. Child care is crucial (so mothers can continue to work, especially if they are single mothers), but it costs so much that working mothers end up spending their entire salary on child care.
Audience: This column is directed to working mothers from middle-class families. She effectively uses logos to deeply resonate with people who meet this criteria. It also appeals to an audience that is well-educated, because it resonated with me, despite the fact that I am not a working mother in need of child care. Her evidence just makes sense.
Purpose: Petula's purpose for this column is to inform readers and to persuade them to agree with her point of view. Her message is that working mothers are paying too much for child care. Most women are either breaking even (with paycheck and child care cost) or having only a small portion of their paycheck left. For some women, it's more cost-effective to stay at home to take care of the baby than work. However, most women can't afford to take a year or two off of their job. If skills are not practiced, they will dissolve. By the time the child is in school and the mother tries to return to work, she has lost her skills and cannot return to the same position she was previously in.
Subject: Child care costs too much to be sustained. It's important for mothers to return to work, but it's also very important the the child be looked after. Childcare is the bridge, the compromise. But it's too expensive and people are opting out.
Tone: Petula uses an indignant, forthright tone throughout the paper. This tone is very convincing. She speaks passionately about the topic.
Petula's word choice keeps her audience captivated. Her deliberate diction helps bring out her forthright, passionate tone. Phrases like "child care...consumed so much of her paycheck" from an interview not only appeals to pathos but also uses strong, engaging diction like "consumed". Words like this pack a mean punch because they shift the tone from basic to vehement. This passion she displays in the column is overflowing from her own personal experiences. She is a working mother who has dealt with the expense of child care. Petula has a strong emotional attachment to this topic.