Reader Response Number Three

“ Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Kids”

    In Anna Quindlen’s piece, “ Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Kids,” an appeal to pathos or emotion can be found throughout. What kind of author would one be if they did not appeal to emotions in a writing about poverty and homelessness? I found Quindlen’s piece to be very informative and eye opening. 
    She began her piece in the setting of a small and claustrophobic shelter room, a situation that some are faced with everyday of their lives. This is a very effective way of opening her essay, and grabbing her readers attention. I felt that I could really see the setting of, “Trundles, bunk beds, dressers side by side stacked with toys, clothes, boxes, in tidy claustrophobic clutter” (316). This is the second sentence of her essay, and already there is insight into the lives of those who live in this situation daily.
    Quindlen’s piece also highlighted the effects of poverty on children, stating that the “problems ignored or fumbled or unforeseen during this great period of prosperity have dovetailed into an enormous subculture of children who think that only rich people have their own bedrooms” (317). Many of Quindlen’s statements provoke emotion. I know my jaw dropped multiple times while reading this piece. Her ability to use pathos in her essay can be a good thing, but it can also distract her readers from the point that she is trying to make. Due to her desire to appeal to emotions and receive a reaction from her reader, Quindlen does begin to lose sight of her argument. At the beginning of one paragraph she starts to talk about the welfare reform, but by the next sentence she is talking about a study on homelessness that was done in San Diego.
    Overall, I believe that Quindlen wrote a very effective piece on the effects of homelessness to children, to their parents, and to society. Her ability to appeal to emotions strengthened and weakened her piece at the same time. She was able to grab the readers attention, but also did not make a clear point because she was too focused on emotions.