Spring Research Paper: Blog #4

Reflection on “How Expensive It is to Be Poor”

In the article “How Expensive It is to Be Poor”, Charles M. Blow argues that a life in poverty is not easy. Blow claims that it is actually “expensive to be poor”. He openly refutes the common misconception that people in poverty can easily survive off of government funds, without doing anything in return. In reality, poor people often work just as hard as everyone else; they simply do not make enough to overcome financial debt. According to Blow’s article, about eleven million Americans fall into this category and cannot escape poverty. In addition to this, the columnist of this article believes that impoverished people also struggle from having to pay taxes. Apparently people in poverty have to pay heavy taxes, so the money they earn does not even benefit them in any way. Blow continues to stress his point on the challenges of being in poverty by raising the issue pertaining to education. Blow makes the point that although people can overcome poverty by seeking higher job positions, it is difficult to pay for education in order to pursue these careers. It is expensive for poor students to attend decent colleges, house themselves, and find some way of transportation. Although there are loans and scholarships available for students in poverty, these do not cover all the costs of college or the expenses of living. By drawing attention to all of these issues concerning poverty, Blow concludes that life is not easy for those who are in debt.

I agree with Blow that life is not simple for those who are in poverty. Although people try to work hard and earn money to support their families, they are often stuck in financial debt because there are other expenses that they must take care of. For instance, according to a new analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy: “… in 2015 the poorest fifth of Americans will pay on average 10.9 percent of their income in state and local taxes, the middle fifth will pay 9.4 percent and the top 1 percent will average 5.4 percent.” According to this fact, people in poverty generally pay more taxes based off of their income than the average person does. Therefore, most of the money that poor people make is used to pay taxes rather than sustain a living. In addition to this, I know for a fact that it is difficult for people already in poverty to gain an education and pursue better jobs. Unfortunately many individuals who are not applicable for higher paying jobs, must apply for minimum-wage jobs. Although people may be working hard to perform minimum-wage jobs, one cannot survive efficiently off of a minimum wage. For instance, in Nickled and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich struggles to make a living while supporting multiple minimum- wage jobs at a time. In the end, she even finds that she has to “cheat” several times in order to live efficiently. However Ehrenreich has an advantage that low-income families do not have- they cannot rely on a supply of money to support them. All they have is governmental support and the small amount of money they earn. 

Overall, Charles M. Blow uses several rhetorical strategies in order to convince his audience that it is not easy to live in poverty. For instance, in the beginning of the article Blow provides his audience with a common belief that is contradictory to his argument: “…most wealthy Americans believed ‘poor people today have it easy because they can get government benefits without doing anything in return.’” Blow makes this statement seem absolutely absurd by proposing a counter-argument with intelligent use of diction. Blow argues: “This is an infuriatingly obtuse view of what it means to be poor in this country- the soul-rending omnipresence of worry and fear, of weariness and fatigue.” Blow uses selective word choice in this statement in order to advance his views, and make them appear sophisticated. By calling the apparent views of the upper class “infuriatingly obtuse”, Blow appears more intelligent to his audience and worthy of attention. I also think that Blow’s claim that it’s expensive to be poor is paradoxical. This claim seems to be contradictory, however it reveals a truth. In reality it is expensive to be poor because people in poverty have to pay a higher rate of taxes and can barely afford to survive. Therefore it is expensive for people living in poverty to try to manage an efficient lifestyle. By presenting this paradox in the title, Blow captures his readers’ attention and advances this argument throughout his article. Overall, I think that the strategies that Blow uses throughout his article allow him to capture his audience’s attention and promote his beliefs. 

Source: 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/19/opinion/charles-blow-how-expensive-it-is-to-be-poor.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Fcharles-m-blow&action=click&contentCollection=Opinion&module=Collection&region=Marginalia&src=me&pgtype=article&_r=0