Writing/Reading Goals
-Have strong introductory sentences and transition sentences between paragraphs
-Have an extended conclusion “so what?”
-Read an essay with unfamiliar terms
-Provide more analysis that leads to more effects of the specific device
-When close reading try to find devices that I usually do not find
-Have conclusion flow with the rest of the essay
President Obama’s recent State of The Union Address has caused fierce debate after he proposed raising the minimum wage to $10.10. Many politicians have taken different sides of the debate without conducting sufficient research. Peter Coy, a writer for Bloomberg Business Week wrote “$10.10” to share his research and views on the proposed raise of minimum wage in the United States. Coy uses juxtaposition and quotes from others to prove how raising minimum wage may not be the solution of how to end poverty.
Peter Coy uses juxtaposition to help the reader understand the significance of an income. To create a juxtaposition, Coy provides examples of the average wage for jobs in the U.S, wages of unskilled workers in other countries, the poverty line, prices of goods, and Obama’s proposed minimum wage of $10.10. The juxtaposition enables Coy to effectively prove the point that there is no way that one can survive off of minimum wage in the United States, especially if a Starbucks Frappuccino costs $5.93, only $1.32 more than the current minimum wage. This comparison allows the reader to understand how little people are currently making off of minimum wage. From Coy’s juxtaposition, the reader also learns how much smaller of an income a skilled American worker may make compared to an unskilled worker in Denmark who makes $20.88 an hour. By comparing this fact to the proposed minimum wage, the reader can understand why Coy believes that raising the minimum wage to $10.10 will not fix the economy if workers in other countries are making much more for unskilled work than skilled American workers are making. By providing all of these examples, Coy effectively shows the difficultly of living off of a minimum wage income, and how raising minimum wage will not be the solution.
Coy also quotes economists to show how raising the minimum wage will not be enough to fix the economy. Coy quotes Amy Glasmeier, a MIT professor who made a “living wage” calculator to determine the income needed for people to live efficiently. Glasmeier provides an example of a Mexican immigrant living in Minnesota who makes $8 an hour cleaning floors of a department store, and cares for her four children. Glasmeier’s calculator found that a parent living in the same town with three children needs a living wage of $33.28. With one less child, this is still no where near the current income of $8 or the proposed new minimum wage of $10.10. Clearly for the woman in the example, raising the minimum wage would not be nearly enough for her to live efficiently. Since this example is just one of many, the reader can see how many people are living off of much less money than they need. Coy’s use of quotes with research that supports his claims not only shows how raising the minimum wage will not help the economy to the extent that is needed, but he also creates credibility for his argument.
As both parties debate whether or not minimum wage should be raised, Peter Coy takes a different approach to prove how even if the minimum wage is raised the problem of poverty will not be solved. Coy proves this through his use of juxtaposition and quotes. Coy exemplifies how many people have been loosely thinking about minimum wage, and suggests that the United States may even be a step behind other countries when it comes to the economy.
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