The first Article I read is an academic article titled “The Working Poor,” by Jeanette Wicks-Lim, an expert in labor economics. Her intended audience is anyone who wants to inform themselves on the issues associated with the minimum wage debate. She was prompted to write this article by former President Obama’s claims that everyone should go to college. Her purpose is both to find the truth about the affects of the minimum wage as well as advocate for the low wage workers that, based on her data, don’t make enough money to live on. The fact that it was publish by a university (CUNY) also suggests that she was focused less about convincing her audience compared to informing them.

The second article was a column from a Kentucky newspaper. The intended audience were residents of the local area. The column was prompted by the start of a new Kentucky General Assembly for 2017. The author is a columnist. Although the author provides data to support his position, it is clear that his main purpose is to persuade people to believe his point of view.

Works Cited

Contributing Columnist, Jason Bailey. “Cutting wages no way to grow Ky.’s economy.” Middlesboro Daily News, The         (KY) 26 Jan. 2017, Final, opinion. NewsBank. Web. 26 Jan. 2017.

Wicks-Lim, Jeannette. “The Working Poor.” New Labor Forum (Sage Publications Inc.) 21.3 (2012): 17-25.                          Academic Search Complete. Web. 26 Jan. 2017.

 

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