“Can you be silent too?” (3). The previous question was asked by Jo Goodwin Parker in the 1971 published essay, “What is Poverty?”. Parker could no longer be silent and decided it was time to let her voice be heard. She reached out to those who do not know the struggles of everyday life in this lifestyle, those who place stereotypes on every person in poverty, and to make the statement, that anyone could be in poverty no matter what their backgrounds are. She could no longer be silent and allow others to continue to suffer the way she and her children did. Ultimately, Parker used a pathos style of rhetoric to create a metaphorical essay; thus, making her personal material appeal to the wide range of emotions and views of readers.
Pathos is defined as an expression or utterance that evokes sadness or sympathy (OED “pathos”). Jo Goodwin Parker used this rhetorical method to make her audience look past the small details and into …show more content…
This point was “Poverty is…” (1,2,3). Throughout the essay, “Poverty is…” (1,2,3), is repeated over and over in a metaphorical fashion. The author is relating different aspects of her life and thoughts to poverty; therefore, creating an emotional piece that connects to the emotions and lives of readers. “Poverty is an acid that drips on pride until all pride is worn away” (3). Poverty is seen as something that will wear you down until there is nothing left. In the “Poverty is…” statements, metaphors are used to express Parker’s life, because simple words cannot describe the life she is living. The stench, rotting, young, proper, and black. Each of the words previously stated, are some examples of the connotative language that evokes emotion which Parker was found to use throughout the entire essay. The author was selective with her use of connotative language, in order for the pathos style of rhetoric to create an effective