English 015 PB1A

Brandon Smith

English 015

PB1A

Minimum wage

Part 1. We’ve learned about this concept of a “genre.”  Let’s take a closer look at one specific textual genre that people write to make arguments in public contexts: a “Letter to the Editor.”  Find three examples of this unique textual genre that have been published in the last month, and provide links/screenshots for each.  Note: each letter should address a similar issue(e.g., examine three Letters to the Editor about more affordable college tuition).
1. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/17/opinion/a-smarter-minimum-wage.html#commentsContainerLetter by John Butler

2. http://www.phillytrib.com/commentary/letter-to-the-editor-the-time-is-now-to-raise/article_1ad32eae-3303-590c-9e85-a6383573e0cb.htmlLetter by Sen. Art Haywood

3. https://lancasteronline.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/raise-the-minimum-wage-in-pennsylvania/article_bedc2e4a-ac73-11e8-9681-73d52c0c2f5d.htmlLetter by Daniel M. Long

Part 2, “Deconstructing Genres.”. After you make your selections, describe this genre using the language of our course.  Think about our “genre question”—what makes this thing this thing?—and describe the conventions of this genre based on your 3 examples.  What patterns have you detected across the three examples, and which ones seem the most consequential?

In all three of these letters to the editors that I read they all had the same thing going for them. They all agree that the minimum wage should be raised to $15.00/hr. They believe that the current wage of 7.25 in Pennsylvania is too low for someone to be able to live off of. In my opinion I would disagree with what they are trying to push. Do I believe that the minimum wage is low? Yes I do, but in my opinion raising it up to $15.00/hr within the span of 4-5 years would be too much. Most of the people who are working at minimum wage salaries are high school students and college students who still live with and are being supported by their parents. Minimum wage is not supposed to be a salary that you can live off of and support a family. It is just some place to start. 

Part 3, “Determining Rhetorical Situations.” Analyze the rhetorical situation (writer, goal/purpose, reader/audience, context) of each piece.  

In these pieces of writing the writers all share the same goal and that is to have the minimum wage raised to $15.00/hr. The reader can either agree or disagree with what they are saying. The audience that the writer is trying to get to are people who are probably working for minimum wage or they are trying to talk to the people in the government who makes the choice to raise the minimum wage.

Part 4. What are people writing about?  What are the different arguments that people make?  How are they trying to “win” people over? 

In the first letter to the editor that I read they were talking about the number of people who live in poverty and they work full time at a McDonald’s. They go on to say that people who work full time should not be living in poverty and they deserve a raise. They say that with more people having money the better the economy will do in Philadelphia. In the second letter to the editor that I read he goes on to say that the minimum wage is at an historic low and that it needs to be raised. In the final letter to the editor that I read goes on to say that raising the minimum wage will help the local economy and with help bring people out of poverty. In all three of the letters they war trying to “win” the people over by saying that raising the minimum wage to $15.00/hr will help the economy and bring people out of poverty.