Editorial Analysis

Editorial

This editorial, written by Bob Herbert of the New York Times, takes the stance that the lower class is underrepresented in government.  He uses a angry tone which is demonstrated through use of strong diction such as "destroy", "absurd", and "desperate".  Herbert describes the poverty in the US as "spreading like a wildfire in a drought".  Words and impactful metaphors with bad connotations such as these make the most impact and are successful in supporting his argument.

A tactic the Herbert uses is to make the government seem weak to the reader, without really ever saying so outright.  Once he says that the "government officials, from the president on down, are too busy kissing the bejeweled fingers of the megarich" which makes the reader believe that the government is too weak to stand up for itself.  Also, he says that a new government official is "obsessed with getting Democrats to be more subservient to business."  The word 'subserviant' is not something that the people would like to associate with the government, and thus Herbert is painting a successful picture of a frail government.

Another literary technique that Herbert employs is the use of rhetorical questions.  They are placed thoughtfully and help create an urgent feel to his essay.  Also, these questions keep the reader actively engaged in the writing because it draws their own mind into it, instead of reading about something that might not relate to them specifically.  Another good way of keeping the reader's mind active throughout the essay is Herbert's differing syntax.  He mixes short sentences with longer ones and also uses the dash.  These provide emphasis on certain opinions and make the essay flow effortlessly.

Herbert relies heavily on statistics to illustrate his message.  While his statistics do just that, the amount he uses is a little overwhelming.  Numbers do not keep the reader as engaged as words.  He could have been more impactful having less statistics, because they begin to lose their harshness very quickly.

All in all, this essay was effective.  Because of the strong voice backed up with examples and statistics, Herbert writes appropriately for an AP essay.