When I learned to scrape by

This was one of those personal narratives on Salon.com. I wish it had said how old the girl who wrote it was- she looked pretty young from the picture. Either way, it was a summary of a day in the life of Tiffany Brubeck, a girl with no job or money trying to find work. It didn't say how she got to this point, but she does say that it is part of the recession. She compares her new way of life, scraping around the streets for change, to her old life of designer purses, so obviously she wasn't always as poor as she is now. She has no money to repair her car, has to live off of leftover food given to her by friends, and can't find work no matter what she does. Overall, it was a moving and impressive story.
The author relied on ethos and pathos. She gave a face to the "recession" that people are always talking about, making it feel more real and urgent, especially for people who haven't been hurt too badly by it. This is her personal story, so the appeal to ethos is undeniable strong. However, the strongest appeal is probably pathos, because she describes a conversation with a friend about how hard work isn't enough anymore. She talks about her struggle to hold on to hope, believing that in America you can do anything. It really forces you to come face to face to the reality of where our country is right now. Struggling to afford a $.49 burrito can seem unreal, but the knowledge that it is reality for some people should be enough to get readers worked up.

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