Saving The Homeless As A Nation:
Kevin Fagan, the author of “Homeless, Mike Dick Was 51, Looked 66” is a staff writer for the San Francisco chronicle who has covered homelessness nationally through 2003 to 2006. In this essay, Fagan is observing the life of a man named Mike Dick, who is a homeless man in San Francisco. Fagan uses pathos in the essay as well as ethos, and comparisons to provide examples in forming an effective argument for creating a change involving the homeless around the nation. Throughout the essay, Fagan is one on one with Mike in his rough environment providing a first-hand experience for the target audience, who is the nation and country as a whole.
When Fagan writes this essay, the target audience is clearly the nation or country. Fagan states this explicitly toward the end of the essay “The nation needs to commit as a whole” (Fagan, 336). Fagan shows his stance on the issue of homelessness around the world, he wants everyone to make an effort and help. He reaches out to the whole nation because homelessness doesn’t just occur where Mike lived in San Francisco, it happens all over the country. Another example of how the nation is the target audience is where Fagan states “In a rich country where actors can make millions of dollars, pretending on a movie screen, to be poor like Mike and go home to one of their mansions at night, we can do better” (Fagan, 336). This comparison creates a perfect visual of the diversity in our world today, we have homeless people on the streets and then people acting like them for movies and we honor them. Fagan uses this to show that we support people on a movie screen who stereotype homeless people but we can’t provide or support for the homeless people. With this statement Fagan suggests we must step up and make a change for those who need it. Fagan introduces an appeal to pathos in the sixth paragraph where he states “There are more like him on the street every day—old folks who have no business living in the gutter. And even if they’re rescued it’s often too late” (Fagan, 335). By using this appeal Fagan is getting his audience to sympathize for the homeless who have no hope for anything on their own; without our help, they are practically helpless and suffering from their ill ailments. People who live on the streets have no choice other than living on the street; or else they wouldn’t be there.. Fagan practically became good friends with Mike who was living on the streets of San Francisco, he suffered from emphysema, bronchitis, a congestive heart condition and high blood pressure (Fagan, 334). These conditions Mike suffer from not only affect him emotionally but as well as physically. They effect his figure and body attributes and people cannot live like that on their own, when all those ailments catch up to you it makes your appearance age while you suffer over time. When you suffer from these things it increases your chances of dying, especially when you’re on the street and can’t avoid the ailments. This will leave you susceptible to severe sickness as it did Mike and all the other homeless who still manage to exist. At the end of the essay Fagan uses an appeal to ethos by saying “This is a …show more content…
Hahn also claims that that number will rise every year. This comparison by Fagan doesn’t just show the age difference, but they have all have far more problems than non-homeless their age such as emphysema and other ailments. Everyone knows how older people can’t bear the cold like younger people. Therefore, older people are subject to more dangerous conditions. Fagan uses this statistic to prove that nothing is being changed because these people have never been taken off the street and their health continues to get worse and worse. Most of the homelessness going on today is from what is called the “big boom” of homelessness- Fagan notes on pg. 335. It all started back in the 1980s and now all those that were affected are suffering and aging until they eventually
Kevin Fagan, the author of “Homeless, Mike Dick Was 51, Looked 66” is a staff writer for the San Francisco chronicle who has covered homelessness nationally through 2003 to 2006. In this essay, Fagan is observing the life of a man named Mike Dick, who is a homeless man in San Francisco. Fagan uses pathos in the essay as well as ethos, and comparisons to provide examples in forming an effective argument for creating a change involving the homeless around the nation. Throughout the essay, Fagan is one on one with Mike in his rough environment providing a first-hand experience for the target audience, who is the nation and country as a whole.
When Fagan writes this essay, the target audience is clearly the nation or country. Fagan states this explicitly toward the end of the essay “The nation needs to commit as a whole” (Fagan, 336). Fagan shows his stance on the issue of homelessness around the world, he wants everyone to make an effort and help. He reaches out to the whole nation because homelessness doesn’t just occur where Mike lived in San Francisco, it happens all over the country. Another example of how the nation is the target audience is where Fagan states “In a rich country where actors can make millions of dollars, pretending on a movie screen, to be poor like Mike and go home to one of their mansions at night, we can do better” (Fagan, 336). This comparison creates a perfect visual of the diversity in our world today, we have homeless people on the streets and then people acting like them for movies and we honor them. Fagan uses this to show that we support people on a movie screen who stereotype homeless people but we can’t provide or support for the homeless people. With this statement Fagan suggests we must step up and make a change for those who need it. Fagan introduces an appeal to pathos in the sixth paragraph where he states “There are more like him on the street every day—old folks who have no business living in the gutter. And even if they’re rescued it’s often too late” (Fagan, 335). By using this appeal Fagan is getting his audience to sympathize for the homeless who have no hope for anything on their own; without our help, they are practically helpless and suffering from their ill ailments. People who live on the streets have no choice other than living on the street; or else they wouldn’t be there.. Fagan practically became good friends with Mike who was living on the streets of San Francisco, he suffered from emphysema, bronchitis, a congestive heart condition and high blood pressure (Fagan, 334). These conditions Mike suffer from not only affect him emotionally but as well as physically. They effect his figure and body attributes and people cannot live like that on their own, when all those ailments catch up to you it makes your appearance age while you suffer over time. When you suffer from these things it increases your chances of dying, especially when you’re on the street and can’t avoid the ailments. This will leave you susceptible to severe sickness as it did Mike and all the other homeless who still manage to exist. At the end of the essay Fagan uses an appeal to ethos by saying “This is a …show more content…
Hahn also claims that that number will rise every year. This comparison by Fagan doesn’t just show the age difference, but they have all have far more problems than non-homeless their age such as emphysema and other ailments. Everyone knows how older people can’t bear the cold like younger people. Therefore, older people are subject to more dangerous conditions. Fagan uses this statistic to prove that nothing is being changed because these people have never been taken off the street and their health continues to get worse and worse. Most of the homelessness going on today is from what is called the “big boom” of homelessness- Fagan notes on pg. 335. It all started back in the 1980s and now all those that were affected are suffering and aging until they eventually