Jessica
Patterson
592.66.4692
October
14, 2003
Essay #2: Appeals
Critical Response
“Cheap
underwear. That’s all Wal-mart Corp. contributes as it squeezes the life
out of a community’s downtown.” Jo-Ann
Johnston uses this quote from Albert Norman,
an outspoken
Wal-mart critic, to introduce her article “Who’s Really the Villain?” After that first line, one would assume
Johnston was also an active Wal-mart opponent.
However, she uses this approach to demonstrate a completely different
idea. Throughout her article Johnston
uses logical as well as some emotional appeals to prove that Wal-mart really is
not the villain at all. Her use of
credible sources and factual evidence allow her to present a very clear and
strong argument.
Johnston uses the appeal of logic, or fact, to
persuade the reader. For instance, she
shares the true story of how residents of Greenfield, Massachusetts fought the
building of Wal-mart in their community and forced Wal-mart to move to a town just
down the road; Orange County. This
affected Greenfield in the manner that Wal-mart would have brought 240
tax-paying jobs and increased retail traffic. The Greenfield example could be
interpreted as both logical (true story, factual) and emotional (the poor
community could have been helped by Wal-mart, instead resulting in many people
still without a steady income). Also,
Johnston introduces the idea of business competition. Many of the small businesses want to blame
Wal-mart for their loss of business and forcing them to close down. However, Johnston effectively uses facts and
statistics to
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prove that all a
small business needs to do in order to survive Wal-mart is adapt. She quotes Robert Kahn “Because it’s so huge,
the best defense against Wal-mart for small-town retailers is to adapt, evolve,
and create some stronghold that will make them viable and worth keeping, even
in that face if new competition.” In addition, Johnston includes a statement
from Wayne Clark, owner of Clark’s Sentry Hardware, in which he claims that he,
as well as several other local merchants, survived Wal-mart’s stay of fourteen
years because they learned to adjust their business practices. By offering these facts and direct quotes Johnston
presents a logical appeal.
Jo-Ann Johnston establishes
credibility with information from many credible sources, including Kenneth
Stone, an economist at Iowa State University and the country’s leading
researcher on economic impacts of Wal-mart, who told of the possible consequences
for communities that do not accept Wal-mart.
She also quotes David Glass, Wal-mart President and CEO, on the outcome
of a store being built in an unwanted area. She also refers to Robert Kahn, a
Lafayette, California management consultant who has worked with the Wal-mart
chain and publishes a newsletter called Retailing
Today, to effectively prove adaptation is necessary for small businesses to
survive. Furthermore, Johnston uses
statistics and results from consumer report polls. Johnston’s use of many credible sources
enables her to establish credibility for herself and support her argument.
However, Johnston’s use of
statistics and credible sources can also be detrimental to her case when
referring to reasoning. In supporting
her argument, deductive reasoning (general to specific) would be most
helpful. However, Johnston uses the
tactic of
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inductive
reasoning, or specific to general. For
instance, when attempting to prove Wal-mart would create more job opportunities
in a community, Johnston fails to show the possible job loss the multi-million
dollar corporation could cause. She uses
statistics and unemployment rates to assist her in proving her point; however
she lacks thoroughness in her research.
Although this could be considered a setback, it is only minor because
Johnston’s main idea is adequately presented throughout her essay.
The Wal-mart frenzy is a very
controversial issue nationwide and people tend to approach it with many
different tactics. Johnston’s choice of
tone and diction allow her to present her case in a very clear and direct
manner. She employs proper diction in
her writing, for the most part. Her
informative and concerned tone allows her to relate to the reader in a more
personal manner. She appears to feel passionately about the subject at hand and
that alone has the potential to captivate a reader. Johnston takes full advantage of her ability
to identify with her audience and uses it to help her in gaining support from
the reader.
Overall, Jo-Ann Johnston uses Albert
Norman’s statement against him. She
effectively uses a logical appeal and credibility to aid her in gaining the
reader’s attention, and possibly persuading their opinions also. Johnston states, “The growth of the
mail-order catalogs, cable TV shopping networks, specialized category stores
such as Toys ‘R’ Us, and now, possibly, shopping via on-line computer services,
all present more competition for small merchants that draw from local
merchants. The only difference with
Wal-mart is that it’s the biggest, most identifiable source of that new and
increasing competition. As a result, it
has become a lightning rod for all the angst and anxiety of
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struggling shop
keepers- deserved or not.” Do you agree
with Johnston? If so, cheap underwear
could become the new fad.
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