POVERTY AND CRIME IN THE U.S.

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Poverty and Crime in the U.S.: Genre Analysis of an Article and YouTube Video
Poverty in the United States has always been an ongoing struggle for many citizens. Its
really sad that something like this has been around for many of years and yet no effective
solutions have been made to help these individuals who live under appalling conditions. Poverty
does not only affect individuals, but also entire cities. Some cities that are very poor also have
high crime rates which begs the question: Is there is a direct link between poverty and crime?
There are different types of genres that explain the relationship between poverty and
crime rates. The two genres that were chosen to explain if poverty leads to crime are Point-
Counterpoint Debate: Does poverty contribute to more crime? - Yes, an article from the Daily
Courier written by Lee Nidess, and a YouTube news video entitled Camden, NJ. The poorest
city in the U.S., uploaded by Wooden Pegg. By taking a good look at these two genres one will
be able to conclude whether poverty and crime are directly linked or not.
Audience and Purpose
The intended audience for the article by Nidess are people who have an interest in the
effects that poverty causes, or people with an opposite view and want to know the different
causes of crime. Some people have already heard that poverty can lead to crime but what they
want is for the statement to be affirmed. The purpose of this article is to inform the readers that
there is a direct link between poverty and crime. If someone were to take only five minutes of
their time to read this article then they would be more aware and educated on the various aspects
of why poverty can lead to more crime.
Unlike the article, the intended audience for the video might be people who are just
surfing the internet and people who prefer to have visuals with the information they acquire. This
YouTube video may serve good for people who dont really enjoy reading. Just like the article,
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this video takes about five minutes to view and it contains a fair amount of information and
visuals for the viewer.
Rhetorical Issues: Ethos, Pathos and Logos
Both the article and video attempt to establish their credibility but one is more established
than the other. The article does not contain any information from outside sources but does
mention that the author, Lee Nidess, is a 17-year Prescott resident and former Prescott City
Council member. Yes, Nidess says things like, Studies have found that those who live in areas
that are poverty-stricken have fewer options in life, but he does not give any numerical
information and fails at mentioning which sources he got his own research from (Nidess, 2013).
This article can be somewhat trusted because there is some truth behind the information given,
but even so, it wouldnt be enough if someone were to only use this article for research. The
video is more reliable in a sense because it contains actual footage and images of the poor city of
Camden, New Jersey which gives the audience first hand proof that it is a city of struggle. The
video also contains interviews with people who actually live in Camden where they describe the
citys poor condition. This helps build the audiences trust of the video because they are more
likely to believe people who have actually experienced what its like to be poor than just a
random person rambling on about his/her opinions.
As far as pathos goes, the video evokes a sympathetic emotion from the audience because
of the vivid images of the poor city. What brings the most emotion out of people is the story
about George Cardegena, a nine year old boy who was a victim of a random drive by shooting.
This young boy was shot in the head and was left blind which is a sad story for anyone to hear.
The article is not very strong when it comes to pathos because it lacks images and color as it is
strictly black text on a white canvas. The text also does not attempt to paint any pictures in the
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readers mind. No strong emotions are evoked from the article because it does not attempt to ask
the audience to get up and do something. All the article is doing is informing the audience that
crime and poverty are directly linked.
Structure
Both the article and the video are very well organized. The article is very short so its
almost impossible for the readers to get bored and get distracted. The introduction is about how
people should focus on correcting poverty as it is one of the cause of people committing crimes.
The following three paragraphs further explain to the reader reasons why crime and poverty go
hand-in-hand. The news video begins with an introduction of the city of Camden, New Jersey
where they explain that people refer to it as the city that hope forgot (Pegg, 2013). Following
the introduction is a brief history explanation of Bobby Kennedys campaign against poverty in
1968. The remainder of the video consists of the story of George Cardegena. Both genres contain
good and useful information but the video might be more convenient because you can see first-
hand what the city of Camden is like and develop your own personal opinion on the issue based
on that.
Style/Language
The language used in the article is formal, as there is no inappropriate language or slang
used in the text. The only specialized vocabulary that are used in the text are words that have to
do with crime and words to describe a way of living. Words like housing, healthcare, education
and employment are used to show that one might be lead to committing a crime if they are living
without any of those things. Regardless of the specialized vocabulary the article is still easy to
read and understand. The language used in the video is also formal. The news coverage is from
NBC News so they must be professional especially when talking about a serious issue. The only
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specialized vocabulary used in the video are words to describe struggle like poor, poverty, and
crime. The narrator of the video, as well as the people in the interviews, speak clearly and are
easy to understand.
Conclusion
Both of the genres are reliable in their own way and it would be up to the person doing
the research to decide on which one to pursue because both of them cover the topic of crime and
poverty in different ways. The article is more of an explanation as to why poverty leads to crime.
The main purpose of the article is to explain that poverty needs to somehow be stopped so that
less crimes are committed. The news video gives the viewer real life footage and stories of what
a poverty stricken city is like and the large amount of crimes that are committed. The video
might have more of an impact on the viewer than the article because it makes the person
watching it feel sympathetic for those living under poor conditions. Each genre is good to use for
research and both of them will definitely leave the reader or viewer with an opinion on the issue
of poverty and crime.









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References
Nidess, L. (2013, April 27). Point-counterpoint debate: does poverty contribute to more crime? -
yes. Retrieved from
http://www.dcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=36&SubSectionID=73&ArticleID=11859
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Pegg, W. (Director) (2013, March 7). Camden,nj. the poorest city in the us. [Video podcast].
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD_DSYr7OyQ