U.S. Adds 157,000 Jobs; Jobless Rate Edges Up to 7.9%

        Since the decline of the economy in the beginning of December 2007, the unemployment rate in the United States has risen. Unfortunately for many, despite the recession being officially over, they still remain unemployed. Catherine Rampell describes in her article, titled "U.S. Adds 157,000 Jobs; Jobless Rate Edges Up to 7.9%", the struggles that Americans are still facing today, even four years after the start of the recession.
       The purpose of Catherine Rampell writing this article is to inform Americans about the new unemployment rate in January and, most importantly, to show them that this issue has not gone away; it might not be awhile until it finally disappears. The audiences targeted for this article are adults who are either currently unemployed or are interested in learning about the most recent unemployment statistics. The exigence of Catherine Rampell writing this article is that, when it was published, it was the end of January and, therefore, the employment statistics for the first month of the year were released.
       In her article, Catherine Rampell uses a variety of rhetorical devices to get her point across. One of the most prevalent rhetorical devices is logos. She appeals to the readers logos by incorporating statistics, graphs, and direct quotes. For example, she says "...sending the Dow Jones industrial average over 14,000 for the first time since 2007." The use of statistics throughout the article allows the reader to really see the numbers of the economy. Without these numbers, it is possible that the reader may doubt what the writer is saying or may not fully understand what she is putting across. She also uses a graph which outlines the unemployment rate from October 2010 to present day. This allows visual readers to see the unemployment rate by month easier than it being explained in writing. Lastly, she uses first hand sources, like Mary Livingston, who give their experience on the difficulty of finding a job. These sources allows reader to empathize and also understand that the struggle is still happening today and that many people are still without jobs. The use of first hand sources is also an example of the writer appealing to the readers ethos. Catherine Rampell chose to include a story of the sixty-three year old women, Mary Livingston, who has not been able to find a job for two years. Factoring in her age and the reluctancy of the employer to hire anyone, she has been unable to find a job. Also, the story of Karen Duckett is another example. She has been without a job for a year and has just received a letter in the mail threatening her benefits if she does not seek a job soon. Both these first hand stories allow the reader to again empathize with the victims of job loss. Without the inclusion of these accounts, readers may be left to only imagine, or not even believe, that unemployment is still affecting citizens across the nation.
     I do believe that Catherine Rampell got her point across in this article. Although I believe that the article could have been shorter and still achieved the same purpose, over all the reader understands what she is portraying after reading the article. Through the use of statistics, graphs, first-hand sources, and appeals to ethos, Catherine Rampell teaches the reader about the unemployment rate and its effectiveness on our growing nation. All of the rhetorical devices enhances the readers ability to grasp the content in the article and, therefore, fully understand the purpose.