ENG 123 Journal Activity (mod 1) PDF

Preview

Summary

activity mod 1...

Description

ENG 123 JOURNAL ACTIVITY Should the federal minimum wage be raised to $15/hour? If this were to happen, it could potentially be good for the economy. It would allow the lower class to afford some of their necessities such as housing and transportation, and would also introduce more money being spent. On the other hand, it might drive costs higher. If employers have to pay employees more, they will likely raise the price of their products and services to make up for loss. This issue is related to me in my current field because if minimum wage is increased, it will affect me. I work full time and make about $20/hour and I do not believe minimum wage should be increased. If it is raised to $15/hour, all that will do is de-value the amount of money that I make. Instead of just raising the minimum, it should be a proportionate raise all around. If employees who make $7.50/hour all the sudden are bumped up to $15/hour, that is double what they made before. It would not be economically even to only give their salary a raise. A more beneficial course of action would be to raise everyone’s salary by a small percentage.

In recent times due to coronavirus, many workers who have been laid off have received additional compensation on top of their unemployment checks. Should essential workers be eligible to receive additional compensation as well? Many would say that it is not necessary, because the essential workers are still working and therefore are still receiving their paycheck. On the other hand, individuals who are not working are making in some cases much more than they would be if they were at work. Essential workers do not have a choice to stay home and collect unemployment plus additional compensation. This issue affects me because I am an essential worker and had to come to work every day throughout the surge with no additional compensation.

I would argue that essential employees should receive additional compensation. Nonessential workers were able to stay home and receive unemployment checks and also an additional $600 on top of that. I understand that the point of the additional money was to make up for unemployment not giving them as much money as they would normally make while working. However, I have a friend who normally took home $150/week, and during this time she was laid off at home, she was making $750/week. Many of my friends found themselves in very similar cases. This does not seem right or fair to me as many essential workers would rather be safe at home quarantining and collecting unemployment. Instead, essential workers are made to work and receive no additional compensation even though they are putting their health at risk. My potential audience would be both essential and non-essential workers. My topic is relevant to essential workers because the matter directly affects them. It is also relevant to non-essential workers because they would likely agree that essential workers are deprived of the same benefits that they received. NOTES FROM TEACHER: Hi Sarah: You present some interesting ideas in your analysis of minimum wage and additional compensation for essential workers. I see the second topic as very timely and necessary, so suggest you move forward there. Continue to clarify the focus as you research: how much compensation, how will you define essential, how long should the compensation last in comparison to additional compensation to unemployment? After you review my notes and the rubric, try to simplify what you want to analyze and research into one or two argumentative sentences. For example: “ The focus of the essay is on _____________ and this topic matters because ___________. “ This will help you specify and narrow the 'what' and the 'why' of your essay, which in turn will help you research more efficiently with key words and form more specific connections to which audience you will be persuading and why. Try using the Stasis Method to help you elaborate on your initial brainstorming, to form more of a focus and understanding of the subject from all sides. Asking the critical thinking questions (who, what, where, when, why, how) helps with

finding specific language and finding an actual argument. This method will also help you decide how to address and refute the counterargument. Ms. N Below are some links that may help as you refine your journal for upcoming assignments:

• To help you decide on the audience you are trying to persuade: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/audience/

• Finding a counter-argument to address and refute in an essay: http://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/counter-argument What is at stake if your intended audience does not agree with the argument? What would you like for the audience to leave your essay thinking about concerning your argument? This will help with finding the “why” of your thesis (the argument) and the importance of persuasion. Consider, in more depth, the specific audience you are attempting to persuade. What are their needs and expectations concerning your central argument? What types of rhetorical strategies would work best with them?...