Compare & Contrast: Homelessness is More Appealing

Many of us willing never be roofless, and not every superstar understands the value of having a wife, but after reading the essays, homeless (Quindlen, A. n. d. ) and I Want a Wife (Brady, J. 1971), one can gain a better ground of both(prenominal). I am a wife. Therefore, I can certainly connect with the cashiers story of I Want a Wife. This is a news report essay, in which the teller g disputationens on why she too would like to have a wife after a visit with a recently disunite male friend, who is looking for a new wife.The narrator gives a list of duties and activities she will and will not do if she had a wife, and she can visualize the benefits a wife could afford her with less responsibilities and more cartridge holder for school or friends. My other essay of choice is quite different in theme, but it is so far relatable. Anne Quindlens essay, Homeless (n. d. ) is a short descriptive essay with the narrator retelling of an account when she met a woman, who she bel ieves is dispossessed, at the bus terminal. It is during the encounter that the narrator reflects on homeless people in general, the homeless individual and about herself.Both of these essays are considerably written, however, I feel that Homeless (Quindlen, A. n. d. ), is a more challenge essay than I Want a Wife (Brady, J. 1971), as it allows the reviewer to be suffer more engaged in the descriptions and reflect on the details of the story. Whenever I start arising reading any type of literature, the first thing I notice is the writing course of the author and the point of view (POV) of the narrator. Key elements of the writing expression for me are POV, tone, pace, and conciseness when possible. The point of view is important to the reader as it may not be theirs.This should cause the reader to pay closer tending to details. How much credibility does the narrator offer. The tone of a story is set at the very beginning. The tone along with a good hook should snap fastener the readers attention so they want to continue reading. For me, both essays Homeless and I Want a Wife captured my interest with the very first sentence. When the opening sentence of an essay starts with I belong to that classification of people kn bear as wives, (I Want a Wife) that certainly can catch the attention of another wife. This opening drew me in because I wanted to know what she meant by this statement.The tone is set wives are in a class of their own, and the narrator has my attention. Now, she will tell us from her point of view why she wants a wife, too. Homeless, is similar in that it excessively grabs the reader just by introducing a character, location, and time of social class in its brief opening sentence. However, I do think that this opening is more appealing than I Want a Wife. The details the narrator gives the reader create a clear mental image of the scene. In addition, the second sentence reveals just enough to keep the reader interested in what the na rrator has to say, I was doing a story on homeless people, (Homeless, para 1).Again, the tone is set it is January at the bus terminal where the narrator, who is doing research on homeless people, meets such a person, Ann. It is also in the first sentence we know it is the narrators story as she describes her experience and conversation with Ann. With the narrator manduction her experience and conversation with the reader, she has invited them into her story making it more personal. Another similarity between these two essays is the authors use of appropriate language for the material, the audience, and the year of publication.I Want a Wife, written in 1971, was a period when the feminist movement was active. Women were looking for equality in the work place but also at home. The essay, published in the magazine Ms. , makes me believe the writers original target audience is that of other wives, future wives, and anyone else who reads Ms. Magazine. Her simple statements, or as I lik e to call it, her laundry list as to why it would be great if she had a wife, are easy to relate to as galore(postnominal) of us perform these duties on a daily basis. In Homeless, the setting of the story, January at the bus terminal, leaves it to the readers imagination of the year.The topic of the essay, homeless people, is interminable as it is has been an ongoing problem for decades. The language the narrator uses is simplistic yet descriptively concise. It still gives enough detail to help you feel connected to what the narrator is saying. You can feel her emotions through her words. I believe her target audience is everyone. As the narrator states, We walk around it when it is lying on the sidewalk or sitting in the bus terminalthe problem, that is. She is playing upon the readers emotions by pointing out how many people ignore the problem even when we come face to face with it at times.I feel this essay can transcend time because of the specific descriptive words the auth or uses to engage the reader. In addition, until homelessness becomes obsolete, this will be an issue society will continue to discuss. I do not believe the same can be said about I Want a Wife. Reading this essay now seems irrelevant in 2013, whereas in 1971, this was a reality for some wives. While I found both essays well written and share similar key elements in writing style and appropriate language, I found Homeless, to be a more appealing read.The topic of the essay, homeless people, is a current issue we continue to face in society today, which makes it more relatable to the reader. It causes the reader to use their imagination, critical thinking skills, and reflect on a somewhat sensitive topic. I think the topic of I want a Wife, is appropriate for the period it was written, but it does not real apply to todays families. The structure of the family has changed dramatically in the last forty years. No longer is it the norm for the wife to be the one to berm all of the fam ily responsibility.In more households than not, it is now a shared responsibility. Even though Judy Bradys essay can cause the reader to reflect on how tone was for wives during that era, it does not really fit our society today. Reading the essay now, it seems more of a farce than the feminist statement it was of 1971. Another appealing aspect of Homeless is the description and detail the narrator uses. She creates visual images with her words that capture and engage the reader. Some of the visual images that were memorable to me are the description of Ann, her photo, and the narrators own ferocity for the love of her own home.The narrators description of the grime that creases Anns bags and raincoat give you a clear picture of her appearance. The description of the white-livered house in the photo, with the aluminum siding and a chain-link fence, a narrow driveway running up to a one-car garage, and a patch of backyard, (Homeless para 2) gives the reader a distinct image of the house. It is through these descriptions that I have a better understanding of both the characters and their perspective of homeless.I Want a Wife, while well written and entertaining, it did not appeal to my emotional side like Homeless. I felt as though the narrator was giving us her laundry list and doing so without any emotion. She does not invite the reader into the story, as the structure is very chaotic and unorganized. In addition, she often repeats herself throughout the essay, which makes it difficult to get a clear picture of any one thought as she moves quickly from one idea to the next. Each essay shares similar key elements of writing style and appropriate language.They both capture their targeted audience with creative introductions that pull the reader into the story. The authors use of simple statements and descriptions allow for easy reading and understanding of the topic, however I believe that Homeless was more successful in engaging the readers senses. Anna Quind len used specific descriptions and details to bring the reader into her story. Her topic is one that everyone understands as it is, still an issue society faces today. She appeals to our emotions and causes the reader to reflect on their own life and those affected by it.