Do Politicians Love kids?
Column originally published November 19, 2014
Nicholas Kristof's diction throughout the op-ed shows that he has an emotional attachment to the subject. In the introduction of the article, he writes, "We Americans love children. Indeed, we love them so much that, on average, child care workers earn almost as much per hour ($10.33) as workers who care for animals ($10.82)." Through his sarcasm, it becomes evident that Kristof truly cares about the issue at hand without stating it outright. In this column, Kristof uses a lot of repetition to make his point that kids need early childhood education. He continuously claims that this is a bipartisan issue, even saying it multiple times within some paragraphs, in an effort to persuade readers that this is an issue that anyone and everyone must rally behind. His sentences are written without the use of academic language or overly complex syntax. This gives the op-ed a "just like you" vibe and casual tone. However, Kirstof pairs this casual tone with an urgent tone by using a mirage of convincing statistics and scientific evidence and ending the column with a call to action: "If our politicians really do love children, here's a way to prove it."
Nicholas Kristof's diction throughout the op-ed shows that he has an emotional attachment to the subject. In the introduction of the article, he writes, "We Americans love children. Indeed, we love them so much that, on average, child care workers earn almost as much per hour ($10.33) as workers who care for animals ($10.82)." Through his sarcasm, it becomes evident that Kristof truly cares about the issue at hand without stating it outright. In this column, Kristof uses a lot of repetition to make his point that kids need early childhood education. He continuously claims that this is a bipartisan issue, even saying it multiple times within some paragraphs, in an effort to persuade readers that this is an issue that anyone and everyone must rally behind. His sentences are written without the use of academic language or overly complex syntax. This gives the op-ed a "just like you" vibe and casual tone. However, Kirstof pairs this casual tone with an urgent tone by using a mirage of convincing statistics and scientific evidence and ending the column with a call to action: "If our politicians really do love children, here's a way to prove it."