"To Fix Health, Help the Poor"

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/09/opinion/to-fix-health-care-help-the-poor.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

The authors of this article, Elizabeth Bradley and Lauren Taylor, analyze  not only health care spending, as most other studies have done, but combine these numbers with the amount America spends on things like rent subsidies and unemployment benefits, and comparing it to other countries.  The authors use diction, details and syntax to convince readers that we must spend more money on social welfare projects.

Diction: The diction in this work helps to convey a trustworthy tone.  It is important for all authors to gain their readers' trust.  This ensures the reader will be receptive to the point the author is trying to make.  Bradley and Taylor are masters of the 5 dollar word.  "encroachment", "allocating" and "disdain" are all words that make the reader subconsciously think "Wow, these women are smart.  They must know what they are talking about".  Once the readers have placed confidence in the authors as intellectuals, it is much easier to make a point.

Details: Bradley and Taylor use very specific numbers to prove just how direct the link is between social spending and life expectancy, along with other health related statistics.  When discussing the health status of a group of homeless individuals, the article mentions they totalled 18,834 trips to the emergency room.  That number is shocking, and was clearly included to jolt the reader.  Further, that many trips to the emergency room is stated to have cost 12.7 million dollars.  The reader suddenly begins to think about all the other things that money could be used for.  There must be a way to lower that amount.

Syntax: Syntax is used mainly to engage the reader in the work.  Rhetorical questions such as "Why are these other countries beating us if we spend so much more?" make the reader really think.  Instead of skimming the article, with a mind half-focused on something else, questions like this help to make the reader pay attention to the task at hand and make him want to come up with a solution.  Additionally, sentences such as "Before we spend even more money, we should consider allocating it differently." place the emphasis on the point Bradley and Taylor are trying to make.  This makes the reader understand the importance and remember it.