How does the writer document hard times?
The writer of this article, James Angelos, documents hard times by giving specific examples and scenarios which the subjects are faced with in their daily lives. He also uses a lot of descriptive language and dialogue. He quotes subjects when they say things such as “…I got to eat” and “If they get in my way, I’m going to cut somebody,” which shows the competitive nature of “hustling” and the lengths at which people in this business go to earn their living.Angelos also mentions drug problems that some of these men battle as well as their living conditions which include “$10 a night rooms” and another man who works at AutoZone who sleeps in a makeshift cot in his garage.
How and where does the writer bring money into his story?
The writer brings money into this story on a few occasions to highlight exactly how profitable the “hustling” is for these people who do it. In one of the grafs in the story, Angelos writes that an eight-hour workday can earn gas pumpers about $50, and “more if you’re energetic.” The man who works at AutoZone fixing auto problems makes $150 a day, which helps him to pay his monthly rent on his apartment. These dollar amounts that Angelos mentions in his article display how much money these men make daily, but also show a contrast in amounts of money made depending on the particular job being done.
Do you think the lead is effective? If so, why?
I think that the lead is extremely effective in its employment of descriptive language and almost “poetic” nature without being too long-winded. Angelos describes the men along Atlantic Avenue as “urban foragers” which evokes the image of these city dwellers who are not only earning their keep, but are on a daily hunt for their money. The lead is also very short, but readers are able to glean what the article is about from the two lines that comprise it.
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I like your comments on the lead where you say that the men are “on a daily hunt for their money.”
I like your comments on the lead where you say that the men are “on a daily hunt for their money.”