Reagan, Obama & Inequality
In his article, Nicholas Kristof discusses politics; specifically he goes over how Obama hasn't made much progress as president compared to what he said he would do during the State of the Union addresses of 2013 and 2014. He also looks at how Obama compares to Reagan as a president. Throughout the article, Kristof creates loaded diction to get his message and opinion across. To emphasize certain phrases, Kristof used words such as "profoundly" and "unfettered". These words are much stronger than a typical word such as "very" or "unrestrained" which gives readers a stronger connection to what Kristof is saying. Also, some of the phrases Kristof illustrate his loaded diction and set a more critical tone for the reader. For example, "a predawn darkness of stagnation and inequality" and "an aberration rather than a bellwether". The first phrase, used to describe the lifestyle Americans have endured since the Reagan era, is a more visual description of a feeling. It gives something intangible a visual aid, which helps readers better understand how Kristof believes politics have been ineffective in particular matters. In the latter phrase, his use of the words "aberration" and "bellwether" is effective in displaying highly formal diction. Based on his word choice, it can be inferred that Kristof finds politics to be an important topic that people should have an opinion on. When he writes "how could he [Obama]", he shows his emotional attachment to politics and education. The whole article exemplifies how Kristof feels politics should be looked at beneath the surface, and be properly analyzed. He also makes it clear that education is key to the future, and is an important step that is often overlooked in politics. Kristof makes both of these arguments using formal and loaded diction, which creates stronger feelings for the reader towards the topic at hand.