Comparative Essay Sample: Tough Love, Tougher Struggle vs. Working at Wendy’s

Tanner Barrett wrote the story “Tough Love, Tougher Struggle.'' This is a story about an adolescent girl, Carrie Reeves, who struggled with an eating disorder throughout high school. While Reeves ate a normal amount of calories every day, she continued to lose weight as she over-exercised to train for cross country and track. Reeves knew she had a problem but she also knew the skinnier she was, the faster she ran. Her mom, Ehlert, decided she was not going to let her daughter slowly die in front of her, so she made the hard decision to have Reeves “kidnapped” and put into an inpatient recovery center 1500 miles from home. While it placed a huge strain on their relationship, it most likely saved Reeves’ life. Even though it was a vigorous fifteen weeks, Reeves came out the other side stronger. The author Joey Franklin wrote the story “Working at Wendy’s”. He lets the reader see what it was like for him to work at Wendy’s as a college student with a wife and kid. Franklin narrates his and his co-workers’ lives and why they each chose to work there. Just like Franklin, his peers needed to work there to survive. Whether it was for their children, school, a house, or to stay out of jail, Wendy’s was their only option. While Barrett’s piece was intriguing, well-written, and suspenseful, Franklin wrote the better story overall. The strong use of ethos and pathos, powerful themes, and the use of sharp rhetoric like analepsis and rhetorical questions, enhance the piece.

Franklin’s goal of his writing is to persuade, in which the use of ethos “...is based on the character, credibility, or reliability of the writer” (Rhetorical Strategies). He first does this by using the first-person point of view, demonstrating it is him in the story he is talking about. Furthermore, he describes all his former fast-food experiences either he or someone around him, has been through. Towards the beginning of the story, Franklin tells a short story about how his best friend's mom used to work at McDonald's. They were very poor, but with the mom’s job, they could scrape by. In the end, he inserts a quote by his friend; “‘She used to sell drugs, you know. We had plenty of money, and nobody thought she was a bad mom then’” (Franklin 2). Even though the mom was doing something very dangerous and illegal, their appearance looked better because the family had more money. Now that the mom is working at a fast-food restaurant, the family looks worse. The reader can then infer that for a lot of society, it’s not about the integrity or intention someone has, it’s about how it looks to the outside world. Because of this in-depth interpretation, the reader can get from the events Franklin describes, it is clear to see how reliable his story is and therefore make the element of persuasion stronger.

The other method he uses to persuade is pathos. Pathos is another type of persuasion and is done by appealing “...to an audience's needs, values, and emotional sensibilities” (Rhetorical Strategies). For the most part, Franklin accomplishes this by providing insight into the everyday lives of the employees. While asking why one of his coworkers, Dave, decided to take the job at Wendy’s, he finds out, “His dad, who recently remarried and moved, told Dave he would have to find his own place to live” (Franklin 2). A 17-year-old being kicked out of the house for no reason other than being part of a father’s past, tugs on the heartstrings of anyone who reads it. The observation Franklin gives the reader forces them to think of Dave as someone who is resilient, not someone lazy or unintelligent. It persuades the reader to see a new point of view about fast-food workers.

While both authors encompass a variety of different flashbacks, Franklin does it more often, with a very significant impact using the rhetorical device of analepsis. A rhetorical device is “...a use of language that is intended to have an effect on its audience” (Rhetorical)

After Franklin discusses how he talked with one of his pregnant coworkers, he tells the story of how “Kris Livingston’s mom ran the register at the Taco Bell on the corner…” (Franklin 2). Franklin’s narrative of his background gives the reader further insight into how the current and past experiences of Franklin’s life connect. This also gives the reader a deeper insight into why some of his perspectives are the way they currently are. This deeper understanding of the way Franklin acts and thinks is why the rhetorical device of analepsis is such a strong device to use. The second rhetorical device Franklin uses is a rhetorical question. Unlike hypophora, when asking a question, there is no answer. It allows the reader to think, as well as contemplate the story more in-depth. After getting the job, Franklin ponders with himself asking, “‘Can I do this?’” (Franklin 2). The practice of rhetorical questions lets the reader observe the inner thoughts and fears of Franklin’s life. Everything a reader could possibly not see from the descriptions or actions of the characters are told in that single question. It also emphasizes the emotions of fear, uncertainness, and nervousness Franklin has for this new endeavor. These two meaningful rhetorical devices that Franklin used forces the reader to analyze the piece in a deeper manner. It makes them relate more to what he is saying. 

The last thing that sets Franklin’s story ahead of Barrett’s, is his clear theme of making sacrifices for the sake of family. Scott McConnell, a founding editor of The American Conservative, defines the theme as “...an idea or lesson that a story conveys about people and life, about how the world works” (McConnell).  At the end of the story, the reader gets a sliver of Franklin's values and how he displays them. He starts to contemplate on his life, “There is food in the fridge, and I have a job that pays an honest wage” (Franklin 6). Franklin’s job may be embarrassing and taxing, but he does it for the good of his family. He knows it doesn't matter what anyone thinks about him, as long as his family is safe and taken care of. He sacrifices his pride and image to take care of his family. It’s an important theme that Franklin wants the readers to see, and it also tells the readers a main principle that Franklin follows in his life. The extra background of Franklin that is presented makes the reader feel more of a connection with Franklin, and the story overall. 

Franklin wrote a remarkable story about his experience working at Wendy’s. His use of ethos, pathos, theme, analepsis, and rhetorical question enhances the piece for the reader. Even though Franklin’s story is overall better, this isn’t to say that Barrett’s story isn’t well put together. Barrett writes an intriguing and skillful narrative filled with rhetorical devices. For example, he uses hypophora in the quote,  “Does she understand now? ‘Kind of,’ Reeves says. ‘If I would have had a heart attack, maybe then I would have understood’” (Barrett 3). The inclusion of this device catches the reader’s attention by making them consider the question being asked. Even though Barrett has in depth examples like this throughout the entire story, “The display of excellent vocabulary, good flair of language, grammar, technical knowhow of the language and figures of speech can probably not make you a good writer” (Doshi 1). Compared to Barrett, Franklin gives the reader more to think about. He makes the reader question their views, and teaches them some important lessons along the way. This isn’t to say Barrett’s story was unsuccessful, but Franklin’s method of writing was executed in a more emotional and intricate way.