In a word, a slice of perspective Mary Schmidt

The author of this article is Mary Schmidt, a writer for Chicago Tribune.
In this piece, the author makes the reader feel guilty, and makes them want to feel bad for the people who have such depressing parts of their lives. The author does this very effectively through her own personal anecdote and current events around the world with people losing so much, with references to the earthquake in China and typhoons.
At the end of the story, the author's last words are the most resonant within readers. "But in this world of cyclones and earthquakes, a lot of us have potato chips to spare" (Schmidt, 2). We remember the less fortunate, and she wants us to remember to give and help other people.
This article tells us to promote helping others and even in desperate situations, know that other people are sharing the same pain or even worse. "Compared to them," she said, "I have a lot." Quotes her mentally disabled sister. Who is in such a terrible condition, but still empathizes for far worse off people.

Throughout this article,the author uses many different methods to support the message. She plays with paragraph length, using short paragraphs to emphasize certain points. By switching from elevated diction to lower diction, the author can sound formal and be serious while laughing and making different jokes as well. "I knew it meant 10 potato chips, seven Triscuits and never quite enough ice cream." is an example of low level diction to connect with the reader.

This column reminds people about humanity. To society, it provides an even greater challenge to improve our society, help out other individuals. Since this column was written, it reminds us of many forgotten morals that our society needs to remember. This reminds us that if you are well off, remember these other people who aren't as fortunate.