What
the Bagel Man Saw, by Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt, is a economical
essay that observes and analyzes the economy and human behavior through the
experience of one man, Paul F. In their essay, Levitt and Dubner use point of
view, comparisons and allusions to not only analyze human behavior and its
effect on the economy, but also to answer the philosophical question, will all
humans cheat if they believe they can get away with it?
The point of view this essay is
told in is the most critical rhetorical device used, because it determines the
way the essay is told and determines who it is told to. Levitt and Dubner write
in third person omniscient as they walk their audience through the life of Paul
F, a once economist and now businessman.
Their very first sentence is, “Once upon a time, Paul F. dreamed big
dreams” (1). This interesting use of
point of view in an economical article allows the two authors to tell a story
more so then a statistical paper. It provides background on the subject of
their essay Paul F., which is important since the audience must believe that
Paul is a trustworthy source. It first takes us through his early years as a
boss of economists, who, as a gesture, gave bagels to his employees, to now a
businessman who sells bagels and doughnuts to different companies. This is
critical because the entire “story” explores the honesty and trustworthiness of
Paul’s clients. Paul does not stand over the employees at the various companies
he sells bagels to; he leaves a wooden box with a slit next to the food and
then comes back to pick up his money. Due to his economics background Paul was
able to determine the percentage of people at the different companies who were
cheating him of his money. The use of point of view also helps determine that
the audience of this paper is the general public who has an interest in the
subject, and not other economists who already have extensive previous knowledge
on it.
Dubner and Levitt use comparisons
in order to help the audience they are trying to reach undersand. In paragraph
18 the two authors share the conclusions Paul F has come to regarding who
cheats and why. Paul F discovered that employees at the smaller companies he
sells to, which may only have a few dozen employees, “outpays” or cheats less
than companies with a few hundred employees. Paul understood that to most
people this might seem illogical since in larger companies there is more public
pressure to pay because more people are watching your actions, but Dubner and
Levitt were able to explain through a comparison. They compared “bagel crime”
to street crime, explaining how less crime appears in rural areas than in big
cities. This occurs because “a rural criminal is more likely to be known and
therefore caught.” This use of comparisons allow the two authors to explain to
their audience, which is the general public, the ideas they share with Paul F
even though they may not understand the intricacies of the economy.
At the end of the story Dubner and
Levitt mention an allusion through the words of Paul F. The Rings of Gyges is a philosophical story
about a man who finds a ring that makes him invisible, and he then must decide
to use this ring for good or evil. This allusion mimics Paul F’s business,
because to his clients he is invisible, just a man they never see who drops off
food. It also refers to the philosophical question will all humans cheat if
they believe they can get away with it? This essay favors the belief that most
humans are honest and although the number fluctuates due to outside
circumstances humankind is not all a bunch of liars of cheats. According to
Paul F and his analyses 89% of us are honest people.
I believe that Levitt and Dubner
fully achieve their purpose through their use of rhetorical devices like, point
of view, comparisons, and allusions.
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