Abstract

This essay will evaluate the articles evidence, purpose, and argument. Also, the article will be

discussed in-depth detail and poor families use with alcohol will be investigated.
 Rhetorical Critique Essay

Introduction

Although alcohol has been consumed for centuries, the destructive nature of over

consumption has destroyed many families. In 2003 Shekhar Saxena, Raj Sharma, and Pallab K.

Maulik wrote the article “Impact of alcohol use on poor families: a study from North India.” In

the article, they state the different ways alcohol can affect a family. They also included a study

with a sample from Delhi, India which strongly suggests that poor families face many problems

when a family member is drinking alcohol. This essay will critique the articles reliability and

believability, its purpose and how convincing the overall results are.

Summary

In the featured article “Impact of alcohol use on poor families: a study from North India,”

the authors, Shekhar Saxena, Raj Sharma, and Pallab K. Maulik (2003), explain the effects of

alcohol on poor families after surveying Delhi, India. The use of alcohol is on the rise in Delhi

and predominantly in areas where the low-class families reside. Alcohol can affect many people,

and it can cause violence and family separations within a household. During this study, two

groups of families were surveyed, and several similar questions were asked. Group (A) was

made up of families that had one-member drinking more than two times a week, and the other

group which was group (B) was made up of families that had no members drinking. The results

that were observed were similar, but the major differences were that group (A) spent most of

their earnings on alcohol, and they were deeply in debt. Also, group (A) recognized less overall

issues about life and health, but this could be due to them being uneducated and not knowing.
The article concluded with a suggestion from the researchers that many families can be saved if

programs are developed to educate the public about alcohol.

The evidence the authors have presented throughout the article is reliable and believable

because it has been funded by the World Health Organization which is an independent and

unbiased multinational organization. Moreover, the organization has accredited researchers that

analyzed and explained the data and results. The information is based off research which was

done in Delhi, India by a research assistant and a nongovernmental organization. The University

of Victoria defines two sources often used within research. The first source, called the primary

source, is defined as “the original materials or evidence to be analyzed, evaluated,

contextualized, or synthesized in the research process.” (University of Victoria. n.d). While a

secondary source is defined as “they often give second-hand accounts based on engagement with

primary sources” (University of Victoria. n.d). The articles evidence is reliable and believable

because it relates to the topic and provides references from credible sources. According to Austin

Community College (n.d), evidence is reliable if it directly relates to the topic it discusses and

provides sources for supporting ideas. Therefore, the evidence the authors provide in the article

about the issue from the study is reliable. Also, it is important to note that the evidence presented

in the research article is quantitative in nature as it deals with numerical data and specific

statistical analyses in order to interpret the data and find meaningful results.

Throughout the article, the authors inform the reader about how alcohol affects the

overall health and finances of the individual that is consuming alcohol. Furthermore, specific

families within Delhi, India were also evaluated as part of the study. The study involved

researchers who went to houses in Delhi and gathered information from poor families about the

troubles they face. Also, the authors stated their purpose for conducting the study was to “see
whether families with a member who drank heavily were worse off economically and health-

wise than families where drinking was not a problem.” (Saxena, Sharma, & Maulik, 2003, p. 79).

This quote demonstrates that the authors are informing the reader about the effects of alcohol by

providing background knowledge on the topic as well as creating a theoretical framework on the

issue of alcohol consumption and family spending.

The argument the authors portray is incredibly convincing because of their strong

theoretical background on the topic and as well as their statically significant results. The study

helps potentially explain that poor families do indeed face problems when one of their family

members starts to consume alcohol, specifically three or more drinks per day. The results of the

well-structured study involving multiple families from Delhi ultimately convinced me that the

authors results, conclusions and recommendations were important and significant enough to be

further investigated for future discussions on the topic. Dispute the convincing results of the

study, it is important to note that there may be some drawbacks regarding the outcome.

Specially, it may be challenging to generalize the results of this study since it was conducted in a

very specific region of the world which may make it difficult to generalize the results to other

countries, cultures and family dynamics.

In conclusion, the authors effectively begin their discussion by conveying the issues that

alcohol afflicts upon poor families. Throughout the article, the authors highlight key points about

how alcohol can ruin a family. Moreover, their argument becomes incredibly convincing once

they present the study and the results which show how poor families are negatively affected by

alcohol, specially how they are financially less stable and less likely to report health issues.

Despite the drawbacks previously mentioned, the authors conclude their convincing discussion
by putting forward the results from the study which highlight how poor families struggle with

wellness and finances.

 References

Austin Community College. (n.d). What Makes Information Reliable.

Retrieved from https://sites.austincc.edu/student-skills-workshops/critical-reading/what-

makes-information-reliable/

Saxena S, Sharma R, & Maulik PK. (2003). Impact of alcohol use on poor families: A study

from North India. Journal of Substance Use, 8(2), 78–84.

10.1080/1465989031000109798

University of Victoria, (n.d). Primary or secondary sources.

Retrieved from https://www.uvic.ca/library/research/tips/primvsec/index.php