For this discussion, I chose “Are the Rich Happy?” ” written by Stephen Leacock (1916) for my narrative essay and “Homeless” written by Anna Quindlen (nd) for my descriptive essay. In this essay discussion, I will compare/contrast the author's purpose, intended audience, and impact on the reader that each author intended to accomplish through the essay they wrote; I also intend to show that the descriptive essay communicates the author's point of view better than that of the narrative essay. In the narrative essay, Leacock (1916) wanted to tell an essay to show in his own words and through his own experiences how rich people think they have problems, that they are not rich, that they are “pinched” (p2) and that they trust money and possessions more than people, which makes them bitter over time. Leacock (1916) shows an example of this when he relates how Mr. and Mrs. Fowler lost their butler, and this seems to be due to the way he had treated him; although Mr. Fowler immediately stated that it was not their fault, but that it was because their butler did not like them (p. 16). Leacock went on to say that the Fowlers were going to have to make do and get a ten-bedroom, four-bathroom suite (1916). While the purpose of Anna Quindlen's (nd,.) descriptive essay "Homeless" was written to show that people generalize the homeless as a group of people, not as homeless individuals (nd, p10). Quindlen goes on to say "you are where you live (nd, p2)", showing that Ann, the homeless lady Quindlen had met, is at home and is homeless at this point in her life; Ann had a house once and for her she wasn't really without a house, because that house in the picture she showed Quindlen would always be... middle of paper ... granite things that the poor cherish. , and consequently the poor are fulfilled by the little things of life that the rich take for granite. In contrast, in Quindlen's (n.d.) descriptive essay, she used bold details in order to achieve a completely different impact on her reader. She wants to show the reader: “They are not homeless people. These are people who don’t have a home” (ndp10). The impact Quindlen (n.d.) wanted to have on his readers was to tug at their hearts and inspire them to help people without homes. (ndp10)Works Cited2.Leacock, S. (1916). Are the rich happy? In R. Nordquist (Ed.), About.com's guide to grammar and composition. Retrieved from http://grammar.about.com/od/classicessays/a/Are-the-Rich-Happy-by-Stephen-Leacock.htm3.Quindlen, A. (nd). Homeless. Retrieved from http://pers.dadeschools.net/prodev/homelesstext.htm