Big Ideas from Big Business (1921)

The author is listed as being Edward Earle Purinton. There are two instances which support a single author view such as on the first page where it reads, “I shall base the facts of this article on the personal tours and minute examinations I have recently made… ” (Purinton). Another reference to a single author status is when he states, “I am aware that some of the preceding statements will be challenged by many readers,” (Purinton). Though there may be some confusion to the single author idea when towards the end he writes, “We suggest a few…

” (Purinton). The referral is concerning fellow business savvy authors who would have the expertise in giving the novice an idea of which founders of big business to study. 2. This source and type of this document would have to be a newspaper editorial describing all of the benefits of big businesses. The author actually calls this work an article towards the beginning. This document could be viewed as a persuasive essay piece, supporting those who are in, or founded a big business. 3.

The message of this work implies that there is nothing better going for the human race than big business, to the point of the author beginning by stating, “Thru business… the human race is finally to be redeemed,” (Purinton). The author goes through a list describing the virtues of big business, relating it to finest game, science, art, education, opportunity, philanthropy, and religion. The basic story is that these are his “conclusions” on how these ideas relate to big business and what it has to offer. 4.

The intended audience of this article would be the common reader from the public. Although he infers that the reader has some sort of idea of business when he addresses the reader with “You may not agree… because you judge business by the… imitation of business that happens to be around you,” (Purinton). He also assumes his readers as educated when he says, “I am aware that some of the preceding statements will be challenged by many readers,” (Purinton). Again, this reiterates the idea of this piece being a type of editorial article in a public newspaper.

5. This source was created to advocate and support big business and it’s founder families. Also, it encourages the reader to learn more about big business. The author mentions at the end that manual workers, or labors, would “think and feel in unison with themselves,” by realizing all the benefits that big business has to offer, and persuading the reader to get to know big business by stating, “All enmity is between strangers. Those who really know each other cannot fight,” (Purinton). 6.

The author states that, “I shall base the facts of this article on the personal tours and minute examinations I have recently made of twelve of the world’s largest business plants:” (Purinton). The whole of the piece is based on his interpretation of the values of big business, and there are some correlations within the work that make sense, but this is an opinion-based article, which means that the concluding facts are coming from what his ideas are, and not necessarily the truth, though he does encourage the reader to find out the facts regarding big business for themselves. 7.

This source can be a valuable tool to use as an example of a persuasive essay, or opinion piece. It is very successful at outlining and discussing the views that it wants the reader to understand. Also, the author himself has a few quotes in this piece that one could almost find inspirational, such as “The only ripened fruits of creeds are deeds,” (Purinton). Lastly, there is historical reference value to this article in the fact that it is listing most of the powerhouse businesses of 1921, and it’s interesting to see his view of the businesses then, compared to what those businesses are today.