TOW #15

This weeks TOW is chose is an essay of Martin Luther King Jr.'s death and its effect. Due to his assassination, the civil rights movement was left at a sudden stop and many others were unsure of what was to happen next. The essay then explains the type of man he was, and how he fought for rights in a way with sermons and religion, the author then says that religion will no longer play a role in the fight for black rights. The author of this essay, Elizabeth Hardwick, was born in Lexington, Kentucky, and educated at the University of Kentucky and Columbia University showing that her work is reliable because of her high level of education. Hardwick's work is also notable because she is a recipient of a Gold Medal from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The context of this essay was written in a gloomy tone, and when the environment of Memphis was described as place broken in pieces that were left to be picked up after King's death. Hardwick's purpose of writing about the death of King was to reflect his life and to introduce what may become of the battle for civil rights. The  intended audience for this piece of writing is for civil rights activists at the time, and for people who were interested in King's life's work. To achieve their purpose, the author uses hypophora several times throughout the essay asking questions such as, "Was this a victory or a defeat?" and "What did they mean beyond a wish for the genuine act, a consoling communion with the garbagy streets?" She asks questions that her audience would like to see defined, then goes in to detail answering them. I believe that the author is well able to achieve her purpose because throughout the essay she acknowledges what was next for the battle of civil rights and also states that after King's death religion would most likely not interfere with the fight for African american rights. Hardwick leaves the reader with hope saying, "perhaps what was celebrated in Atlanta was an end, not a beginning—the waning of the slow, sweet dream of Salvation, through Christ, for the Negro masses"

TOW #14

Have you ever noticed a change in weight with every generation throughout these past years? If you view the picture I displayed below, you'll really start to question this world. The TOW I chose this week is a visual text by an anonymous illustrator. If you analyze this visual text closely, you'll notice that the overall message of this photo is that our society is paying more attention to new technology than people, themselves or that the people are worrying more about technology than themselves. As you can see, on the first image, the time period is 1980, and the man sitting on the computer is very thin but the computer is very large, almost bigger than himself. On the right image, the time period is around todays time or 2013 and the same man is on a computer, relatively smaller, and he is completely overweight and struggling to even sit on the desk without his fat rolling all over the place. It sends the message that we worry more about our technology than our own being. This all leads to superficiality and materialism. The audience for this text is towards the upcoming generation or just simply to everyone. We all need to realize that this is a current issue that is going on today and we need to make action. We should care more about our own health than worrying about technology. The occasion of this visual text would we today at this time being. I would say that an important rhetoric device that the illustrator uses is hyperbole to exaggerate the fat in the person and maybe the comparison in sizes with the person and the computer, but I feel like that could actually happen. The authors purpose of making this visual text is to try and change others perspectives to show what's wrong with the image and change. I think the author did a well job because when I viewed the image, I could identify it's purpose immediately. 

TOW #13

 An article in The New York Times concerning obesity is called "The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food" by Michael Moss. This article is about how the big brand food companies that most people would consider "junk" such as Nestle, Kraft, Nabisco, General Mills, Coca-Cola and ect. are concerned with the amount of obesity that has been going on lately so they have decided to figure out what actually leads people of eating so much. These companies also felt guilty with the amount of people that are eating their products and it is the main reason why they're getting so heavy or overweight. The author of this article is named Michael Moss and he is an investigative reporter for The New York Times. He won the Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting in 2010 and he was an extra professor at the Columbia School of Journalism. The audience that this text was composed for are elder people since they are normally the ones who read The New York Times. The occasion of this article is during a meeting with all these brands deciding what they can do to help the obesity rates decrease in america. An important rhetorical device that the author uses to try to achieve his purpose in this article is logos since he states many statistics about obesity and how its increased over time. The author's purpose in writing this text was very vague to me because I didn't know what he was trying to come across. He wrote so much about the companies statistics and history of them but he didn't write about what they would really do to help end obesity. He also wrote in the beginning of the article that these brands were curious as to what leads people to eat so much so there we're many topics of this article that I couldn't find the purpose in it.

TOW #12

What if you were working at the same old job you've been working at for 10 years straight and you do not have a raise coming to you any time soon? This situation really happened, explained on the New York Times article. This article is about having trouble asking for a raise, after 10 years. The article is written by Rob Walker, a journalist, born on 1968 in Texas. The audience this article was composed for was for adults, considering that this article is mainly about jobs that people have been working in with experience. An important rhetorical strategy the author used to achieve his purpose was anecdotes. The main anecdote that he used was said in the beginning, when he was explaining that his boss was a close friend of his and he felt bad asking for a raise. He's been working in the job for 10 years straight. I personally think thats why this man did not get a raise, simply because he created a friendship with his boss. I think this would be his purpose. Keep your job professional. If you don't, you could risk your non-going raise. Another purpose this article could also have is if you want to change something, you have to do something or just to learn to adjust. The author explained this at the end and he was saying how he had to adjust to the situation since he did not want to feel the awkwardness and unpleasantness in the conversation. The author is a little not for switching jobs and he would rather stay in his job and keep silent, than trying to have the unpleasant talk with his boss. I think the author did an pretty good job with his purpose because he did have more than one purpose but he backed them each up well.

TOW #11

Would you say the United States is a little harsh when it comes to getting into a college? Do they consider all the obstacles a teenager has to go through to actually be accepted to a college that they really desire? This visual text by the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists shows all the hardships and obstacles (literally) that an average american teenager has to go through in order to finish a college application. As you can see in the political cartoon, the slide reads, "activities" and "extra-curricular" as if its so easy to just slide right through them. Next, you really can't tell which is in order, but theres a gpa section, a class rank section, SAT, A.P. classes, essays, letters, checks, forms, recommendations and so on. This cartoon seems as if this is all an obstacle, which it is. All of these responsibilities and how well do them really determines whether or not you're capable enough to get into college. It can be described as stressful and other famous phrase I can say is "survival of the fittest," or Dharwin's theory. The audience of this cartoon is for adults and the purpose is for them to realize that being a teenager in generation x is not easy at all, they should consider all we have to do. The illustrator of this cartoon used a big metaphor, comparing a college applacation and all the responsibilities of a teenager to an obstacle. The author did do a good job trying to create that purpose of it not being so easy to be a teenager in this generation because they used something that most people would point out first, which is the obstacle course. Many people consider it challenging and only those who really are the strongest, win. The illustrator then used the obstacles as all the responsibilities a teenager has for school, then drew a worn-out person at the end of it, showing that none of this was easy.

TOW #10

The Disposable Rocket is what I am writing about this week. It is an essay by John Updike, an American novelist, poet, a literary critic and a short story writer. These traits make him credible knowing that he has written many stories, especially some being published in The New Yorker. This essay is about what the author thinks about human males and how they treat their bodies as being disposable to gain the physiologic purpose of reproduction. He compare's men and women's bodies and the physical changes that they go through, such as gaining more weight when you're older, and how they take their bodies for granted while they are young. The context of this essay is that men take their bodies for granted and they don't think ahead and they don't realize that it will affect them later on and they'll end up regretting it. The audience of this essay is towards everyone but mainly towards males. We all need to hear someone telling us what we're doing wrong and how we can fix it but Updike specifically uses males as examples throughout his essay. A rhetoric device Updike uses is tone. His tone is humorous and he also uses metaphors. An example of a metaphor that he uses is that he compares a mans body to having a bank account. The author's purpose of writing this essay tell the audience about their body and try to explain that when you're older, our 15- year old body is not the same as our 30 year old body or how we eat so much and think it won't affect us but we'll start to see change later on. I think that Updike did a good job with accomplishing his purpose because the way he uses metaphors describing the human body (male) it helps the reader understand his purpose more and he also uses his own life example, proving his point.

TOW #9

If you saw a little girl playing baseball, you would normally think, "wow! She seems to be strong." But what if you saw a little guy on the cheerleading squad? Some would think that it's a mistake but it isn't. Gender roles is a popular subject in the U.S. and that is why I chose this article. The author, Emily Alpert Reyes is a journalist for the L.A. Times. This article is about how parents are trying to stop their children act like the gender they're not. The audience that this article was for is for parents since its trying to put out a message that what their doing is wrong and they should let their child be who they want to be. This article would apply to todays society because I notice that parents are so judgmental when it comes to their children lately. They are so worried that their child will play with the wrong toy or wear something that doesn't apply to their gender but it's honestly just ridiculous. Who set up that rule that only girls are supposed to wear dresses or boys are only supposed to play with trucks? The author uses statistics in this article but it isn't to get her point across. I think the author was just stating what parents think in a blunt way so that those who read this article, especially parents read what they normally think when it comes to gender roles, and realize what the way they think of this is not okay. The purpose of this article is to open parents minds and let them know that their child shouldn't be forced to be somewhere that they are not happy to be. I think the author did do a good job on defining her purpose throughout the article by saying it in a discrete way.

IRB Post #3

The IRB that I chose to read this marking period is called, The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. I chose to read this book because my sister recommended it to me and she told me that it shouldn't be a book that I read and put it down when I finish, but it should be a book that I should always have by my side. So far, this book is about being at peace with your mind and others. The book starts out with the author explaining his misery and such harsh emotions he felt in the past.

TOW#7 IRB

My IRB is called The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson. The author is an american journalist and author who was born on July 18th, 1937. This book was his first novel and it is about a newspaper journalist named Paul Kemp who takes a flight to Puerto Rico to work temporarily at The San Juan Daily News. During the flight, Paul gets drunk endure it and he finds a woman on the plane that catches his attention and he tries to save her a seat so he could get a chance to talk to her. Unfortunately, another man occupies the seat, leaving him disappointed. When the flight arrives at Puerto Rico, Paul is introduced to a photographer who works for the newspaper and he introduces him to other reporters that work for it as well. One of the reporters, Yeamon is Chenault, the girl who Paul was intrigued by, girlfriend. Throughout the book, Paul realizes that Yeamon doesn't treat his girlfriend like she deserves to be treated and Paul ends up confessing his love to her. With a mutual feeling, they become lovers and he ends up flying to New York to be with her. The audience that this book would be towards are those who like raw writing and those who like to observe culture. The purpose of this book in my opinion is pretty dim. I did not seek one while reading this novel unless the purpose was to show that you can start from nothing into something. For example, before Paul made this trip to Puerto Rico, he had a back round filled with drugs and alcohol but during and after his trip he cured his own self and ended up becoming a successful journalist when he returned to New York. I guess in a way the purpose could involve you not giving up but that was not apart of the conflict to begin with.

TOW #6

The TOW I chose to do this week is an article on quantum physics by Arjun Walia. Have you ever heard of the saying "you are a result of your own thoughts"? Maybe you don't believe this but it's a law. This law is called the law of attraction and it all has to do with quantum physics. As you may know, everything in the universe is energy, including us. We are all atoms and if you microscopoly look at yourself, you would see no physical structure. As the article states, "The ratio of the interference pattern’s double-slit spectral power to its single-slit spectral power was predicted to decrease when attention was focused toward the double-slit as compared to away from it." Meaning that the more we focus and stress over something that we want, we are less likely to receive it. Sounds weird right? The explanation behind this is, like I said before, we are all a result of energy and our brain frequencies (our thoughts) are put out in the universe, which is also energy, and you begin to attract exactly what you're thinking. The author, Arjun Walia is a writer, known for his non- fiction articles. The audience of this article is composed for those who are interested in quantum physics so normally those who are in high- school or over since this whole article is based on that concept. The context of this article is quantum physics with some science behind and a law. An important rhetoric device that the author uses in this article to achieve their purpose is logos. The author of this article uses logos by giving the reader knowledge on what the universe is, what atoms are, and how are thoughts contribute in those topics. The authors purpose in writing this text was simply to give the reader a deeper knowledge in the topic of quantum physics. The author did achieve their purpose in writing this text by making the article informative and keeping it interesting.  

TOW #5

The TOW I chose this week is an article in The New York Times concerning obesity called "The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food" by Michael Moss. This article is about how the big brand food companies that most people would consider "junk" such as Nestle, Kraft, Nabisco, General Mills, Coca-Cola and ect. are concerned with the amount of obesity that has been going on lately so they have decided to figure out what actually leads people of eating so much. These companies also felt guilty with the amount of people that are eating their products and it is the main reason why they're getting so heavy or overweight. The author of this article is named Michael Moss and he is an investigative reporter for The New York Times. He won the Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting in 2010 and he was an extra professor at the Columbia School of Journalism. The audience that this text was composed for are elder people since they are normally the ones who read The New York Times. The occasion of this article is during a meeting with all these brands deciding what they can do to help the obesity rates decrease in america. An important rhetorical device that the author uses to try to achieve his purpose in this article is logos since he states many statistics about obesity and how its increased over time. The author's purpose in writing this text was very vague to me because I didn't know what he was trying to come across. He wrote so much about the companies statistics and history of them but he didn't write about what they would really do to help end obesity. He also wrote in the beginning of the article that these brands were curious as to what leads people to eat so much so there we're many topics of this article that I couldn't find the purpose in it.

TOW #4

The TOW I chose for this week is a non-fiction essay called "This Is The Life" by Annie Dillard. This essay is about how humans nowadays take their lives for granted and they don't realize that not everyone in the world can have such an easy life. The author, Annie Dillard, was born in 1945 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and she is an american author who is best known for narrating non- fiction and fiction pieces. The audience of this overall piece is for everyone, considering that this text is about life and how you shouldn't take it for granted. I would also say that this text could be more towards those who are more mature because of the strong diction she uses. The context of this text is for people to appreciate their life more and for them to challenge them selves to look at the world more differently. An important rhetoric device that this author uses tone. In this text, Dillard uses a generous tone and she switches between a mocking tone and an annoyed tone to show that humans nowadays really do take their lives for granted as I said before and do not realize how others have it. She also describes how humans lived in the past and present and she was bringing up scenarios describing the “easy life” during a certain time. She also tries to get the reader to actually appreciate what they have in life and tries to open our mind more and look at the world a different way. The purpose for Dillard to write this text is simply just to show everyone that they have an easy life compared to other people around the world. The author did accomplish her purpose by using anecdotes of peoples lives to relate more to the reader. The author also draws the reader in during the beginning of the text by saying, "You enjoy work and will love your grandchildren, and somewhere in there you die."

TOW #3

The TOW I chose this week is this visual text by Yaser Ahmad. This visual text is all based on the overuse of technology. The maker of this visual text is Yaser Ahmad and he is a cartoonist mainly for political cartoons and he is from from Kamishli, Syria. The audience that this text was composed was mainly for adolescents. Just like what this visual text shows, they feed off of technology to the point that they think it's like food to them because they believe that we need it to survive. All the apps such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are used daily, for hours by teenagers which consumes their lives and it is taking over their brains. Their lives are based on their phones and its mind-eating apps. If adolescents don't have connection or wifi to access these apps, they go insane and think that there is no other way to communicate because their lives are based on a pixilated screen that just shows how "interesting" others lives are which is taking over the real view that is in front of them. A view that is actually worth watching. A rhetoric device that the cartoonist uses is a hyperbole. We can't actually open our phones and eat our apps with a fork literally but figuratively the picture is saying that it seems as if we need our phones and apps so much, that we feed on to it like food, we need it to survive as I said previously. The authors purpose in drawing this visual text is for teenagers to open their mind and to show them how others really view them. The maker of this visual text really accomplished his purpose because he exaggerated but did it visually so it is easier and more entertaining to understand.

IRB

The IRB that I'm reading right now is called The Rum Diary by Hunter Thompson. So far, a man named Paul Kemp is boarding in a plane that is leaving to Puerto Rico. He drinks so he can experience the plane ride better. While he's boarding, he sees a beautiful woman that he wants to meet during the plane ride.

TOW #2 (How to Say Nothing in 500 Words)

How to Say Nothing in 500 Words is a small informational excerpt that informs about the right and wrong methods of essay writing. The author guides the reader through the process of perfecting an essay that would otherwise be poorly written. Paul Roberts, is an American journalist that has an extensive collection of writing textbooks that help his readers have a better understanding of the English language. The audience of this excerpt are adolescents that are currently in high-school and those who are about to enter college. This group of people is the one that can relate to this the most since they are usually assigned essays on a regular basis. Adolescents and entering college students can relate to the student at the beginning of the excerpt who contemplated whether or not he should go out on the weekend or stay home and get his essay out of the way instead. The contents of this excerpt contain many suggestions on how to improve one's essay writing skills. For instance, there is a part in the text that teaches the readers how to convert a four word statement to a forty word statement by using "colored" words and details. This technique proves very effective when trying to extend the length of an essay to meet minimum requirements. To achieve his purpose, the author use anecdotes as his main rhetorical device. The author exemplifies the anecdote of the student who received a "D" on his essay in order to convey his point. The author's purpose in writing this text is to help teenagers and college students write better essays and to actually make a good use of it. The author does accomplish this purposes as his use of anecdotes is very successful in persuading his beliefs. Because every teenager relates to the student at the beginning of the excerpt, they know how it feels to want an improvement in their writing style while prioritizing their plans for the weekend. 

TOW #1

Go ask alice is a non-fiction book about a teenage girl that is fifteen years old that is just entering a new high-school for her freshman year. She moves a lot so it is nothing new or exciting for her. She beings to meet a couple people from her school that invite her to her first ever party but little did she know that this party influenced her life in a very rough way. This book is based on someones diary but the one who published this book is anonymous therefore, the credibility of the author as a primary source cannot be given. The audience of this piece is directed towards adolescents from the ages fifteen through eighteen based on the tone and the actual context of drugs which is sadly, a culture for adolescents now a days. The occasion of this text is in a suburban traditional high-school with her own group of friends that are a little older than she is and they are also a bad influence on her because of their excessive drug and alcohol use. The author uses anecdotes to make the reader feel the sentiment of the anonymous writer as if he/she was experiencing the same thing. The authors purpose in writing this text is not to vent feelings which diaries are mainly about, but it is a way to track how she is feeling in a subconscious way. Yes, the author accomplished their purpose because you do notice the changes she has been going through throughout the dates she writes. She goes from a calm, mellow teenage girl, to a depressed, suicidal girl who can't go through a day without taking drugs or having alcohol all because of hanging out with the wrong crowd she thought was innocent at the beginning and a party she thought wouldn't even have drugs or alcohol.