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.