TOW #13 - "Horror Stories From NY Prisons"

This article is found at nytimes.com.

          The Editorial Board at the New York Times wrote an article about the treacherous conditions of New York state prisons. The Justice Department pulled the state of New York into court because of the brutality towards the prisoners at the Rikers Island jail complex. The guards are becoming so horrible towards the inmates because they know that the union will protect their job and that district attorneys wouldn't prosecute them. The authors believe that the only way to fix this problem is to get higher-up political figures involved even if there is so much pressure out on them. They are angry that this problem hasn't gained attention from the political leaders yet. One way that the authors convey their message is their use of strong vocabulary words. By using the words "infest," "sprawling," and "deplorable," it shows how gruesome the conditions are for the inmates. It adds to their purpose because it will help to convince their audience of the severity of the issue. Another thing that the authors did was appeal to logos by including so many facts and statistics that prove the issue exists. The audience would be more willing to be convinced and try to do something about the problem if it was able to be proven relevant.
         The authors' purpose is to try to put to bed this problem, and to get the political figures' attentions. It's disgraceful, in their opinions, that they let this issue get this far. They used a conniving and offensive tone to make those people listen to them. I actually don't think they were able to achieve their purpose because they solely relied on facts to do it. Facts are important for an argument essay, but they can't be the only thing that you use to convince your audience. This is obviously a really horrible issue but sadly, I don't think this article was able to do anything to help.

TOW #12 - "Bossypants" (Part 1)

          Bossypants, an autobiography written by the hilarious Tina Fey, is a book I really cannot get enough of. Her writing seems so effortless, and the specific rhetorical devices and strategies do not seem forced at all. I am really enjoying it so far because of how real it is. Most biographies are very straight-forward and just mention little note-worthy stories. Fey includes every kind of story, and since most of them are embarrassing, it makes the reader feel so comfortable. She must have written this biography about herself to portray the idea that no one is perfect, and that definitely includes the celebrities that we so greatly look up to. 

          Fey even alludes to certain people when talking about her body issues. After listing many attributes "a woman needs to have" she says, "The person closest to actually achieving this look is Kim Kardashian, who, as we know, was made by Russian scientists to sabotage our athletes" (Fey 23). Besides just making fun of Kardashian, by mentioning those people who are known to be the icons people look to for beauty, it makes the reader really understand what message she is trying to get across. The last part, though it is obviously not true, allows Fey to further state how no one is naturally perfect, but we honestly shouldn't try. 

          Another great strategy that Fey is known for is her humor. The pages are filled with sarcastic remarks, and some of the funniest lines I have ever read. It allows her to really show her personality, and depicts that she is not afraid to be controversial and inappropriate. One of the greatest lines is when she says, "Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am all about money. I mean, just look how well my line of zodiac inspired toe rings and homeopathic children's medicines are selling on Home Shopping Network" (Fey 4). It's ironic, sarcastic, and something so creative that no one else could have even come close to. I love Fey's personality, and I think that by the end of the book she will easily be able to explain her purpose through her wonderful, and convincing, choice of words.

TOW #11 - "The Unfair Treatment of Ebola Workers"

     This article written by Richard A. Freedman of the New York Times. He argues that instead of those taking care of the Ebola patients being protected from contracting Ebola, they are actually in a lot of danger. Freedman says that it isn't fair to them because they have volunteered for this, and this is occurring. He uses an appeal to logos to prove that this problem exists, and that the points he is making are valid. After explaining how the Ebola virus works, he uses substantial facts to back up the general points he was making and showed them in detail. He says, "A report issued by the Yale Global Health Justice Partnership and the American Civil Liberties Union last Thursday found that at least 40 people in 18 states received quarantine orders and were confined to their homes for up to three weeks, the maximum period in which symptoms develop." He uses a reputable source to convince his audience. Another strategy that the author used was using a personal story to also establish the validity of his argument. Freedman talks about a certain Dr. Craig Spencer that treated Ebola patients in New Guinea, and had to be isolated along with his fiancee and two friends, but none of them developed symptoms. It's not fair to them that they have to be quarantined for a long amount of time, when all they wanted to do was help. I think the purpose of Freedman's essay would be to expose the aspects of Ebola treatment that aren't as hopeful as the way that we look at it. We like to think that our doctors are over there doing great work, which they are, but at the same thing they are exposing themselves and we need to understand that sacrifice. They were definitely able to get their point across because of their fully developed strategies that helped to convince the audience of the importance of this issue.

TOW #10 - "It's Not Just Coffee"

      This painful-looking image comes from Starbucks Coffee, a well-known beverage company. It's an advertisement directed towards its customers, and the American public in general. It displays person, who appears to be a woman, having her eyelashes taped up, and she looks to be in panic. Most people would probably associate this action with torture, or scary movies, and it's known that people would feel uncomfortable from looking at it. Everyone knows that holding your eyelids open for even just a little while is extremely hard and all you want to do is close them. The caption, "staying awake will never be this painful anymore," is definitely a hyperbole because their audience isn't thinking of this picture when talking about how hard staying awake is. The whole image can be seen as hyperbole because of its exaggeration, but the company is using this idea as a way to reach towards the customers. Coffee is mostly seen as a way to stay awake and with this image. which could be seen as far reaching by itself, and the company's point is driven home. I think Starbucks was definitely effective in being able to show that their product's main purpose, besides just tasting good, also helps you to stay awake. Also, Starbucks wrote a catchy slogan at the bottom of the poster. It's short, easy to understand, and catchy enough for the average joe to remember it. It could be seen as a bit cheesy, but cheesy lines are a great way to get your audience to remember your product and choose it next time instead of your competitors, or in this case, Dunkin' Donuts. I think they were able to achieve their purpose, because Starbucks is known for being one of the most successful beverage companies all over the country, and possibly the world.

TOW #9 - "In Event of Moon Disaster"

This is taken from lettersofnote.com. 

William Safire, a speechwriter for President Nixon, wrote a speech in preparation in case the Moon Landing ended in disaster. He wanted to make sure that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were known for their sacrifice for the advancement of the country, and arguably the world. This purpose was undoubtedly achieved because of his use of repetition and an allusion. Safire repeats the phrase, "They will be mourned" multiple times throughout one paragraph, and it emphasizes how important their work has been, and how many people will be affected by what could happen. He also references Greek mythology saying that men used to look at the stars to see their heroes in the constellations, which is similar to what the modern people would do in the unfortunate case of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's passings. A reference to Greek mythology also establishes credibility for the author, to show that he is educated. This idea of being heroes is carried throughout the essay, describing them as "epic men" and men that are trying to achieve "mankind's most noble goal" in attempting to "reach truth and understanding." This might be seen as a bit of exaggeration, but he does it to really show how imperative it is that people remember these explorers. Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong are still seen as "epic men," and are learned about in schools all over the country, so it proves that Safire's opinion and purpose was valid and achievable. In Event of Moon Disaster also gives instructions to the president (at this time, it was Nixon) in how to act before and after giving his speech. Safire says that before the president is to express his condolences to the nation, he should phone the widows. After the speech when NASA ends communication with them, a clergyman must adopt the same procedure as a burial at sea. This is how William Safire ends his speech, describing that their souls deserve the "deepest of the deep," further reiterating his point of how significant these men were.

IRB Intro Post #2

This marking period I am going to read Bossypants by Tina Fey. It is an autobiography where she highlights events on her journey to becoming a famous comedian and how she evolved into the inspiring person she is now. I am a huge fan of Tina Fey and I also wanted to read something that was completely different from my last IRB (which was about Nazi Germany). I am very excited to read a story with a lot of humor in it and can't wait to dive into this book!

TOW #8 - "The Nazi Officer's Wife" (Part 2)

After sharing information about Edith's (Grete's) life during the war, her experiences before the war began to slowly shine through as the book went on. Since her outstanding knowledge and study skills were so rare, she was asked to go to university in Austria, and later kicked out because of her religion. Then, the Nazis invaded Austria and things went from bad to worse. Her family was forced to move to a ghetto but Edith managed to escape. With everyone she loved separated from her, Edith felt alone until she met a man she fell in love with, and a woman who was able to give her fake documentation. These "Aryan papers" allowed her to live in Germany and be "safe" from everything that was happening to her people. Edith Hahn Beer's attempt at imagery and powerful descriptions led to an incredible amount of tension that I'm sure echoed her real life experience. This tension made this novel so easy to get through, and the fact that it is all non-fiction made me feel an emotional attachment to it. Also, the tension created an eerie atmosphere that made the reader question everyone, and see what happened next. It also made it really hard to read it because the whole time I was scared that something bad would happen to Edith, even though I knew everything worked out for her in the end. At first I thought the purpose was to share the other side of the people that were affected by the Holocaust and World War II, but now I think that she wrote this book purely to share how everyone's situation might have been different, but everyone was united in their struggles. She talks of other Jews and their experience, but also of the Germans struggling because of the war efforts. They were poor and had to give everything to benefit the war, and even though it was a different kind of suffering, I think she wanted to emphasize that no one was immune to it. Her effort made it easy for her to achieve this purpose, and made the reader sympathize for her as well as the lesser-known sufferers of this World War.