IRB Intro Post #3

          For the third marking period, I will be reading The Color of Water by James McBride. He is sharing his mother's story as a tribute to her journey as a white mother of a black son. So far, I've read a Holocaust story, and a humorous autobiography, and I'm excited to read something completely different.

TOW #16 - "Bossypants" (Part 2)

               Tina Fey is not necessarily known for being a world-renowned author, but she definitely showed her more well known skills of being a comedian in her writing. Finishing this book is very bittersweet because while I love reading a book until its end, I will definitely miss her wit and innate humor. While comedy undoubtedly drives this autobiography, allusions and an appeal to logos dominate as well.
               The allusions to people like Elvis and Bill Clinton as well as an appeal to logos show that Tina Fey isn't just a funny girl with a pretty face. She knows what she's talking about, and also being able to make jokes about current events allows for her to appeal to a whole other audience. While talking about interacting with black people when she was younger, she says that her "generation carries that with us, only to be constantly disappointed by Kanye West and Taylor Swift" (103). She is flawlessly able to connect to her audience by bringing her own experiences, like interacting with black people for the first time, together with more recent events that even common folk would know and be entertained when reading it.
                While I first believed that her purpose was to show that no one is perfect, and that definitely includes celebrities like her, I think it goes farther than that. Tina Fey shared so many embarrassing stories that make her either look like a horrible person or a big freak, and it's to show that anyone can do anything they set their mind to, because it'll eventually work out in the end. I think this book was written for those that need to be able to laugh at themselves, and not be deterred by those that tell them "no" or show that they aren't particularly fond of you. While that really stinks sometimes, it can actually motivate you like it did to Fey. I've personally struggled with this and I can say from my own experience that she was without a doubt able to convince her audience using these rhetorical strategies throughout the book.

TOW #15 - "Torturing the Saxophone"

This article is taken from lettersofnote.com.

               Celebrated Swedish jazz saxophonist Mats Gustafsson sent a copy of his new jazz album to one of his musical idols, Robert Crumb. This album included Gustafsson's new interpretations of some jazz classics by artists like Duke Ellington, Lars Gullin, and the Ayler brothers. He wanted to know Crumb's opinion on his work, but was surprised when Crumb sent back a brutally honest letter about how much he didn't like his fan's musical interpretations. Robert Crumb uses a very insulting tone to get across his point of trying to get Gustafsson to understand that he didn't like how he was playing the classics. But, I think an unintended purpose of Crumb's would be to use this as an opportunity to evaluate himself. At the end, he uses rhetorical questions where he asks himself if he's "too un-hip" or if he's just "a square from Delaware." By just leaving those questions out there, the reader, meaning Mats Gustafsson, is able to hopefully catch on to the fact that Crumb is maybe using this opportunity to adjust himself to a more modern musical world without improvisational music.
               While this cruel tone helps him clearly get his point across about his dislike for Gustafsson's modern interpretations, it really just distracts the reader from the what he's honestly trying to say. The observer is just left with feeling bad about a fan being ridiculed horribly by his idol rather than focusing on what he's trying to say, and it prevents the real purpose from being achieved. Crumb says that he can't believe people would pay to watch Gustafsson play, or how shocked he is on how it was such a "negative, unpleasant experience" it was. This title is taken from a note that Crumb wrote on the cover of Gustafsson's CD as an optional album title. He actually wound up using this title and reprinted the letter amongst the liner notes. He used this as a motivation to make better music, and praised Crumb for taking the time to listen to his album.

TOW #14 - "Prevent the Madness!"

        The United States Forest Service has used Smokey Bear as a symbol of forest fire awareness since 1944, and he has become a very recognizable figure in modern advertising. This advertisement uses that well known symbol in another context, harping on all the waste America creates. Smokey's slogan saying that "only YOU can prevent wildfires" is also used in this ad and manipulated to try to create the recognition that the author used primarily to get their message across. Another great technique that the artist used was to use dark colors except for the fire in the background. If Smokey was a bright blue, despite the fact that a bear is obviously black or brown, it would've taken the focus off of the more prominent issue and the person would instead be looking at Smokey. Also, they put the fire behind Smokey, and it highlights him, so the observer really has no choice but to look at the fire that seems to be the issue the artist was trying to bring to attention. I think that this advertisement was mostly ineffective in being able to convey their message, and it honestly is a bit unclear as to what the author is trying to get at. I don't really know much about this issue and the amount of waste that America produces, and it could have been better represented in this advertisement. Everyone knows who Smokey Bear is and how you can prevent wildfires because it is something that everyone has heard countless times. It was a good idea to highlight that recognition as a way for people to pay attention to the issue at hand, yet it wasn't the best way. I still don't have that big of an idea of what is happening in the picture so in general, it could have been presented in a more effective way. 

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.