TOW #29: Letter to a New APELC Student

Dear New APELC Student,

            Hello! Welcome to a year filled with successes, struggles, sadness, and triumph! Despite all of the rumors about the class you might have heard, you will find out throughout the year that success will prevail eventually. Therefore, stay calm, keep up the hard work, and you’ll be OK. However, that synopsis must not be enough for you, so let’s delve into the specifics of my experiences. Hopefully you’ll get a better sense of how the class is from my actions and experiences.

            At the beginning of last year, I was definitely not a great writer. It was difficult for me to brainstorm ideas, form arguments, and analyze texts. I came into APELC with a determination to succeed from the very beginning and did not prepare myself for some failures. As a result of me wanting too much success too quickly, I was rewarded not with that success, but with a low grade for the first marking period. I had to summon resiliency when coping with the grade, but after discussing my status in the class with Mr. Yost and Ms. Pronko extensively, I chose to loosen my grip on the class. I stopped worrying about my final grades and concentrated on improving my writing, absorbing information from texts, and practicing rhetorical analysis. In this way, I was able to improve my reading and writing skills extensively, therefore boosting my grade and helping me prepare skills for the AP Exam. If you are coming into the class expecting Armageddon, tone it down, and don’t worry about it. Just focus on learning and improving your skills. It may seem like an old cliché to say not to worry about grades, but in my case, the technique certainly helped. Hopefully, it will work for all of you as well.

            Now that you have some idea of how to attack the course, let’s discuss some of the course specifics itself. You might be expecting stacks upon stacks of writing and two take home essays a month. That is definitely not how the course goes. While there is certainly plenty of reading to do over the course of the year, Mr. Yost and Ms. Pronko will give you lots of time to complete the assignments. For a long reading assignment (such as Socrates in the winter), you could expect around a week and a half to complete the assignment. That being said, don’t save all of the reading to the last minute. The texts assigned in the class for reading are often very dense texts that require time to digest. Now this isn’t meant to scare you, as your teachers will provide excellent guidance on these texts, but make sure that you stay on top of all of you assignments. In that way, you will stay organized and remain confident throughout the year, instead of becoming stressed and worried.

            One final word of advice I will give is to use your TOWs extensively. TOWs are “Text-of-the-Week” Assignments that require you to post a blog entry about a particular nonfiction text (written, visual, or independent reading book), regarding the purpose and rhetorical strategies the author uses in the text. Use these to your advantage by picking texts to read that are challenging, and practicing analysis of the text quickly. This will help you improve your reading and analysis skills, and prepare you for the AP Exam in May. Additionally, try to choose texts about a variety of different topics, so that you have plenty of new exposure to ideas. In this way, you will have a large pool of ideas to choose from when you create arguments for essay.

            At this point, you might still be thinking about a supposed large workload and difficult readings. Don’t worry about it. Focus on staying calm throughout the course and improving your reading and writing skills. Finally, remember that the class is surely a marathon, not a sprint, and that your teachers are there to help you. Mr. Yost and Ms. Pronko are great reasources for help, support, and information. Ask them for anything you might need related to the class, and they will do their best to help you out. Best of luck in AP English Language and Composition! You are at the beginning of the road to success. You will do great!

TOW #28: Reflection

Well, I’ve finally completed a year of rhetorical analysis. I have to say, I was skeptical of the TOW idea at the beginning of the school year, but now, after completing all of these assignments, the cycle has definitely been worth it. TOWs have helped me with my reading analysis skills since the beginning, although it was quite a slow start to them. Once I got used to the cycle though, it was very beneficial.

                At the beginning of the year, I wrote very formulaic TOWs that followed the assignment sheet very closely. After discussing with my teacher and fellow students, I came to the realization that TOWs were not meant to be summaries, but rather mini analysis essays. After this, I started to shift my TOWs toward the analysis, not summary, of various texts. Throughout the year, I noticed that I became more comfortable reading harder texts, and identifying purpose and rhetorical techniques within the texts. At the end of the year, my TOWs became more descriptive, analytical, and throughout provoking. These progressions were some of the main reasons my analysis improved throughout the year.

                I believe my reading and analysis were the main things that improved this year. The TOWs allowed me to select texts of increasing difficulty, which allowed me to improve my reading skills. By the end of the year, I was able to read texts much faster and still comprehend most of the text. In addition to reading, I was able to more quickly realize what the purpose and rhetorical techniques of a text were, which were very beneficial during the exam, and will hopefully be more useful later in life as well.

                Despite this, I still think I can improve my analysis of visual texts. It took me more time to understand the meaning, purpose, and techniques of visual texts, even towards the end of the year. I think some more instruction in the visual texts during class would help in this area.

                In addition, the TOW assignment sheet from the beginning of the year seemed to lead my early TOWs in the wrong direction. I felt that that sheet led me more to a summary than an analysis essay. Therefore, I think that a revision of this assignment sheet would also be helpful.

                Overall, thank you for the TOW experience. It was definitely beneficial for me, and hopefully, it will be for many other classes.

TOW #26: "The Machines are Coming" (Written)

                In this constantly changing world of technology, it is almost a given that at some point, human jobs would be replaced with machines. That’s exactly what Zeynep Tufekci’s article in the New York Times strives to reveal. Titled The Machines are Coming, Tufekci writes about how the machine is starting to take over companies due to their greater efficiency over humans. In the article, the author uses an anecdote and quoting to reveal how the future will be more about how humans value each other, rather than the us vs. machines theory.

                Tufekci first introduces an anecdote of a conversation with a call center. She states that the man she discussed with was not able to get something done, and therefore thought he was going to lose his job. Through the use of the anecdotal example, Tufekci shows how humans are now treated in many employments as dispensable, or easily replaceable with a machine. By showing how the current worker is not worth employers’ time, she is able to show how strained the potential relationship between a worker and their employer can be. Therefore, the anecdote allows readers to connect with a familiar action, a call to a call center, and understand just how bleak the situation could be.

                Tufekci then uses quoting to show how technology is increasingly being used not for the benefit of worker, but at the expense of them instead. Once showing that workers are indeed dispensable, Tufekci then includes a quote from Shoshana Zuboff, a Harvard social scientist, to explain how the worker is just being replaced instead of empowered by technology and machines. A quote from an established social scientist allows Tufekci to increase her credibility to readers, which further allows the audience to connect with her points. In this way, Tufekci is able to further the proposition that humans need a way to see each other in a balance, rather than in a powered vs. powerless manner.

                Although the majority of workers face replacement, some workplaces are instead taking advantage of technology to empower their workers. Therefore, there is still hope for the “average Joe,” who might not have to worry about his being replaced with a robot.

TOW #25: "Are Women Really More Talkative Than Men?" (Written)

                Groups of females talking together for extended periods is quite common, and these conversations are analyzed in the essay “Are Women Really More Talkative Than Men?” This essay, written by Matthias R. Mehl, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Arizona, tackles the question through a series of research projects. In his essay, Mehl uses quoting and statistics to convince fellow scientists that the stereotype outlined in the title of the essay is indeed unfounded.

                Mehl’s continual use of quoting throughout the essay establishes his credibility on the topic, and allows for him to introduce his own findings. For example, he quotes a study done by neuropsychiatrist Brizendine, stating, “‘A woman uses about 20,000 words per day while a man uses about 7,000’ (3)” (par. 2). Quoting of another scientists work first allows Mehl to introduce his topic through previous factual evidence. In this way, fellow scientists can understand what work has already been done in the field and how Mehl’s work fits in later. It also establishes Mehl’s credibility, since he is quoting other well-known scientists before presenting his own findings.

                Once scientists understand that Mehl is indeed credible, the apparent use of statistics throughout the essay draws them in and allows them to better understand the conclusions given. Mehl first includes the statistic about the previous scientist’s work, as well as a host of other statistics regarding other conclusions made in the field based on their research. This abundance of data and statistics about the topic of the essay show the audience just how much research has been done in the field, and also how inconclusive some of it is. In this way, Mehl’s fellow researchers around the world can understand why certain data does not make sense and how Mehl’s data specifically does lead to a satisfactory conclusion.

                Mehl finishes the essay by presenting his own findings and declaring the stereotype as “unfounded” (par. 7). Through the use of quoting and statistics, Mehl was able to convince readers of a disproved stereotype. It is really interesting to see scientific evidence rejecting a common misconception, which is all the more reason to believe Mehl’s findings. It is therefore important that society make changes to assess the scientific validity of stereotypes before claiming their factual nature. 

TOW #24: "Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal" (IRB)

Consider the very point in space that you are occupying right now. Now consider that within a mile of you, there are probably an abundance of fast food restaurants, waiting to exchange money for “happiness.” Eric Schlosser did not believe in this “happiness” however, when he wrote his book: Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. In his novel, Schlosser extrapolates on the hidden mechanisms that make fast food such a bad thing from his perspective. Through his use of statistics and an extended example, Schlosser is able to convince readers that the speculated “dangers” of fast food do exist.

Schlosser’s frequent use of statistics helps to convince the audience of specific dangers associated with fast food, due to their exemplification of hard facts. For example, when Schlosser discusses the In-n-Out fast food chain, he uses statistics such as the average salary of workers, the amount of each food served, and more to show to readers the contrast between In-n-Out and other fast food restaurant chains. These statistics are also used in other places in the text, especially when Schlosser brings up a difficult topic for discussion. In these cases, the statistics help to ground his examples with facts that more blatantly show the differences between fast food and home food. In this way, Schlosser’s argument becomes easier to understand with each topic, which is why Schlosser is able to convince readers of the dangers of fast food.

Schlosser also uses an extended example throughout the entire book in order to relate topics presented in various places in the text. The extended example he uses is the city of Colorado Springs, whose growth is analogous to how the fast food industry moved throughout the country. Colorado Springs is brought up multiple times during the text, as it allows Schlosser to tie in different concepts to something that the audience is already familiar with as the book goes on. As the growth of Colorado Springs in terms of fast food becomes more and more clear to readers, it serves as a similarity to the entire country. This characteristic was particularly effective in making Schlosser’s argument easier to understand. Therefore, Schlosser is able to convince his readers of the dangers of fast food.

Throughout the reading of this book, I found it quite similar to Freakonomics, a novel that I read previously. This is because the two books share the same characteristic of describing the hidden sides to topics. Fast Food Nation was particularly enjoyable and informative, and Schlosser’s rhetorical techniques made it very easy to understand and informative. At least for me, his purpose was achieved, I don’t think I’m going to step inside a fast food restaurant again.

            

TOW #23: Shell Ad (Visual)

                We have always been on the brink of new technologies, but at no time is this more necessary than today, in the 21^st century. As the last drops of oil are used up on the planet, it is absolutely necessary that we, as a society, find cleaner, better solutions for the energy of tomorrow. Ironically, one of the biggest names in oil, Shell, is launching a campaign of ads to prove they’re in the energy game to win it. One of their ads, depicting an energy challenge racing car, proves that Shell really is serious about pursuing new goals other than fossil fuels. Through the use of vivid colors and bolded words, Shell is able to convince viewers that the energy crisis is indeed important and Shell is very serious about the topic.

                The Shell ad starts on the left with a lively image of an Eco-marathon car flying through the wilderness. The image employs shallow depth of field effects to create a focus on the car itself, and not so much on the background, which is blurry. However the colors are very important to the image, as the car looks as though it is travelling towards the sun. This shows that there is a future for energy, and Shell is indeed part of it, since Shell is shown on the car to sponsor the event.

                Once Shell shows the image on the left side of the field, it turns attention to the bolded phrases on the other side of the page. Phrases like, “Let’s go further on one litre of fuel” and “Let’s Go” are lucrative quotes that show viewers that they are indeed part of the effort to find new energy solutions. It shows that everyone is in the same boat, and therefore, everyone is involved. Finally, the way that the quotes are bolded shows that those are what we need to emphasize. In this way, Shell is able to convince viewers that everyone is together and we, as a society, are on the right track for energy solutions.

                Although these types of ads are shown all the time, this specific ad is effective, as its use of pronouns helps gets its audience board. Overall, it is quite important to get on the energy bandwagon and continue to work towards the goal.

TOW #22: "Why I Love My Job" (Written)

            More than ever before, it seems like sports pervade our lives, crowding out the other activities we want to do throughout our days. In high school itself, sports takes up much of our time as students: going to practices, cheering other teams on, field day, and listening to announcements about successes from other teams. Even our TV News Team covers sporting events such as football very often. Rick Reilly, in an attempt to reinforce the greatness of sports, uses his career as a sportswriter to advance his cause in his essay, “Why I Love My Job.” Through repetition of key words and phrases as well as the use of inductive reasoning, Reilly is able to convince readers that sports are indeed, an excellent part of life today.

            Reilly decides to repeat certain key words and phrases throughout his essay, in order to bring the argument down to a conversational level and help his audience relate to his message. For example, he repeats the word “sports” at the beginning of a majority of his paragraphs, often following with a characteristic of sports that is sometimes extremely obvious or extremely casual. Although Reilly’s writing does yield a down-to-Earth tone, it is quite appropriate for his essay. Readers of a magazine, where this essay was originally published, would rather hear a conversational argument than a speech, which is why Reilly’s repeated phrases make excellent sense here.

            In addition, Reilly also employs inductive reasoning in order to make his argument more understandable to readers. Every one of his body paragraphs presents a new piece of evidence that reinforces the beauty of sports. For example, some of Reilly’s body paragraphs discuss the fact that sports cannot be faked, has honor, and is woven into American life. By presenting examples in each paragraph that support each one of these claims, they can then be used as evidence to support the main claim in Reilly’s essay. Therefore, his use of inductive reasoning is extremely important toward advancing the greatness of sports, as it helps make the argument easier to understand for a casual audience.

            As sports is woven into our lives deeper than ever, it makes sense to embrace it. Reilly’s essay was published in ESPN Magazine, a haven for sports news and editorials. Therefore, his essay further reinforces the audience’s already healthy love for sports. His essay is perfectly targeted to his audience, which is what makes it so effective.