TOW #14: "I Want a Wife" (Written)

                Before the 21^st century, women have always been given gender roles from birth, activities and duties they are expected to serve throughout their lives. In her essay, I Want a Wife, Judy Brady criticizes one of the stages in a woman’s life: marriage. Her essay uses anaphora and personal pronouns to characterize as absurd the gender roles women are put into as wives.

                Brady uses anaphora very often throughout the entire essay to show the vast scale of duties women are expected to accomplish as wives. She introduces each duty or point with the phrase, “I want a wife,” a phrase which is repeated more than twenty times throughout the essay. She states that, “I want a wife who will keep the house clean” (par. 4), “I want a wife who will plan the menus, do the necessary grocery shopping, prepare the meals, serve them pleasantly, and then do the cleaning up while I do my studying” (par. 4). Along with the scale of duties the repetition shows, each duty is presented in a sarcastic way, showing a pleasant tone but a harsh undertone. Overall, the repetition of the phrases and the sarcastic tone go a long way to characterizing the gender roles women are put in as absurd.

                Along with anaphora, Brady weaves in personal pronouns like “I” and “my” to further characterize the opposite nature of the duties wives and their consorts have to accomplish. For example, in paragraph five of her essay, Brady states, “But I want a wife who will listen to me when I feel the need to explain a rather difficult point I have come across in my course of studies. And I want a wife who will type the papers for me when I have written them.” Brady’s use of the pronoun “I” shows the selfish nature the wife’s consort can possess, while the wife has to put up with the work around the house as well as their consort’s unhappiness. By first showing, with anaphora, the scale of the duties performed by wives, and then weaving the personal pronouns into these phrases, which show the extent to which wives must put up with all the work necessary, Brady is able to build up a characterization of the gender roles wives are put into.

                I Want a Wife was written in the early 1970’s, at a time when these gender roles were still very prevalent in America. However, in the 21^st entury, the stereotype has begun to wither away. Recent studies show that women in America are the breadwinners in a majority of households. Clearly a great step from the gender roles of yesteryear. It seems that Brady’s final sentence, “My God, who wouldn’t want a wife?” can’t really be said with a straight face anymore.

TOW #13: "InternetFactChecking.com" (Written)

                We’ve all heard the expression, “Don’t believe everything you see on the Internet.” InternetFactChecking.com, a satirical essay published in the New Yorker, targeted that specific expression head on by using humor to encourage to citizens to take that expression to heart. The essay uses exemplification and a Q/A organization to convey the absurdity of some things on the Internet, and therefore encourage people to be cautious when using it.

                The author, Calvin Trillin’s use of exemplification shows the reader the dubious nature of some information on the Internet. For example, Trillin includes an example about how a single person used techniques to corner the world’s gluten supply. Trillin states that since many groceries were now gluten-free, he read on the Internet that, “someone has been buying up gluten (at bargain-basement prices) and storing it in caves in Utah” (par. 3). Readers recognize the apparent absurdity in this remark, which Trillin claims to have read on cashgab.com. By showing this remark of dubious veracity, Trillin is able to convey that the Internet is sometimes not a trustworthy area for correct information.

                Trillin also uses the Q/A organization throughout his essay to show the plight of someone that might actually believe ridiculous claims on the Internet. This organization is laid out like a letter, with Trillin posing as an alias asking Internet sites about various claims that other sites make. Trillin writes after discussing the Koch brothers’ relations to a mayor that, “Whoever told you that you can’t believe everything on the Internet is a deeply cynical and untrustworthy person” (par. 2). This satirical remark uses irony to show the absurdity of claims on the Internet. By portraying people as untrustworthy, Trillin uses irony to show that the Internet, which is untrustworthy, should be a well-known, accepted fact. This process is repeated throughout the essay which increases the strength of Trillin’s claim of fact.

                Overall, Triilin did a great job merging fact and humor throughout InternetFactChecking.com. The absurd examples used and the organization of the essay show readers that the Internet is in fact untrustworthy, and should be accepted as that. Triilin therefore subtly makes a claim of policy in his essay, which is able to effectively convince his audience of the Internet’s trustworthiness, or lack thereof.

TOW #12: "Freakonomics" (IRB)

                A few years ago, I stumbled upon Outliers, a book by Malcolm Gladwell, where he discussed the seemingly impossible ways someone could become successful. When I picked up Freakonomics, I expected something similar, and I was glad to find out that it was indeed similar. Freakonomics explains many of the behind-the-scenes events that go on in various situations, some of which readers like me could have never imagined. The author’s Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, on an economist and one a writer, did a great job revealing the secrets of commonplace events. Throughout the book, the authors use narrative and astounding statistics to encourage readers to seek out the hidden side of every scenario they find themselves in.

                Early in their story, the authors discuss a small business owner who started selling bagels to see how honest his customers were. This seemed quite odd, but the authors of the book went further discussing how he eventually would be bringing, “fifteen dozen bagels a week. In order to recoup his costs, he set out an openbasket and a sign with the suggested price” (41). This is intriguing to the readers of the book because the oddity of the owner’s actions left them wanting to know more about what he set out to do. Later, this narrative is combined with statistics to show how the owner gauged his customers. The author’s restate the owner’s findings, showing that, “smaller offices are more honestthan big ones. An office with a few dozen employees generally outpays by 3 to 5 percent” (44). The use of the statistic after the narrative shows some rather confounding results, because the authors explain the paradox the statistics in this case create. Overall, the narrative is used to engage the audience and show them what can occur in various situations and the statistic is used to reinforce that and reveal the hidden side to that claim.

                Events as commonplace as bringing in bagels to work are used quite often throughout the story, and these help the reader relate to the scenarios better and understand the inner workings of the occurrences around them. The book is so far every entertaining, and there is still more confounding results to report.

TOW #11: WWF (Visual)

                On Conan O’Brien’s talk show, the host, Conan, often brings animals from the National Wildlife Federation onto the show to encourage people to support preservation of the animals. Similarly, the below ad from the World Wildlife Fund was released to encourage citizens to preserve something, in this case, Earth. The ad depicts Earth as a scoop of ice cream that’s melting as a symbol of global warming. In the ad, the World Wildlife Fund uses somber colors and symbols to encourage citizens of the planet to preserve it.

                The middle of the ad holds a scoop of Earth ice cream melting, which symbolizes global warming and the disastrous effects associated with the phenomena. Since the Earth is melting, and therefore taking on an irregular shape, viewers are led to believe that global warming can end up destroying their home. The sight of pieces of Earth rolling down the side of the ice cream cone can be described as horrifying even, which shows the urgency in fixing the problem. Additionally, viewers realize that in the same way that a scoop of ice cream melts due to heat, Earth can also “melt” due to the heat from global warming. Since viewers are more familiar with ice cream that global warming, they can relate to the problem, and therefore try to take steps to fix it. In conjunction with the melting sight of the Earth, viewers recognize and understand the problem, which the WWF hopes is enough to encourage people to fix the issue.

                While the viewer understands the problem of global warming through the centerpiece of the text, it is the background that sets the mood. In the ad, dark blue shades are used in the background to create a somber tone, which in turn shows the audience that it is time to fix something on Earth. The dark blue shades used around the ice cream cone itself are very dark, and take up much of the ad space itself. The dark color creates a tone of sadness because that emotion is usually associated with dark shades of color, especially blue. Since the dark colors take up much of the ad, viewers are flooded with the color and therefore the emotion of sadness associated with it. These colors reinforce the somber and scary tone of global warming first created by the sight of the Earth melting, and therefore, make the reason even clearer to the audience to take a stand against the issue.

                Overall, the ad is an extension of the power the global warming has, and by showing the implications of the phenomena, the ad hopes to encourage people to try and fix the problem. This blog post was written on a computer, and is probably being read on one. The first step: Think about the where is power for a computer is coming from. Combustion? That will definitely melt ice cream, and possibly Earth, too.

TOW #10: "The Onion: Astronomers Discover Planet Identical to Earth With Orbital Space Mirror (Written)

                The Onion is known for its mocking of everyday things and claims of dubious veracity. In a recent article, The Onion discusses a NASA mission that discovered a planet identical to Earth by using an orbital mirror. Sounds absurd, doesn’t it? The Onion isn’t wasting its time though, since they included dubious claims and irony to show how NASA is not being used for practical purposes anymore.

                The article makes absurd claims about scientific discoveries made with the mirror throughout. At the beginning of the article, The Onion writes, “According to NASA, the $2.9 billion aluminum glass mirror… suggesting that our solar system may contain a terrestrial planet of the exact same size, shape, and surface composition as Earth” (par. 2). Later in the article, they compare the two planets, discussing how they are exactly the same is water composition, period of rotation, and axial tilt. The idea of a space mirror is absurd enough, but The Onion continues to mock the usage of NASA by using these comparisons as emphasis. In this way, the author is able to convince readers of a downfall in NASA’s practical days, since the article makes it look like NASA is only being used for absurd missions nowadays.

                Continuing through the article, there are also examples of irony used in order to show the absurdity of the theoretical space mirror. The article states, “’What may be even more surprising is that it was discovered in a part of space that was previously thought to be completely empty’” (par. 3). This shows the absurdity of the mirror because the word “surprising” is ironic. Although it is meant to show the scale of the discovery, in reality, it just emphasizes the fact that the mirror was just used for satirical purposes. The mirror is used by The Onion as a symbol of NASA's lost practicality and glory. At other points throughout the article, irony is used to emphasize this, and it is the irony itself that really is key in showing the problem with NASA.

               With funding for NASA missions dwindling, the article came at the perfect time. It was meant to ridicule that missing funding, and its use of irony and dubious claims are effective in doing so. Readers are left to think about the problems with NASA's funding and glory today, and The Onion hopes to bring change with that.

"Freakonomics:" Introductory Post

Moving from science to economics now, as part of my independent reading for the next few weeks and months. I have selected Freakonomics, a book that seeks to explain the inner workings of everything to do with the business world and beyond. It should be an interesting read, since I am eager to understand what goes on behind the scenes of economic and business, even though that inner side might by exemplification of unfairness. Early pages show a huge amount of data and statistics present in the book, and it will be interesting to see how the authors, Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, weave those devices into the prose to show the hidden side of everything. In some ways, it is somewhat similar to my previous book, since The Fabric of the Cosmos also dealt with hidden parts of our universe. However, Freakonomics will be interesting because of its take on socioeconomic issues of our time. 

TOW #9: "Making Chemistry Green" (Written)

            Reading this blog post on a computer, you are ignoring the fact that certain toxic chemicals are present inside that very computer, thankfully hidden away from your hands, but strangely and frighteningly close to you. With the rise of electronics and synthetic materials in today’s society, the New York Times released an op-ed piece about the safety of synthetic materials in our daily lives. Written by Rolf Halden and Robert Lawrence, both Professors of environmental science and public health, “Making Chemistry Green” used exemplification and pronouns such as “we” and “us” in order to encourage the public to take a stand against hazardous chemicals in their daily lives.

            The use of examples is important to convince the audience that the problems with synthetic materials actually exist. The authors first speak of DDT, which was a pesticide that killed wildlife populations in the early 1970’s, and which scientists, “still find remnants of it today in the blood of adults, children and newborns” (par. 7).  The authors also discuss the vast quantity of synthetic chemicals, stating, “another 500 to 1000 new ones introduced each year, we’ve created a situation that is impossible to regulate effectively” (par. 9). The use of examples in essay allows the authors to describe the problem in clarity to the audience. The second quote above also shows the vast scale of the problem, which also goes a long way to showing the problem that synthetic chemicals create in today’s society.

            The examples first show the audience that the problem exists, and then the use of pronouns throughout the essay encourages the audience to take a stand against the problem. The essay heavily uses words such as “we” and “our” to showcase the techniques the authors want the general public to use in order to make the materials safer. Since the audience was previously convinced of the problem, the use of these pronouns is very powerful, since the audience understand s the problem and is eager to take a stand.

            “Making Chemistry Green” comes at the perfect time in this society, when newer technologies and electronics are coming out quicker than ever, often containing hazardous chemicals. With the essay being published in The New York Times, the audience is huge, therefore making a bigger difference against the problem.

TOW #8: "The Fabric of the Cosmos" (IRB)

            For many years, our world had thought that the Earth was at the center of the universe, but in the 17^th and 18^th centuries, famous scientists like Isaac Newton and Nicholas Copernicus began to challenge that. Now, Brian Greene is beginning a similar revolution with string theory, a theory that attempts to consolidate multiple theories of the world into one single theory. Brian Greene’s book The Fabric of the Cosmos uses diagrams and exemplification to foster interest in science amongst the general public.

            Greene uses diagrams of abstract concepts throughout his book in order to make the concepts more understandable to the general public. While discussing strings, which are tiny strands of energy thought to be smaller than an atom, Greene included a diagram of different patterns that a string could vibrate in (357). This was important to include since the general public would have a hard time picturing exactly what a string would look like and how it behaved. In this specific diagram, different patterns are shown of string vibrating, and it is used to reinforce the concept of differing vibrational patterns making different kinds of matter. For Greene’s audience, although they might be in the clouds when it comes to the actual theory, the visualization of strings is made possible through the use of the diagram. This makes the theory that the audience is reading about more understandable, which in turn can foster interest.

            The diagrams themselves function as examples of certain characteristics of the theories Greene discusses, but other types of exemplification are used by Greene in order to promote science to the general public. While talking about strings and black holes, Greene includes an example of an experiment done in the 1970’s, by Stephen Hawking and Jacob Bekenstein. He writes, “…Jacob Berkenstein and Stephen Hawking discovered that this isn’t right” (479). This shows that recognizable scientists can prove Greene’s points, which makes him more credible to his audience. Since the audience now trusts his work, they can believe in the theories he discusses, which in turn can foster interest in the field.

            Brian Greene continues to make himself more recognizable with his book. By using rhetorical strategies throughout his book that seek to make his book more understandable to his audience, he is able to foster interest in the field.

TOW #7: "Ramp Riot XV" (Visual)

            Ramp Riot is an annual robotics competition that our high school’s robotics team hosts. This year, I got my hands on a flyer for the event, and I was surprised to find persuasive strategies embedded in it as well. Through the use of large font and bold colors, the Ramp Riot flyer is able to show excitement and encourage families around the community to witness the event themselves.

            The flyers use of bold colors makes a statement to the viewer the moment that it is looked at. The ad’s title is colored in bright yellow, against a dark blue background. Additionally, the contrast of dark blue against the white secondary lettering shows the audience the information presented in an easy to read fashion. Thee bright colors allow the robotics team to show excitement in the event, since popping colors usually mean a fun-filled atmosphere. When viewing the flyer, community members get a sense of the fun and excitement at the event because of the bold colors. To add to that sense, the flyer includes full color, high resolution pictures of previous years Ramp Riot has been held. These pictures show smiles on attendees’ faces and even the Philly Phanatic getting involved. The pictures allow the audience to get an even better sense of the happenings at the event, and are therefore more inclined to go in order to witness it for themselves.

            In conjunction to the bold colors on the flyer, large fonts are also used in order to show excitement at the event. The title itself as presented in the largest font on the page, which shows the viewer exactly what is being advertised so that they can connect the event to its features. The features include music and robots, not to mention free admission. These topics are presented in the second largest font on the page, which brings attention to those happenings. Since music and free admission are persuasive for an audience to come to an event, the presentation of those topics large font allows the robotics team to show the excitement created at the event because of those topics. In that way, they are able to convince community members of the excitement at Ramp Riot and therefore encourage them to attend.

            The above strategies do seem to work, since Ramp Riot grows every year, raises over ten thousand dollars for the robotics team, and brings thirty six robotics teams from around the east coast to compete against each other. In addition to that, over twenty five hundred people from the local community attend each year. That goes to show just how convincing the flyers are and have been.

TOW #6: "We're Walking Here!" Written

Cities are defined by chaotic transportation and bustling business. In the US, nowhere is this most evident than in New York City. With famous business areas like Wall Street, and millions of people walking around each day, it perfectly showcases a city in the US. The chaos in the city usually works, although it can sometimes fail. In September of this year, a woman was run over and killed by a rushing cyclist. To address this problem, The New York Times Editorial Board wrote an article discussing the transportation laws and injuries on the streets in New York City. Their article was called "We're Walking Here!" a reference to the pedestrians often caught in the way of vehicles during the chaotic mornings. Through their use of statistics and suggestion, the Editorial board is able to convince New Yorkers to take care around the pedestrians in the city and slow down.

Statistics were extremely important in defining the problem in New York City. The authors used statistics to show the extent of the pedestrian fatality problem in New York City. For example, the board states that, “Drivers killed 178 pedestrians and cyclists in 2013 alone” (Board par. 5) in order to show that huge fatality rates within the city. They also stated that, “Lowering the speed limit for cars, to 25 miles per hour on most streets was a good move by the City Council this month” (Board par. 6) to show that speed was an issue in the fatalities. The statistics in the article allow the board to show the extent of the problem in New York City, and convince citizens that it is a big enough problem to resolve.

The Editorial Board also used suggestion to convince New Yorkers to take care around pedestrians. For example, they stated, “If racers want a velodrome, there’s one in Queens” (Board par. 6). This shows that speed was an issue in the pedestrian fatality rate, and therefore suggests to speed somewhere else. The tone of this statement is also interesting, because it is a little irritated. This irritation convinces the audience to slow down because it shows that other New Yorkers, namely, the journalists, are frustrated with their actions.

Above all, the board want people to slow down in New York City and take care around pedestrians. Despite the many fatalities that have already occurred, the board’s article insists the trend can be reversed. New Yorkers can look forward to a day when they don’t have to be afraid walking to work.

TOW #5: "Drones and The Democracy Disconnect" (Written Rewrite of TOW #2)

As America transitions into a conflict with ISIS, drones begin to play an increasing role in America’s war strategy. This is exactly what Firmin DeBrabander, a professor of philosophy at the Maryland Intitute College of Art, explores in his NY Times article, Drones and the Democracy Disconnect. In his article, DebraBander uses quoting and comparison/contrast in order to encourage the limited use of drones in the upcoming conflict.

            Despite being a professor of philosophy, DeBrabander still needs to establish credibility with the American public. To do this, he uses quotes from qualified people in the field of political conflict. For example, when describing the issue surrounding the use of drones in a war, he quotes Machiavelli. He uses Machivelli’s quote that new technologies, “‘prevents men from employing and displaying their virtue as they used to do of old’” (DeBrabander par. 9). First, Machiavelli’s quote allows Debrabander to establish his credibility, since Machiavelli is a respected military strategist. Second, his quote shows new technologies prevent the display of courage and bravery on the battlefield, something that can be extrapolated to drones. In another part of his article, Debrabander describes the use of drones from the victim’s point of view. To do this, he uses a quote from George Monbiot, a writer known for his political pieces. He paraphrases Monbiot’s writing, stating that Monbiot called “…the United States’ drone strikes in Pakistan cowardly” (DeBrabander par. 6). This quote went further to show that Pakistani civilians were being affected, but the American people were removed from the brutality. This quote also establishes Debrabander’s credibility, since the quote was made by a respected political qriter, and it also convinces the audience that drone strikes are not a good idea in conflicts, due to civilian casualties and the removal of people’s emotions.

            Debrabander also uses rhetorical questions to solidify his case against drone strikes against ISIS in the upcoming conflict. For example, he asks these questions at the beginning of his article, when exloring the ethics surrounding the use of drones in conflict.He asks questions such as, "Are drones compatible with patriotism? ... Or do they, as I fear, represent - and exacerbate - a troubling, even obscene disconnect between the American people and the wars waged in our name?"(DeBrabander par. 5). Right from the start of his article, DeBrbander begins questioning the use of drone strikes against ISIS. These questions force the audience to think about his viewpoint as he explains the reasoning behind it. Towards the end of the passage, he asks similar questions, which reinforce his viewpoint and allow the audience to be convinced of it.

            Overall, DeBrabander makes a strong argument against drone strikes in the Middle East. He is able to encourage the limited use of drones because of his usage of quoting and rhetorical questions. His argument is very interesting, since it brings up a different viewpoint to the already common one: drones save lives. It is an interesting article, both because of the differing viewpoint and Debrabander’s skillful use of rhetoric.

TOW #4 - "The Fabric of the Cosmos" (IRB Part 1)

     Theoretical physics is difficult to approach for anyone. Sometimes, the massively complicated theories are too abstract to wrap a head around. Despite this, Brian Greene wrote a bestselling book, called The Fabric of the Cosmos about new research in the field of particle physics and how that research pertains to society and human life. In the book, Greene uses analogies and metaphors to make complex science more approachable to the general public.

     Greene begins his book by discussing the very concept of space and time. Although most people might just think of space as an empty arena with stuff going on inside it, theoretical physics describes it as an active part of the motion that occurs throughout our daily lives. Greene tries to explain the effect of space itself on the motion of light waves by using an analogy. He discusses two people making observations about the speed of light, one on a skateboard and one stationary. To show that space has an effect on light, he states that the skateboarding person's observation was different from the the observation of the stationary person. This analogy, which showed that different observations suggested space having an effect on light's motion, made it easier for readers to understand the concept. By showing people making the observations using common tools, Greene was able to make the idea more understandable. Later, while Greene discusses quantum entanglement (a complex theory stating two objects can effect each other without a physical connection), Greene uses a pair of gloves as an analogy. He states that if a pair of gloves were separated and the left one was found later, then at that instant, the observer would know that the other glove would be the right one. Greene uses this to show that the position of two particles was chosen right when they were separated, just like how the two gloves had fixed positions on the hand before they were separated. This analogy was also used to make the concept more easily understandable to the general public.

     Greene also uses metaphors throughout the book to explain his concepts. For example, when discussing Newton's view of the workings of the universe, Greene likens them to, "the ticking of an enormous, grand clockwork" (Greene 78). By using a a device that we are all familiar with ( a clock), Greene was able to show that the Newtonian vision of the universe was very ordered and exact, just like how a clock ticks at exact intervals. Another example of metaphor can be seen when Greene discusses quantum entanglement. He likens that concept to a pair of polarized sunglasses, to show the predictable nature of the concept. Just like polarized sunglasses predictably filter certain types of waves, the quantum entanglement concept can be just as predictable.

     In the end, Greene is successful at making science more approachable to the general public. By suing analogy and metaphor, he is able to make is ideas more understandable, and therefore not be intimidating to anyone trying to understand them. I certainly was able to understand him, and because of that, I didn't put the book down in frustration. That speaks to the power of his explanations.

TOW #3: Visual - "Vamonos"

            A couple years ago, the car company Volkswagen launched a clean-diesel model of their popular Passat sedan. However, because diesel cars are quite uncommon in the US, they made a special television advertisement to go with the launch of the vehicle. The ad, titled “Vamonos”, discusses the diesel car’s extraordinary fuel range by using satire, and logical argument. Volkswagen made the ad mostly for consumers looking for a new car. More specifically, the consumer targeted had fuel efficiency and fuel range as a priority in their new car search. The ad was made just after the launch of the new diesel model, in order to increase consumer awareness and sales of the car. Although mainly targeted toward consumers, Volkswagen’s ad also targeted other car makers, starting an “arms race” to see which maker could bring out a new car with more efficiency and range than other models. The ad was released in 2011, during the time when diesel car sales in the US market were starting to pick up some speed.  Therefore, this was perfect timing on Volkswagen’s part in order to get consumers into showrooms. Despite the increase in sales, consumers still needed an incentive to buy Volkswagen’s new car, and that incentive turned out to be the fuel economy and range of the car. The advertisement showcases this feature by using some satire. As the two men in the ad begin their road trip after refueling their car, they start to learn Spanish. By the time they pull into another gas station, they have learned enough Spanish for one man to yell at the other, in Spanish, for putting a language CD on in the car. This is an example of satire because it emphasizes the range of the vehicle and the time it takes for the car to run out of diesel. Secondly, it also displays a logical argument, because the fuel range of the car, which was displayed at the end of the ad as 795 miles, is actually very long for a car, even one fueled by diesel. Volkswagen were able to achieve their purpose of increasing consumer awareness in the car because their appeal to logos showed the range of the car, and the satire used emphasized it, in order to make it memorable to the consumer. Finally, they were also able to show other car makers the extent of their technology with this ad.

Here is a link to the advertisement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oOVqUInA6w

IRB Intro: The Fabric of the Cosmos

For  the first marking period, I will be reading The Fabric of the Cosmos. This book focuses on new findings in the world of theoretical physics. Despite the complexity of the subject, the author, Brian Greene, is able to keep the text understandable and interesting for normal readers. Brian Greene is a professor at Columbia University, who is also at the leading edge of particle physics research today. Overall, first impressions of the book have been very good. I am very interested in the topic, and I cannot wait to see how Brain Greene weaves information together with understandability in his text.

TOW #2: Nonfiction - Drones and the Democracy Disconnect

Recently, there has been at least one item on the nightly news every day about the situation in Iraq and the rise of ISIS. We are all too familiar with both the brutality and the sadness surrounding the situation. President Obama has even called for a new battle front in the area, due to the severity of the terrorism. This week, a New York Times op-ed piece, written by Firmin DeBrabander, details the possible use of drones in the conflict. DeBrabander is an associate professor at the Maryland Institute College of Art, and he has also written a book about the gun rights movement. This op-ed piece, titled Drones and the Democracy Disconnect, critiques the use of drones in the conflict because they distance the general public from the events of the war. The op-ed piece was published at the perfect time, just after the President announced intervention in the conflict. Considering how prevalent the topic of ISIS has been in the media lately, it is a timely article meant to persuade the public about the author’s views on the conflict. The public, in this case, represents the citizen of the US, all of whom would be affected if the conflict were to occur. The author uses many techiniques to convince the reader of his point on drones. For example, he appeals to the logos of the reader early in the piece. He states, “The point of these technologies was the same, to gain an asymmetrical advantage against adversaries and reduce risk" (DeBrabander par. 7). This sentence discusses the advantages of using drones in the conflict. Before this, he also discusses other technological advancements like the tank and gun to show how drones fit in to the timeline. Despite making a logical argument for drones in this sentence, DeBrabander merely uses it as refute for his later statements. In a later paragraph, DeBrabander discusses how modern drones are merely distancing the public from a war. To do this, he draws parallels with Machiavelli, by stating, "Machiavelli was highly sensitive to the role military glory plays in inspiring the public..." (DeBrabander par. 11). This connection to Machivelli shows the strength of keeping the public close to the conflict. Later, the author discusses the success of Machiavelli, and how the US should also take the public into consideration when entering a conflict and using drones. Through his use of logical argument, DeBrabander is able to convince the audience of the distancing that occurs with using drones in a conflict, and urges to use them cautiously throughout the conflict.

TOW #1: "How To Say Nothing in 500 Words"

The title of this essay may say “How to Say Nothing in 500 Words,” but that is merely a description of the introduction of the essay. Written by Paul Roberts, the essay actually seeks to teach how to say something in 500 words. It does this by describing various strategies for injecting some life into school papers and essays. Roberts writes about common problems that college papers have, and then seeks to address them in a process-analysis essay format. Paul Roberts himself is known for the clarity of his textbooks, as well as his scientific approach to writing. This scientific approach focused on classification and descriptions in many of his works. How to Say Nothing in 500 Words uses much of the descriptions he is known to add to his papers. Roberts wrote this essay for college students, especially ones who found writing as a chore and not an art. Although the catchy title does attract readers, the main hook is in the way he writes his explanations for various concepts. For example, Roberts uses examples in the “Colorful Words” section of his essay. While discussing the meaning of colorful words, he writes, “Thus, in place of ‘Her heart beat,’ we may write ‘Her heart pounded, throbbed, fluttered, danced’” (Roberts 65). Roberts includes this sentence to exemplify the meaning of colorful words in a sentence. This is also an example of logos, which is a logical argument. By laying out ideas in a logical way, Roberts allows readers to follow exactly what he is saying. Another strategy that Roberts uses is satire. At the beginning of his essay, Roberts discusses an English teacher’s emotion towards a emotionless paper. He writes, “…he wonders how he allowed him to get trapped into teaching English when he might have had a happy and interesting life as an electrician or a confidence man” (Roberts 57). The use of satire here communicates with a reader’s emotions. This makes the sentence memorable, and considering his purpose of teaching good writing to students, the line emphasizes the wrongdoings of common freshman essays. Finally, Roberts carries a conversational tone throughout his essay. This also allows the reader to better understand the points Roberts makes. The aforementioned strategies are only part of Roberts’s method in writing this essay. He communicates his ideas effectively. I think he achieved his purpose of teaching good writing to college students, since the strategies he used were aimed at understandability and memorability.

Inner Secrets

“It is the premise of the photographer that is the art of penetrating your private defenses” (Bellow par. 7). Author Saul Bellow wrote this line to challenge society’s view of photographers and photographs in general. Saul Bellow was an American writer who, among other awards, won a Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize for Literature. Graven Images continues Bellow’s reputation for great writing, and describes his experiences being photographed in public, and how he feels about that process. As a well photographed celebrity himself, Bellow writes to other celebrities, who could find the meaning of the photographs they appear in thought-provoking. Through the use of definition and narrative, Bellow tries to convince the audience that photos are an easier way for society to understand their inner secrets. Graven Images was written in 1997, before digital cameras were invented and social media websites like Flickr became commonly used throughout society. He first comments on how being photographed makes him feel like his “amour propre” is being violated. Bellow defines amour propre as your persuasion of others to, “view you as you need to be viewed” (Par. 3). Bellow uses this definition to show his audience that photographers purposefully dig further into your personal life. He even goes on to show examples of this being violated. For example, Bellow narrates about a photograph of himself in TIME magazine. He writes, “I was brought low by Blake’s blazing words. But it is the prerogative of the mass media to bring you down when they think you have gotten ahead of yourself” (Bellow par. 9). Since William Blake wrote about the faces of prostitutes in his texts, it exposed the public to a new way of looking at Bellow and his work. By using his own narratives as evidence for the violation of amour propre, Bellow is able to convince the audience that photographs are a very easy method to be exposed by. He even includes a line about changing society, stating, “Such simple romantic standards of personal dignity and of the respect due to privacy are to be found today only in remote corners of backward countries” (Bellow par. 12). Bellow tries to show that as photography gets more and more common, keeping oneself from being exposed will become more and more difficult. Along with other lines from the text, Bellow does indeed convince readers that there is more to photographs that on the surface; that they can violate the amour propre of people who intend to keep their inner secrets to themselves.

Here is one of the many photographs taken of Saul Bellow throughout his life. This is one of the photographs he refers to in his essay, when talking about amour propre and the exposure of one's inner secrets. This image was first included in a New York Times article written by Mel Gussow and Charles McGrath.

Satire For the Ages

While reading Insert Flap “A” and Throw Away, the thought of ridiculousness came to my mind. The essay seemed strange and without meaning. However, S.J. Perelman cleverly used satire throughout the essay to convey a message about the definition of insanity. Insert Flap “A” and Throw Away describes the author going through the process of building a simple delivery truck toy. He consistently struggles to build the toy, and after immense frustration gives up and quite literally goes insane. S.J. Perelman was a satirical author who was most widely known for short pieces in The New Yorker. In fact, Insert Flap “A” and Throw Away was first published in that magazine. His sarcastic nature shows very clearly throughout his essay. For example, he uses phrases like, “easily intelligible to Kettering of General Motors, Professor Millikan, or any first rate physicist” to show his difficulty in understanding the construction method. At other times, he employs hyperbole, such as in the line “… the subject is placed in a sharply sloping attic heated to 340 degrees F” to show the author’s apparent frustration in building the toy. Through his satirical style of writing, S.J. Perelman shows how he was driven to the point of insanity because he was unable to come to terms with his difficulty in building things. This essay was aimed at males in American society who, like the author, struggled to keep the gender roles that were very common during the time the essay was published. Insert Flap “A” and Throw Away aims to ridicule the gender role of males in the household building and fixing things. By placing himself into the stereotype, and using satire, S.J. Perelman does achieve his purpose in writing the essay. Readers can sense the ridiculousness in the author’s experience, which is what Perelman wanted from his audience.

This shows the complexity of the device the author was trying to build in the essay. Looking at the diagram, Perelman's confusion does seem to be justified. The cartoon is called This Way Out, written by Mike Sacks and illustrated by Julian Sancton.

Hidden Organisms

The Marginal World describes the author’s visit to the shoreline. While there, she discoveries many layers to life on Earth and the sea’s influence on it. The author, Rachel Carson, was a marine biologist and conservationist that wrote about and studied nature during the 1940’s and 1950’s. In fact, much of her works helped start a global environmental movement to help preserve nature as it was. Rachael Carson wrote The Marginal World to show her readers the overlooked parts of the shoreline. In her essay, she describes small coves home to small microorganisms, mosses around the shore structures, and animals inhabiting small trenches scattered on the beach. By exposing her readers to this new world that was often overlooked by shore-visitors, Carson aimed to change the way her readers looked at nature. Her essay uses many strategies to persuade readers that the overlooked parts of the shore are just as important as the sand and water that everyone knows and loves. Carson directs her writing toward readers who fail to understand the significance of the life present on the shore. People that just go to the shore to have a good time, play in the water, and sunbathe do not understand the beauty of life on the shoreline, and could benefit from Carson’s work. Carson’s use of figurative language appeals to the pathos of her readers. For example, she uses metaphors like “intricate fabric of life” (Carson par. 5) and similes like “small, exquisitely colored mollusk…looking like scattered petals of pink roses” (Carson par. 17) to convey a sense of serenity and beauty that appeals to the emotions of her readers. Overall, Carson’s purpose was achieved. She was able to convey to her audience that there is an overlooked section of life on the shoreline, one that holds an underlying beauty inside its hiding places. 

The above cartoon continues the discussion of overlooked sea wildlife, but this time adding the wrinkle of the Exxon Valdez accident. The cartoon was drawn by Seppo in 1991.