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.