TOW #24: The Nazi Officer's Wife (IRB #2)

     The Holocaust is a time period full of selfishness, anger, loss, and deep hatred. If one thing was considered wrong with a person, they were thought to be aliens. They were foreign and many thought them as a dead man walking. Stories have been told ever since the first person was liberated, but mainly from a lot of stories from prisoners. An aspect that is often untold is those affiliated with the Nazis. Why would anyone want to know a story from the oppressors? It's understandable not to want to pay attention, especially because of the amount of oppression that they caused. When first picking up this book, I was not sure what to expect. I have read other autobiographies from Jewish survivors, but never one from someone who was married to a Nazi. An aspect that I didn't expect is that she lived in fear as well. She feared that someone would find her out because of her educational status.
     I believed in the beginning that her purpose was to share her story. As stated earlier, I have previously read other war stories, but this was different. It came from a whole new perspective. Instead of running through the cold nights of winter while trying to escape or fighting other prisoners for food, Edith was able to live with her new husband. But. This was after she was able to escape from the ghetto that her family was forced to live in. Now, I realize what her purpose truly was. No one was immune to suffering in World War II. Yes, some people were able to stay in their homes with their family while others were separated, but that does not mean that they weren't impacted. People were drafted, tortured, separated, killed, wounded, etc. Although different people had different levels of suffering, everyone was united in the struggle. That's what I believe that her purpose was. She didn't leave any details out, mainly because I think that if she left things out, people would judge her. Why? Because she is a Nazi officer's wife.
     I enjoyed the different perspective that this book offered. Learning more and more about the Holocaust is, I feel, important. There is no limit to the knowledge that someone can gain, and Edith certainly contributed.

TOW #23: Baseball Is Injuring Too Many Kids

     As someone who has never been involved in a formal sporting organization, it became evident that truly understanding this author's argument was going to be hard. This author argued that although baseball is a beloved sport all around the world, it has became such an issue with children as many continue to get injured. I began to agree with him more as he used personal anecdotes and statistics in order to achieve his purpose. While trying to prove that parents are the root of this issue, he is able to create a little bit of guilt and shock towards his audience.
     The author introduces his son; a devoted baseball player that wishes to play "from sunrise to sunset," This child's opinion is shared by many people are possess the same characteristic: passionate. Although passion is a delicate word used for great love towards a subject, it can often get carried away. An example of how it can get carried is away is when it takes up all of an individual's time. It can become a huge distraction in someone's life that can eventually become a large issue. Following the introduction of his son, the author says that his son knows better than to play all the time. The author has warned his son of the dangers of baseball and his son realized that he does not want to increase his chances of becoming injured. This proves that parents have an influence over this problem. Parents can definitely change the opinion of their kid even though its based on the relationship between the parent and child.
     Also, the author develops trust through his use of statistics. He states that from 2007 to 2011, 57 percent of sports-related injuries were performed on 15-to-19 year olds. Does this specifically say that this was all baseball-related? No, but this does prove that teenagers can still get seriously injured. A lot of times, people think of young athletes as invincible and so do the athletes themselves. They often make risky play calls because they feel that they can get away with it just because they are young and can heal relatively quickly. This part of the argument is related to the fact that kids can still be seriously injured and that the stem of the problem is parents allowing their kids to play their sport all of the time. It opens up more opportunities for injuries.
     In conclusion, I believe that he achieved his purpose through these two devices. Although I have not been involved in the playing of a sport, I understood what he was saying and I can definitely see why the issues that he brought up are large problems.

TOW #22: Happiness Visual Text

     The definition of happiness is often argued about. Whether it be in the presence of family or earning the most money, what creates happiness is rather controversial. In a visual text, there are signs instructing rats on what to do to ensure that they will reach happiness that is "just around the corner." In a visual text using neutral colors and expressive diction, the author is able to show how the definition of happiness is often made superficial.
     This cartoon only uses black and white to convey its message. It reflects the overall decision that someone is faced with while reading this text. It opposes the idea of the text as the definition of happiness is not just black and white. It is not either you have it or you don't have it. It makes it seem as though you have to do the things listed in the bold font or there is absolutely no way that you will ever be able to reach your nirvana. You have to work harder, earn more money, and buy more things. These superficial strategies in order to become happier are showing what society does in order to find their happiness. To many, it seems that you have to work hard to get a successful job which will lead to making more money and then having the ability to drown your sorrows in your possessions.
     By using expressive diction, the advertisements focuses on how people are raised and taught in order to find their happiness. In short and simple commands, the diction reflects what many parents teach their kids. Many kids in America are trained to work hard in school so you can earn a lot of money and be able to have a nice house with an expensive car and so on... It opposes the last statement that says "keep going." That last phrase has more of a positive and encouraging tone to it. It is one that actually enables someone to find that happiness in the corner rather than sacrifice time and effort in order to find unnatural happiness.
     I believe that the author was able to achieve their purpose. It made a point that is extremely evident today as our society is fueled by everyone wanting to find happiness, even if it is done in the more superficial of ways.

TOW #21: Crying for Someone We Don't Know

     Within the past few months, the world has become all too familiar with the deaths of many cultural icons. As part of a culture that often idolizes people that may (or may not) have talent, it is easy to see the monumental impact that it has had on our society as a whole. One thing is for sure: we may not all get along, but when a singer dies, we can all mourn together. In an article published in the Courier Mail, Karen uses parallel structure in order to prove why it has become socially acceptable to mourn the death of a person we have never even known.
     Even though there are occasions when a fan gets to meet their favorite celebrity, there are many times when a loyal fan is left admiring from afar. Brooks states that we have "adored their films,  listened to their music, read their words, and identified with the many roles they've played." These people are such a large part of our lives as we have the ability to completely consume ourselves with their work. The repetition of the suffix of "-ed" stresses how many different things a loyal fan may do. This shows the complete infatuation with that particular person that plays a role in the eventual mourning of them. Fans realize that they no longer will be able to receive any new forms of their work which is s large part of their depression during that time.
     But, they have not only lost entertainment but also a possible friend. Celebrities have the power to influence and change someone's entire life. Brooks states that celebrities "give us insights into our own emotional make-up, help us discover our flaws and strengths, navigate our way through different eras, relationships, politics, and maybe also help us find friends." The repetition of a verb and "us" creates a list of all of the positive aspects of being emotionally attached to a celebrity. It sheds light on the fact that many fans view these celebrities as actually friends that have had positive impacts on their life. It is logical to mourn the loss of a friend as the support that you may need is now gone.
     Brooks was able to achieve her purpose because many people have gone through the same thing. Through social media and all forms of communication, the loss of a celebrity can never go unnoticed, but the community that is built through it is strong. Even though we may not know the celebrity for which we mourn, we know how much they did and how much they personally changed our lives.

TOW #20: The Nazi Officer's Wife (IRB #1)

     The era of World War II is a rather famous one full of rather disturbing executions and heart-wrenching tales of lost family members and disloyalty. Often times, the aspect of this era that is usually told is the one of the actual Holocaust victims, the ones enduring the excruciating pain caused by the supposed superior beings. A perspective explored through my IRB entitled "The Nazi Officer's Wife" touches on a Austrian-born and Jewish woman who changed her identity in order to save herself and the ones she loved. Throughout her memoir, Edith Hahn Beer uses humor to parallel the paralyzingly fearful events that she faced during the Third Reich. 

     The rather humorous aspects of the Third Reich (if someone may believe that they exist) deal with the citizens of Germany and the "terrible things" that they had to face during Hitler's reign. While millions of people were forced into labor camps or gassed to death, citizens of Germany faced a problem. After a while through the war, there were no more onions. Beer states that her coworkers among the Red Cross nurses said that it was because Hitler "needed the onions to make poison gas with which to conquer [their] enemies." According to Beer, it became so much a problem that people started to buy "their onions on the black market." Today, this is a laughable issue to people who can drive to their local grocery store and buy as many onions as they wish. 

     Although this is humorous, it does have quite a seriousness attached to it. Beer claimed that "many citizens of the Third Reich would have gladly forgone the pleasure of gassing the enemy if they could only taste an onion." This relates to an issue that was occurring that would eventually lead to the end of Hitler's reign. Even with a small issue such as the lack of onions, citizens were losing their loyalty to the Furher. By 1943, the whole idea of attacking the enemies seemed to die down, but only as long as someone weren't to say it out loud as they feared being sent to a labor camp.

     The audience of this book can naturally be anyone. I am enjoying the different perspective that it brings from this saddening era of despair. 

     

TOW #19: To My Old Master

     Over the course of United States history, the idea of slavery has been ingrained into everyone's minds through various social studies classes. Often times, an average student will be taught the terrors of slavery and the times when a master may let their slaves go. An aspect of this time period that could possibly be ignored is how an African-American may live their life once they are freed. In a letter entitled "To My Old Master," Jourdan Anderson, a former slave, writes to his old master after he requested that Anderson come back on his farm to work. Through the appeal to pathos and rather abrupt diction, Anderson is able to explain his position on his old master's request.
     Often times, children are not always thought of when the word "slave" comes to mind. Anderson makes the issue with his kids known as he uses the appeal to pathos. He states that "the children [felt] hurt" when people made remarks about them being "colored people" who used to be slaves. It may not seem as important or saddening if an adult gets made fun of because that was normal for that time. But for children, getting bullied can be absolutely devastating, especially because children are commonly the most innocent among people. Anderson explains that the kids are doing well otherwise. They are going to Sunday school, they are successful at their school, and they have a comfortable home. The only thing stopping them from truly succeeding in life is the burden they have of being a part of a used-to-be slave family.
     A surprising aspect of this letter is the balance between the well-written story but the forward attitude toward his own master. To end his letter, Anderson includes a person that he would like to thank "for taking the pistol from [his master] when [he] was shooting" at Anderson while he was leaving. This was a rather sharp ending that seemed odd in a way that Anderson would talk to his old master like that. That being said, this also proves how Anderson owns himself now and he does not wish to return to the farm. He does not wish to return back to the life that he was so happy to leave and he shows that through his tone.
    To conclude, I feel the purpose of this letter was really nothing more than just to communicate to his former master. This also goes with the audience on how he did not have anyone different in mind than his former master. I rather enjoyed this letter and the new perspective it has given me.

TOW #18: Trump Visual Text

     The politics surrounding who the next U.S. President will be has held many captive because of its heavy media presence and some of the rather questionable candidates. Although many may talk about the ridiculousness of these campaigns, some statements and promises that have been made approach serious issues that have become a joke to many. This visual text, centered around one of this year's candidates, Donald Trump, explains Trump's plans to build a wall to keep "unwanted people" out and to protect the United States. This visual text shows rhetorical devices such as contrasting colors and the appeal to pathos in order to prove to the audience how many people should not feel too attracted to Trump's outrageous plans.
     The visual uses only black and white to paint its picture which can symbolize how Trump's ideas go directly against basic American core values. Not only does America believe in an open invitation to immigrants but also an open border between the U.S. and our Mexican neighbors. This is definitely the opposite to what Trump thinks. Trump has specifically said that he believes that many problems that America faces today is because of people coming into the U.S. that are not originally from here. These contrasting colors also create a dark mood to this cartoon. Trump is threatening many innocent people and this visual text strives to convince people how dark of a person he truly is. He does not believe in equality and and voters should know that this is what he intends to do once he is elected.
     But this is also not the only thing that this visual text was able to accomplish. Through the use of the appeal to pathos, this text was able to show how complicated and upsetting that this world has become due to this campaign. There have been many reports that state that Donald Trump is in first place in the polls and that people who are voting for him believe in the ideas that are represented in this cartoon. This is quite saddening as America is based on freedoms and equality, but many people do not share those same values. Many times, their values are to protect them and not to protect anyone. The ideas behind this entire cartoon are upsetting because this is oppressing many innocent people. This connects to its purpose of proving to people that his ideas should not be favored because of the possibility of him hurting a large amount of people.
     This visual text brings to the table a significant issue that has been the basis of Trump's campaign along with him highlighting racism and his feelings that feel that he is superior. This does not have to be just toward voters because this also reflects the problems of racism where everyone has to be accountable. Because of the media and the intensity of the campaign, cartoons have come out like this one but have not been able to convey the same message that this was able to accomplish.

TOW #17: Stay Sane America, Please!

     The election of 2016 is definitely one that will be remembered in the history books. Not only are the campaigns much more prevalent in many American lives, but the candidates and their stresses toward one another can be perceived as being rather entertaining. People who do not usually pay attentions to elections are waking up out of the shadows and starting to create political opinions while promising that they are going to participate in the voting process. An article titled "Stay Sane America, Please!" describes how this specific election is progressing and takes a humorous tone on how to handle this unusual situation in order to convince Americans to calm down.
     I rather enjoyed this article as it takes a lighter approach to the election. For non-political scientists and generally people are not too invested into the election, this article would be extremely helpful. It describes what is happening and who "is in the lead," but the author includes humorous phrases that change this serious and complicated situation into a simple and entertaining show that all American citizens have the pleasure (or displeasure) to watch. Just by the title, a reader can set their mind into the mood of the article. The author is basically calling out all the Americans who are obsessing over this election and making it a bigger deal than it has to be. Yes, this is the election that decides who will preside over all of us for the next 4 years, but the worrying does not have to start until the end of the summer.
     Not until the very end of the article does the author provide a logical approach to look at the situation. He asserts that "the electorate is going to realize that in an age of dysfunctional government, effective leadership capacity is the threshold issue. That means being able to listen to others, surround yourself with people smarter than you, gather a governing majority and above all have an actual implementation strategy." He then concludes by saying that Trump, Cruz, and Sanders (the candidates the article focused on) do not possess any of these capabilities. That being said, it helps out the reader by returning their sanity as they have just read all of these arguments about the candidates and may feel overwhelmed by how complex the election really is.
     Overall, I believe that the purpose of the article was really just to prove that the amount that the media is controlling this entire situation is astronomical. All people really talk about is their disapproval for these candidates and the author just wanted to tell people that it is not necessary to spend all your time on this absurdness. The election is an important time, but the voters involved in this decision cannot have a jumbled mess in their brain when they need to rely on it the most.

IRB Intro Post #3

The book that I decided to read this marking period is called "The Nazi Officer's Wife" which is an autobiography by Edith Hahn Beer. I was recommended this book by a family member, and I am excited to read it. I am quite interested in the World War II era. The life of a Nazi officer, let alone an officer's wife, is an aspect of this era that is often left untold. I am interested to see her perspective in this infamous time.

TOW #16: Running with Scissors (IRB #2)

     My life can be described as being quite normal. My parents are happily married, I have a good relationship with my siblings, and I have a stable household. This is not the case for Augusten, the main character of my IRB for this marking period. When reading the beginning of this memoir, I was originally just confused. Many crazy things were happening all at the same time that I had no idea how to relate to. Augusten's mother was seeing a psychiatrist who turned out to adopt Augusten after he labelled Augusten's mother as being unfit to take care of him. Also, the environment that the psychiatrist lived in was a mess as he had many of his patients live with him and uncontrollable children.
     A lot of this content, as mentioned before, were problems that I was not familiar with. The reviews that I read before starting my IRB definitely did not lie - there was a lot of mature content in it. It made me feel out of my comfort zone for awhile, but because there is enough of it, I got used to it and I learned how to separate it from overall analysis of my IRB. Do I believe it added to the story? Yes because it explored a teenager growing up and finding his sexuality. I feel that it was inevitable.
     I realized that this entire book has a confusing tone. It is rather informal as there are quite a lot of expletives used, yet there are many serious topics. Mental illness, abandonment, drugs, sexuality and love are all explored throughout this book that I believe support its purpose. This part of Augusten's life that is explored is a confusing, informal and very serious time in his life. He is faced with so many abnormal situations that make his life difficult to live, but he learns how to deal with them.
     After reading this book, I definitely believe that his purpose is to show how to deal with problems that make your life complicated. Whether it is losing contact with a parent, moving into a strange environment, or facing temptations with drugs and alcohol, life can have many twists and turns. Augusten always analyzed his life and wrote it down in a journal. He shared his feelings, he talked with others, and he did not allow himself to be consumed by his feelings. This is an important lesson to share, and one that I hope to utilize in my life. This book may not be designed for everyone with its mature content, but it can definitely speak to any teenager. No, I don't have addicts for parents or my own addiction to cigarettes, but I sometimes struggle with the same internal issues that Augusten wound up sharing with the entire world.

TOW #15: "The Talk" Visual Text

     Growing up, the concept of having to go through "the talk" with your parents has always had a negative connotation. Along with its predicted awkwardness, "the talk" provides a whole new look at the world and that people aren't just delivered to their parents by bird. The whole aspect of this talk is that it is the same for everyone; or so I originally thought.
     The rhetorical device most prevalent in this cartoon is juxtaposition. Every child, no matter their race, should receive the same talk as we are all created the same way, but this cartoon dictates otherwise. The white dad is telling his son the classic talk about how we are created, but the black dad is telling his son about guns and the corrupt United States justice system. This is a rather interesting comparison as "the talk" is the first introduction of really growing up. It is giving a glimpse into the world of creation, and trying to make a positive experience. As a white son is introduced to this part of the world, a black son is introduced to the very negative and upsetting aspect of our world. This cartoon compares the two races and juxtaposes the two ideas about the different kinds of worlds that we all live in. It also brings a fairly sad tone into the idea of growing up as it reflects recent events in the US. Children have to grow up thinking that who they are on the outside defines the person that they are on the outside. People will constantly judge them based on their race, and there are many situations where they will sadly have no opportunity to prove themselves to a large group in our society.
     I believe the purpose of this cartoon is to show how much our society has impacted our daily lives. "The talk" is such a normal event in a child's life, and it should definitely be the same for everyone But, because of judgement and prejudices, an innocent child can grow up thinking that they are not enough and that a difficult life awaits them. I definitely believe what the author is trying to say. I have not had any kind of personal experience with a talk like this, so I cannot understand this cartoon as well, but I believe the author knows this. I don't believe that this is directed toward black Americans as they have undergone this oppression for a long time. Overall, I really appreciate this cartoon as I can now have a little bit more of an understanding of what people may go through.

TOW #14: You Don't Need More Free Time

     The weekend is always a time that is looked forward to - a break from the daily grind leading to possible moments of full relaxation. These two special days offer free time, a concept that is often foreign to busy and employed adults. An article titled "You Don't Need More Free Time" describes that the weekend is not only looked forward to because of the free time. In fact, the atmosphere of a weekend could technically be placed at any time of the week. The reason why the weekend is so enjoyable is because it gives an opportunity to have free time with others as friends and family are usually off from work as well.
     An important aspect of this argument piece is that it possesses a counter-argument. Someone would easily be able to ask the question focusing on the point that the author, Cristobal Young, made as she stated that the weekend can be at any time of the week. Isn't asking for a day off during the week the same as having the weekend? Technically, you're not working. Actually, no because the entire appeal of the weekend is that other people are available. She presents a lot of examples of the appeal to logos as she often says phrases such as "according to our research" and "our research suggests." She is making kind of a bold statement. The whole idea of hard-working tax-payers believing that they deserve two days off is a huge concept in America. Weekends are the time when people hang out with friends, complete household chores, catch up on any unfinished work, and relax. It is essential for a person to have that time to decompress which is why is argument works. Her conclusions are logical and can relate to any person as she also refers to unemployed adults.
     Her purpose was to show that free time is important, but the any that you spend that time is essential. I could completely relate to what has he was saying, even though it can be argued that having a job and supporting a family is more stressful than going to school everyday.