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.