TOW #6: Global Warming Visual Text

          Global warming as become a worldwide phenomenon that has been labelled on both ends of the spectrum: as a myth and as scientific fact. Usually, an advertisement based on global warming uses a polar bear that is sitting on the top of a sheet of ice that has melted to the point where it can barely hold the bear. Although this can be heart-breaking at first glance, it has been used so often that it no longer has the same effect. A reason why this advertisement is so effective is because it shows an everyday scene. Unfortunately, when walking through an urban area, it is not uncommon to come across a homeless person sleeping on a bench. It has a greater effect because it is realistic and the animal on the bench is innocent.
     This advertisement appeals to pathos significantly because the audience sees the innocent animal and realizes that they (human race) are the ones that are the reason for this animal's suffering. Also, it is a extremely sad scene because the animal looks out of place and the colors are dark with the beat up bench along with the black graffiti. Also, this advertisement is definitely credible. On the bottom, it has a logo of a panda that says "WWF" which stands for the World Wide Fund for Nature and the advertisement provides a website that the audience can go to for more information. If this came from a random group that is protesting against global warming, I would not have trusted it. Their purpose would have been more along the lines of gaining followers and also funds for their protest. When it comes from a source that is known worldwide, it makes the advertisement a lot more trustworthy.
     The purpose of this advertisement is to make people aware and to create a change in their lives. On the bottom, the advertisement provides an incredibly easy solution which is to turn off your electronics whenever they are not in use. The author uses the appeal to ethos and pathos in order to simply change the minds of the audience.

TOW #5: The Minimum Wage - How Much Is Too Much?

     The federal minimum wage has been a topic surrounded by controversy for years, and ever since the change to $7.25 in 2009, Democratic politicians have been fighting for a change. Alan Krueger, an economist and writer for the New York Times, argued that although the increase of the federal minimum wage can be helpful, increasing the minimum wage too much can have harsh consequences. The topic of the minimum wage requirements is not an easy one to understand, especially if the reader is not involved in politics. An aspect of this article that is unique is how simple it is to understand Krueger's message. He adjusts the subject of his article to accommodate various audiences such as parents with teenagers, adult minimum wage workers, business owners, and the average American.
     Kruger effectively conveys his opinion by using ethos, diction and research in order to convince the reader to disagree with the proposed $15.00 minimum wage. Krueger uses ethos by referencing various politicians' opinions that he agrees with and includes that their opinions are "supported by President Obama and Hillary Clinton." No matter the opinion of the reader based on Obama and Clinton, the appeal to ethos is still present because these two people are extremely powerful in America. Also, Krueger changes from formal to informal diction that makes this article a lot more entertaining. Politics can often be described as a rather mundane topic, but Krueger effectively makes what he is saying more interesting to the reader because he does not use highly sophisticated vocabulary. This is more likely to encourage someone to read his article. Lastly, he includes a lot of research which supports his argument. He states that he has been studying "minimum wage for 25 years," so he knows many aspects of this issue. The reader is much more likely to trust him because of his knowledge and education.
     In conclusion, Krueger proved his argument and achieved his purpose by creating trust through reliable sources and making this loaded, political argument a lighter subject.

TOW #4: Eat, Pray, Love (IRB)

     Some might say that traveling around the world following a divorce may seem a little extreme, but in order for Liz Gilbert to keep her sanity, she felt she had to visit the 3 countries on her bucket list: Italy, India, and Indonesia. In Elizabeth Gilbert's "Eat, Pray, Love," Liz tells the story of her life as she sets aside one year, for the first time in her life, to enjoy some well deserved "me time."
     Although her story could be directed to people who may have been in the same situation as her, I believe that many people could find enjoyment through her work. There is a message in this book of taking care of yourself and always striving to be your best that can relate to everyone.  I cannot tell if she achieved her purpose because I have not read about her time in Indonesia, but based on how much I have read, I believe that she will by the time that I reach the conclusion of her narrative.
     An important aspect of her writing is her humor. Her story, in the beginning, is filled with depression and loss, but she lightens up the topic by stating that depression is "always the wise guy" and that loneliness is "the more sensitive cop" (Gilbert 47). If her story was filled with such sorrow and sadness, I would not find it as interesting. An important rhetorical strategy that is used by her often is also her ethos. As stated before, the beginning of her story is not a positive one, but she never hesitates to include personal details. She described a time of her life when she "was hiding in the bathroom for something like the forty seventh night... sobbing so hard that a great lake of tears was spreading on the bathroom tiles" (Gilbert 10). This is an aspect of her writing that I enjoy because it expands her credibility. She set out to write a book about her experiences, and she is not afraid to share everything which creates a sense of trust between her and her readers.

TOW #3: Smoking Visual Text

The advertisement that I analyzed by Health Canada not only shows the deformities that smoking can bring, but also sheds light on the importance of not smoking. Health Canada is a department in the Canadian government that is responsible for national public health. Not only does this appeal to ethos, but shows the reader how important this issue is that the government is paying attention to it. The image of teens has become an evident social issue which is what this advertisement is referring to. It appeals to pathos because the appearance of young people, especially teen girls, "hits home" for everyone. In our society, your appearance, unfortunately, can decide who you are and who you spend time with. This image makes the girl have very undesirable facial features which, according to society standards, makes her very unattractive.
Even though smoking can seem like an enticing activity for some people, this advertisement is strictly to show viewers how much damage a cigarette can do. This is an effective advertisement because the viewer can see themselves in this advertisement. They can imagine themselves with the same face that the girl is wearing and immediately their mind can be changed which also describes the appeal to pathos.
This advertisement also provides a number to contact if the viewer is in need of help, but it also provides a little inspirational quote saying, "You have the will. There is a way." This can make the viewer feel confident and more motivated to change their life which is yet another example of the appeal to pathos. Originally, the viewer could feel rather weak because of their addiction, but this provides hope which is another reason why this is effective. There are many advertisements that revolve around smoking, but this separates itself from others because of its audience. A lot of the advertisements share statistics, but that cannot be as effective with young people because that does not seem as important as an actual image of the impact of smoking.

TOW #2: They All Just Went Away

The essay that I chose to read this week is titled They All Just Went Away by Joyce Carol Oates. In this essay, Oates describes the characteristics of a house and then proceeds to explain how "the house anticipates the home and will very likely survive it... for only where there is life can there be home" (Oates 554). She introduces her home to be "a happy, close-knit, and unextraordinary family" (Oates 555) and continues to describe the Wiedel family: a family with a drunk father who consistently abuses his six children and a mother who consistently stands up for her husband, even though she receives the same treatment. She is telling the story of her growing up next to this family and how it has impacted her up to this day.
This essay really is not about sharing her life and telling the story of the dysfunctional family that she lived alongside of because her audience really isn't toward people who want a story. Her entire essay is really a metaphor for the world. There are very unequal opportunities all around the world with certain people having more freedoms than others. She describes one family that has parents that are both loving and work where the children are happy. Then, she describes one family that has drunk parents who don't really work and have children that are growing up in a horrible environment. This, unfortunately, is the case all around the world. After the family is separated when the father goes to jail, Oates sees one of the Wiedel daughters in school many years later. The daughter is more mature than Oates and expresses very adult-like behavior. This opens up Oates's eyes.
Her audience is able to relate to her because everyone has a place that they can call home. She describes what value a home has and how it shapes you as a person. I believe that she definitely was able to achieve her purpose because of her example with the Wiedel daughter. Their homes were completely opposite and that has forever changed the both of them.

TOW #1 - The Way They Were

The article that I decided to read for this week is titled The Way They Were that was posted on The New York Times website. The author, Gabrielle Selz, tells the story of her mother passing away and her father preparing for his literal grave. Selz explains that her "parents each took an approach to the end of life that was indicative of the way they lived their lives." Her mother, being a shy and rather reserved woman, passed away gracefully after a long battle with amnesia. Her father, being "vibrant and ambitious," led an enthusiastic life and continued to do so as he coped with the idea of death. Something that is important to note is that Selz's thoughtful and calm tone remains constant throughout the entire article. At one point, she mentions that her "father [had] been obsessively preparing for his demise for the last 25 years" which is almost kind of joke that she thought that her father was going a little bit over-board. In contrast to this, she mentions that her father was "a force of nature continually hurtling forward" and that he "needed to control and plan even for the time when he would no longer be among [them]." By saying this, I interpreted this as saying that Selz is thankful for his dedication this "end of his life" project. She may have almost made fun of him for being obsessed with it, but deep down, I believe that this really helped her cope with her father's death. Keeping her tone constant while changing what she is saying is what makes Selz a talented author. She can make a serious article more of a joy to read without taking away from its meaning. Her purpose could have been to tell anyone about her story of her parents passing away, but I believe that she directed this toward people who are facing a situation where someone that they care about is soon to pass away. This sheds light on the her opinion that death does not necessarily have to be a bad thing and that preparing for the actual death is not something to be scared about. It is a sad time in a person's life to see someone die; however, Selz effectively explains that it is all up to how the person who is dying is handling it. 

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/09/02/the-way-they-were/?_r=0 

IRB Intro Post #1

The book that I decided to read this marking period is titled Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. This book is about the author when she traveled to Italy, India and Indonesia to climb herself out of depression. Traveling is a hobby that I am interested in, so I am looking forward to reading Gilbert's experiences in different countries. I have been recommended this book quite a few times, but I figured that now is the perfect opportunity to read it.