AOW #8: Editorial

Summary- This editorial was about the recent protests against Wall Street.  It explains what these protestors are fighting against, the inequality of taxpayers and the top 1% of Americans in our economy.  The writer's opinion is that these protestors are right on with their fight, and that the Wall Street financiers were not always much wealthier than the rest of Americans and should not be this wealthy.  He thinks of it as unjust, because recently taxpayers have had to bail out the financial industry.
Source/Author- This editorial was printed in the New York Times on October 29.  It was written by Eduardo Porter.  I would consider this editorial very credible because it was published in a well read newspaper.  It was also credible because he included factual reports and charts to back up his argument.
Context- The context of this article is the richest 10% percent of Americans, and their affect of the rest of Americans.  The exigence was the recent protests which have occurred across the country against Wall Street
Purpose- The purpose was to convince a reader whom may doubt the purpose of the Wall Street protest that they are completely purposeful.  I think that Porter accomplished this because he included many facts to back up his argument to prove to anyone who would disagree.
Audience- Readers of the New York Times.
Rhetorical Elements- This editorial included majorly appeals to logos.  While the author could have written this article emotionally, complaining about how unfair it is that a small proportion of Americans are richer than most Americans (including himself), he uses factual arguments.  He includes Wall Street's affect on America as a whole, and backs up his opinion with data and past events.  It made his argument much more affective.

 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/opinion/sunday/wall-street-protesters-hit-the-bulls-eye.html?_r=1&ref=editorials

AOW #7: Political Cartoon

Summary: This cartoon shows elephant dressed as robbers presenting their leader with Obama's stolen teleprompter which presents a negative message about the republican party.  The top states "News Item: Obama's Teleprompter stolen" that explains the context of this cartoon.
Author: Clay Jones drew this cartoon for Creators Syndicate, an independent distributer for comic strips and syndicate columns for newspapers.  Creators Syndicate is the second major syndicate for the country and has won more Pulitzer Prizes than any other.  Clay Jones creates cartoons for over 400 newspapers across the country, and has been printed in USA Today, New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Newsweek, and Time Magazine.
Context: The context of this cartoon is the event that President Obama's teleprompter was stolen.  The exigence is that this was a recent event, and who stole it is still unknown, so the author is playing off that idea.
Purpose: The purpose of this cartoon was to create humor of who stole President Obama's teleprompter.  He blames the republicans for the theft.  I would say that the author accomplished this purpose because a reader clearly understands the references he is making and the humor he is trying to make out of the situation.
Audience: The audience is anyone who reads local newspapers which this cartoon was put into.
Rhetorical Elements:
Allusion- the elephants as members of the republican political party
Memory- reader memory of what robbers dress like and memory of the recent theft of President Obama's teleprompter
Juxtaposition- comparison of stealing tires and stealing the teleprompter to make a point

AOW #6: Photograph

http://www.3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2011/09/the-meaning-of-911s-most-controversial-photo.html

Summary: This photograph shows a group of New Yorkers casually sitting in the sun and talking in a park in Brooklyn.  In the background is water and New York City, with a cloud of black smoke rising above it from the twin towers.  The picture was taken on September 11, 2011, a day which is associated with words like terror, horror, and tragedy.  However, the people shown in the picture look carefree as the black smoke rises behind them.
Photographer: Thomas Hoepker is a German photographer and member of Magnum photos.  He has been a photojournalist for Stern magazine, director of photography for American Geo, and has also worked as a cameraman for German documentaries.  He documented much of the World Trade Center destruction.
Context: The context of this picture is the event of 9/11, which was considered a tragedy by all who witnessed or heard of it.
Exigence: While many other pictures of destruction and sadness were put in Hoepker's book for Magnum of 9/11, this photograph was not until years later.  This started controversy that it did not present the event in the correct light, that these Americans did not learn a lesson that 9/11 was a tragedy, and that people moved on too quickly.
Purpose: I believe that the purpose of this picture was to present 9/11 in a different way, because mostly all the images that we see of it are of pain and suffering.  I think it is to show irony, because the people in the picture are not suffering or considering how terrible the attacks were.  I think that the photographer did accomplish this, because most people have never seen a lighter side of this event.
Audience: At first Hoepker did not want to have the public see this photo and did not put it in his book of photographs from 9/11, it was not until years later that he allowed the public to see it.
Rhetorical Elements: This photograph is very ironic, because you would not expect people to be carefree after experiencing the terrorist attacks.  It also appeals to pathos and ethos, because people associate so much emotion to 9/11 and it makes one question how could these people have been happy and relaxed.  The image almost seems unreal.

Argument Prompt

Jess Kleman and Danielle Baglivo

"There is a certain distancing that history gives us from certain kinds of artifacts.  If you had called me and said these books and said these are from Nazi Germany, I would have a very different response."

Consider the quotation above, then write an essay that defends, challenges, or qualifies this assertion.  Support your argument with appropriate evidence from your reading, observation, or experience.

Unit 1- Essential Question Reflection

Speakers and writers use Rhetorical devices to communicate their ideas.  While there are many different techniques and devices they use, their main purpose is to get an audience's attention and to give them an understand of what point they are trying to get across.  Often, speeches and text are meant to be persuasive, in which case a Rhetor may use appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos to get an audience to agree with their opinion.  They can also convince an audience by their tone, arrangement, and the words they use depending on the context.  Different Rhetorical devices are required for various subjects and context.  A Rhetor will use them according to what idea they need to communicate to others.

Unit 1- Assignment Question Reflection

So far, I think that the entire process for the Tim O'Brien and Picasso essay were the most helpful to me.  I chose this because it was much like assignments I would do in previous language arts courses, but took it to the next level.  I have been used to finding examples to support a thesis about text, but I have never had to analyze an image as well.  I thought it was very interesting how Guernica tied into How to Tell a True War Story.  I also have never had to rhetorically analyze anything like we did in this assignment, however I think that it is an important skill that will help me on SAT's and in college.  I am motivated to try to better myself at writing essays such as this one.

Independent Reading #1

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
By Rebecca Skloot

Biography: Rebecca Skloot is the daughter of Floyd Skloot, who is famous for writing poems, novels, and essays.  She has a BS in biological sciences and MFA in creative writing.  Skloot is an award winning science writer who has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Oprah Magazine, Discover, and many other publications.

Summary: The first section of this book is about Henrietta's background living in Maryland in the early 1900's.  When she was about 30, she went to the John Hopkins Hospital, where doctors discovered that she had an very aggressive form of cervical cancer.   Without her knowing, they harvested a sample of the cells to study.  As she struggled to fight the cancer spreading throughout her body, her cells collected by doctors were multiplying so that research could be done.  Many of those who researched her cells believed that the cure for cancer could finally be reached.  Skloot then talked about Henrietta's family, who for a long time were unaware that her cell's were being used for research around the world.  They had been taken advantage of by doctors for cooperation who knew they were unaware of what was going on.  

Context/Exigence: This book's context is the overall facts about HeLa cells.  Skloot takes neither side, but explains both advances in cell research because of Henrietta's cancer cells and the controversy of how doctors did not have her consent to take the cells.  The exigence of this story is that most people are unaware of where HeLa cells which save lives today came from, and how they really were not legally allowed to possessed by doctors.  

Purpose: Skloot's purpose is not to argue either the doctor's or Henrietta's side, but to state the facts of what happened and how HeLa cells were obtained.  

Audience: This book was written for advanced readers who have some understanding of medical terms and law.

Rhetorical Elements:  This first section mostly appeals to logos, because it is only the first part of the book presenting the background and facts.  It does get a little emotional, because it makes the reader respond to the facts by picking either side.  However, Skloot focuses on what happened and who was affected by Henrietta Lacks for this first section.

I think that Skloot accomplished her purpose to educate readers on the HeLa cells because prior to the book I had no idea what they were, and I now feel like I have a much better understanding of them and could explain what the book described to someone else who had no background knowledge.

AOW #4 Video

Summary: This video was about the threat that earth has of being hit by an asteroid from outer-space.  While the media makes it seem likely that apocalyptic asteroids, the chance that our earth will experience any severe asteroid hit is very small.  Scientists have studied the movement of many large and small asteroids and do not believe that any are on their way towards earth in the next century.  Even if their were, there are ways which its path towards our planet can be diverted.  However, there is a chance that some could be hiding behind the sun in which case we would have only about a month's notice and no defense plan.
Author: This video was based off of an article written by Tad Friend for The New Yorker magazine.  He has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1998. Before working for this magazine, Friend was a contributing editor at many other publications, including Esquire. He also wrote a memoir called  

Cheerful Money: Me, My Family, and the Last Days of Wasp Splendor.  The New Yorker is currently published 47 times a year, and has won many awards, including three 2010 National Magazine Awards for Public Interest, Reviews & Criticism, and Photo Portfolio.    

Context/Exigence: The context of this video is addressing the fear people have towards asteroids hitting our planet.  It has been popularized by movies such as Armageddon and Deep Impact. With events such as the apocalypse in 2012 coming up, it would help to ease people's thoughts of our world ending from an asteroid hit.

Purpose: The purpose of this video was to explain to people what asteroids are and how they move in space.  It was also to explain what we are doing on earth to help prevent these massive rocks from hitting us so that people do not have to worry about it ever happening.  I think that the author accomplished his purpose because I have much less of a fear that an asteroid will kill us all.

Audience: The audience is whoever has read The New Yorker or has an interest in asteroids and space.

Rhetorical Elements: Friend uses a large amount of logos in this video about asteroids.  He explains what scientists know about asteroids and factual reasons of why the chance earth will be hit by one is not likely.  He also shows the ways that humans can prevent them from hitting the planet in a few ways. 

http://www.newyorker.com/video