TOW #14(Article): "The Interview"

           Currently in the United States, there have been many problems with the making of the movie "The Interview". The dictator, Kim Jong II, was threatening to send missiles to the U.S. if they released the movie because of the way it portrays him as a leader. In a recent CNN article, author Josh Levs, uses statistics and an appeal to ethos to inform the current citizens of the U.S. of what is going on. Starting with statistics, Levs uses a unique approach to laying out the facts. He first introduces a bit of background information, then the statistics, then explains how it shows the terrible side of Kim Jong II. By using the statistic as a way to show a biased side, Levs is not only furthering his purpose, but changing the people's perspective to be pro-U.S. (if they weren't already). He writes, " The DPRK has already launched the toughest counteraction. Nothing is more serious miscalculation than guessing that just a single movie production company is the target of this counteraction. Our target is all the citadels of the U.S. imperialists who earned the bitterest grudge of all Koreans" (Levs 1). He shows how the U.S. is handling the problem furthering evidence against North Korea and their terrible deeds. With this, Levs also uses an appeal to ethos. Throughout his paper, he mentions quotes from President Obama and other significant figures to exemplify the magnitude of this problem, and the ways in which it is being solved. He states that Obama calls this situation "an act of cybervandalism", which shows the people how serious this threat is being taken. In fact, they canceled the release of the movie and are guarding the people involved with the movie to make sure nobody gets hurt. This articles shows the measures being taken to stop this threat immediately.

TOW Post #13 (Visual): The New America

  While many may be confused as to why this photo is worthy to be talked about, I find the photo to inspire a change in people's perspective. Recently, many states have been passing laws allowing same sex couples to get married. While many who support the movement or are a part of it celebrate, others despise the thought of this as it is seen as "wrong" or "not appropriate".  However, I feel this photo, due to its style, purpose, and connection to the U.S., rebuttals all of that. Starting with style, the unique combination of love and a soldier, which invoke pathos, gives a respectful vibe to the overall picture. As a human, I have instant respect for someone in the military. They have to endure the pain of war, missing their loved ones, and suffrage all to protect us and make sure no harm comes our way. There is no doubt that most people find such motivation, strength, and respectable qualities in a soldier. Therefore, depicting a topic that is so controversial with something that gives automatic respect begs the question, "why do we make it such a big deal?" Someone who fights for our country and has more bravery than anyone sitting at home making negative comments towards the gay community is enough evidence that being gay is not a bad thing at all. Also, if that isn't enough to convince the audience, the kissing adds an extra "aw" from the public. The added emphasis of love between the two women provoke others to reevaluate their opinion. Plus, the audience is able to understand the difficulty that comes with maintaining a relationship while one person is overseas most of the time. The public doesn't necessarily have to go through that same experience, but they are capable of grasping the pain one can endure. Ultimately, the photograph is effective in inspiring a change in the negative commentary towards the gay community.

TOW #12 (IRB): Bossypants by Tina Fey

   In everyday life, only a few of us see things through a humorous lens. Most of us go about our day in the most simplistic, and least boring way possible. However, for Tina Fey, life was always seen as a series of humorous stories which she has wrote about in her book Bossypants. Throughout the first half of the book, Tina Fey uses a combination of humor and personal anecdotes to tell her life story from the beginning to now. Sprinkled throughout the book, narratives are used quite effectively by Tina as each one illustrates a life lesson that has turned her into the women she is today. In the third chapter, she talks about the struggle she had with growing up in the seventies by mentioning how "when [she] was thirteen [she] spent a weekend at the beach in Wildwood, New Jersey, with [her] teenage cousins Janet and Lori. In the space of thirty-six hours, they taught [her] everything [she] knows about womanhood" (17).  As a child, Tina Fey, having been through that stage, understands body image issues that develop in teens. By her use of personal anecdotes, Fey is able to not only relate to the readers, but also shows them how to take care of a situation like that. In that specific chapter, Fey shows girls that being comfortable in your own skin is the new chic. This adds to her purpose of writing because it shows that even celebrities have gone through the usual self-esteem issues. She is showing herself and that change she has undergone from her childhood to present day.  Along with narratives, Fey's main strategy is humor. She has the readers laughing page after page with the funny filled content that is her life. She adds a certain spark to her stories that keeps the readers wanting to read it more. With the use of humor, Tina Fey is able to keep the audience intrigued without overdoing the funny elements in the story