TOW Post #10 (Article): ISIS Terrorists Strike Again

   Over the past few months, the United States has had many encounters with a terrorist group in Syria known as the ISIS. The first occurrence happened in August as this group was able to kidnap an American journalist. After torturing the innocent man, the terrorists went on to behead him on camera and send the video to the United States government. This same instance has happened again with an aid worker and soldier named Peter Kassig. The ISIS group has struck again by beheading yet another innocent man in Syria. In the article, author Mariano Castillo writes about the remembrance of Peter and future actions taken by the government by appealing to pathos and using an informative tone. Towards the beginning of the article, Castillo writes about the heartbreak experienced by Peter's friends and families. He goes on to say how the family has "asked for prayers for the safe return of other captives" (24). By including this quote by the family, Castillo is pulling at the heartstrings of Americans. He is emphasizing the fact that this is occurring over and over again. The goal of this is to get the Americans against the terrorist group as well. Maybe having the public know the extreme measures of this event can cause for some persuasion towards the government in taking action. Another strategy used by Castillo is his use of an informative tone to help explain to the audience what exactly is going on. He states, "ISIL is another term for the group ISIS, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, which calls itself simply the Islamic State" (50). Including key information such as where this is happening and the group responsible, Castillo is able to provide the public with general information. Obviously, most of the stuff is classified, but Castillo still wants the public to have an overall awareness of what is happening. The reason for this is that this can help build a big enough protest against the ISIS for some military action to occur, and the public knows what international incidents are occurring regarding normal American civilians. 

TOW Post #9 (Visual): Day of the Dead

  Recently, the holiday El Dia de Los Muertos, the day of the dead, was celebrated throughout most Spanish-speaking countries. The meaning behind this holiday is to celebrate the lost loved ones who have unfortunately died. However, this holiday is viewed as a celebration; mourning and sadness is actually very offensive to the holiday's meaning. In the above picture, the photographer (unknown but picture was found on CNN) captures the simplistic yet meaningful celebration going on in Spain. The picture gives a tone-down effect to the audience while still maintaining the importance of celebrating the holiday. One of the strategies that allows the audience to feel this way is the simplistic viewpoint. In reality, this is a picture of a very hilly area in Spain with many alters and small establishments created throughout the area. Knowing how simply these people are celebrating while still cherishing their loved ones provides a new perspective for the audience. We are able to see how holidays really aren't all about the expensive décor or fancy events; a holiday can be celebrated simply by the basics. Another strategy that is effective in giving the tone-down effect is the use of small details. With a short glance, the photo looks pretty neutral, as far as colors go. However, the added pop of blue from the stands and yellow from the signs bring the whole picture together. The small addition of vibrant colors definitely helps to make the picture more alive rather than boring. The photographer used the details of the scene with the casual celebration of the holiday to create a piece in which the audience is able to see how simplistic a celebration can be. Looking at other photos from the celebration of El Dia de Los Muertos, they are definitely more towards the flashy décor side. Most of the pictures don't focus on anything serene or calm; it's all decorations, fireworks, gifts, etc. Therefore, aside from giving off such a tone-down effect, the picture also offers a different viewpoint on how the holiday is celebrated and enjoyed.

IRB Intro Post #2

In the second marking period, I will be reading Bossypants by Tina Fey. It is a humorous book that covers Tina Fey's life, starting from her childhood to her success.

TOW #8 Post (IRB): Blink Pt. 2

In the book Blink, towards the end, Malcolm Gladwell, the author, starts to focus on the idea of judgement. He mainly focuses on the brain's method and reactions, and ties that to the reason humans judge. In the chapter, "Seven Seconds in the Bronx", Gladwell uses organization and classification as two of his main strategies to get his purpose across. First, Gladwell sets up the chapter in a very neat way. He talks generally about the topic then starts to list his reasoning using numbers (ex. 1.). Here is where classification now plays a part. Gladwell, then, classifies the rules into categories and explains how each category affects our reasoning behind judging others. Malcolm goes on to say how "the most common -- and the most important -- forms of rapid cognition are the judgements we make and the impressions we form of other people" (Gladwell 194). His usage of classification helps the reader connect all his ideas together. He is breaking down this vast idea of rapid cognition into categories, one being judgement. This strategy allows the reader to understand each individual reason, and connect them back to the big picture: why our brain does what it does and works the way it works. This method is very effective when writing because the reader is aware of the purpose since everything connects back to it. Another effective strategy used mostly towards the end of the book is real- world examples. When categorizing the big ideas, Malcolm would give specific examples to help break it down. For example, when explaining how easily we judge someone, Gladwell says, "when we meet someone new, we often pick up on subtle signals, so that afterward, even though he or she may have talked in a normal and friendly manner, we may say, I don't think he liked me" (Gladwell 194). This method is helpful because it helps the reader understand Malcolm in a perspective they are used to; they understand where he is coming from and what he is saying. Ultimately, the usage of classification, organization, and real world examples really help Gladwell to sell his purpose of informing people the wonders of our brain.

Tow #7 Post (Article): Shouting Ebola on a Plane?

The worldwide panic of Ebola has many people fearing and others scheming. This week, there was a dramatic scene that took place on a flight heading to the United States from the Dominican Republic. A passenger claimed to have Ebola while coughing vigorously in his seat. What could have been a practical joke turned into a two hour session of quarantine on the tarmac, or runway. Passengers were not only complaining about the annoying delay, but were frustrated with the man who's non-humorous joke landed them in that situation. He was escorted off the plane, and was in very serious trouble. In this CNN article, the author, Katia Hetter, uses diction with strong, negative connotation to inform the general public of the serious consequences that come with lying about this disease. In her opening paragraph, Hetter states, "while these agitators are finding zero tolerance for that kind of speech, people's daily lives and travels are being disrupted by the fear and panic surrounding the virus" (Hetter 1). Using the word "agitators" to describe the people orchestrating these jokes shows her sense of disgust, and annoyance. Later on, she also refers to them as "tricksters, hucksters and attention hogs", which also helps to portray her sense of annoyance. By using diction with such negative connotation, Hetter is able to illustrate her mood towards what happened on this flight, which helps to achieve her purpose. She is using her mood as a way to show that joking about such a serious topic is a disturbance that will not be tolerated. She goes on to say how the man was removed from the flight. Instead of using "asked to leave", Hetter uses removed to put emphasize on how it wasn't a choice, and to, again, use the negative connotation of the word to express the man's actions. Because of his failed attempt at being funny, he is being punished. Katia's usage of mood and diction help to really sell her purpose of not treating Ebola as a joke. 

TOW #6 Post (Article): Ebola Outbreak

     In a recent article by CNN, there has been talk about yet another victim, a nurse, who tested positive for Ebola. The woman is the second person inside the United States to get the virus, so citizens have been having panic attacks about how much longer this outbreak could last. The nurse supposedly got contaminated by the virus during her "extensive contact" at a Dallas hospital with a patient who tested positive for the virus. This marks the first known transmission of Ebola in the United States, and the third diagnosis in the country. Other staff members and the CDC are confused about one detail during her contact with the patient: where she went wrong. The woman had on a mask, gloves, and numerous shields to protect her from any contamination. The main concern with this new outbreak is the fact that the virus was caught by a simple preach of protocol. Even the President stated that he "wants federal authorities to immediately take further measures to ensure health care professionals are able to follow protocols for treating Ebola patients" (CNN 1). Also, this worries the public even more because if simple protocol is being broken, then the faster this deadly virus will spread. The main purpose of this article was to definitely warn the public, the intended audience, of the recent outbreaks, and to let them know that they need to be extra cautious. At a time where nurses, who are trained to deal with these kinds of events, are getting the virus, extra procedure needs to be taken. One of the strategies the author, Elizabeth Cohen, uses to communicate her purpose is a very serious tone. She mentions things like "The World Organization estimates more than 8,300 people have contracted Ebola during this year's outbreak" (CNN 1). This appeal to not only tone, but logos. By using logos to appeal to her serious tone, Elizabeth is able to explain to the public the cold hard facts about the virus. People need to be more careful everyday or else more outbreaks could happen causing an even greater risk of getting Ebola. With these two strategies, quotes by the President to represent ethos, and numerous case studies, Cohen is able to communicate her purpose to her audience, the general public, of the new outbreaks of Ebola, and to approach everyday situations cautiously and calmly. 

TOW #5 Post (Visual): Sotomayor

               In today's news, there are many articles dedicated to Justice Sotomayor, an associate justice of the Supreme Court. The articles are covering all sorts of topics including how race is the most important issue to her, how being a minority is the reason for her votes during 2009, and other subjects that are along the same lines. Then, I came along this political cartoon that has grasped the attention of many. The author, written in a blurry manner on the side of the cartoon, was able to include everyone's views on this matter in one picture. The cartoon displays, what I saw as, Barack Obama on the left saying that he throughly checked Sotomayor's background before he picked her to be on the Supreme Court. On the right, is his checklist for Sotomayor, and it only includes four points of qualifications that are seen as the biggest debates when it comes to politics. The viewers, people interested in the news and information about Sotomayor, mostly agreed with the political cartoon saying that the picture represents everything that shouldn't be present in a judge on the Supreme Court. The viewers do sound racist, but Sotomayor did publicly state that race is a huge matter to her. To Americans, it sounds like she has some sort of safe zone for people of color, which is frankly a little scary because she does hold a lot of power. However, as a woman of race, I don't feel threatened by Sotomayor's outburst on people of color. Now, people could argue I am coming from a biased side, but I don't think that an intellectual woman could make such a poor decision. I think that all she meant by it was that race matters to her, but not the extent people are thinking. As a woman of color, nobody expects her to act aggressively to others in her situation, but with her education and skills, she does not seem like the type to favor others.  Ultimately, the purpose of this cartoon was to portray the different viewpoints of Sotomayor and her recent statement of race mattering to her.