IRB Intro Post #3

For my third IRB book I will be reading Picking Cotton by Jennifier Thompson. The book is about Jennifier's mistake in picking the wrong suspect in a rape crime.

TOW #16 Post (IRB Pt. 2): Bossypants by Tina Fey

  As I continued to read Bossypants by Tina Fey, I saw that a reoccurring strategy was her sense of humor. After all, she is famous for her funny scripts and comedic personality. Throughout the second half of the novel, this strategy was shown vividly in her writing. Tina Fey uses a combination of humor to tell her life story from the beginning to now. Sprinkled throughout the book, humor is used quite effectively by Tina as each one illustrates a life lesson that has turned her into the women she is today. For example, in one of her chapters, she stated, “Some people say, “Never let them see you cry.” I say, if you’re so mad you could just cry, then cry. It terrifies everyone.” With this use of humor, Tina Fey is able to keep the audience intrigued without overdoing the funny elements in the story. Also, she is informing the audience of certain life experiences she has had. She is connecting with them by providing insight on what she thinks is important. With this use of pathos, Fey is able to portray her true purpose: providing necessary life information for the good of her fans. She wants to let people know how she got to where she is, the lessons she has learned, and what she saw as the most important events. With this type of author-reader connection, the book is able to much more than a nonfiction life story; it's a journey explaining the bumps in life and the fascinating truths. Ultimately, this book is a great read especially to those who are infatuated with Tina Fey, like me. Her writing is so heartfelt and laughable that it feels like you were experiencing her life as a background character. Overall, Tina Fey successfully accomplishes her purpose of writing for the audience in a way that shows her experiences in life, and how she got over the tough times. I truly cannot wait for another one of her books to come out. 

TOW #15 (Article): "Hands Up Don't Shoot"

    With the recent events that have taken place in Ferguson, there have been many protests where people raise their hands and say "don't shoot" in front of police officers. The background behind this saying has to do with the shooting of Mike Brown. According to CNN, the forensic pathologist on Mike Brown's case found a bullet that passed through Brown's forearm, shattering parts of his bones and leaving a gaping exit wound. People hoped this would explain the question: "Were his arms raised in surrender when Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson shot him, as some witnesses said? Or would the evidence corroborate Wilson's version of events: that Brown charged him with his left hand balled in a fist and his right in the waistband of his shorts, even as the officer ordered him to stop?" (CNN). After the grand jury found Wilson not guilty, this phrase started to mean something. It symbolizes the unjust and corruptness found in today's system. In fact, when a group of police officers were walking into a Mexican restaurant, an employee raised his hands in an apparent protest of the police; the officers soon left. Jane Rhodes, head of African American Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago stated, "It's a universal symbol of surrender. It's also a very simple gesture, and that's part of what makes something resonate" (CNN). The article posted by CNN informs the public of how protesting is still going on, and how symbolic and nonviolent the saying is. As noted by several news sources, right after the conviction was heard, a lot of violence was going on, which threatened the lives of many officers. However, this saying allows people to stand up for what they believe in without any violence involved. It shows just how moving this movement is turning out to be due to its symbolic meaning of equal rights for all races. 

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

TOW Post #11 (Article): The Change of Nutrition

            Over the years, America's industries have all undergone incredible change. From producing organic foods to trying to find the cheapest methods to feed cattle, the American food industry is very different from what is was fifty years ago. This article talks about how those changes are resulting in a worser nutrition and health for the younger generations. With the use of humor and statistics, Jill Ettinger is able to show how much food industries have changed. Throughout the essay, Ettinger uses humor. Starting off with the introduction, Ettinger states how grandparents say that "all they had to eat was a plate full of boiled muttons" (1). While this is proven to be a mere exaggeration, it adds a flare to the overall piece. The audience is able to get a laugh out of just the thought of eating boiled muttons. Humor plays a huge effect to the article as it takes such a serious topic and allows it to be seen as more relaxed while still being something that needs to be discussed. Along with humor, the author uses statistics as another strategy to show the undergoing change in food industries. Throughout the article, Ettinger brings up statistics as a way to back up her claim. She states, "more than 100 billion animals (not including fish) will be eating genetically modified feed before being slaughtered" (3). This fact makes her claim about the change in animal feeding stronger. Ettinger, with the use of statistics, is able to persuade the audience to agree with her stance. Without evidence, nobody would agree with her because there is no proof given. Therefore, I find the overall piece to be effective. The purpose of provoking a change in how food is produced is able to be accomplished with the use of statistics and humor.