TOW #24- Non-Fiction

The conflicts in the Middle East occurring now with ISIS, The Kurds, and regular Iraqi civilians are a testament to the damaged world we live in today. The Middle East is filled with more good than bad, yet naturally the media only broadcasts the bad that occurs. In last weeks Janurary issue of the New York Times, Luke Mogelson wrote a piece of the Iraqi citizens and Kurish forces that fight for their right to live against the Islamic state.  Mogelson, an award winning writer, uses captivating diction and anecdotes from Iraqis to inform the public of those who are on the front lines in Iraq, fighting against evil.

The captivating diction that Mogelson uses allows the reader to imagine exactly what is going on, while captivating them to read more. He writes, "Its metal shutter lay on the sidewalk in a heap, like unfurled cloth" (Mogelson). This use of descriptive language engages the reader and gives them a perspective of what he was viewing in the destroyed Iraqi village. This is an appeal to pathos as well, as the wreckage that he is describing is a devastating outcome of the battle between good and bad. 

Once he captures the readers, he begins to tell an anecdote of one Iraqi soldiers life, providing a first hand viewpoint of what it is like to live in a war torn country. When telling about a young Sunni fighter's life, he quotes what they said, stating "I can't take this anymore! They're killing our families fifteen minutes away from here!" This places the reader in the shoes of one in Iraq, and changes their viewpoint of what it is like having to deal with living next door to terrorists. 

From captivating diction to anecdotes of those who have first hand experience living in Iraq, Mongelson successfuly writes an article explaining the horrors that take place in the fight against the Islamic state, but the goods that are going against the evils, which the media fails to present to the rest of the world. 

TOW #23- Visual

2016 may be one of the most memorable election years, as both parties face new leaders and members that are making politics more of a reality TV show than seriously running a country.  As New York nears its primaries, cartoonist for the New York Times Brian McFadden satirically illustrates the principles that each candidate stands for through exaggeration and sarcasm, to entertain the audience of Times readers during this political season.
Exaggeration is one of the most common tools used in satirical art forms, and as shown in the first box with Bernie Sanders, McFadden exaggerates his principles of "folding things in half" and sharing the wealth throughout the entire country.  His use of applying Sander's ideas to eating pizza as well is an appeal to pathos, as pizza is a simple but popular food that is relate able to the readers, as opposed to choosing an object to over complicate what is trying to be proven.
McFadden also entertains the readers by using sarcasm, as shown in the last box of Donald Trump saying "Which one of the players is an immigrant I can yell at?"  This is sarcastically mocking Trump's stance on immigration, and the scene of him and George Bush together at a baseball game, an American sport, while watching diverse players adds to the irony and humor of these cartoons.
This election year is not only going to be one to remember, but a very important one as the world changes.  However as important as our countries government and politics are, it sometimes is acceptable to make fun and entertain the public through cartoons, as Brian McFadden did so here through exaggeration and sarcasm.

TOW #22- Non Fiction

When slavery was abolished over one hundred years ago, the remains of racism and racial tensions still exist to this day.  The series of columns "When Whites Just Don't Get It" are written by Nicolas Kristof, and argue the viewpoint of how whites simply do not understand what it is like to be a black person living in today's society.  Through his use of engaging style and facts, he is able to thoroughly convey his purpose of getting readers of the New York Times to understand how racism still exists and what it is like to be black. 

To start off the opinion piece, Kristof uses engaging style to hook the reader in, using an activity based question.  He states that when researchers sent out young black men and white men to find jobs in New York City, and they all had the same background, what would the outcomes be?  He then provides three answers, and as one could guess, the correct answer was that whites are twice as likely to get hired than blacks.  This gives the reader a new perspective of the real facts that support reasons as to why racism still exists, and Kristof employs more facts as he continues writing.

Continuing the subject of blacks and whites getting hired to the work force, Kristof states startling facts that engage the reader and provide new viewpoints and realizations as to how prevalent racism truly is in America.  When blacks and whites go to job interviews, "a black applicant with a clean criminal record does no better than a white applicant who was said to just have been released from prison 18 months ago." (Kristoff).  These facts are simply appaling, and open the readers eyes to the true racism in the world, and how whites simply "don't get it."

In an evolving world with potential for a bright future with peace and no discrimination, there is still lots of work to be done to end racism.  And Nicolas Kristof successfully provides a well said outlook on how "Whites Don't Get It," and how popular racism still is today.

TOW #21- Trump's Neediness (Non-Fiction Argument)

Published March 12th, Donald Trump's Epic Neediness was written by Frank Bruni, a writer for the New York Times.  In this opinion, Bruni claims that the reason Trump is so popular and hungry, is because of his obsessive need for adulation.  Through his dark diction, and compare and contrast, Bruni successfully portrays Trump's reason as to why he is so loved, but also why he needs to be so loved.
Through using dark diction, Bruni sets up a worried mood throughout the article, making the reader feel intimated of Trump, yet also still feel as though Trump is a moron.  Bruni uses phrases like "The primaries slog on. The general election looms."  By using words like "slog" or "loom," he creates a sense of worry among the reader, as American politics become more of a game, than of running a country.  Bruni then transitions into compare and contrast, "And Trump's campaign events have become increasingly unsettling affairs, by turns ludicrous and scary."
He then remarks on how at one campaign event, Trump screams into the microphone as he advertises his own products, yet at another in Chicago, the event was canceled due to violent protests.  Trump seeks this adulation from one event to another, and the violent protests that are fueled by the words he says only make his neediness of being heard better.
American Politics has become a video game, of who can win the most points and make it to the farthest level (president).  It is not about how you get there, or what you may to do get there, as long as you get there.  Our system has gone so far off, that America's next president may be Donald Trump.  Through using dark diction and compare and contrast, Bruni allows the reader to understand why Trump seeks to go to any limits to be liked, and why he has an epic neediness of adulation.

TOW #20- Visual Argument

The news is flooded with pictures and stories of the refugees fleeing parts of the Middle East for Europe.  ISIS and other extremist groups are rapidly killing and threatening innocent citizens, which has created a mass movement of refugees fleeing the terror.  Cartoonist David Horsey illustrates here "a refugees view of the world". Horsey is a Pulitzer Prize winning artist, whose works are published in U.S. News, L.A Times, and many other newspapers around the world. In this cartoon specifically, Horsey is drawling for an audience of US News readers, or anyone interested in the immigration conflicts occurring overseas. He depictes the horrible and brutal circumstances for the immigrants, and how both sides of their world are filled with terror, and argues that the world the refugees live in, is a world where they are born into fear. 

The use of juxtaposition compares the dictators and fanatical terrorists that impact these people, forcing them to leave their own country.  He compares them as both frightening animals that are bringing hell to earth as they fight each other and the citizens that reside besides the.  As well as juxtaposition, he utilizes compelling imagery, turning the words of "dictator" or "terrorist" into a great beast that the refugees are running from.  Now that the reader sees these words as not only a compilation of letters but a chaos creating machine, they began to feel sympathy for the refugees.  Due to his use of these rhetorical devices, he is able to show that all the refugees know is violence and terror. His purpose here is clear and effective, allowing the observer to see that the refugees mean no harm; they simply are running from the horrible violence that their countries are filled with.  I believe that he does a very effective job in achieving his purpose, as anyone viewing this cartoon could not help but feel hatred for the "beasts" and sorrow for the refugees.  Through using these devices, he achieves his argument.

TOW #19- Argument (Advertising Medicine)

In yesterdays New York Times, Elisabeth Rosenthal published on article on the amount of advertising that is done in the U.S on medicine.  After examining the facts, it is scary how money hungry hospitals and healthcare providers are, when in reality they should be more focused on what they are meant to be for, providing health care to rid the world of sickness.
As Rosenthal states, The United States and New Zealand are the only two countries that allow advertising for medicine.  When we are sitting on a subway, watching t.v, or driving down the highway, we always seem to see some sort of advertising which is promoting a drug that we may not need, and its affects will be minimal, while its price is maximal.  Drug companies are promoting drugs that may be only needed for one hundred people, while even those one hundred people may not actually benefit from it.  They are too focused on a customer based market, as opposed to a patient based market.  Even in 2016, two Superbowl sponsors were health care providers, advertising their service to a market much broader than the patients that need their medical service.  We have come to the point in our world where CEO's would rather make an extra million dollars to their worth by advertising their products, as opposed to spending the money they would spend on advertising on something worth while, like further medical research to make medicine even more effective than it is now.
Pharmaceutical companies to healthcare providers have lost focus on what is right about the service that they provide.  They focus on advertising their products in mass, drawing in customers, and making the profit.  Doctors have been well respected professions in the past, as they contribute to society to make the world healthier.  Yet in a world where now all they care about is making their own money, healthcare is changing for the worse.  Healthcare providers should be more focused on what they are meant be more, which is improving the world and getting rid of illness.

TOW #18- visual

Brandon Stanton is a photographer from New York who created a blog called "Humans of New York."  He documents the everyday lives of humans and the struggles or feats that they run into.  More specifically, Brandon photographed a young man walking home from school.  This photo went viral as the young man goes to a troubled school in the projects yet still succeeds in life and is surrounded by people that want him to succeed,  Yet as we look closer as to why this photo blew up on the internet, Brandon's appeal to pathos and use of color attract the audience into this photo.
  Brandon wants others to hear the young man's story, and he does this through capturing the image while the young man is half smiling attracts the audience into the photo.  This half smile shows all of the struggles that the boy has faced and continues to face, yet also shows the motivation and true happiness that he has.
The happiness that the young man has even though he faces struggles everyday, like not knowing if he will have dinner at night, is truly amazing.  The use of minimal colors in the photo sets up a somber vibe that appeals to pathos by pulling out the remorseful emotions of the audience.  The black jacket and hoodie and the dull grey background of impoverished Brooklyn make the photo even more meaningful.
Brandon's goal was to show the world the story of this young man, and he did so in one photo by appealing to pathos with the boys half smile, and using colors to his advantage to capture the audience.

SNOWDAY TOW (Bet with Mr. Yost)

America is a country that claims it is the land of the free and stands on principles of democracy and easy going government, yet clearly today we are a time of separation within our government.  In the online edition of The New Yorker, columnist and professor at NYU in Economics Paul Krugman wrote an article on "How America Was Lost."  He addresses the divide today in political parties and the chaos that follows it.  He uses rhetorical questions and slight humor to achieve his purpose of getting the audience to understand why the republican party has fallen so far off.
Krugman first uses a rhetorical question, where he asks those who are reading the New Yorker, "So why do I say that only one party has gone off the deep end?"  He leaves this question up in the air for interpretation for the readers to answer it, but then answers it himself by telling readers to compare the Democratic Debates versus the Republican debates.  This engages the audience yet provides an answer later for them to comprehend as well.
Krugman has the audience engaged, and uses slight humor to make his dull topic something of interest.  As he finishes the article with a solution on how to make the republican party better, he adds, "Maybe we should all be wearing hats that say 'Make American Governable Again'."  This adds something of humor to the article so that readers are left with a positive and light impression over a very serious topic, yet at the same time readers are given a viewpoint that is ironically true about our country.
America is a country that should be governed by those who agree with each other, and do not insult other politicians just to gain more votes from the people.  Krugman uses rhetorical questions and appeals to pathos through adding humor in the article to inform the audience why the republican party has fallen into the deep end, and how we may be able to fix our government system.

TOW #17- Is Humanity Getting Better? (non-fiction)

From millions of years ago when the earth formed, to today, where we as a society determine how the earth continues to be formed, the question if we are getting better remains among many.  Is humanity getting better?  Or are we simply adjusting to the way everyday life is, so it merely is an illusion that we are "advancing" into the future.  Writer for the New York Times, Leif Wenar, who is a renowned professor at Oxford University and well known writer for the Times, touches on this so commonly asked question, and uses anecdotes and real data to prove his point, that indeed, society is getting better.
To start off his essay, he recalls London in 1665, while it was being ravaged by the Black Plague.  He tells short anecdotes from this era and place to show what life was like back then.  He recalls how the "government" at the time ordered hunters to kill all the cats and dogs for example. This is an appeal to pathos and logos too, as it provides information and emotional attachment to the essay to gain the readers attention immediately once they begin reading it.  Once he has their attention, he moves along to spit facts about how we truly are getting better.
Wenar goes into details using real data to prove that we are getting better in humanity.  He refers to Joshua Goldstein, a successful and credible writer as well.  He quotes Josh from his essay "How we are winning the war on war."  We do still have many wars and conflicts today, but as the world grows, the casualties decrease. and the amount of peace increases.  Specifically, Wenar quotes from Goldstien that "In the first half of the twentieth century, world wars killed tens of millions and left whole continents in ruins."  This data is used to appeal to logos, as it applies to the more logical side of the argument.  It shows that we are getting better, because we do not have World Wars that leave millions dead.
By simlpy utilising anecdotes and facts, Leif Wenar succesffuly answers and argues his answer to the question of "Is Humanity Getting Better?"

Introduction to IRB #3- The Big Short

Michael Lewis, the author of The Blind Side and Moneyball, published The Big Short a few years ago. It is based off a true story about how a few financial nerd analysts predicted the economic collapse in 2008 and made millions off of it. Now a major motion picture, The Big Short reveals the lucrativeness of the financial world. 

TOW #16- The Front Lines non-fiction)

The conflicts in the Middle East occurring now with ISIS, The Kurds, and regular Iraqi civilians are a testament to the damaged world we live in today. The Middle East is filled with more good than bad, yet naturally the media only broadcasts the bad that occurs. In last weeks Janurary issue of the New York Times, Luke Mogelson wrote a piece of the Iraqi citizens and Kurish forces that fight for their right to live against the Islamic state.  Mogelson, an award winning writer, uses captivating diction and anecdotes from Iraqis to inform the public of those who are on the front lines in Iraq, fighting against evil. 

The captivating diction that Mogelson uses allows the reader to imagine exactly what is going on, while captivating them to read more. He writes, "Its metal shutter lay on the sidewalk in a heap, like unfurled cloth" (Mogelson). This use of descriptive language engages the reader and gives them a perspective of what he was viewing in the destroyed Iraqi village. This is an appeal to pathos as well, as the wreckage that he is describing is a devastating outcome of the battle between good and bad. 

Once he captures the readers, he begins to tell an anecdote of one Iraqi soldiers life, providing a first hand viewpoint of what it is like to live in a war torn country. When telling about a young Sunni fighter's life, he quotes what they said, stating "I can't take this anymore! They're killing our families fifteen minutes away from here!" This places the reader in the shoes of one in Iraq, and changes their viewpoint of what it is like having to deal with living next door to terrorists. 

From captivating diction to anecdotes of those who have first hand experience living in Iraq, Mongelson successfuly writes an article explaining the horrors that take place in the fight against the Islamic state, but the goods that are going against the evils, which the media fails to present to the rest of the world. 

TOW #15- Cartoon Contest (Visual)

Each year, the New York Times does a cartoon contest where anyone can participate in.  Kids, teachers, students, and more are allowed to submit their drawings.  The cartoon above was drawn by  14 year old, Elise Mccomb.  Although Mccomb may just be a freshman in high school, her understanding of modern day politics and the issues that The United States face with immigration is an issue that needs to be addressed. By using guilt and harsh diction, Mccomb won the contest and produced a meaningful cartoon. 

The guilt that the 14 year old student used was in her drawling itself. She using Dora, a lovable fictional character to make the reader feel guilty that Trump is yelling at her. The reader is then hooked into cartoon once they feel emotion. Her appeal to pathos here is then further exemplified with the guilty diction she uses. She writes "where should we go next?" In an innocent manner to appeal to pathos even more. 

Mccomb then uses harsh diction coming out of Trumps mouth  to make the reader feel bad for Dora. The use of red outline of the speech bubble also makes his words seem more violent as well. 

Through her appeal to pathos throughout this cartoon, this 14 year old student successfuly creates a winning cartoon with meaning behind it. 

TOW #14- Secret Promoter (non-fiction)

A$AP Yams, one of the leading contributors to the success of many rap artists due to his powerful promotional skills and connections he made throughout his life, died last year of "acute mixed-drug intoxication."  In the December issue of the New York Times magazine, "The Lives They Lived" is a section that they do annually to honor those who passed away in the given year.  A$AP Yams, also known as Steven Rodriguez was among those honored in the 2015 "The Lives They Lived" issue.  Amos Barshad, author of the article and writer for the New York Times, honors Rodriguez's life so gracefully by using captivating diction and having a positive outlook on Yams life.
Barshad's use of captivating diction allows the reader to process the words in aw, as they give a special touch to Yams life.  Barshad describes Yams as "an ideal Internet user: a cultural polyglot who found beauty in its expansiveness."  The sentence has a rhythmic feel that the reader is automatically attracted to which draws their attention in.  Barshad captivates the audience to want to read about Yams, and then moves onto his life once the reader is paying attention.
Barshad speaks only once about Yams actual death; he focuses on the positives in his life and the features that made Rodriguez the man he was.  His overall positive outlook that he provides on Yams gives the reader a different viewpoint than of the drug-addict Harlem raised rapper that others knew him as.
By using captivating diction and focusing his article on only the positives in Yams life, Amos Barshad and the New York Times Magazine successfully honor a cultural icon that died too young.  Barshard also teaches a further lesson to his readers; looking at the bright side and appreciating the positives in life is much more uplifting than focusing on the down side.