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.