TOW 32: Crazy Sexy Cancer, cont'd

In a more recent interview, Kris Carr, director and main character of the documentary, explained the title, Crazy Sexy Cancer. "People don't think of putting those words together" and in doing so, she changed the way people thought of cancer. The stigma of having cancer no longer stung as much and Kris showed other women that you can still have cancer and be beautiful and sexy and resilient, and that is the main claim Kris makes in her documentary. I think it's a wonderful thing to do ― to offer solace and comfort to other women with cancer, at the expense of her own image ― and I agree that you can have cancer and still feel and look beautiful and valuable. 
From the very beginning, even before watching the documentary, the audience is hit with a powerful claim and that claim is: you are crazy and sexy, with or without cancer. She makes sure to prove this claim true by documenting her long and eventful journey with cancer, showing the good, the bad, and the ugly. By the end of the film, the audience is left with a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment, not because they did anything, but because Kris Carr found herself and realized her self-importance by the end of the film and those sentiments transferred through to the audience.  

TOW 31: Crazy Sexy Cancer, a Documentary

Crazy Sexy Cancer. Dir. Kris Carr. Perf. Kris Carr. Cactus Three, 2007. DVD. Crazy Sexy Cancer. The
  Learning Channel (TLC), 2001. Web. 25 May 2013.

Crazy Sexy Cancer is a film that tells the story of resilient Kris Carr's battle with epithelioid hemangioendothelioma cancer, a vascular cancer in the lining of the blood vessels in her liver and lungs. Kris's life is turned upside down after a trip to the doctor's, where she learned she had a rare and incurable cancer. Despite its rarity, Kris is told by the doctor to wait and monitor the cancer for two months to see if the tumors grow and metastasize or remain the same. Even after this devastating piece of news, Kris refuses to accept this piece of news as the end-all-be-all and decides to explore other alternative methods to fight her cancer. The documentary shows the progression, not just of the status of the cancer, but also of Kris Carr's mindset, starting from sad and hopeless to excited and optimistic.
Although Crazy Sexy Cancer is directed by Kris Carr, herself, and is ultimately about her personal journey, this documentary includes anecdotes that better help characterize who Kris Carr really is. She mentions her past-self as the crazy, carefree girl, landing gigs such as one for a Superbowl commercial. By Kris sprinkling little pieces of herself here and there in the film, the audience members are allowed to see a more rounded person, not just Kris Carr, the girl with cancer. We get to see Kris Carr, the party-er, Kris Carr, the daughter, and so on.
Throughout the documentary, especially in tough moments, Kris Carr is often found asking herself rhetorical questions. Questions along the lines of "am I really gonna die?", "will I be able to find love with this cancer?" These rhetorical questions, though Kris asks herself, forces the audience to ponder these questions as well, even though most of them probably do not have cancer. By Kris Carr asking such questions, the audience is able to sympathize with her and imagine a scenario in which the audience members are in similar situations and how they would feel and react to this news.

TOW 30: Reflection

Looking back and reading three TOW's from three different marking periods, I have noticed a progression in my writing. In the beginning, I was so bent on following the requirements exactly as it stated on the paper, it showed through my writing: rigid, choppy, too formal. But as the months passed and I became used to writing a TOW assignment each week, I slowly abandoned the requirements paper, summarizing, adding the author's purpose, integrating the rhetorical devices used, and began posting true "blog" posts. Comparing my first post about a murder to my most recent post about how to anger New Yorkers, the tone of the writing has become much more casual and fluid yet informative, nonetheless.
After writing nearly thirty TOW's, I think I have mastered the "blog"-like aspect of my writing. The posts are similar in style to that of professional writers who post things on their own websites. My writing has loosened up and it has a more conversational tone, which makes the reading less boring and more enjoyable to read, yet I am able to add the necessary pieces that make a TOW, TOW. However, there are still many things I can improve upon. After working with rhetorical devices throughout the year, I have familiarized myself with new rhetorical terms and devices; however, I am still shaky when it comes to identifying less obvious devices in news articles, videos, and political cartoons. I tend to revert back to using the "easy" devices, like rhetorical questioning, parallel structure, or one of the three, overused ethos, logos, pathos.
In my opinion, I felt that the purpose of the TOW assignments (and what I got out of them) was to broaden our (the students') horizon in terms of reading materials. Most of us have a preference when it comes to genres and we usually stick to them. But these TOW assignments, I feel like, have forced me to seek non-fiction material that would not only help us in our AP exam, but also make us more aware and participating citizens of our community.These assignments were beneficial and I feel as though I got my purpose out of doing these every week. It helped me not only with my writing but also with my awareness of what is going on in the world.

TOW 29: How To Piss Off Every New Yorker in 36 Seconds

BuzzFeedVideo is back with another video and this time, it's a DIY on how to piss off New Yorkers. This video is comical and concise, letting the audience enjoy this form of satire without having to sit through a long video in which someone pretends to understand a New Yorker's mentality by listing off the ways to anger them. BuzzFeedVideo has a timer running in the corner of the screen, really keep their word on the "36 second" part of the title. With simple editing, large font, and an enthusiastic subject, this video is fun, entertaining, and most importantly: TRUE. Although this satirized and poked fun at New Yorkers as well as those who piss off such New Yorkers (tourists, anyone?), this video was true in every aspect. The producers of this video successfully sent a subliminal message to its audience, followers of this channel, telling them what to avoid when in New York.

TOW 28: Cheating

"Coffee on a Tuesday and Vlog twenty-six!"

So starts another vlog (video blog), this time, with Evan Puschak, web producer for MSNBC, talking about cheating. Evan's main thesis for this vlog is simple and true: we are cheaters because of society's expectations of us and therefore the phrase, "cheaters never win" is utterly and absolutely incorrect. Evan conveys this sad truth with the use of credible sources, citing Rutgers University's 1997 study on cheating as well as providing a concise and easy to understand analysis of his evidence. His target audience, subscribers of his Youtube channel (Theenerdwriter1), is given a reality check and then urged to ponder this case. He does not ask us to change as he probably knows that no one will ever stop cheating, whether it be on a test, paper, or even significant other. Evan ends the video, just asking as rhetorical question to make us think about this even after the video is over.

TOW 27: White House Correspondents' Dinner

Recently. Washington, D.C. held its annual White House Correspondents' Dinner. President Obama last night joined Conan O'Brien onstage at the Washington Hilton for the annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, and gave his fifth address to the organization of journalists who cover the White House. During most of his address, President Obama had a light and humorous tone, making sarcastic and comical remarks against himself as well as others (CNN). A spoof promo was also shown to the audience, based on Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln." This mode of satire was entertaining and its point easy to understand. Though the WHC Dinner was entertaining and light-hearted, President Obama did not forget to address one of his main purposes: reminding the audience of the important role the media plays in American society, especially during times of crisis such as the Boston Marathon bombing and the Texas Explosion. President Obama commends the media for being patient and making sure to relay correct and valid information to the public.

TOW 26: The Tipping Point - Intro

In the introduction of his book, The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell defines a tipping point as "the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point." He then goes about introducing the main premise of the book, which is to explain the surprising phenomena of sociological changes that mark everyday life. Of how Hush Puppies went from being an almost out-of-business company to an overnight sensation, top-industry company that was in the ranks of Donna Karen and Calvin Klein; of how the crime rate in New York went from being at an all time high to an all time low. Gladwell uses straight up facts and statistics to create a credible foundation for his narrative. His tone is straightforward and candid yet inquisitive and curious, narrating as if he is discussing and speculating the topics at hand with the reader. Gladwell does this to inform the readers - to bring awareness to these mysterious tipping points, what they are and why they happen, and he does this effectively and in an interesting manner.