TOW #11: Syrian Government Enemy Chart

This cartoon illustrates the "enemies" of the Syrian government. It is stating that the Syrian army targets the old, the young, and the very young. The author (whose name is too small to read) is a credible cartoonist from TIME, an also credible news source. TIME released this illustration on May 31, 2012, the context being that the Syrian civil war was occurring during the month of May, 2012. This cartoon uses sarcasm as well as satire to show the audience, news readers and followers of the current situation in Syria, that this war is doing nothing but killing innocent citizens. Sarcasm and satire are closely related in this cartoon as the author makes a satirical jab at the Syrian government and army; the old and young are the "rebels, terrorists, and armed insurgents", when in reality, they are harmless and unsuspecting. These innocent citizens are being ruthlessly murdered because of paranoid army men. The ultimate purpose of this text is to bring awareness to the "outsiders" of this crisis, letting them know that innocent people are being targeted and murdered. Another possible purpose may be to let the Syrian government know that what they are doing - who they are killing - is not, in any way, acceptable. The author did a good job of succinctly conveying the brutality of the Syrian government through a comical yet effective cartoon.

TOW #10: Outliers - Chapter 1

In chapter 1 of Outliers, Malcom Gladwell, a credible British-Canadian journalist and bestselling author, starts off by saying that we view success in a certain context and he supports this with the analysis of professional hockey players in Canada. The understanding is that the best are the best because they were born with that certain talent. However, Gladwell begs to differ, stating that the best are the best because of the month in which the hockey players were born. He explains that the cutoff date for hockey classes are January 1. This means that a child born earlier in the year could possibly be playing another child 364 days younger than him, an advantage in physical maturity. Gladwell finishes the chapter by stating that cutoff dates are significant and that things like hockey classes should be divided based on birth-month.
Gladwell introduces this example of cutoff dates and hockey in order to show his readers, especially those who think talent is an innate ability, that talent is cultivated. His purpose is to show that, although some are exceptionally gifted in certain facets of life, date and birth holds much more weight than actual talent and whether or not one is born with "it" or not. Gladwell persuades and intrigues the audience, readers who are intrigued by success and what causes success, with the use of ethos. By citing credible sources, such as Canadian Psychologist Roger Barnsley, Gladwell gains the trust of his readers; he becomes a reliable and believe source. Gladwell also uses anaphora to emphasize the reason in which certain people achieve success. He starts the sentence with "The best are the best because..." and states the most common misconception and then states the actual reasoning in the second sentence.
Malcom Gladwell has started off Outliers with an interesting theory and legitimate reasoning that has shed light to a possible reason as to why some people are more talented (and ultimately more successful) than others. I am excited to read more about Gladwell's reasoning and ideas.

TOW #9: Ivan the Terrible and His Son (Painting)

This picture depicts the aftermath of a heated argument between Ivan the Terrible and his son, Ivan. The argument ends with the father swinging his pointed staff at his son, whereupon his son falls to the ground. Ivan the Terrible immediately drops down to kiss son and attempts to stop the bleeding. The Metropolitan Museum Journal published this painting as a result of an art article created by Elizabeth Valkenier, a member of Columbia University. This painting's purpose seems to be that the painter wants to illustrate Ivan the Terrible's horror at this moment in his life. This painting depicts the tragedy both Ivan the Terrible and his son deal with and the audience, art enthusiasts or anyone capable of appreciating historical paintings, is able to feel that same pain. They are allowed a glimpse of a terrible event and this painting evokes a sense of regret, hopelessness, and excruciating pain from within the audience using pathos. The deep reds and shades of dark colors used help exaggerate the terrible emotions the the subject is feeling. Ivan the Terrible's face is that of sheer fear and regret and this taps into the audience members' own experience with traumatic events. Ilya Repin, the painter, effectively conveys multiple emotions through a poignant painting; the audience members are truly able to experience these feelings, almost as if they are there, witnessing the death of Ivan the Terrible's son.

TOW #8: Freakanomics, Chapter 5-6

In chapters five and six of Freakanomics, the authors address parenting and how parents' choices and financial status can affect their children's lives. Levitt makes an example of one of his studies on the safety of backyard swimming pools. He concluded that children are 100 times more likely to die by drowning in a backyard pool than by a gun. This book was written by two credible authors, Steven D. Levitt, a economics professor at the University of Chicago, and Stephen J. Dubner, a former writer and editor at The New York Times Magazine.
With so much talk going around about child safety and improving it, Levitt probably wanted to provide concrete evidence on ways to increase safety with a research experiment. That is why he conducted the backyard swimming pool experiment; he wanted to find out how safe it was for children to be swimming in backyard swimming pools. His purpose was not only to inform people, specifically parents with young children, but also to provide shocking facts and statistics about how parents' socioeconomic status have the greatest impact on children's academic success. Although many rhetorical devices are used throughout this book, logos was the most prominent. Many data tables and statistics are used to create a credible narrative. This whole book is based on logic and facts. The swimming pool experiment is a prime example of logos. Levitt appeals to the readers by coming up with a shocking statistic through thorough research and analysis. Overall, I think Levitt and Dubner did an excellent job in accomplishing their main purpose, which is to educate the masses through an informative yet interesting book about economics, the study of incentives.

TOW #6: VP Debate

The 2012 Vice Presidential debate between Joe Biden and Paul Ryan focused primarily on domestic and foreign policy issues, with Joe Biden emphasizing the importance of the middle class. I read the transcript on Politico.com, a fairly credible source, though sometimes known for being right-slanted. With the 2012 Presidential elections coming up very quickly, this debate was necessary in either reinforcing President Obama's effectiveness in the government or proving that Governor Romney is the better candidate to lead the United States for the next four years. This debate's main purpose was to convince the citizens of the United States, especially people who are legal to vote, to either vote for President Obama or Governor Romney. It was obvious that both men utilized the rhetorical device of ethos to present themselves as a credible and trustworthy source. Biden's discussion of Medicare and the current tax policy helped him become a knowledgeable person with credible information. Likewise, Paul Ryan talked about decreasing loopholes through tax reforms was an example of ethos, though, his failure to go into specifics cost him some "points".
I believe this Vice Presidential debate accomplished its purpose, which was to inform the United States with plans both parties have in store for the next four years, in an interesting and entertaining manner.