TOW #29 Reflection

Dear Future APELC Student,
Hello, you poor unfortunate soul. I am only kidding, this class is not as bad as you think. There are lots of boogie man stories that will say that you're gonna fail or that you'll cry during the exam, but most of of that is not true. With that said, don't go into the class expecting an A, because it's not just an easy A kind of class. A's are hard to get in this course, and B's are completely ok! So with that all said, let's get down to the nitty gritty.
There is a good amount of reading to be done in this course, just make sure that you keep up and know what what you are reading about. If your life gets crazy and you can't get get some homework done, just make sure that you can contribute to the class and aren't just sitting around in silence during class.
Timed essays are also a great part of this class. Of the first few you will write, you will most likely not finish most of them, and that's ok because you will learn to be faster and formulate your ideas better. The score you receive will also not always be ideal, but it is all about the learning experience and you will improve before the exam.
Take home essays will be assigned over the course of the year, these are the essays that you are used to writing in your traditional english class. These are usually very easy and shouldn't be too hard to write; but ensure that you have met with someone before you turn it in because it will greatly help you.
With all of that said, I hope you have a great year in AP English next year!

TOW #28 Reflection

It is hard to believe that this year has passed by so rapidly and that our class are on our final two TOWS. As I look back at the humble beginnings at TOW #1 and then back to TOW #27, I can see a progression in my posts. As the year progressed, I saw that the diversity of my topics greatly increased and that I was willing to write about different topics and deviate from my "comfort zone." The format of the texts that I was analyzing greatly differed. I went from only writing about things that were exclusively printed to things like speeches and posters. The writing in the posts also seemed to get better as I learned as a writer. Some things that I believe that I mastered... Mastered is a tricky word, because I don't believe that you can master anything when it comes to writing, there is always room for improvement. With that said, I believe that I have gotten good at identifying rhetorical devices and finding their purpose in the passage as a whole. I also have a very good idea of what a well crafted topic and transition sentence. As for what I need to improve, I need to work on bringing it full circle, making sure that my analysis is complete. I also have trouble elaborating on my analysis and expressing my ideas in a circumlocution. Finally, has this exercise helped me progress as a writer throughout the year? I think it has been a good in the fact that it kept me writing through periods where maybe we didn't write as much in class so it helped keep my writing from slipping into a state of not knowing how to write. I also found that it made the words flow much easier and made me a much quicker writer. At the beginning of the year it took me about an hour to do TOWs, but now I can crank one out in 35 minutes. I also found that as the year went on, I cared less and less about how I wrote my TOWs. The fact that they weren't that impactful on my grade made it more like a duty that had to get done as quick as possible rather than an assignment and even if it wasn't up to par it was good enough. I believe that these TOWs can be helpful to keep students honed throughout the year, but need to be to make them mean more than they already do.

TOW #27

This week, I read a review of the Oculus Rift, a new gaming device that puts the user in a virtual reality by strapping on a headset, by a man named Andrew Gumbel. From the title, Gumbel’s review sounds like it will be promoting this revolutionary device that, “appears to be on to something”, but by the end becomes a condescending reproach on not only all virtual reality divides but the gaming community. Gumbel starts out his review with, “I have seen the future, and I’m worried it’s really going to mess me up” this could mean that he is either scared of what’s to come or humbled by how advanced this technology is, giving the reader mixed impressions. After this he talks about his test of the Oculus Rift, but nowhere tries to establish any sort of credibility whether it be a connection to the gaming industry or prior experience with this technology or any technology. His argument also doesn’t connect with the reader because he separates himself from the gaming community, which is the assumed audience, by saying things like, “what the virtual reality geeks refer to as” or, “a watershed moment for gaming freaks” which not only puts space between him and gamers, but also insults his audience by calling them “freaks” and “geeks”. Beyond his connection to the gaming world Gumbel’s article is poorly formatted and very choppy, he starts by talking about the Oculus Rift and what problems the company has faced, to describing another companies device, then back to the Oculus rift and its developer. These several leaps between topics with almost no transition are very confusing and make it seem like Gumbel is doing his research as he goes and is writing whatever the next hit on Google is. Overall Gumbel’s argument is ineffective and at sometimes insulting towards its audience and offers little to no value. 

TOW # 26 Garnier ad

This hair advertisement uses some hairy tactics to appeal to its readers. The largest and most evident rhetorical device in this full page advertisement is juxtaposition. This ad juxtaposes the women smiling with their hair to make it seem like their hair is making them so exuberant. Because these women are so happy about their hair, it makes the reader think that because they used this product it has made them happy and confident. This ad also utilises inductive and deductive arguments. At the top it says "nourished hair means better color." It also uses an inductive argument to show that their product is the best for nourishing hair. By convincing the reader that their product is the best for healing and nouring hair and that nourished hair has the best color, it makes the reader want to buy their product because it would color their hair the best. It would also have to added effect of keeping their hair healthy.

TOW # 25 Obama Drone Strike

http://www.theonion.com/articles/obama-fantasizes-about-ordering-drone-strike-again,38412/
Has one of the most controversial presidents of all time crossed the line into the the crazy? According to The Onion, President Obama recently fantasized about his own suicide by drone strike. The satirical publication, The Onion, has produced another hilarious but also politically relevant article, this time about the political policies of the President. This publication seeks to poke fun at the government's "overuse" and peoples criticism of drone strikes against the terror group isis by hyperbolizing a situation. The article frames the scene of the president dwelling on the thought of his death by drone strike with his last words being "God bless America." This image serves a dual purpose which acts as a double edge sword. It first criticises the government's tendency to use deadly drone strikes as a solution to the terror threat posed by isis. It hyperbolized the idea that if the government and the president keep turning to this deadly act of diplomacy, it is going to meet an untimely and unpleasant end with all of America as the observers. It also parodies the main criticism of these strikes being that it is overly brutal and overused and that feet on the ground would be much better. It satirizes the idea that Obama overuses these attacks so frequently that he is even going to choose it as his own death. But is this type of satiric article effective? The way that it communicates both sides and problems with an argument in a humorous and concise way demonstrates knowledge of recent political events and a well educated writer, and conveys its meaning to its readers well is very effective.

TOW #24 IRB

Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman, tells the story of Richard P. Feynman, an eccentric physics nobel prize winner. Mr. Feynman is a hilarious atomic physicist who has traded work with some of the greats such as Einstien and Bhor along with some other wacky shenanigans. This book is full of different rhetorical devices that translate Feynman's brilliance  to the reader. Feynman's main use of rhetorical devices are the ones that transfer his ideas and images to his readers. To best analyze this text I am going to use SOAPSTone. The speaker of this text is Richard P. Feynman, a scientist and nobel prize winner and in the story he speaks as a narrator in the first person while he tells the story of his life. His position as a storyteller gives the readers a good sense of his thoughts as well as a good grasp of what's going on in the particular anecdote. This story is written as a retelling of the influential moments of his life and occurs over a large span of years. Feynman's audience is mostly people who enjoy the field of science or are familiar with him as an accomplished scientists. This makes him alter his diction to include jargon from the field of science. His purpose is to convey just how zany his life has been and how that has influenced his career and his accomplishments. He makes the subject of this story is himself because it is an autobiography. His tone is very light and joking to convey how funny his life has been but also fascinated to show hos interested in his field he is.  

TOW # 23 Dave Barry "Revenge of the Pork Person"

"Revenge of the Pork Person", what kind of literature is that? Will they be talking about some mutated pigs that have become bipedal and started to walk? Well in a way it does. Dave Barry, the author of "Revenge of the Pork Person", is a passage about how the false standards given to women are making them uncomfortable with themselves and how they fit into the clothes that they buy. Dave Barry uses hyperbole to create humor and subconsciously convince women that these standards are unobtainable and unwise to try and meet. Barry's first example of hyperbole is his description of a male. He paints a picture of a greasy, gross, old man who can still be considered attractive. This is meant to convince women that they don't have to be perfect, or even to look that good to be attractive to someone, which is hopefully a confidence booster. He then tells the story of his neighbor who looked fine but was self conscious about her ankles not looking good. By giving an example of something ridiculous like that, the women in his audience can hopefully find a way to laugh at how ridiculous their insecurities are, much like how that thought the woman's were ridiculous. Finally, Barry describes the look of a perfect looking model. He describes a modern model as a person is tall like an amazon, who has been nipped and tucked, and is abnormally thin. This humoring of the model physique gives the impression that the standards set forth for women are completely ridiculous and should not be taken seriously.

TOW #22 RFK Speech

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/rfkonmlkdeath.html
This speech given by Robert F. Kennedy, brother of President John F. Kennedy, is in memoriam of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In this address to the public of America, wrote artfully and used many rhetorical devices not only make the public aware of the tragic happenings that had gone on but also to convey MLK's message of racial harmony. One would expect the diction in a remembrance address would be soft and non offensive, RFK did not follow this pattern. He used blunt diction all through out his speech. He first, instead of talking of MLK's "passing" or another euphemism for death, he directly stated that he was "shot and killed." RFK also instead of trying to sugar coat the issue if racial separation, he addressed the two races as black or white. This unyielding diction conveys the serious condition of their situation. Bluntly referring to his death as a death and not something softer makes people realize that this was not just a "passing away" but a serious and deliberate shooting. By labeling the races as he did creates a greater divide between them, which makes MLK's resolve even more pertinent. RFK also makes an allusion to "his favorite poet" Aeschylus. He alludes to a poem of his about stepping past pain and moving into acceptance and wisdom. He then uses this poem to help teach the black community to forgive but never forget about what ha happened that day.

TOW #21 Superman milk ad

This advertisement for milk may only seem like a promo for milk which is selling out for Supermen, but it is actually chock full of rhetorical devices. Superman is a large and iconic character which one would not often associate with milk, and this ad uses that to it's advantage and argue that you should drink milk. This article uses an allusion, juxtaposition, and a deductive argument to convince its readers to drink milk. The first rhetorical device that this ad uses is an allusion. The ad alludes to one of the most famous super heroes of all time, Superman. By alluding to Superman, one of the strongest and best of the superheroes whose name has become synonymous with being great, and implying that he drinks milk makes the reader think that if they drink milk, they will be a "superman". This article also takes superman and juxtaposes him with their blurb about milk. They paint an image of a strong human in their description of what calcium does to your body; but by juxtaposing superman with those words, they create a basis to compare to and make the readers think that by having their calcium they will "become superman". This article also structures their argument deductively. The article implies that it is good to be super, they say that the calcium in milk will make you super, so therefore you should drink milk. This argument is not only easy to follow, but also makes its readers feel like becoming like superman is easy to achieve.

TOW #20 IRB

Surley You're Joking Mr. Feynman, tells the story of Richard P. Feynman, an eccentirc physics nobel prize winner. Mr. Feynman is a hilarious atomic physicist who has traded work with some of the greats such as Einstien and Bhor along with some other whacky shenanigans. This book is full of different rhetoricl devices that translate Feynman's brillance to the reader. Feynman's main use of rhetorical devices are the ones that transfer his ideas and images to his readers. Feynman utilizes a narritve point of view to give his viewers a storybook point of view. This also gives his readers full understanding of his crazy occurances and conveys the imagrey of his experiences.

TOW #19 The Myth of JFK

http://townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2013/11/21/the-myth-of-jfk-n1750185/page/2
President worthy of glorification or political con artist? This rather controversial article seems to want to debate president John F. Kennedy's real role in the mid 20th century. This essay starts off relevant, posing plausible questions and presenting facts, but after the halfway point starts to go off on a rant. This essays good logos supports its argument well but it tears itself down with is condescending tone in the second half of its argument. Derek Hunter, the author of this article, starts his argument with some well researched facts and historical events. Hunter brings to light the fact that JFK was not sure for reelection and the idea that he was not involved in all of the positives that he is traditionally associated with. These are all well supported facts and historical contexts that are all relevant and support his argument; but in the next few paragraphs Hunter's argument takes a turn for the worst. In the second half of his essay, Hunter begins to use slandering and degrading diction which devalues his argument. He starts to use words that are meant to attack the former president calling him things like, "despicable" and a, "fraud." This type of slanted diction makes Hunter seem biased and ignorant which renders his pervious argument less effective. Not only does he attack the president, he also attacks his family, even criticizing the placement of their final resting places. Hunter also fails to recognize a counterargument; the opinion that JFK was in fact a good president that accomplished many things. Hunter's diction renders his argument completely ineffective and his lack of recognition for the good things the president has done makes him seem ill researched and cynial.

IRB Post #3

I am going to be reading "Are You Sure Mr. Fenman " over the next 8 weeks. I enjoy science and hopefully am going to be persuing a career in it someday. I hope to enjoy this book and gain some insight in this feild.

TOW #18 My Zombie Myself

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/arts/television/05zombies.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Dead in the eyes, mouth gaping, with only one goal in mind... surfing the internet. While most of the public would have been convinced that description was that of a zombie, but Chuck Klosterman, the writer of "My Zombie Myself", would argue that the traditional behavior of the zombie and our lifestyle today are one and the same. In this article, Klosterman uses several rhetorical devices to argue that the origin of the zombie's popularity in today's society is rooted in our way of living. In the essay, Klosterman includes several allusions to many different popular movies and television shows such as AMC's "The Walking Dead" and Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight." Firstly, these references stand to engage a younger audience by including examples that are very relavant in todays pop culture. These also prove good examples to support his argument. "The Walking Dead" for example is not only one of the most, if not the most, popular show on television but is also centered around the drama of the zombie apocalypse. This supports his thesis that zombies have penetrated deeply into our social structure. Klosterman also utilizes colloquial language to make his argument more relavant among a younger audience. He will often use slang words and informal phrases to appeal to a younger audience because a large portion of the younger generations have a fascination and obsession with the undead zombies. With his more speculative evidence, Klosterman makes an appeal to logos as well. When he introduces facts and statistics, Klosterman turns his argument that was previously based solely on speculation about zombies relevance in our culture to an argument rooted in fact. In his essay, "My Zombie Myself", Chuck Klosterman argues the origin of society's obsession with zombies. His allusions to popular culture and use of colloquial language engage a younger audience and an appeal to logos provides a factual backing to his argument.  

TOW #17 Anti Suicide poster

http://comunilife.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/COMUNILIFEpsaFINAL01.jpg
This anti suicide poster seems to be pretty black and white but in reality it has several hidden messages under the surface. These hidden messages help it to communicate with people who have family or loved ones of latin decent who are going through a hard time and contemplating suicide. This poster uses several rhetorical devices to prompt action from people hoping to help a loved one in need. The first major rhetorical device this utilizes is juxtaposition. It juxtaposes the girl against the empty, dark background to to create a depressed and unnerving mood and to emphasize the sadness of the girl. It also juxtaposes the text on the page with the girl to make it feel like the words were on top of her, making the feelings of oppression and depression greater. By creating the aura of depression, this picture conveys the pain and sadness that this girl is feeling. This poster also utilizes the first person. All of the text on the image is written in the first person to make the reader feel a personal connection the the girl. The audience now empathizes with the girl in the picture. This picture also has backing in fact. In the text, there is a reference to a statistic from the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) stating that "One in seven Latina teenage girls attempt suicide". Not only does the audience feel bad for the girl and was made to feel a connection with them, they now have been faced with a staggering fact from a reputable source. The sadness and depression created by this poster is meant to touch readers and prompt them to reach out to people in their lives in ways that they would not normally consider

TOW #16 The Tao of Pooh post #2

Most of the general public would not readily read a book on philosophy, let alone a book about the philosophy of religion other than the bible. So why is the "The Tao of Pooh" so effective? It doesn't take much to realize that this is quite an outlandish topic, so how was this book able to reach so many people? Benjamin Hoff was very receptive to the fact that not many people are familiar or comfortable with the topic of Taoism, so he wrote his book in a style that would be able to reach the masses. Throughout the entirety of this book, Hoff writes as if he is having a conversation with Pooh bear who is constantly asking questions of him. This is meant to create a casual mood and answer the many questions that the readers may be thinking of. In a book like this, there needs to be a niche to slowly acclimate the audience to its philosophy. Hoff decided to write the majority of the book as a conversation to make the audience more open to its ideals. Sometimes philosophies come off as slow and boring with the author trying to shove his or her ideals down the readers throats, whereas Hoff's book has a more casual atmosphere that makes the audience feel more like they are being talked to rather than lectured. When the audience feels more comfortable they are more apt to accept Hoff's thoughts. What happens when the audience has a question or doesn't understand Hoff's point? The book certainly can't reply to their questions. Well Hoff anticipated this and used Pooh as a vehicle to answer the audiences questions. In his conversations with Pooh, Pooh will often interject with a question about a story that is being told or a question about a conclusion that Hoff came to or even a simple "why?" While it may seem like Hoff is just continuing his conversation with a rather curious bear, he is also simultaneously answering any questions that the audience may have about his teachings. This makes his message even stronger because the audience is not confused about his argument and can comprehend even the most complex of arguments. Hoff utilizes his furry companion to it's fullest to help convey his philosophy to his readers.

TOW# 15 Into the Woods movie review analysis

http://moviepilot.com/reviews/2015/01/11/into-the-woods-movie-review--2-2579570?lt_source=external,manual

This review’s ideas seem to be lost in the woods just like the characters in the movie it critiques. The review discusses Disney’s new movie “Into the Woods”, a story about fairy tale characters that meet together in the forest. While this review tries to praise the movie while still pointing out its flaws, its ideas end up coming off as disjointed and awkward. The review starts of with a little too much praise with using the words “excellently” and “perfect” to describe it’s scenes. These words put the movie on a pedestal that makes it seem untouchable. The idea that the movie is “perfect” makes it seem like it does not deserve to be critiqued, which is just what this article hopes to do. The rest of this articles purpose is squandered not only because it’s language set it up for failure, but also because it’s statements are too condemning that they lose their effectiveness. This review tries to point out these movies flaws but expresses in in ways that make the movie seem unappealing, saying that some scenes “left me [the author] feeling a bit disgusted”. This review also seems to, instead of intelligently phrasing its argument, ends up rambling. This already poorly enacted article, blunders even more when it stats to rant and fully loses the attention of it’s readers. This author also tears down any ethos that it had by stating that they had not seen the play that this movie is based off of. This article tries to present the movie it is reviewing as a good movie with flaws, but ends up presenting itself as bipolar and scatterbrained. The author of article created a review so ineffective that it almost makes the reader want to avoid seeing the movie.