TOW #13 Taking A Que From A Friend... An analytical view of a popular meme.

Last week, my friend was struggling to think of a topic for her TOW. She told me that she wanted to do a meme, but wasn't sure how to approach it. This spurred creative thinking in me, and an idea was born. Hence, this:

Oh Overly Attached Girlfriend. You represent so many things that are wrong with society. As you can see from this collection of pictures, the Overly Attached Girlfriend meme has a single common theme. This girl is CRAZY. Or, that's what the pictures seem to show. In each one, the girl is surrounded by text describing a situation that she has caused. Each situation is slightly offensive, albeit hilarious. However, the innocent meme, meant to reflect the small actions of some women that annoy men, has been blown out of proportion. As the collection of posts above (hopefully) shows, the meme has been blown out of proportion. What was once a lighthearted way to poke fun has become a derogatory recurrence in society. Overly Attached Girlfriend (OAG) has become a reflection of the misogynistic values that are STILL abundant in society. In the meme on the bottom right, the text implies that the girlfriend will not allow the guy to wear sunglasses for fear of his “wandering eye.” I don’t think this is fair first off to men as it implies that they are inherently willing to turn their backs on a relationship, always looking for something better to come along. That’s offensive! The meme is also offensive to women though as it implies that all women have much insecurity about not only their boyfriends (or husbands etc.) wandering eyes, but also about themselves. The meme seems to always imply that OAG thinks she isn’t good enough, that she is just waiting to be replaced and that unless she acts like a complete psycho, she will be left in the dust. Not only is this meme offensive and wrong, it is also depressing. How have women come so far in getting equal treatment, only to be set back by society once more? This needs to stop. Let’s end OAG once and for all.

Tow #12 I'm A Stranger... Bill Bryson

Wow. I really like this book so far. As an American I feel that one some level I should be offended (maybe?) but Bill Bryson is just so hilarious! In fact, humor is his main tactic in telling his homecoming story. Bryson utilizes humor to emphasize the differences between Britain and America (which are naturally humorous themselves). 

In his introduction, Bill Bryson gives his readers some background on what the story entails, and how indeed he came about the process of writing on his experience. He explains that he lived in America for most of his life and moved to Britain about 20 years prior to this book-inspiring event. Bryson’s account of the situation is, well, let’s just say I need to check a thesaurus (hilarious, comical, chuckle-inspiring. There, I’m good.) Bryson was speaking to an old friend from London who was asking him to write a weekly article on America. In the following anecdote, Bryson uses his account of the conversation to explain that he was roped into the concept. It doesn’t seem to be a big regret though, so he made out just fine.

Bryson introduces the concept of this book as a collection of his articles on America after returning from his second-homeland Britain. I quite enjoyed the quirky style which added to the overall chuckle-inspiring (see what I did there?) tone of the book. Using the newspaper articles as the core of the book gave it a sort of care-free nature. Bryson isn’t criticizing America, and I think, like I said in the beginning of this post, some people could be offended in thinking this. The use of style in this book makes the topic, which could be controversial, lightweight.

Bryson overall is a very funny man. His lighthearted reflection in the style of news articles is funny and light, avoiding offending anyone. I can NOT WAIT to read the rest.

TOW #11 Obama The Loner: The Trouble With The President's Self-Reliant, Closed-Off Attitude by Todd Purdum

Obama made a promise to be different. He was connected; he utilized social media and creative advertising to reach out to a broad audience. He was smart, after all, he is a Harvard grad. Most of all, he was warm, likable in the words best sense. Obama, a confident face, was chosen to represent America and as it turns out, this may have been his downfall.This article, published on Vanity Fair by Todd Purdum provided an interesting take on how Obama's ability as president was hindered by his individualist position. It provoked thought and reflection through the use of harsh comparisons, understanding analysis and stone cold evidence.

Through the use of comparison, Purdum pokes holes in Obama's behaviors. He pits the idealized version of president Obama and everything that he seemed to be against what he actually is. At the going away party for a major campaign aide, Obama, says the author, "Spoke warmly, even emotionally." It seemed in this instance that maybe Obama wasn't as detached as we think. The next sentence however, seems to prove this wrong. It states, "He made his way quickly around a living room full of Cabinet members, other aides, and off-duty reporters, grasping each proffered hand with a single, relentless, repeated greeting: “Gotta go.” Obama, when presented with a great opportunity to socialize and schmooze with his coworkers, couldn't be bothered. He was aloof, maybe even a tad standoffish. This comparison shatters the fragile, rose colored glass with which most view the president, supporting the author's point. 

The author makes it a point to not place all of the blame on Obama however; he uses analysis and evidence to strengthen his argument while keeping his tone in check. This reflects the level-headed style of the author and keeps his point valid for consideration. If Purdum blamed Obama for being disconnected and simply criticized him repeatedly, the article would be harsh and bias-seeming, making it less credible. However, the author is able to appeal to the lighter side of his analysis. He explains that Obama's seemingly disconnected behavior may simply be part of his nature as the man has always been alone. In explaining that Obama comes by his behavior honestly, the author reflects an understanding of our president on a deeper level. He also explains that Obama is not the first (or the last) president who will act in this way. Purdum shows here not only an understanding of political history, but of the role of president itself and the common effects on its holders. 

Through carefully worded analysis, harsh comparison and strong evidence, Todd Purdum is able to craft a strong analysis of Obama as a president. He shows that the isolation of the elected president has an affect on MANY presidents in addition to Obama, uncovering the true nature of presidential office using Obama as an example.

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/2013/11/barack-obama-loner-self-reliant-closed-off?src=longreads

TOW #10 A Look At The Book Business From The Inside by Daniel Menaker

Sorry this won't live up to my last tow. While I liked reading this, I love Survivor much more and won't be able to recreate the passion in my writing. However, since I felt like I would be letting you down if my blog didn't have a little spark to it, I picked this article strategically. As my grandmother would say, I gave it some "oomph." I've always been intrigued by words and books, and naturally I wanted to be a book editor for a long time (you'd be surprised how many romantic comedies are about those in the industry, FYI). This article, which I found on longreads, was all about the business and offered an inside view. Even though I already had high hopes, the article did not disappoint.

I guess it could be said that the author uses an anecdotal style to draw the audience in. I was already drawn in, but that’s beside the point. The use of anecdotes on a personal level lets readers explore many aspects of publishing, from getting into the industry to getting a book published. The author clearly desires a certain effect, he wants to cause a revelation in readers about the difficulty that goes into publishing and how cut-throat the industry can really be. However, I don’t think that this style of writing was the best way to go about it. It was choppy and confusing, and some of the pieces didn’t really connect. The author did his best to connect the different anecdotes (I think) but it just didn’t work. It seemed like several false starts that he couldn’t elaborate on and just threw them together. I know that this is an excerpt from his book, and I find myself wondering what the entire book looks like if this is just an excerpt. I hope for HIS publishers sake that it turns out a lot better.

http://www.vulture.com/2013/11/daniel-menaker-on-publishing-industry-insanity.html?mid=longreads

Outwit. Outplay. Out-analyze. (TOW #9) SURVIVOR

       If there is one thing that you should know about me, it's that I love Survivor. I've seen every season, every play, and it still makes me incredibly angry that Russel Hantz didn't win. As I find myself bombarded with schoolwork this year, I haven't had time to watch Survivor, and it's been upsetting. Today, I will serve to right this problem. Today, I will take TOWs to where they have never been before. Welcome to: 

Survivor: TOW

(Is it Wednesday yet?)

      

On the survivor logo, there are three words: Outwit, Outplay, Outlast. These three words represent the key ideals of the game, the things that should be kept in mind by contestants throughout. Players must gain trust and use strategy, win challenges and immunity, and most of all, they must stay in the game. Failure to succeed in any of these categories will result in elimination. 

Much like in society, the castaways are pitted against each other, forced to beat every opponents for their ultimate goal. This represents the fierce competition that is everywhere, college applications, the job market, even in school systems. Everyone must be the best to succeed. Survivor shows that one is unable to reach success without the help of others along the way. Each contestant is split into a tribe. While on that tribe, they must communicate and work alongside other members in mutually beneficial relationships. They also must work together against the other tribe in challenges to better their own chances. Within their tribe they make alliances, much like the friendship between two coworkers. However, these bonds are much stronger as these contestants are fighting for their (survivor) lives. Without allies, they lose any chance at winning. Though the ultimate goal is to become the “Sole Survivor” in order to get there, the player must become their tribe. 

As any Survivor fan will tell you, the game really gets interesting after the merge. If Survivor was some sort of twisted school system, the days before the merge act as primary education, and the merge in all its free for all glory acts as college. The remaining contestants are finally free from the shackles of being a tribe and have much more freedom to make their own moves. In this aspect, Survivor shows both the importance of loyalty and independence and that they both can get you where you need to be...mostly. At the merge, many people decide to break ties with old tribe members, breaking the bond that they had for hope of better advantage. The person who does this must now rely on themselves in challenges to win their way to the top, or to rely on new bonds to get them to the end. Though this works occasionally, (YOU GO RUSSELL!) oftentimes it is best to stay loyal. During my favorite part of Survivor,  Jeff Probst introduces the court system of 8 jury members. These jury members listen to what the remaining contestants (there are 2 or three left) have to say, as they defend their game play and attempt to persuade the jury to vote for them to win the 1 million dollar prize. If they have played their cards right, the contestant will have kept relationships with the people on the jury, or set it up so they now sit at judgement next to someone more disliked than his/her self (shout out to Boston Rob and Phillip). 

Survivor is a game of strategy and there are several lessons to be taken from it. It is important to be loyal to your friends but also to your enemies, to anticipate your opponents every move, to step on toes along the way (but only lightly as to not affect overall status) and most importantly, to Outwit, Outplay, and Outlast.

IRB Intro #2 I'm a Stranger Here Myself by Bill Bryson

For my new IRB I have chosen to read I'm A Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning To America After 20 Years Away by Bill Bryson. To be honest, I picked this book one day because my mom couldn't pick me up right away at school and I went to the library to wait for her. I decided to just look at the non-fiction section because I knew that I needed a new IRB and this one looked interesting. Everything about it from the description on the back to the reviews seemed funny, and I think that's what I was looking for. When I choose an IRB, I want to enjoy it, and personally I enjoy humor quite a bit. This seemed like a good fit. It's about a guy who returns to America after 20 years and his notes on what appears to be different and how he is learning to adjust to this new life. It should be interesting, to say the least. Also, Bryson is known for his humor apparently, and his books usually rate very well.

Tow #8 All The President's Men... A book in review

Drama. Suspense. Action. All are great things that occur in All The Presidents Men. The best part? It all really happened. As I read this book and witnessed the uncovering of the Nixon scandal by two incredible reporters, I felt as if I was uncovering something myself. My discovery? Nonfiction CAN be interesting! Imagine that! Reading this book was like reading a great spy novel, it had humor and suspense, even sarcasm. The way the authors presented the novel made it interesting, yet also informative. 

One thing that kept interest was the use of an all knowing third person in the story's retelling. Despite the personal story coming from the two reporters who actually discovered it, the story is told from an overarching point of view. However, this does not limit the detail with which the story is told. The authors add emotion and response very well, especially through thorough imagery.

The imagery in the story was able to let audiences connect to the story and immerse themselves in it. They can really see the “uniformed policemen, shirt-sleeved detectives with snub-nosed thirty-eights... and prosecutors” (58) who surrounded the case. The readers can really feel the confusion that struck authors as the story unfolds, as if they were there themselves. 

Another thing I felt was interesting, at least from a stylistic standpoint, was the beginning. Before the book starts, a “cast” is given, as if it were a play, a list of people who were integral to the story line or the actual events. This served to organize the reader and serve as a reference point for them. Each time someone new was called upon (often quite literally) to be interviewed or questioned, the list could be referenced, explaining why exactly that person was being interviewed. It also allowed the authors to avoid having to explain who each person was, and get to the point without skipping around it. This reflects the often blunt style of journalistic writing that the authors are very familiar with. On that note, I quite liked that aspect, as it didn’t take away from the story, and instead only added to it.

Overall, the story of the watergate scandal was depicted quite well in this novel. It was a different approach, perhaps different from the one that I would have used, but it worked. It was a riveting story told in a riveting way that will continue to capture the attention of readers for a very long time.

TOW #7 The Wanderer By Samanth Subramanian (From Longreads)

In his essay full of self-reflection and, well sorrow almost, a man (Samanth) realizes the importance of family, and getting to know them. However, he realizes this too late, and because of his appreciation for what he has now lost, the story takes on a saddening, heartfelt tone. It is because of this tone that the story is most effective in achieving its purpose. Since Subramanian feels as though he has failed his family in a sense, broken the bonds that made them connect to history, he tries in this piece to have others come to the same realization that he did; family is more important than anything, and we should appreciate them while they are still here. His audience is not people who are like him. Instead I would say that he directs this at anyone whose grandparents are still here, whose culture is alive and vibrant, especially the young people of today’s world. Subramanian serves to inspire them to connect (or reconnect) with their culture, and to appreciate people to their fullest potential.

One way that Subramanian does this is through the gorgeous imagery with which he tells his story. ONe of my favorite examples is when he says “The air around him crackled; his aura was so strong that invariably, towards the end of each of these sessions, ripples of doubt would run through my mind” (I would cite this but I can’t). I am not sure why I liked it so much, but I just felt that it stood out, and made the grandfather seem larger than life to this man. The detail with which Subramanian tells the story of his grandfather emphasizes the mans importance in his life, even if he only discovered the importance when it was too late. Because of his attention to detail, the story hits home, and I think he will indeed inspire people to appreciate others through it.

http://www.aeonmagazine.com/being-human/the-mystery-of-my-grandfathers-vagabond-past/?src=longreads

TOW #6: Howard Zinn Chapter 4: Tyranny is Tyranny (ZINN IS CRAZY MAD)

Wow, Howard Zinn is opinionated... And BOY DOES HE LIKE TO SHOW IT. Throughout his entire book, I believe Howard Zinn has several purposes.  There are two purposes that stand out among the others.  On one hand, Zinn is (quite literally as you can tell from the title) offering a new spin on history. It is so often told from the view of the winner (understandably of course, I mean who wants to record personal loss? Especially in detail?) and therefore is glorified and made to seem much more glamorous than it actually is. Instead of conforming to the traditional ways of telling history, Howard Zinn chooses to provide facts and information on the other side of history. 
On the other hand, Zinn serves to do much more. He criticizes government and society, all supported in his writing of the ways of history. This book is his professional platform for expressing his political views and criticisms. His use of primary sources hits home for readers as a giant appeal to pathos. In fact, I guess you could say that this whole book is an appeal to pathos. Zinn tries to get people to feel anger and hatred for the oppressors in history, and sorrow for those who were affected so harshly. In doing so, Zinn casts the anger onto modern government as the people feel that these historical events are the fault of their own leaders, as if they had something to do with it (they may have in certain cases). Even though he offers a very clearly one sided view of history, I believe that Howard Zinn’s intentions in writing this book were not ALL about casting a terrible view on modern society and government (although it was definitely a factor). I think he really did want to offer the people new perspectives and I think in that sense he truly achieved his purpose.

TOW #5 A Political Cartoon on The Gov. Shutdown (AKA the most popular visual text topic, I assume)...

The author of this political cartoon, Bill Day, is a frequent editorial cartoonist who comments on modern occurrences through his artistic renderings. The (HILARIOUS) cartoon here is split into two different pictures, immediately referencing the juxtaposition between "The Employed" and "The Unemployed."The immediate split makes you think that there is a huge difference between the two groups, but when the cartoon is examined closely, it will be found that this is simply not the case. In fact, that’s what is so incredibly funny about it. 

When people hear the word “unemployed” they may think of a lazy bum who has no motivation or drive to do anything with their life, but mostly they think of someone who can not afford basic necessities in life, hence the picture of the poor man who must use trash as a pillow and a bench as a bed. He is suffering dearly in these difficult times as many Americans are and can not provide for himself efficiently because of lack of jobs and opportunity, but also because of harsh taxes etc. 

The government, in an ideal society, is supposed to look out for its people, protect them, and help them in hard times. They need to create jobs and laws and work hard to make sure that the people they are representing can live freely without worry. Currently, the American government (really always actually) is having trouble with doing this. They are ineffective, and can not agree on anything, as you know, and therefore the government has been shut down (am I the only one who doesn’t see how this is a good idea? Seriously, what?). The government officials who are still “employed” are now able to do absolutely nothing (which they are taking advantage of) and STILL GET PAID. The image below the first depicts an official who is sleeping in his office, not doing anything to solve the issue that he has created. To add humor, and a tinge of accuracy, his name is congressman wing nut, which means the author is calling him out as a man very set in his own beliefs who will not succumb to compromise. 

It’s funny really, (hence the comic) that the lazy politician can mope around all day doing nothing and get paid while the average man suffers.

TOW #4 All The President's Men, an IRB post (IRB POST 1)

SUCH. A. GOOD. BOOK. I know, I know, what was I expecting? After all, it is most often said that "the book is better than the movie". I really enjoy the way this book was written, and I have a feeling that I know why. As much drama, intrigue and flair that the book holds for readers, the most interesting part is that everything in it actually happened. I guess that's what makes nonfiction so downright interesting. The story as it unfolds may seem unbelievable at times (understandable, I mean, we're talking about the Watergate Scandal. It's pretty crazy.) but it isn't, it can't be, because it is true. That would be the whole premise of the novel so far, Bob and Carl are attempting to figure out exactly what happened. The book uses the third person, which I thought was a bit odd considering the authors were the discoverers of the scandal, but that only makes it more interesting. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein use a lot of different rhetorical devices and strategies that allow the reader to become part of the examination of the incident, the uncovering of the scandal. The one thing that they do really well is use imagery in their story. You can just picture the big office on a lazy Saturday morning, the frustration on the faces of the authors as they hit wall after wall of dead ends. The imagery in the story makes you feel, understand the story from a whole new perspective. By offering the specific details of each encounter through imagery, the authors allow audiences to become immersed in the discovery, almost as if they will figure it out for themselves by the ends, just as Woodward and Bernstein were able to eventually. I can’t wait to read more!

WELL THIS IS SUPER AWKWARD: An Update On The Stephen Glass Story

Well do I feel stupid. After rediscovering the article (I have a printed copy on my desk) online, I have found that my copy was indeed missing 5/6 of the article. I have corrected my mistake now, and have seen that the article is much better than I presumed it to be. I must admit, despite my own mistake, (which does make me look quite dumb, I am aware) I feel that Vanity Fair should let you print out full articles, as to stop this from happening to other people. I will admit this mistake, as it was a big one. The article became much more informative and quite frankly, more interesting as it went on. My apologies to Buzz Bissinger for slamming his writing, as it got much better. I guess one thing I can take from this (besides to always check millions of times that I have the whole story) is that the beginning of an article does not fully always represent the whole thing, just as a sample statistic of a population does not represent the whole world. From now on, I will not simply let the first page grab my attention, I will read a whole story before deciding on it's entertainment value and purpose. For your own enjoyment, and a few laughs at your own expense, I have left my TOW up. In addition, I ask you, as you read my TOW to read only the first page of this article. http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/archive/1998/09/bissinger199809
You will understand my viewpoint (I hope). After you have read my TOW and ONLY that piece of the article, I suggest reading the rest, because it turned out to be very good. Once again, my apologies to Buzz, Vanity Fair, and to myself for being super dumb.

TOW #3 Shattered Glass by Buzz Bissinger from Vanity Fair 1998

Wow. I have to admit, I was quite disappointed in this article. I feel like the Stephen Glass controversy deserved so much more coverage from Vanity Fair. In fact, I feel like it kind of glossed over the whole scandal (despite the fact that it was incredibly interesting) and focused on the life and reasoning of Glass. To be honest, the article didn't do such a great job of that either. It was short, not very factual, and it all seemed crammed together to fit a deadline. What could have been such a great exposé was simply a great big disappointment. Since I took journalism last year, I’ve been very interested in the whole situation (what with the lies, the drama, the obscenity (in a very legal and school appropriate manner, just to be clear)) and to read this article, the article that supposedly spurred the movie Shattered Glass, has been a goal of mine for some time. As a follower of the scandal, the article did not meet expectations, and I will continue to search for better exposés on the scandal itself. This article was simply not what I was looking for. The author seemed much to focused on style and rhetoric to effectively depict the heart of he story, skirting around its edges like a man who simply didn’t have the facts. The only mildly interesting thing that I took away from this crap, full of useless imagery and what I took to be an appeal to pathos, or at least some sort of human curiosity, was that in his past, Glass was involved with a play group who once did a piece on a “Washington journalist caught up in conspiracy and corruption” (p1). The author even managed to ruin that though, because instead of simply letting you think about that, coming to your own conclusion, he literally spells out what it meant on the next page. To me, as both an interested reader and a writer, I felt this made it seem as though the author was disrespecting his audience, saying that they weren’t smart enough to come up with this conclusion on their own. I was offended, and will be looking elsewhere for more information on the Glass controversy as this article was insufficient and poorly done.

TOW #2 A Closer Look At The Kitchen (AKA A Rhetorical Analysis of CLOROX WIPES)

Oh, advertising. It's a cut-throat business. Everyone is trying to get ahead of everyone else; nowadays, you can find advertising everywhere, even in your own kitchen, where I found these Clorox wipes. The Clorox company has many competitors and it is their responsibility to not only make sure that their product better than everyone else's, but also to make sure that the product looks best as well. Through their clever advertising skills, the Clorox brand presents their wipes in an effective manner that looks professional, but gets their point across. The wipes look like this:

As you can see, the logo for Clorox is right in the center of the bottle. This placement was strategic, as it becomes the most important thing on the bottle and sticks in the mind of the buyers. That way, when they go back to the store to get new wipes, they remember, “CLOROX.” On the back is an explanation of how to properly use the wipes, including precautionary statements etc. This stuff is required on the packaging, and so the print is relatively small. The company does not want buyers to focus on the negative things (what the product can not do, what dangers come with it etc.) and so they put this information in almost unreadable print. Also, the information is on the back of the product, so as to not appear when stocked in stores. Buyers may not even realize it is there until after they have bought the product. The second biggest font on the bottle states the purpose of the wipes, explaining that they are disinfecting, and the third biggest is a key point, perhaps the most important (as you are supposed to think) thing about the wipes. They “Kill Cold and Flu Viruses.” However, if you look closely, you can see that there is an asterisk next to the words. After careful inspection, I have (FINALLY) found the corresponding asterisk, which is in font that I can barely read on an obscure corner of the front under the “Bleach Free” sign. Since the first piece of text does not specify which types of viruses are killed, it is implied that most, if not all are killed by using these wipes. The small print clarifies for everyone, the wipes only kill two viruses. Though this means that Clorox has deceived it’s consumers, isn’t that the core of advertising? Manipulating words to your own advantage? The rhetoric used by this company allows them to effectively achieve the purpose of looking the best, even though it may not be the truth.

TOW #1 Article "What I've Learned: Michael Wright" Esquire

Originally published in January, only a few months after the horrendous attacks that occurred on 9/11/2001, one survivor tells us his story. A heart wrenching account of the terror attacks provides depth and knowledge to the average public on what really happened to one man, and how it changed his life forever. Though when published the article served to provide this inside account, it has done so much more. This interview brought up emotional events for everyone involved, even just by reading. There is so much unintentional imagery of horrific events that he witnessed and the imagery resurfaces images and memories of that day, this article becomes a segue to personal reflection, begging the question, “Where were you during 9/11?” It makes you think about the importance of family and how lucky you are to have them. As much as 9/11 put the world into perspective for this man, his interview puts it into perspective for everyone. Michael Wright isn’t sure why he was saved from death on this day, especially when the lives of his friends were taken. However, he is grateful everyday that he was saved, and we can all take a lesson from him. Life is important and you should enjoy every second of it especially with the people you love. Even those who were not personally affected by the tragedies on this day will be affected by this man’s story of both the attacks and life after them. He provides a new spin by speaking on the aftermath of the attacks (this is an edition of What I’ve Learned after all) and speaks of his trials with therapy, including a checklist of things he can no longer do or enjoy. (It is very apparent that he, among other survivors, now suffers from severe post traumatic stress disorder.) This story is just as heartbreaking as it is heartwarming, and reminds us all of a terrible time in history so that it may never be repeated again. 
Read the article: http://www.esquire.com/features/what-ive-learned/ESQ0102-JAN_WTC_rev

IRB Intro: All The President's Men

Last year, I took Jourrnalism Today here at Wissahickon. We learned many things about journalism itself, how to write it, what it means, etc. However, what I found most interesting about the class was the two real life journalism controversies (it's funny really, always a journalist looking for the worst.) Nonly did these events actually happen, but they were REALLY interesting. We focused on two controversies, Stephen Glass's story, and the Watergate Scandal. I liked Glass's story most of all, and I researched it a ton. In fact, I was considering reading his book as my IRB. However, as per usual, Glass could not show the truth, and his novel "The Fabulist" was classified as a fictional account of his life (this is complete and utter crap). So, I moved on to the next scandal. Watergate. Since I really enjoyed learning about it, I have picked up the novel, "All The President's Men" which details the entire account from the perspective of authors Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward. I hope to shed some new light on the scandal, and learn more aboutb what went into its discovery in this book.

An Update On ESL

I've been reading Eats, Shoots and Leaves. I'm not particularly fond of it per say, but over the past few days, I have found that it made an impact on the way that I look at the things around me. As I finish up my essay, I hope to be able to show this point. The book is successful in it's purpose, quite possibly because of the humor and rhetoric. ALSO, if someone could clarify the proper way to punctuate "hes and shes" that'd be great. :)

Essay Number Five "Who Are You and What Are You Doing Here?" by Mark Edmundson for The Oxford American

The author currently teaches at the University of Virginia, where he spends his time working on novels and other personal works such as papers and dissertations to further his career as his students go on and party. Or at least, so he says. In addition, the author has written several novels, one of which, "Why Teach? In Defense of A Real Education" correlates to some of the discussion in this essay. The memory of a discussion with his father, during which his father told him to pursue what he WANTED to do was the driving force in the creation of this essay. In fact, the entire essay had the same premise as said discussion. Edmundson wrote this essay about college; college life for students (and teachers for that matter) and what it is really like. He wanted to show his audience that college isn't about being the smartest, most hardworking student. He wanted to convince them that to succeed in college, life really, you must do what you love, not what everyone wants you to love. Without love, or passion really, you will not find the road easy, or the reward to be worth your while. (It's like in a movie that I love, one of the main characters says, "I'd rather do nothing and be happy than do something I know I don't love." Life lessons from romantic comedies everybody.)* Though the author's purpose is clear towards the beginning of the essay, it's quite murky from the third page on (until the end, which is quite full circle and cliché). After the discussion of the talk he had with his father, the author goes on several tangents. He discusses the lack of motivation that college students and teachers have and the thoughts of Freud, among many other distractions. If the author kept this essay short and stuck to the single point, his purpose would have been much better served. Though he meant to reach future college students, the juniors and seniors of the high school systems, the author's lack of focus made it hard to stay with him. In turn, those students, who usually lack patience, may give up on comprehending the material. The author also has a repetitive style to his work. It includes the use of several (too many!) lists. The lists are quite distracting and also lead audiences astray from the author's true purpose.


*Please Note: do not count for word count. Content was added to show personality, and give my last blog post some rhetorical flair of my own. (I quite like parenthesis in case you couldn't tell.)

Speaking of which, this moving picture GIF (hopefully? Technology is not a friend.) depicts Joy (the character) expressing what I believe to be the main purpose of this essay. The author, after all the tangents and unnecessary information, really just wanted to say this:

Thanks to http://weheartit.com/entry/63364429/via/EitiGrant

Essay Number Four "How Doctors Die" by Ken Murray for the Zocalo Public Square

After witnessing years of futile treatment as a doctor and chatting with other doctors on their preferred way to live life, Ken Murray was inspired to write this essay. He saw that there were benefits to letting life be as it will, not trying to extend it for as long as possible and to just let it be. Murray is a retired family doctor who was also a clinical professor of family medicine in LA. He was a contributor to the novel, How to Report Statistics in Medicine and has worked with several doctors in his career. Ken Murray wrote this essay on the end of life. The essay was not about the importance of medical treatment and prolonging life, instead it discusses how those who see these extensive medical treatments everyday are helpful in a sense, but interfere with the quality of life immensely. Although this was quite a serious topic, the author was able to make it entertaining by utilizing the rhetorical tool parenthesis. This tool allowed him to add in entertaining bits of side information that offer the audience insight and knowledge. This also allowed the audience to relate better to the essay and the medical terms in it, because the parenthesis offers an explanatory description.  Because the author takes so much care into explaining all of the medical terms and his own purpose, he is able to reach out to the masses. This essay served to inform people of the choices that doctors make but not to influence them necessarily. This means that the author was able to appeal to a broader audience, one that consisted of people who did not know this about doctors. The authors only true purpose in writing was to inform the public that their medicines and other futile treatment that they force doctors to provide to them is not the best solution. I believe that the fact that doctors don't want this treatment themselves proves this point, and that was the entire basis of the author's essay. Therefore, the author served his purpose well.

This woman has made the consious decision to live her life as it lasts and that she does not want to suffer in her last stages. This tattoo was referenced in the discussion of the "no code" situation that many doctors choose to put themselves in.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/gran-has-do-not-resuscitate-tattooed-152251

Essay Number Three "Vanishing Act" by Paul Collins for the Lapham's Quarterly

It's quite funny really, I started reading this essay purely because I opened the book to it's middle pages and read a little. I had no intention of reviewing it whatsoever, but I came to really enjoy it...

Paul Collins often works as a "literary detective" at NPR who uncovers information about lost authors and forgotten old books. It is because of this title that he uncovered the story of Barbara Follett. Collins has written seven books and currently teaches nonfiction at Portland State University. He specializes in historical writings. This particular writing was about the life of the successful child author, Barbara Follett, detailing accounts of her childhood as well as career (which all in all seemed to be the same. She didn't get out much.) Through this essay, Collins served to celebrate the memory of a great success in childhood authoring and to inform the public of her life, both the successes and the failures, the hard times and also the wonderful days that she lived. In addition he serves to offer up ideas on the life of child stars as a whole, analyzing connections between the lives of three major child stars. The author serves this purpose quite well, and I suppose that is what makes the end of the story so interesting, the parallels that the author was able to draw between them. He shows that each one was abandoned by a parent at some age, at which point the child's livelihood and joy began to dwindle. For Zerah Colburn it meant becoming broke and losing not only a father, but a mother as well. For Follett it meant losing the childlike innocence that she previously had, making her work darker and her trust of people almost nonexistent. In addition to proving this connection, the author was indeed able to celebrate the life and work of Barbara Follett by reintroducing her work and story in this essay. In fact, on the comment section of the original publication of this essay, many people inquire about reading her works. The author wanted everyone to be able to connect with Barbara's story and so the article was written in a way that appealed to all people.

This image depicts Follett in a forest, seemingly posing as the character Eepersip from one of her novels. In truth, the picture may depict Follett's desire even at a young age to disappear from the real world, an ominous omen of future events.
This picture was found at http://teenagefilm.com/archives/dear-diary/barbara-newhall-follett-vanished-novelist/

Essay Number Two "The Good Short Life" by Dudley Clendinen for The New York Times Sunday Review

This essay was written directly to people who are facing terminal illnesses. However, its prose speaks greater than that, reaching out to an audience much broader then originally intended. Family members of those with fatal illnesses and everyday readers are dually affected by its words. The essay served to show those living with illnesses that it's okay to not want to be a burden to your family, that it's okay to die but to celebrate life as well. Living while you can is important, but so is knowing when it is okay to die. The essay had such a simple purpose, and yet the author was able to achieve so much more. He says himself that after being on both sides of this situation that he understands the pain and hurt that his loved ones will feel and yet he still knows it is the correct decision. His words offer comfort and understanding to those in his daughter's position as well as to the terminally ill themselves as he speaks of his personal dealings both with disease and life. After watching several family members deal with disease and being diagnosed with ALS, the author began a reflection on life that spurred this essay. In his reflection, the author describes his disease with similes stating, "it looks like the ripple of piano keys in the muscles," and "it feels like anxious butterflies." These two descriptions are among the most powerful in the story because they force vivid images into the brain which immediately build sympathy in the reader. The similes allow those who are not terminally ill to understand the pain that their family member or friend is going through which in turn helps them understand the decision of that person to die. Prior to writing this essay, Clendinen had experience with the terminally ill in the fate of his mother and several other family members. He also had experience with both writing and editing  as he was the senior editor for The Baltimore Sun and a national correspondent/editorial writer for the New York Times.

On another note, I quite liked this essay and found it almost inspiring really.

I believed that this picture and the accompanying quote fit the purpose of this entire essay. The two flowers showed that solidarity is important in the ending stretch of life and the quote really says all that the author meant to say. I found it on this website http://www.firstcovers.com/userquotes/49220/live+your+life+to.html (which is terribly set up and completely unasthetic (ew.) (er, can you use multiple parentheses in another set of parentheses? Is it like math? This is a serious concern.)