Tow #7-Dear United States: Is This What Democracy Looks Like? By: Terry Newell

In a scathing evaluation of the current state of America, Newell points out how many recently publicized events make the U.S look like a mess: Snowden, the government shutdown, and the recent spying on allies, etc. He then begins a serious of questions of why the United States doesn't seem to be able to get it together. But the author then pulls back and evaluates just why America is portrayed as so incompetent. Perhaps it is actually because America is so democratic as compared to other countries. However, he qualifies this idea with the fact that it does not excuse the problems that have developed for our nation as of late.
The most influential rhetorical device used in this article is rhetorical questioning. In fact, the second paragraph of the article is made up almost entirely of questions. These questions emphasize all the things that are going wrong in America these days and make the reader angry at the failures of the government. The author also makes use of logos in the last two sentences of his essay to cite statistics of how the United States is still viewed in a generally favorable light both domestically and internationally. After the frustration readers may feel about the government, these statistics make the article end on a hopeful note.
The author's purpose at first may seem to rant about the mess of our national government, but in fact it's almost the opposite. The article acknowledges the problems we are facing, and actually says that the large amount of liberty given to citizens is a contributing factor. Of course, every citizen would rather have a government that blunders at times than a large and rigid government that never blunders, because people who find any flaw in it are simply silenced. In short, the author's purpose is to tell Americans that although the actions of the U.S government have been disappointing as of late, it is the price of the freedom we cherish. Overall, I think the author did accomplish his purpose. As a frustrated citizen myself, I have realized that compared to many other governments around the world, our government is certainly not the worst by any means. Does that make some of the things the government has done okay? No. But at least we as citizens can speak our mind about it. Terry Newell is currently the Dean of Faculty of the Federal Executive Institute.

TOW #6-"The Lessons of Japan's Economy" by Steven Rattner

This article addresses the similarities between Japan's current economy and the United State's economy. It starts on an optimistic mood, saying that Tokyo has been recovering fairly well from its years of economic stagnation. However, the author then points out that three things, namely bureaucracy, tradition, and overregulation are holding it back. He addresses tradition by pointing to how Japan's aversion to firing people has caused a greater dependence on manual labor instead of newer technologies. Like the US, it also suffers from tax loopholes and needs a better tax policy. The article ends on a hopeful note, conceding that although Tokyo has fallen behind other Asian cities like Shanghai, it could still get back on track.
One of the rhetorical devices the author uses is a full-circle ending. He begins by mentioning the Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe's "three arrow" policy and ends reflecting on the effectiveness of this policy. It also appeals to logos by citing many statistics, including that Japan ranks last among 24 developed nations in terms of entrepreneurial activity.
The audience of this article is probably people who are somewhat informed about economics. As someone who isn't really informed about such things, some of the statistics the article listed confused me because I wasn't sure what point the author was trying to make with them. Overall, I don't think the author achieved his purpose, which was to point out mistakes Japan has made that the United States could learn from. Had the author incorporated more detail about the US economy and made more comparisons, I may have understood. However, since I am probably not his audience, maybe he didn't feel the need to. I also noticed that he did not mention a lot about government overregulation, even though it was one of his three key points.
Steven Rattner is a Wall Street financer, chairman of Willett Advisers in New York, and economic analyst for MSNBC.

Tow #5: Media-"Just Checking" Cheerios Commercial

In this commercial, a young girl walks up to her mom with a box of Cheerios and asks her mom if Cheerios are good for the heart, like her dad said they were. Her mom replies that Cheerios has whole grain oats which can remove cholesterol, which is heart-healthy. The girl smiles and walks off with the box of cheerios. In the next scene, her dad wakes up to find that a bunch of Cheerios have been dumped on his chest. The commercial ends with the Cheerios slogan "Love."
This commercial primarily plays off of pathos. The little girl's charm makes the viewer want to smile immediately, and the viewer cannot help but smile at her innocent misunderstanding. The loving family dynamic also gives a warm feeling. In the last slide, the use of the color yellow creates a sense of happiness. But the central idea of the commercial is an appeal to logos, the fact that Cheerios contains whole grains which lower cholesterol. Also, although perhaps not rhetorical device, the commercial shows a mixed-race family, which shows that all families, regardless of size or structure enjoy Cheerios. This could also be subtly be trying to say that there is no “typical” American family.
Cheerios is a popular breakfast cereal generally targeted towards families with children. The viewers of this commercial are probably moms and dads, so using this "family environment" is an effective marketing strategy.
Cheerios may have a dual purpose in showing this advertisement. On one hand, they certainly want to sell their cereal, which they do by exalting its health benefits and through a heart-warming family interaction. Beneath the surface, they may also be trying to say that there really is no “typical” family, especially with the growing voice of LGBT community and increasing number of single-parent families. But the use of a mixed-race family, which generated controversy, may have been purposefully done to increase awareness about the ad and ultimately the product. Cheerios has certainly achieved this purpose, as this ad and its effects have been reported on in newspapers like the Huffington Post and online news sources, with over four million views on the original commercial on Youtube.

Tow #4: (IRB) Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama

Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance is the autobiography of the 44th President, Barack Obama. Even as a young child, Obama never knows much about his father except from the stories his mother and grandparents tell him. When his mother and father finally divorce and his mother marries Lolo, an Indonesian surveyor, Obama goes to Indonesia as well. He eventually returns to Hawaii to live with his grandparents and finish schooling. He goes to college, eventually transferring to Columbia, where he learns that his father has died in a car crash. Obama eventually decides to become a community organizer from Chicago, where he begins after initial doubts, to make some changes.
Although I have finished the entire book, there are many examples of rhetorical devices used throughout. In particular, Obama employs in media res to hook the reader, starting with the news of the death of his father before backtracking and filling in the other details of his life. He also uses a lot of foreshadowing. Obama writes, “Beneath the layers of hurt, beneath the ragged laughter, I heard a willingness to endure. Endure-and make music that wasn’t there before.” (pg. 112). These rhetorical devices add to the readability of the text because the story is constantly moving along. I think Obama’s purpose overall is to allow the public to know him more; to know his background, what he’s experienced, and show that he’s not an average candidate. This autobiography was published as he was running for junior U.S senator from Illinois, so it was definitely written as a way for voters to know him beyond his speeches and policies. Although I have not yet finished the autobiography, I do believe that President Obama has achieved this purpose. He is honest in telling his story, careful to show his true character and at times, flaws. Today, President Obama is the 44^th president of the United States of America. As his autobiography states, he was a community organizer in Chicago before graduating from Harvard Law School. After graduating, he became a civil rights attorney and taught at the University of Chicago Law School. In 2009, President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize.