Reading Goal: Be able to clearly identify rhetorical strategies in a video media
Writing Goal: Concise summary
In this commercial, Rocky, an Irish Wolfhound, is shown eagerly awaiting and crying for his owner, Dawn. Dawn has just returned from what appears to be deployment. A voice narrates the bond that Rocky and Dawn, his owner, share. As Dawn appears, Rocky runs outside and jumps on her, clearly happy to see her back. The narrator states, "for a love this strong, Dawn only feeds him Iams". The screen then shifts into a visual that shows that Iams has more protein than the leading dog food brand. Finally, the last scene shows Rocky and Dawn happily together.
The ad. is effective because of its brilliant appeal to pathos and repetition of words. The viewer immediately falls in love with Rocky, who is a beautiful and clearly loyal dog. The meeting he and his owner have also tugs at the hearstrings, making the video highly watchable. The fact that Dawn is also in the military taps into the American conscience and the pride we have for our troops. In fact, this "Dog welcoming owner home" -style video is something highly trending on Youtube, the source of this commercial. After this is when the narrator begins talking about the product this video is selling, Iams pet food. He states the Iams slogan,"For a love this strong, [owner name] only feeds him/ her Iams". This is then continued with a repetition of the word "love" in sentences that follow. Therefore, the viewer associates Iams with happy, loyal pets and mutual love between the pet and the owner.
I think that this ad is effective in its purpose of trying to sell Iams pet food. By incorporating this product into an emotional video, Iams makes this commercial more memorable. It also makes sure to mention its slogan, which is clearly associated with the product. The audience for this commercial is probably all pet owners. Iams is a pet food company manufactured by P&G.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
IRB Intro Post 4
I plan on reading The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. This novel deals about the bioethical issue surrounding cell research and race. I choose this book because in AP Biology we actually got to work with HeLa cells, which originated from Henrietta Lacks. I'm very interested to know more about the story behind this woman and also how far Mrs. Lacks's cell have come. One interesting thing about this book is that there are actually pictures of Henrietta Lacks and some of the characters the author mentions.
TOW 24: The Glass Castle By Jeanette Walls
Goals:
Find good rhetorical strategies
Have a clear thesis
Jeanette Walls has had a an unpredictable, almost fictional-sounding upbringing. With two highly individualistic parents who abhorred responsibility, she was left from a young age, to take many responsibilities onto her shoulders. Now, towards the end of the memoir Jeanette is tired of having to look after her parents instead of the other way around. Through vivid description and revealing dialogue, Walls shares her deep desire to leave but also her deep love for her parents despite everything she has gone though.
Walls uses very descriptive language in her memoir. With her words, she reveals her inner turmoil and disappointment at the actions of her father. She writes, "Dad started laughing and hugging Mom, who started laughing and hugging him. It was as if they were so happy they hadn't killed each other that they had fallen in love again. I didn't feel like celebrating. I couldn't believe that after all he had put himself through, Dad had gone back o the booze." (77). By vividly describing the unpredictable behavior of her parents, Walls clearly shows the drama and importance of this moment because it is when her father returns to alcohol, leading for her to begin to lose faith that he will actually change. The whole ridiculousness of the situation, with her parents waving knives at each other just moments earlier, also speaks to how much Walls had to go through in her childhood, though she may not blame her parents for anything.
Walls also uses frequent dialogue to add to the vividness of her memoir. Describing a conversation with a woman who oversaw the Internationalal Best Dressed List, Walls writes, "So where are you from Jeanette?' 'West Virginia.' 'Where?' 'Welch' ....'And your family owns coal mines?' (170). This conversation highlights how uncomfortable Walls felt at first being surrounded by so many people who she feels will never understand her. Walls one word answers show this. She thinks others will judge her harshly if they ever find out about her parents, but she feels happy to finally be able to not have to worry about her parents anymore.
Wall's audience is probably the general public. This book was easy to read, but also engrossing because of its vivid language and detailed dialogue. Jeanette Walls is a former MSNBC columnist who is also author of Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel.
Find good rhetorical strategies
Have a clear thesis
Jeanette Walls has had a an unpredictable, almost fictional-sounding upbringing. With two highly individualistic parents who abhorred responsibility, she was left from a young age, to take many responsibilities onto her shoulders. Now, towards the end of the memoir Jeanette is tired of having to look after her parents instead of the other way around. Through vivid description and revealing dialogue, Walls shares her deep desire to leave but also her deep love for her parents despite everything she has gone though.
Walls uses very descriptive language in her memoir. With her words, she reveals her inner turmoil and disappointment at the actions of her father. She writes, "Dad started laughing and hugging Mom, who started laughing and hugging him. It was as if they were so happy they hadn't killed each other that they had fallen in love again. I didn't feel like celebrating. I couldn't believe that after all he had put himself through, Dad had gone back o the booze." (77). By vividly describing the unpredictable behavior of her parents, Walls clearly shows the drama and importance of this moment because it is when her father returns to alcohol, leading for her to begin to lose faith that he will actually change. The whole ridiculousness of the situation, with her parents waving knives at each other just moments earlier, also speaks to how much Walls had to go through in her childhood, though she may not blame her parents for anything.
Walls also uses frequent dialogue to add to the vividness of her memoir. Describing a conversation with a woman who oversaw the Internationalal Best Dressed List, Walls writes, "So where are you from Jeanette?' 'West Virginia.' 'Where?' 'Welch' ....'And your family owns coal mines?' (170). This conversation highlights how uncomfortable Walls felt at first being surrounded by so many people who she feels will never understand her. Walls one word answers show this. She thinks others will judge her harshly if they ever find out about her parents, but she feels happy to finally be able to not have to worry about her parents anymore.
Wall's audience is probably the general public. This book was easy to read, but also engrossing because of its vivid language and detailed dialogue. Jeanette Walls is a former MSNBC columnist who is also author of Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
TOW #23: American Schools Should Teach Entrepreneurship
Reading Goal: Choose a topic very different from my last TOW
Writing Goal: Better rhetorical analysis of devices/stategies
In this article, author Dayo Olopade talks about the teaching model of the African Leadership Academy in Johannesburg, South Africa and how this model can apply to schools in the United States. In the African Leadership Academy, students are deeply immersed in entrepreneurship, group activities, and a hands-on method of teaching. Olopade criticizes the American education system for teaching leadership and business exercises, skills critical for any type of work, at only the MBA levels.
Throughout this article, Olopade employs quotations from students in the system and rhetorical questioning to prove that the ALA model of learning is something American schools should consider. She quotes students Akon Nelson, writing," Very schools give you the opportunity to make it where it counts- not for a grade, but for your own credibility." By showing the positive feelings of a student that is currently experiencing the ALA method of teaching, Olopade is showing that this methord is something that doesn't just sound good on paper, but is actually engaging students in real life. She also uses rhetorical questions to help her American audience consider what is lacking in our current education system. Olopade wites, " Why reserve leadership and business training to budding MBA's and leave teambuilding exercises the domain of annual workplace retreats?" Her questions help advance her argument that the ALA methord of teaching can help students gain the advantages of leadership-building and business-training before even joining the workforce.
The audience for this article is the American public, but perhaps specifically Americans involved in education. Olopade is, after all, offering new ways of teaching. The author achieves her purpose of showing the shortcomings of the American education system in leadership development, but she could have focused more on how to potentially implement more of these programs. Dayo Olopade is a journalist covering global politics and developmental policy.
Writing Goal: Better rhetorical analysis of devices/stategies
In this article, author Dayo Olopade talks about the teaching model of the African Leadership Academy in Johannesburg, South Africa and how this model can apply to schools in the United States. In the African Leadership Academy, students are deeply immersed in entrepreneurship, group activities, and a hands-on method of teaching. Olopade criticizes the American education system for teaching leadership and business exercises, skills critical for any type of work, at only the MBA levels.
Throughout this article, Olopade employs quotations from students in the system and rhetorical questioning to prove that the ALA model of learning is something American schools should consider. She quotes students Akon Nelson, writing," Very schools give you the opportunity to make it where it counts- not for a grade, but for your own credibility." By showing the positive feelings of a student that is currently experiencing the ALA method of teaching, Olopade is showing that this methord is something that doesn't just sound good on paper, but is actually engaging students in real life. She also uses rhetorical questions to help her American audience consider what is lacking in our current education system. Olopade wites, " Why reserve leadership and business training to budding MBA's and leave teambuilding exercises the domain of annual workplace retreats?" Her questions help advance her argument that the ALA methord of teaching can help students gain the advantages of leadership-building and business-training before even joining the workforce.
The audience for this article is the American public, but perhaps specifically Americans involved in education. Olopade is, after all, offering new ways of teaching. The author achieves her purpose of showing the shortcomings of the American education system in leadership development, but she could have focused more on how to potentially implement more of these programs. Dayo Olopade is a journalist covering global politics and developmental policy.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
TOW #23: Lessons From the Little Ice Age by Geoffrey Parker
During the 17th century, the world experienced longer winter and shorter, cooler summers in what scientists now call a "mini" Ice Age. This period of cooling lasted from 1620-1690's. The effects were devastating to the human population, causing famine. floods and disease. But more interestingly were the political events tied with this climate change, including riots, rebellions, and catalysts to later major events in history.
In this article, Parker argues that climate change is closely linked with political and economical turmoil. He supports his argument with the use of statistics and logical reasoning. Parker writes, "In Japan, a mass rebellion broke out on the island of Kyushu following several poor harvests. Five years later, famine, followed by an unusually severe winter, killed perhaps 500,000 Japanese." By using statistics to illustrate the scale of the rebellions, Parker highlights just how bad the poor harvests that resulted from this drastic climate change were. Parker also uses logical reasoning to qualify his argument. He writes, "Climate alone did not cause all the catastrophes of the 17th century, but it exacerbated many of them." But admitting that climate change was not solely responsible for every bad thing that happened in the world at that time, he is avoiding the hasty generalization fallacy. However, he follows up to this to clearly outline how the poor harvests and floods because of the period of cooling led to less food, hungrier and sicker people, and desperate and angry citizens.
The audience of this article would probably be the American public, because almost every American, to some extent, is aware of the idea of Climate Change. Of course, the current trend is global warming rather than cooling, but Parker seems to foresee many of the same consequences. Overall, he is effective is showing that that we must be careful about the potentially disastrous effects of global warming, but he does not attempt to address any different effects it would have than global cooling or give any potential solutions.
Geoffrey Parker is a History Professor at Ohio State University and author of "Global Crisis: War, Climate Change and Catastrophe in the Seventeenth Century".
In this article, Parker argues that climate change is closely linked with political and economical turmoil. He supports his argument with the use of statistics and logical reasoning. Parker writes, "In Japan, a mass rebellion broke out on the island of Kyushu following several poor harvests. Five years later, famine, followed by an unusually severe winter, killed perhaps 500,000 Japanese." By using statistics to illustrate the scale of the rebellions, Parker highlights just how bad the poor harvests that resulted from this drastic climate change were. Parker also uses logical reasoning to qualify his argument. He writes, "Climate alone did not cause all the catastrophes of the 17th century, but it exacerbated many of them." But admitting that climate change was not solely responsible for every bad thing that happened in the world at that time, he is avoiding the hasty generalization fallacy. However, he follows up to this to clearly outline how the poor harvests and floods because of the period of cooling led to less food, hungrier and sicker people, and desperate and angry citizens.
The audience of this article would probably be the American public, because almost every American, to some extent, is aware of the idea of Climate Change. Of course, the current trend is global warming rather than cooling, but Parker seems to foresee many of the same consequences. Overall, he is effective is showing that that we must be careful about the potentially disastrous effects of global warming, but he does not attempt to address any different effects it would have than global cooling or give any potential solutions.
Geoffrey Parker is a History Professor at Ohio State University and author of "Global Crisis: War, Climate Change and Catastrophe in the Seventeenth Century".
Saturday, March 15, 2014
TOW #22: Nike; Find Your Greatness
This simple Nike commercial shows an overweight boy running down a country lane. There is no sound except for the scuffling of his shoes and the narrator in the background. As he is running, a narrator discusses what "greatness" is, and how anyone can be great. This implies that by having the motivation to keep running, the kid is showing greatness. Throughout the commercial, Nike employs an appeal to pathos and a testimonial of sorts to show the importance of its product.
The most effective aspect of this commercial its appeal to pathos. There is no doubt that many people struggle with their weight but feel like they lack the motivation to go out and exercise. By showing this young teen who has the drive to keep on running, Nike immediately creates an ad that is connectable and relatable to a large chunk of its audience. And the uplifting message of working towards a goal is something that all people can relate to. Nike also uses a real person to further the connectability of this ad. In the left-hand corner of the ad is a link that leads to the teen's actual TV interview and progress after this commercial was filmed. This shows that he actually achieved his goal, and that you can too. It is also important to note that there really is no mention of Nike or really what this commercial is advertising for except until the very end. This is effective in that the audience can take the time to relate to the commercial on a personal level without any brand being peddled in front of their face. However, this may detract slightly from the beginning since the audience is not aware what the commercial is for at first. The audience for this commercial is probably all Americans who exercise or want to get into better shape.
Nike is a sportswear company that specializes in shoes. Founded in 1964, its current CEO is Mike Parker.
Sunday, March 9, 2014
TOW 21: The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
In this memoir by Jeanette Walls, the author and her family constantly move during her childhood across the West. Both her father and mother are free-spirited souls who seem unable to completely settle in one place, partly because they were constantly accumulating debts. Her mother is an artist and her father works odd jobs to make money. Jeanette was forced to grow up fast as a child, learning to take on responsibilities such as managing money and getting food for the family. However, she still loves her parents despite their irresponsibility. Currently, the family is staying at Battle Mountain, their longest place of residence.
Throughout the story, Walls uses imagery and metaphors to vividly describe her experiences. She writes, "Brian and I loved to go to the dump. We looked for treasures among the discarded stoves and refrigerators, the broken furniture and stacks of bald tires. We chased after the desert rats that lived in the wrecked cars, or caught tadpoles and frogs in the scum-filled pond." This detailed imagery gives the memoir an almost fantastical quality, adding to the story-telling element of it. Walls recounts her life as the adventure it truly was, full of constant action. Even though her story itself is interesting, these devices make it easy to imagine her as a child, searching as all kids do for treasure, only in the middle of a small desert town while constantly on the move.
Jeanette Wall's purpose is probably to tell her story and share her unique childhood with her readers. She achieves this marvelously, partially through her undoubtedly interesting experiences but also through her vivid descriptions. This also makes her memoir suitable for all audiences because it is very readable and suspenseful. Ms. Walls is a regular contributer to MSNBC and won the 2006 American Library Association Alex Award with The Glass Castle.
Throughout the story, Walls uses imagery and metaphors to vividly describe her experiences. She writes, "Brian and I loved to go to the dump. We looked for treasures among the discarded stoves and refrigerators, the broken furniture and stacks of bald tires. We chased after the desert rats that lived in the wrecked cars, or caught tadpoles and frogs in the scum-filled pond." This detailed imagery gives the memoir an almost fantastical quality, adding to the story-telling element of it. Walls recounts her life as the adventure it truly was, full of constant action. Even though her story itself is interesting, these devices make it easy to imagine her as a child, searching as all kids do for treasure, only in the middle of a small desert town while constantly on the move.
Jeanette Wall's purpose is probably to tell her story and share her unique childhood with her readers. She achieves this marvelously, partially through her undoubtedly interesting experiences but also through her vivid descriptions. This also makes her memoir suitable for all audiences because it is very readable and suspenseful. Ms. Walls is a regular contributer to MSNBC and won the 2006 American Library Association Alex Award with The Glass Castle.
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