TOW #6

               Hannah Greenwald is a High School student from New Jersey, who's blog was published in the Times of Israel. Hannah's article was about an experience she had with an Uber driver. Hannah is Israeli, and her driver was a Muslim. The beginning of the article discusses the numerous tensions between the two groups, and summarizes a recent killing of Israelis. She explains her hesitation when the app informs her that her driver will be Mohammad, but she proceeds with the ride anyway. Once she was in the car, Mohammad started friendly conversation with her. Eventually, it came up that Hannah was Jewish. However, instead of Mohammad being hostile to her, he was immensely intrigued by her religion. They both began discussing their religions, informing one another on the similarities and differences, and what they thought was interesting. Greenwald even speaks the small amount of Arabic she has been learning for him. Throughout the piece, Hannah Greenwald uses dialogue to appeal to pathos in order to prove to her audience that society should not judge a person based on stereotypes that were given to their religion, ethnicity, etc. Towards the end of her story, she writes,
 "“And here, people think we’re all terrorists. When they see my name, Mohammad, they don’t want me to drive them"
And at that moment my heart broke for him and his people.
“Why do you want to learn Arabic, anyway?” he went on to ask.
“Because I don’t think you’re all terrorists.” I responded.""
This dialogue triggers similar feelings that Hannah experienced in the audience. This helps put the audience in Mohammad's shoes, and have them realize that the stereotypes society has put against him are unfair. Hannah, who's 'people' have been persecuted by his 'people' has no trouble understanding this. She knows that just because he is Muslim means he has prejudices against Jews. This is very important, because if Hannah can get past the stereotypes, then society can too.
           As a Jew myself,  I easily connected with this piece. I have heard the common stereotypes, and it is hard to grow up in a world surrounded with negative groupings to grow up unbiased. However, luckily I live in a part of the world where I do not need to worry about being attacked for my religion. This is why Hannah's piece spoke so much to me. It was able to express the necesity for learning to understand other religions. If both sides approach this learning with an eagerness, rather than skepticism, then there should be no conflict. I think a new generation with Hannah and Mohammad's attitudes can be a start to ending the tensions between religions.

TOW #5

One of the most controversial topics in America is gun violence. In an article written by Timothy Egan for the New York Times, he takes a new approach on who should be held responsible. He begins his article with a criticism on the political approach to gun violence. He mentions many political figures, and directly attacks their responses to the issue. Once he establishes his view on the politics of the issue, he moves on to the main point of the article. He believes moms are the ones who are truly responsible when it comes to gun violence. Egan is able to argue that moms should be responsible for gun violence by using real world examples. The author believes that a major part of the reason mass shootings happen is that the mothers of the shooters give too easy access of guns to their sons. Egan references multiple real life examples of shootings where he believes this can be the case. In reference to the Sandy Hook shooting, he writes, "Can we blame the mother of Adam Lanza, who let a mentally disturbed child arm himself to the teeth just before he slaughtered 20 children and six adults in Newtown? The home was an arsenal, supplied in part by the mother" (Egan para. 8). Referencing real life occurrences appeals to both ethos and pathos. By including an example like Sandy Hook, Egan establishes his credibility. The majority of American adults, which is his audience, have heard of this shooting. This reference is bound to get their attention that the author has some sort of idea of what he is talking about. It also applies to pathos. The references of shootings themselves stir emotions within readers, but Egan brings it one step farther by accusing mothers. Everyone has a mother, and many feel relatively protective and close to their's. Trying to put part of the blame on mothers can either make feel more connected to the issue, and understand the importance of good parenting, or create a defensive reaction, people being offended at the accusation of a loved one. Personally, I understand the logic behind Egan's reasoning, but I do not believe that if the mothers of shooters such as Adam Lanza did not have guns in the house, then they would not have occured. Of course, if his mother knew he was mentally disturbed, she should not have allowed him any sort of access to guns. But that does not mean the shooting is her fault. Lanza could have gotten hold of a gun some other way. Maybe not that day, but definitely at some point, and a shooting still would have occured. 

TOW #4

         The first words Laura Hillenbrand writes in the book Unbroken pull the reader in. Before the book even began, her dedication was adressed to "The wounded and the lost" (Hillenbrand). Immediately I was intruiged. Next came the preface, which jumped right into the middle of the story, telling readers how Zamperini had been stranded among miles of ocean for 27 days. The second page of the preface had me on the edge of my seat, for she wrote how they were finally discovered by a plane, after almost a month of barely surviving, only to find it was an enemy plane, who began to shoot at them. That was how the preface ended. The next page was Part I, talking about Louie Zamperini's childhood. By including such an intruiging preface, I was eager to read on. This is a stretagy the author uses throughout her book. By including a large amount of suspense in Unbroken, Hillenbrand engages readers and demonstrates that people can overcome the hardest obstacles in life and achieve greatness. Because she uses so much excitement and suspese, Unbroken reaches a very large audience. It is not limited to only people who enjoy war stories, because this biography is much more than that. It tells the personal struggles of an individual, and the crazy events in his life. It can appeal to anyone who is old enough to understand the language.
         Louie Zamperini, the person Unbroken is based around, is a main demonstration of someone who was able to overcome obstacles to reach greatness. The beginning parts of the book focus on his childhood, before he was even part of World War II. As a young child, Louie was the face of misbehavior. He continuously robbed stores and people's homes for food, got in fights with other kids, and made trouble at school. This went on for years, with his parent's and teacher's numerous attempts to tame him having no affect. Most people began to give up hope for Louie, expecting him to grow up a failure. However one day, his older brother Pete, marched into the principles office and demanded his brother an opportunity on a sports team. He said he believed that Louie would stop his behavior if he began to recieve positive reenforcement rather than the negative punishments he had been recieving his whole life. Pete convinced Louie to join the track team. The first race Louie ran, he came in last, and shamefully tried to quit the team. But Pete urged him to continue, making him train countless hours a day. Soon, Louie was the best high school track star there was, breaking records left and right. It wasn't long until he was racing for a spot on the olympic team. Hillenbrand writes, "With heads thrown back, legs pumping out of sync, Louie and Lash dove fo the tape. With just a few yards remaining, Lash began inching up, drawing even. The two runners, legs rubbery with exhaustion, flung themselves past the judges in a dinish so cloes, Louie later said, "you couldn't put a hair between us'" (Hillenbrand 26). The suspense she created in this sentence not only kept the readers engaged and curious to see who won the race, but showed how far Louie had come. 20 pages earlier, Louie was a trouble maker with no hope for a future. Now he was one of the most beloved members of his town, and was head to head in a race with Lash, the best runner in the nation. Not to mention that Lash was 26 while Louie was a mere 19. Hillenbrand utilizes the use of suspense in her writing in order to create a sense of desperation in Louie, and to show how he can overcome obstacles. Although I have not finished the book yet, it seems very clear that this style of writing will be consistent throughout the book.

Zamperini and Lash in the final qualifying race for the Olympics

TOW #3

The Art of Failure is an essay written by Malcolm Gladwell. Gladwell is a well known journalist and non-fiction author, who has worked as a staff writer for the New Yorker since 1996. Throughout the essay, Gladwell furthers his credibility through the mentioning of famous psychologists as well as including information from their studies. The Art of Failure is an essay written about how when people are under stress, they tend to either panic or choke. Through a series of examples and studies, he is able to show that these types of 'failures' are enduced by stress, an occur because that is how the brain reacts to stress. His main purpose is to show that different types of failures happen to everyone, and that they are not necessarily a failure, but a result of their brain's reaction. Gladwell demonstrates this throught the use of famous events in history including famous figures. Along with this, he includes intense imagry and suspense in order to recreate the feelings of stress during each situation. One of the main examples he uses is the 1993 Wimbledon finals. Jana Novotna was winning the match 4-1 and was on her winning point when she choked. For the rest of the game, she could not get a point and her opponent Steffi Graf deafeted her. In order to transfer this sort of pressure to the audience Gladwell writes, "On the sidelines, Novotna wiped her raquet and her face with a towel, and then each finger individually. It was her turn to serve. She missed a routine volley wide, shook her head, talked to herself" (Gladwell para. 1).  By including the example from Wimbledon, with Jana Novotna, Gladwell was able to express to his audience that even pro tennis players can mess up. He explained how the type of failure Novotna was experiencing was a choke, because she resorted back to her primary tennis skills, as if she was a beginner rather than a professional. Along with this, the imagry demonstrated to the audience the extreme pressure Novotna was under. This way, Gladwell's audience was able to understand why she choked without Gladwell having to say, "she was under a lot of pressure." Overall, Gladwell's essay was extremely informative as well as effective. His essay had the ability to appeal to anyone who was able to understand the vocabulary. He was able to explain to the world that failure is inevitable, and it's not always our fault.

Jana Novotna Wimbledon 1993

TOW #2

This political cartoon came from the opionion section of the popular satire website, The Onion. It was published on July 6th, 2015 and titled Stars and Snipes. The main idea of this cartoon is that many Americans have fake nationalim, especially around the time of the 4th of July. Many Americans hang up American flags on the 4th of July to show that they have pride in their country, yet they take it down the day after. The contrasting family, across the street is upset by this. They believe in truly resepcting America, and their flag stays up year round. Three famous Americans, Betsy Ross, George Washington, and Lee Greenwood are seen in the top corner looking down on the situation with tears. It shows that these people worked hard to found our country, and in the 21st centruy the majority of people no longer hold a respect for that. The author dressed the 'fair-weather patriots' and the 'grubby neighbor kids' in dark colors to show they have a negative connotation. The family across the street is wearing light colors, to show that their values are the opposite. Along with this, the license plate of the family taking down the flag reads, "H8 USA," to show by taking down the flag, they aren't demonstrating true respect and loyalty to their country, just because they hung up a flag the day before. This appeals to a audience of any age old enough to understand what his happening, that believes people need to have more respect and nationalism for America. By including the license plate, the famous public figures, the colors of the families shirts, and the contrasting family across the street, the author is able to achieve her purpose. The author is showing her audience that many people pretend to have nationalism for their country by putting up a flag for one day, however true patriots leave their flag up all year around. 

IRB 1

I chose to read the book Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. The book was the #1 New York Times Best Seller, and it has been reccomended to me but many friends. The book is about an American Lieutenant in World War II who survives a crash into the ocean, only to realize he is stranded and alone. I believe I will enjoy this book, because although I don't have a particular interest in wars, I love reading about the personal struggles people experience during the wars.

TOW #1

Mars One: 'It's important what you do before you die'

In February, an article was released by CNN stating the seemingly unrealistic mission of Mars One. CNN, standing for Cable News Network, is one of the most trusted news networks in America. Founded in 1980, they have released a countless number of articles, with educated journalists, such as Sarah Curddas, the one who wrote this article. Mars One is a non-profit with no plan other than to colonize Mars. The mission called for every-day people to volunteer themselves for a one way ticket to Mars. 200,000 applicants applied at the original release of the mission. By February, they were down to 100 final candidates. The finalists will have to go through a series of tests, including an extended period of isolation, before narrowing it down to the four strongest. Starting in 2024, these four citizens will be flied out to mars, and a new set of four sent every two years. The article includes pictures and accounts of two hopeful finalists. Although they admit that what they are doing is terrifying, both finalists agree that they are doing it for the greater good of human kind. They believe they can be the first life on mars, enabling a new world when earth is no longer suitable. Alison Rigby, age 35, shares "I say we are all going to die, but it's important what you do before you die." This article has been released in order to raise awareness of the mission. Mars One needs to gain six billion dollars from various donors in order to be able to complete their mission. Although there are still nine years prior to the initial release date, funding needs to happen as soon as possible.Therefore one of the audiences of this article are wealthy people who may be interested in donating. Along with this, the article is aimed towards people with a special interest in space, or the new development of colonization on other planets. The author's purpose is inform readers on a reality that once seemed impossible, and to get as many people on board with the mars one mission as possible. The author successfully reaches readers through the use of pathos. By including the stories of the two finalists, Alison Rigby and Clare Weedon, readers begin to understand that there are people who truly have hope for this to work. Upon first hearing the mission of Mars One, it just seems ridiculous as well as unethical; sending four people to mars, to never see their families again, and with no possible way of return. However after reading the inspiring stories of Weedon and Rigby, it is easy for one to change their mind. They believe they can truly help the world. Volunteering for this program for them is completely selfless. They believe that this is necessary for the longevity of human life, and that they will be the first to make history. Along with including these stories, the entirety of the article is written with a sense of urgency, creating an environment of necessity for this mission. After reading this article, although it may still seem questionable, it is understandable why people want to give up their life on earth for the colonization of Mars.


Weedon and Rigby's future home