TOW #30

Dear New AP English Student,

Prepare for a year of stress and fun. I promise, that's what this class will bring you. AP English isn't a class to fret over, though, because as your very wise teacher will tell you, "It's only school". TOW's, or these blogs that you're reading now, will be a pain, but in hindsight, they do give exposure to more writing and nonfiction. That's another thing-nonfiction. I have never liked nonfiction before I had this class, and now, I can't get enough of it! I promise, whether you are a fiction person or even a romance novel person, you will enjoy at least one aspect of nonfiction before the year ends.

Mr. Yost is a pretty cool guy, so don't go too hard on him. Always remember to do homework, and if you don't, just be honest about it. He gets it. Prepare to do endless amounts of writing! In class essays are never the best days, especially if you're writing them first period, which was often the case for my class; however, as you go through the year, you are sure to get much better at them! Don't get down on yourself because of your first marking period grade, either, because let's be honest, that first summer essay most likely really brought  your confidence level down a few notches. By the third marking period, you will hopefully be on your way, or at the level of an A!

Vocab lessons are a great way to not only open yourself up to the language of english, but also to get some good prep for SATs. Pay attention to roots! Presentations always come at the end of the marking periods, and be sure to always work with people that you KNOW can get work done. Mr. Yost also happens to be the public speaking teacher, so you will be graded on posture and voice for once in your life. The class is great, and will teach you so much about how you write. Have fun with it, but know when to be serious. Laugh in class (especially at Mr. Yost's weird jokes), and be creative! It's better if you're into it, and don't forget-- IT'S ONLY SCHOOL.

Alyssa Ryan
Last TOW of APENG 2013-2014

TOW #29: Documentary (2)

Last week, I viewed the documentary "Bully". "Bully" revolves around teens and their problems with bullying. I loved it. I thought it accurately depicted some of the real struggles and dangers of bullying in high school that are seen every day. There are a few arguments that were made throughout the film, most with which I'd agreed.
   The first and probably most prominent argument I noticed was that bullying is still a big problem in high schools around the nation. The documentary argued this by exemplification of students in schools. Throughout the video, the cameramen follow a few students and go with them through their school day, making sure to capture every interaction and every encounter by other students, teachers, and family members. I completely agree with the idea that bullying still takes place in high schools today, along with the argument that not many people do anything about it. I see it in my high school occasionally. Many don't know that they're doing it, but even making fun of a girl three grades below might make an impact. It doesn't happen too often, but when bullying does occur, I know for a fact that it has more of a toll than most think. The argument that nothing is done about it is also accurate, in my book. Of course, teachers will break up fistfights and hair pulling in the hallway, but what most of them will let slide are the verbal taunts, the ones that pull the emotional strings of students. It's so easy to break down the self-confidence of a high school student who is only trying to fit in and make friends.
   Another argument made in the documentary is that the students normally do not bring the bullying onto themselves, and it is solely the other students. In some ways, I do agree with this, but in other ways, I think that this isn't completely true. I think there are definitely students who initiate arguments and bring the bullying onto themselves, which, of course, in no way makes the bullying okay in any sense. Sometimes, however, bullies don't begin to bully unless they really have a reason to. In most cases, though, it is because of a problem they have either at home or an insecurity they have about themselves.
     I remember in 8th grade when a man came and spoke to our class about his son, Patrick, who committed suicide after being bullied over the internet. I think technology has definitely opened a new road for bullies, because they can easily hide behind their screen. It's amazing that almost 75% of students in public schools have either witnessed or have been the victim of bullying. That's almost 3/4 of students across the country. It's incontrovertible that this is a huge problem, and I'm glad that someone decided to make a documentary about it.

TOW- Documentary: BULLY

As a teenager, it's astonishing to know suicides are in the top five leading causes of death for teens. At first, I thought, how could that be? I'm a relatively happy person, and I could never think to do such a thing; however, after watching "Bully", I understand what goes through the minds of the kids who make that decision, and this documentary has made a huge impact on my life and the way I will treat others in the future. Throughout the documentary, the director utilizes exemplification and a notable emotional appeal in order to make the audience aware of the dangers of bullying, and how it impacts more people in more ways than we think. 

Even at the beginning of the documentary, the director utilizes exemplifcation. In fact, the first few scenes feature a father talking about his deceased son who was bullied to the point of suicide. This use of an example at the start of the movie is extremely effective because it immediately places the audience at the scene of the consequences of bullying. Exemplification also provides intrigue for the audience. Immediately, I wanted to know more about bullying and where this movie was going to go. Even the second scene follows another boy who is being bullied, and shows the hardships he faces and the people he has to deal with jus tot get through one day of school. It's heartbreaking to know that kids actually go through this every single day. To me, it's almost as traumatizing as being bullied. 

There's no way the director could  have made this documentary as effective as he had without the use of an emotional appeal. The fact that in the first thirty seconds of the video, there is a father crying about his dead son is just the beginning of the rest of the emotional video. The emotional effect not only pulls the audience in, but allows them and provokes them to feel sympathy for these kids who are being bullied every single day. It's a tragedy, and the more people that are aware, the more that can help stop the bullying. It's amazing what emotions can do. I, for example, cried at least four times throughout the documentary, and call me a girl, but I know for a fact that some of the boys who watched it cried as well. The documentary hits hard on emotions, and it is one of the best strategies in getting the director's point across. 

This documentary will forever be one of the most moving things that my television has ever shown. I loved it. I hated it. I accepted the fact that I have bullied others in my life, but at the same time, I've been bullied. It taught me the dangers of even calling someone a name behind their back. Through the use of an emotional appeal and exemplification, this documentary shares and makes people aware of the dangers of bullying. 

Reflection TOW

Well, it's been a great year in APELC, and I'm proud to say my writing has definitely improved, along with my TOWs. I noticed, specifically, improvements when I looked back at my analysis of images. At the beginning, I wasn't really sure how to rhetorically analyze an image or a visual text; in fact, I didn't really know that images could serve any rhetorical purpose at all. As I learned throughout the year, however, my analysis of visual texts became much better and much more sophisticated. I think I have definitely mastered analyzing these types of texts. They are also my favorite, and I find it extremely interesting that a simple picture can convey such a large message.

Although I feel I definitely improved, there is, of course, room for more improvements. I still have not mastered rhetorically analyzing short, non-fiction texts. I have become much better at it, but finding the author's theme, message, or purpose is something I still struggle with this. I struggled with it much more at the beginning of the year, and these TOWs helped me by exposing me to tons of different types of writing, which allowed me to try and find messages of different authors and different passages. I had also never really been too into non-fiction before now, but discovering intriguing newspaper articles and even biographies have been two advantages of doing these TOW assignments over the course of the year.

TOWs were definitely one of the most time-consuming, yet beneficial aspects of this class. At first, I didn't really understand how they were going to help, but I found it so amazing that after just two or three of the entries, my writing began to change and develop. The success that I've had throughout APELC during this year is reflected by the improvements in my TOWs. It's cool to look back on the ones from the summer before junior year and get a gist of how much I really did learn this year. Thanks TOWs!

TOW #26: Argument Against Headphones (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/magazine/09FOB-medium-t.html?_r=0

Since before I can remember, headphones have been a part of any music-lover's daily lifestyle. They're easy access to a world of different music when an escape is needed. There are hundreds of different types of headphones: some that stick to the ears for runners, and some that even cancel out all noise around the person wearing them, besides, of course, the music being played. The question is, though, do headphones effect us more negatively than we are aware of? In 2011, Virginia Heffernan wrote an article for the NY Times about whether or not headphones were a good source of entertainment. Using statistics and exemplification, Heffernan convinces her audience that headphones are bad for society.

Heffernan begins her essay with an extremely effective statistic that sets the tone for the rest of her essay. By stating that "One in five teenagers can't hear whispers or rustles" (Heffernan), she automatically focuses the audience's attention on the fact that hearing problems are an incontrovertible effect of wearing headphones. the statistic is not only enough to grasp the reader's attention, but also more than enough to make a solid point, and make the rest of her argument believable. Heffernan also uses statistics when writing about how that number of teens losing hearing has jumped immensely since 1944. This not only supports her last statistic, but ends the introduction paragraph leaving the audience wanting to know more about why headphones are so bad, ultimately strengthening the argument. 

Through the use of exemplification, Heffernan connects to her audience, which is an important factor when trying to convince them of something. For example, she uses this strategy when explaining how exactly the headphones work. In some ways, this is actually ineffective, because she does use some jargon such as "diaphragm" and "conversions and compressions". Overall, though, this is good because by explaining the processes technically, she is giving herself more of a knowledgable status, and letting the audience know that there's no arguing with the science of the headphones. This essentially strengthens Heffernan's argument. 

Heffernan does a great job in explaining the headphones situation to her audience, and she convinces them with ease with her tactics. Through the utilization of statistics and exemplification, Heffernan is able to show her audience why headphones are bad, and make a clear, and strong, argument backed up by pure fact. Her argument is so good, it's almost unarguable. 

TOW #25: Divergent Movie Review

Yet another Dystopian movie was recently released a few weeks ago, featuring a girl and her journey in a society where everyone is told who they are. "Divergent", which was a novel in a trilogy before in was shown in the movie theaters, was written by Veronica Roth. In a movie review written by a New York Times publisher named Manohla Dargis, "Divergent" is just another dystopian movie that will never amount to assisting women in their breakthrough of strong and adventurous roles in movies. Through the use of comparison and negative word choices to imply that writers and directors have been attempting to put women warriors on the pedestal and use a female as the strong lead role, but "Divergent" doesn't help this cause at all.

Throughout his article, Dargis consistently juxtaposes Roth's "Divergent" with Suzanne Collins's "The Hunger Games". While they are both set in a dystopian society, the plots are very different; Collins's book is much more violent, while Dargis argues that "divergent" was rather "anticlimactic" (Dargis 1), which didn't allow the true nature of Tris's (the female lead) courage to shine. Additionally, the female lead in "The Hunger Games" doesn't really have much time for romance, as claimed by Dargis, but the fact that Tris keeps wondering why her male instructor pays attention to her really puts the stereotypical teenage girl right back in her place. Using this juxtaposition allows the audience to make comparisons in their minds, and better understand where Dargis comes from.

Dargis also uses a method of negative word choices. For example, he uses "ill-served", "uncomfortable", and "anticlimactic" when describing the plot, characters, and movie itself. Each of these words clearly carries a negative connotation, which makes the audience think worse of the movie.   Because the amount of negative words compared to positive is such a high ratio, the positive ones are barely noticed, and the negativity is retained. Not only did he negatively describe the plot, but he did so with the characters, including the female lead. By doing this, he underscores the ineffectiveness of Tris as the main character, which completely takes away from the writer's goal of creating this new era of female warriors in movies and books.

Although I thought this movie was very good, maybe a little bit long, I must agree with Dargis in that Tris was not a good representation of female warriors of the 21st century. Through the use of comparison and negative connotations, Dargis attempts to inform his readers of the flaws within "Divergent", and convince them that it does not effectively display the breakthrough of women's lead roles in action/adventure movies.

TOW #24: Non-Smoking Ad

Nowadays, most people know that smoking is detrimental to one's life. It's both surprising and disturbing, especially, to witness an adult smoking around children. Not only are the children watching their "role models" smoke a cigarette, but they are also absorbing that nasty second hand smoke. This was an ad that appeared on a billboard that told people to stop smoking near children, if at all. The image uses allusions and an emotional effect in order to display to its viewers that secondhand smoke has a great effect on children, and can cause them to have health problems as well as the person actually smoking.

It's amazing what the effect of a child can do for an image. The picture of the innocent little girl plastered on the billboard automatically drawn the viewers' attention. Without even thinking, the billboard bring in the effect of an appeal to pathos, one that touches the hearts and consciouses of its audience members. As the billboard reads "Children of parents who smoke, get to heaven faster", it's hard to interpret the message wrong. Children are affected by the smoke that their parents bring into the household, and could essentially affect the health and life of the child as well. The Child Health Foundation does a great job of making sure that people get the message by basically telling its audience that children can die because people are being ignorant and smoking around young kids. The little girl portrays every young child in this situation, and the cute look on her face will touch the emotional strings of the audience every time, making the message that much stronger.

Interestingly enough, the ad also alludes to a religion. In the Christian faith, halos are widely used to represent angels. Angels are usually representative of people who have already died. This ad was clever, in that there is a halo above the little girl's head, but the halo is formed by the smoke around her. This is not only a bit horrifying, but it tells the audience that she is going to "heaven" for the wrong reasons. She shouldn't have a halo of smoke around her head, because it isn't she that smokes. It is her parents. It almost brings about a sense of unfairness, as the girl isn't committing the crime, but she is going to have to pay the price. Both the work heaven and the halo contribute to this allusion, which overall may make the ad easier to understand for the audience.

In conclusion, the ad is effective. If anyone saw this on a billboard, they would feel bad for the little girl, and understand that smoking does not just effect the person with the cigarette in their hand. Through the use of religious allusions and an emotional appeal, this ad effectively displays the horrors of smoking and the terrible effects it can have on children with parents who smoke.