Tow #13 Why College Football Should be Banned

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304743704577382292376194220

College students don't benefit from college football, in fact, all they get is a
higher tuition. 

May of 2012, Buzz Bissenger wrote an extremely bold yet thought-provoking article about why college football should be banned. His main reason? Well, to start, he says, "In more than 20 years I've spent studying the issue, I have yet to hear a convincing argument that college football has anything to do with what is presumably the primary purpose of higher education: academics." (Bussinger 1) Buzz Bissenger claims that college football steers away the students from what they are supposed to be doing at college, which is learning. He also makes the argument that the only people who benefit from college football are the alumni and the coaches that make absurd amounts of money. The students don't benefit. Even the players don't benefit because they're being "exploited by a system in which they don't receive a dime of compensation" (1). Last, Bussinger even begins to trash the concept of the game of football alone, and says that it causes injuries that don't need to happen, including sever head trauma. Although his arguments were legitimate, surprisingly, I did not find his article very effective. This article taught me how NOT to write an argumentative essay. The way he crafted the article was extremely sloppy. He would make one little argument, maybe say a sentence or two about it, and then scurry along to his next argument. This didn't allow his main arguments to stick out in my mind, but instead, it makes the article rather confusing. Something that did help his stance, though, was the example about the university in Baltimore, Maryland. He claims that the school cut 8 varsity sports to create a leaner athletic budget, so that crumbling basketball and football programs would get money, and track and swimming wouldn't. He then went on to explain just how much money the school spent on football, and the numbers blew my mind. A little statistic like that can change the whole meaning of the article, which was fascinating to me. During the timed essays, I'll make sure to use as much background knowledge as I can. The argument was an interesting one, and by the end of the article, I almost agreed with him, but not quite. His statistics helped, but it didn't completely gloss over the fact that the organization was sloppy. Note to self: organization has the same importance as content!

Tow #12 IRB Review

I'm in the midst of reading the book, Three Little Words, by Ashley Rhodes, and so far, I have learned about her childhood. Similar to previous IRB book, this one is about someone who had to overcome hardships. Rhodes uses imagery and dialogue to help the reader understand her difficult situations that she went through during her life. Using imagery, the reader can not only picture what is going on, but it allows us to interpret her dilemma in our own way. For example, Rhodes writes, "Our car always smelled of pickles and mustard from all the fast food we ate in it. I was enjoying my usual kids' meal in the backseat when my mother shouted, "Shit, shit!" A flashing red light made the car's windows glow rosy, and I liked the way my hands looked, as though they were on fire." (24) The way Rhodes uses two different senses, sense of smell and sight, encapsulates her experience in her mother's car. The audience can smell the fast food smell, whether it be McDonald's or Burger King. The reader can picture the glow that turns her hand as red as fire. The descriptors accentuate every action and every 

seemingly unimportant detail in the story, which  only makes it that much better.

      The dialogue has the same kind of effect. Rhodes uses dialogue several times through out her story. Whether it is her mother speaking or her brother or herself, the dialogue makes the story come to life. It puts voices and individuality on each of the characters. It gives every character a personality. Rhodes writes, "I remember the rush of joy as I fell into her arms after one of those interminable separations. 

'Sunshine, you're my baby and I'm your only mother. You must listen to the one taking care of you, but she's not your mama. Never forget, I'm the only mama who will love you forever and ever.' She pledged that we would be together soon." (1) Although the readers don't exactly know who her mother is, we can infer that she was a kind-hearted woman, who maybe didn't have enough to support her child. Maybe she wasn't in a good environment to raise one. The fact that she sang that song and made those promises shows that maybe she couldn't pick and choose what happened to her child. It was probably what was best for Ashley. Her mother wasn't thinking for herself. She was selfless. 

       This book has moved me a bit form the beginning. Learning about the foster care process is very interesting, and I have made a connection to Rhodes as well. I can't wait to continue reading on. Rhodes's imagery and dialogue is extremely effective in getting the reader to understand the situation at hand, and I'm sure it will come more into play throughout the rest of the book as well. 

Tow #11: Patient by Rachel Reiderer

          One leg crushed under a tire, and the other wedged between the second tire and the cold, hard asphalt. And the bus that has mounted itself on top of you? Well, it's not moving. Rachel Reiderer has experienced this before, and wrote an essay on her time under the bus, and in the hospital. In her essay, called, "Patient", Reiderer uses personification and imagery to demonstrate to her audience that although things may be at the worst of times now, there is always a way to look toward the future.
          Reiderer uses personification multiple times throughout her essay, especially in reference to the different parts of her body that had been injured when she was caught under a bus. She writes, "My toes would have bent. My feet are pretty and obedient." (2) During the essay, Reiderer cannot bring herself to believe that the incident even occurred at all. Here, she states that her toes would have bent, even though, because of the accident, they could not. She then goes on to personify her feet, claiming that they are "obedient". In another part of the essay, she yells at her leg for hurting her. The audience can see that Reiderer is in extreme pain, and tends to take it out on her body or things besides herself. This is then resolved when she realizes that it is no one's fault that this has happened to her. Things just happen sometimes.
          In her essay, Reiderer also uses imagery. Although many of the images she provides are quite grotesque, they do give the reader a sense of the exact situation that she is in, and what she encounters on any given day when stuck in a hospital for almost a quarter of a year. She repeatedly describes her room as off-white wall-papered, giving a bland image for the eerie and lonesome hospital room in which she stays for so long. She gives in depth descriptions of how her leg looks and feels. She writes, "The skin is gone from most of the front and the side, and there is just a mess of red tissue about three inches across..." (6) This describes the brutality of what she deals with every day, and how she has to be positive in order to get through it.
        Reiderer is an extremely good writer, and this essay was, in my opinion, amazing. She used personification and imagery to especially emphasize her point that looking toward the future is imperative when in a situation like hers. Sitting in a hospital bed for nearly four months obviously isn't going to be easy, but she was patient. 

Tow #10 Review of "Gravity"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-morgenstern/gravity-review-in-space-n_b_4086012.html

Sandra Bullock playing the role of astronaut "Ryan Stone"

In honor of the recently learned effects of claims of policy, fact, and value, I decided to write about a review on a movie I had seen this weekend, "Gravity". Gravity was a film about a woman (Sandra Bullock) who is stuck in space. The most intriguing thing about the movie, however, was not the situation, but it was the reality of every scene. The filming was, in my opinion, incredible, and the review agreed with me. The movie review was written by a man named Michael Morganstern, who writes for the Huffington Post. I found its claim first. The article writes, "I don't usually write movie reviews, but this film was so spectacular and disturbing at the same time, I felt like I had to." (Morgenstern, 1) Automatically, I agreed. The article also makes a claim of value by saying that he wouldn't be surprised if Bullock won an Oscar for best acting, while also saying that her acting performance was "stunning". He also mentions that her character was not only intriguing, but she was the heroine throughout the film. In a way, I feel as if he tries to persuade the audience to see the movie, maybe even twice. What jumped out at me from the article, though, was that he did state some of the claims that could have been made from the other side of the argument. For example, he says that it's "easy to forgive the cheesiness of the film" (Morgenstern 1). Although he agrees with this statement, he also says that it's extremely easy to look past this little flaw because of its achievement in so many other areas. He then goes on to try and oppose a claim that has been made about the script being underdeveloped. I think the article itself was extremely effective in supporting its initial claim. Not only does it praise the filming, the actors, and the director, but it also recognizes the possible opinions that others may have against the film, and addresses those claims as well as the one that the article attempts to make. In my opinion, I did enjoy the movie the first time. The article, though, almost makes me want to see it again.

Tow #9: ETrade Commercial

                                                              http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbnWbdR9wSY
Whenever this commercial comes onto my television, my family can't help but laugh at it, because who doesn't love babies with adult voices? Come on, it's funny! But when I started to repeatedly ask myself what the commercial was actually for, (and of course, rhetorically analyze it), the question of whether or not the commercial was effective came to mind as well. First, the speaker is obviously ETrade, but in the commercial, it's either one or two babies talking on phones in their low voices that make the commercial humorous. The commercial definitely uses a sense of sarcasm and humor to maybe get the audience's attention. This is a good thing. The audience is either businesspeople or people looking to trade stocks, but in my opinion, who would have known that from the commercial? I believe that this commercial is extremely ineffective. I agree that the babies are definitely a humorous factor, but at the same time, throughout the commercial, the audience is mainly paying their attention to the babies, and the fact that they're being technologically transformed into grown men making business deals over the phone. No one really pays much attention, well I didn't, as to what the commercial is actually telling the audience. Unfortunately, as funny as the ad may be, the fact that it is ineffective leaves the audience with the picture of the talking babies in their heads, asking, "what was that commercial for?". I noticed that this is the case with many commercials for the Super Bowl, but some were actually effective. Many of the beer and Doritos commercials make it obvious as to what they are advertising, but ETrade did not really have that effect. The flash of the ETrade name and slogan at the end of the commercial obviously allows for some recollection of what the commercial was advertising, but, in my opinion, not enough. In all honesty, this is one of my favorite commercials. Whether or not it does its job correctly or not, that is in the hands of the creators and advertising agency, but it definitely succeeds in getting a laugh out of me and my family.

IRB Preview

The non-fiction book I have decided to read is called, Three Little Words, written by Ashley Rhodes-Courter. I found the synopsis to be interesting, as it is about a girl who has been in foster care for most of her life. Ashley Rhodes, the author, was in foster care for nine years of her life, and switched schools over fourteen times. I think the main reason I would like reading about that kind of life is the fact that my life is so much different. I think it's amazing how different peoples' lives are compared to mine, and I find some very interesting, but, in this case, very sad. At the ned of the story, without giving too much away, the synopsis says that Rhodes ends up finding a voice for herself. In that sense, I'm really excited to read the book because I want to know how she ends up creating a persona for herself. She was abused in foster care, as well as
switched identities multiple times, so I find it interesting that she has the ability to make someone out of herself. This book is a bit similar to the last IRB that I read, in the sense that it is about a person overcoming adversity. Just as Daniel Tammet had to overcome autism to get where he is today, Ashley Rhodes-Courter has to overcome being a foster child, and essentially, being left out and abandoned. I have a feeling that the tone of this book isn't going to be very bright, but it will be very dark at some times, and very dramatic and sad as well. The author is obviously credible, as she has gone through the experiences and is able to write about them. The author happens to be a well known public speaker, and her book has won over 5 awards. I think her audience is everyone and anyone who wants to hear a good story about the strength of a girl in a hardship. She was a girl who was dealt a bad hand of cards, and she had to figure out a way to play the cards right, and she did. I think by the end of this book, I'm going to really respect the author, more than I already do. Her story seems inspiring, and I'm extremely excited to read about it.

Tow #8: IRB Final Review

Daniel Tammet

Daniel Tammet is my new inspiration for every single thing I'll ever do for the rest of my life. Born On a Blue Day is one of the most touching yet fascinating books I have ever read. Tammet learned a language in a week. Not only do I struggle with Spanish, but I can't imagine being completely fluent in it within seven days. Tammet hasn't failed to blow my mind with every line and every word of the book. In the book, Born On a Blue Day, Daniel Tammet uses humor, and reality to portray this character of himself that everyone can fall in love with. Although he suffers from this type of autism and disability, his ability to communicate is profound. One of my favorite quotes was,"I Became upset if a school event was announced at short notice in which everyone was expected to take part, or by changes in the normal routines of the class. Predictability was important to me, a way of feeling in control in a given situation, a way of keeping feelings of anxiety at bay, at least, temporarily." (Tammet, 76) The main reason I loved this quote was because I could relate. Personally, I hate change. It makes me nervous, and I like order in my life. Ironically, I'm not the most organized person, but I like schedules and knowing when things are and having nothing change. I like being in the same state and the same house and the same school. The way Tammet writes, it makes me feel like I'm his best friend. It's almost as if I can speak to him and have a conversation about whatever his paragraph is about. Another quote I love is,“Why learn a number like pi to so many decimal places? The answer I gave then as I do now is that pi is for me an extremely beautiful and utterly unique thing. Like the Mona Lisa or a Mozart symphony, pi is its own reason for loving it.” (Tammet, 55). He uses similes here in order to connect with his audience, but he also just makes me love him more by stating why pi, something abstract and unimportant to me, has its own motto. It is loved because it is. That's why. And as mind blowing as hat sentence was, I realized it was true. That's the main thing about this book; as I flipped through, each page never failed to teach me something new, something I could actually use in the future. School doesn't teach me how to accept others. School never taught me why love is so important and why differences don't matter, but this book does. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a book to inspire them and change their life. I loved it. 

TOW #7: Barack Obama Speech- Against Going to War With Iraq

http://www.famous-speeches-and-speech-topics.info/famous-speeches/barack-obama-speech-against-going-to-war-with-iraq.htm

After analyzing JFK's inaugural address, I decided to analyze one of Barack Obama's many speeches, mainly because I know Obama was inspired by JFK in terms of his delivery. This particular speech is called "Against Going to War With Iraq". Barack Obama had some pretty big decisions to make at this time. In his speech, he starts off by telling his audience that he is not a person who opposes all wars, and then uses the example of the Civil War, which drove out slavery. He repeats the sentence, "I don't oppose all wars" three more times. Right off the bat, he establishes a persona. He makes a huge deal out of saying that he is NOT against war. He then goes on to declare which kinds of war he is opposed to. He says he is opposed to dumb wars. I think that within the first half of his speech, he is basically explaining his take on war itself, and then the people that are involved in the current situation with Iraq (Sadam Hussein and others). In this speech, I found the most interesting part was when Obama directly addresses the previous president, George W Bush. Bush wanted this war to happen. Obama uses anaphora when he asks, "You want a war, President Bush?" as the first line in 4 paragraphs. He then goes on to say what America should really be fighting for. He says that we should fight for the freedom of people in other countries who don't have it. This definitely appealed to pathos in the sense that it allowed the American people to want to reach out to the other countries that don't have the freedom that we do in this country. Overall, I think the speech is effective. He basically compares the idea of going to war with Iraq to the ideas of using the United States' Army to fight for more important causes. In that way, he also uses juxtaposition. All of these rhetorical devices combine to get across the message that going into Iraq and fighting this war is not only stupid, but worthless as well. When examining his delivery, he does use similar tactics, He makes lines their own paragraphs, and separates ideas with commas and new paragraphs. In this way, his syntax and diction were very similar to JFK's. This speech was successful because he does get straight to the point, and because the speech is short and sweet, it leaves the audience (the US, George Bush, other countries) with something to think about.

Tow #6: ASPCA Advertisement

Every single time one of these commercials comes on to my television, I can't help but to tear up a little bit. I decided to analyze it to see how the ASPCA actually attracts people. Obviously, most of the ads, if not all, appeal to pathos. The image of the puppy, kitten, or another desperate animal is the forefront of the advertisement, pulling the viewer in to only get a closer look at how sad or hopeless the animal must be. While some of it may be a hyperbole- it works. Something else I noticed was the strong diction. For example, in this ad, it uses "barbaric cruelty" when describing dog fighting. I think that definitely supports the ad in the sense that people would want to save the puppy from whatever "cruelty" it's encountering. These ads definitely place a more emotional connection and even a more human connection to the animals. Many would start to feel bad for a dog in a picture. Something that also caught my eye was "as little as 60 cents" in reference to the donation that can be made to the organization. I think when using the words "as little as", it makes it seem like much less of a donation. Also, perhaps, people may feel obligated to donate MORE than that initial 60 cents, bringing in more money for the ASPCA. On the bottom of the ad, it states, "make a monthly gift". The word "gift" is definitely used cleverly here, because it's more of a donation, but they're trying to make the point that the donation is a "gift" to the animals. Overall, I think this advertisement is extremely effective. The mere color scheme adds to the sad, hopeless theme that the ad tries to convey. I think audience is definitely a factor here as well. People with dogs, in my opinion, would be more likely to have feelings toward the animal on the ad, while people without any relation to pets wouldn't have as much of an emotional connection. While rhetorically analyzing, it is easy to observe that the ASPCA ads do an extremely great job of connecting to their audience, while also attempting to get people to donate to a cause that benefits the life of animals. So, while tears may be rolling down my face as the sad music starts playing along with this commercial, I will be thinking, "Great rhetoric work, ASPCA. Well done."

TOW #5: How To Waste Your Life ~Jason Sanford

http://www.jasonsanford.com/jason/2009/11/how-to-waste-your-life.html

This is just an essay that I found entertaining. It's barely really an essay, but it's more like a list. I liked the title, so I went with it. When I first saw the title, "How to Waste Your Life", I thought of the obvious. I thought, well okay, you can waste your life by basically sitting around and being a boring person. You can watch TV too much and find a job that you hate and never find love ever. Those were the first ideas that came to my mind. While I was thinking these things and reading, but Sanford surprised me, and brought new ideas to the table. The one that really stuck in my mind was, "Obsess on anything" (Sanford 1). I just found it amusing because it reminded me of all of the things that I, personally, obsess over; such as artists of music, food, Starbucks, television shows, even people. He claims that there is a difference between dedication to a certain thing or hobby and an obsession. This really reminded me of what Mr. Yost said to our class at the beginning of the year: It's only school. It kind of makes me think that I shouldn't obsess too much over homework and school, but just let it be. I think Sanford uses hyperbole a little bit in his list/essay. He says ,"spends all day on Twitter", and "screaming about politics" (Sanford). I love how he uses hyperbole, because it really stressed his point. I think the purpose of this little essay is just what the title says, telling people how not to waste their lives. He basically provides something that would be considered something that would waste your life, and then explains the opposite of it, and why we shouldn't do it. He tells us to find something we love to do, and strive to do it more often, maybe for even an occupation. He tells us to spend time with family, and forget about modern day applications. He tells us to sleep more, and be happier. I liked this essay because it gave me an idea about how to be happy. Sanford does a terrific job of setting up his audience with an extremely relatable topic, and giving his opinion on what he thinks a satisfying life really is.

Tow #4: IRB Review

Daniel Tammet

Daniel Tammet is officially one of my new authors. Not only is he a new favorite author, but he's a new favorite person. Born on a Blue Day is basically about this guy, Daniel Tammet, who has autism, but it's a different and special kind of autism. He sees numbers as shapes and colors and textures. He can do insane mathematical problems in his head. He stressed these ideas while also stressing an even bigger idea: autistic people aren't much different from those who are not autistic. One of my favorite quotes from the book was, "You don't have to be disabled to be different, because everyone's different." (201). I loved this quote. At this point in the story, Tammet is talking about a man named Kim Peek, who goes on speaking tours and reads books to people in orphanages and colleges and hospitals. Peek was an inspiration for Tammet. The quote does give me a little reminder that everyone is different. A disability is just like have a unique characteristic or a unique personality trait. I think that's one of the main purposes of the book. Tammet wants to inform the reader that it's okay to think of the disabled as different, but never put a negative connotation on the word; everyone is different, and different is okay. Another idea that I love throughout the book is that he goes through many personal experiences that even I go through. One of them being relationships. He says, "No relationship is without its difficulties and this is certainly true when one or both of the persons involved has an autistic spectrum disorder. Even so, I believe what is truly essential to the success of any relationship is not so much compatibility, but love. When you love someone, virtually anything is possible.” (155). I liked this quote just based on the fact that he knows why something like a relationship would be more difficult for him. Not only is he autistic, but he is also openly gay. This really opened my eyes and allowed me to see how much Tammet really must go through every single day of his life just to be happy. I think it's absolutely incredible the way he lives. He's so proud of himself and he's so humble and modest. He appeals to pathos throughout the book as he describes the tough times that he's encountered due to his disability or homosexuality. This is one of my favorite books that I have ever read, and I am so glad I was introduced to it in my non-fiction course. It really makes me come to realize how lucky I am, but it also allows me to see autistic people differently; not with a disability, but almost with a certain gift, just like Daniel. 

Tow #3: How To Fall in Love For Real

http://brevitymag.com/current-issue/how-to-fall-in-love-for-real/

How To Fall in Love For Real caught my attention when I first read the title online. Love is such an abstract idea, and I like the idea of love because it can be interpreted in so many different ways. There are no limits to what love really is. In this non-fiction essay, written by Kent Shaw, the reader is provided with a new way to look at "love". As his first sentence, Shaw writes, "At twenty-two, I feel in love with the sales clerk who helped me pick out my clothes at the mall. I was in love with my best friend's wife." Immediately, I was hooked. As I read on, I noticed a few words used again and again which were, "At twenty-two years old...". To continue, Kent falls in love with everything. He falls in love with the salesclerk and the navy. He falls in love with an intellectual who puts an ad out about herself in the paper. At one point in the essay, he claims that love is simply, "more". What he wanted was never good enough. I think one of Shaw's main purposes was to introduce himself as a writer. He says that he is a sailor in the US Navy and that he has read books written by Dostoevsky and Hemingway. He is writing for a magazine, so he is trying to capture his audience's attention. I think his first line does this extremely well. As he tells his personal narrative, he uses relatable examples while also incorporating the fact that he is in the US Navy. I think he attempts to use repetition and personal narrative to appeal to pathos. By giving several examples of the things that he either loves or has fallen in love with, I noticed that love can also be equivalent to overall happiness. Being a sailor in the US Navy made Shaw happy, and by the end of the essay he was leading men on his ship. The clerk made him happy, and even though she happened to be the wife of his best friend, he wrote letter to her multiple times. I think he is trying to say that love is not a matter of "liking" something most or liking something more than one can use the word, "like". It's a matter of what makes you happy in life, and how you choose to go about looking at things.

Tow #2: The Art of Rejection

https://www.creativenonfiction.org/brevity/craft/craft_agodon5_09.htm

In this little narrative created by Kelli Russell Agodon, she speaks about the intelligence of writers and how rejection effects the mind of a writer, as well as the emotions. She examines the idea of whether or not writers give up after being rejected. This caused me to think about a few things. One idea was, what if people who were rejected had given up? Although it sounds super cliche, it's extremely interesting to think about. The writer uses a bit of a personal narrative to show that she hadn't given up; she had been rejected eight times as a writer. Then, she goes on, using the phrase "writing is a marathon, not a sprint" (which was ironically used in Mr. Yost's class almost every day, and I'm wondering if this is the article he had found it from...) Anyway, I found it interesting that the author concluded by saying that all

writers are in it together. I never really thought about writing as a team effort, but when looking at the big picture, one can argue that supporting the writing of others can actually help maintain that person's career. Someone who had been rejected is more likely to continue trying if they have other writers supporting them. The author, in this case, had been rejected by The New Yorker, The Notre Dame Review, and The North American Review. She uses this analogy of a race to show that giving up is never the answer. She claims that just because she "slowed down in mile two, doesn't mean that the race is over" (Agodon 1). This little article was not only intriguing, but it was inspiring. I would have never thought about writing as something that someone would give up on, like playing a sport or and instrument, but when I was finished with the article, it reminded me that writing is a sport to some people. It's a way to creatively express yourself and keep your mind active. The author even wrote about the pity-parties that she sometimes throws herself after being rejection, just to try and keep her spirits up. I love her little humorous comments throughout the article because it made it more entertaining to read. I definitely learned that writing will not always be perfect, and it helped me better understand why an English class will be so difficult- no writing will be perfect. 

Visual Analysis #1: A Train Near Madgeburg

A Train Near Madgeburg
Major Clarence L.  Benjamin 

This picture was taken by Major Benjamin. I didn't choose this picture because I thought it was a picture that I could analyze for hours and hours. I didn't choose the picture because it was deep, but I chose it because when I read the caption, and later, the story behind it, it made me smile. This picture was taken on Friday April 13, 1945, the midst and near-ending of World War II. In this refreshing moment when the picture had been taken, these people were being released from their internment camp, "death train". In the picture, a woman in the background has her arms flung out to her sides, soaking the warmth of the sun that some hadn't seen for many weeks. According to the photographer, the woman in the foreground had found rations in a tin seconds later, and was attacked by the skeletal bodies around her, just to grab a piece of what she found. The photographer had to push his way through the ragged women to display a considerably heroic act of saving the poor woman, who was in tears five minutes after the photo was taken. The content of the photo is critical when trying to understand how the picture can relate to modern life. In all honesty, I almost cried looking at the picture. It gave me a better understanding of how precious every single moment I live actually is.  I take so many things for granted that I shouldn't, and it think the photographer properly displayed this through the emotion that was depicted by the people in this photo. It's amazing how much a photo can make a person think of every single good thing that they have in their life, and not many photos are able to do that; this one did that for me. It makes me thankful for the world we live in now, and all of the changes made in history to get us to the point that we are at now. In contrast, it can also show how a picture does not always depict the situation that is seemingly being shown in the picture. I would have never guessed that the woman in the picture would be tackled seconds later because she found bread on the ground. Photos not only capture the essence of emotion in that specific second, but they can also lie about the next few moments in time as well. 

IRB Preview (Born on a Blue Day)

When trying to find an IRB to read, there were many factors I had to consider: Would I be able to read it without wanting to put it down? Was it something I was interested in? Was it a book I could talk about on a blog? I had already decided that for my first IRB I was going to read some kind of autobiography or memoir. In my opinion, those are the most intriguing non-fiction stories. Anyway, I went online and searched for almost an hour before I found Born on a Blue Day written by Daniel Tammet. When I found this book, the first word I noticed in the description was "autism". I've always had a certain, for lack of a better word, fascination with autism. In the author's particular case, this was a very different and interesting type of autism. He was diagnosed with savant syndrome, which is a kind of autism that demonstrates extraordinary mental capacities and capabilities. Being able to work with insanely large numbers or presenting beautiful and intricate artwork or music can be just a few gifts brought on by this mental disorder. In my opinion, not only is this extremely compelling, but it will be such an easy read, not in the sense that i can "get through it", but in that I'll probably be disappointed when it ends. Although he was struck by autism, Tammet taught literature in Lithuania, was the subject of a documentary film, and participated in the World Memory Championships twice, placing 12th and 4th in different years. These little tidbits that I found about the author ensured that I'd be reading the book. I find it incredible that people with mental disabilities go out into the world and make more of an impact than someone without a mental disability would. It is extremely motivational, and I'm really excited to hear about how Daniel Tammet's story goes. Non-fiction has never really been my favorite kind of text to read, but I'm hoping that this book and the others that I read this year will change that for me.

How Doctors Die ~Ken Murray

Ken Murray, a well-experienced physician, wrote an essay called "How Doctors Die". He had been interviewed by The New York Times and studied at the University of Southern California. He wrote the essay in 2011. From his time being a doctor, he was able to write about the many experiences he had encountered, and more importantly, his ideas about the way doctors choose to die. I believe, in his essay, he tried to make two points. He wanted to explain to the

Dying with Dignity
(www.utne.com)

readers that doctors choose to die with less medical treatment because they have witnessed the pain that they're patients go through when overmedicated to live longer. His second purpose was to explain that people should be able to die the way that they choose. whether it is in a hospital on thousands of drugs, or at home peacefully. He used an anecdote of his life to further explain the second point. He had once cared for an older man named Jack. He writes, "The doctors did everything possible to resuscitate him and put him on life support with ICU. This was Jack's worst nightmare... I turned off life support machines and sat with him. He died two hours later." (234) Jack's wishes were to die without life support. Although the "system had intervened" (234), Murray felt that he should allow Jack to die the way he wanted. Murray also used a rhetorical question in his writing, "How can anyone do that to their family members?" (232) He says that the doctors in the hospital would ask each other this question after families would put a sick member on life support, which would only draw out the suffering. Using the question allows the audience to think and imagine what would happen if they were in the situation. This was an easy essay to relate to the one I had previously read, which was about a man, Dudley Clendinen, who suffered from Lou Gehrig's disease, but decided that he would die on his own, peacefully. In this way, Clendinen went the route that Murray would have wanted him to take. I think Murray's audience could have been anyone, but definitely wrote for medics like himself. He wrote with truth and used scenarios that he had experienced to help his message get through to the readers. He opened his opinion to the public, saying that you shouldn't have to leave it to others to decide how death goes. You should be able to end your own life the way you want, if you have the choice. With dignity. He did a great job of expressing his message through his story.

"The Good Short Life" ~Dudley Clendinen

Me, Lou, and My Daughter
(www.citylitproject.org)

"The Good Short Life", written by Dudley Clendinen, was written just before the author died of Lou Gehrig's disease. Dudley Clendinen was a very successful author and journalist, writing about politics, being gay in America, and speaking truthfully about his dying journey with "Lou", as he calls it. Clendinen attempts to make the point throughout the essay that death, or dying, is not something that anyone can teach you to live with. He writes, "We don't talk about how to die. We act as if facing death weren't one of life's greatest most absorbing thrills and challenges. Believe me, it is. This is not dull." (64) As he goes on to talk about how dying is liberating, I noticed that one of the tactics Clendinen uses throughout the essay was the personification of his disease. He speaks about "Lou" as if it is a person, not a life threatening illness. He writes, "It's about Life, when you know there's not much left. That is the weird blessing of Lou. There is no escape, and nothing much to do." (64) In this quote, he basically says that he feels lucky. He feels as though because his disease does not really have a certain cure, and there's no treatment, there is no way that he can escape death. He knows it's coming for him, and he's determined to live life as he would if the disease were not present. He doesn't want the false hope that a surgery will be able to cure him. I think he personifies his disease to show that he has accepted it. He is just fine knowing that he only has a short while to live. In attempt to relate this to the first essay I read, "You Owe Me", this man is much like a child with cancer, in the sense that there isn't much fear present. He takes in the life that he loves, and decides that when the time comes that he cannot do the things that he loves to do so much, that is when his time should be up. Unlike many of the other essays, I haven't sensed the emotional effect being used. I think he just wanted to tell his story, without letting people feel pity for him. He appeals more from credibility (ethos), than he does from emotion. This helps him serve his purpose. His audience could be anyone from a twenty year old studying to be a doctor to a seventy year old woman with the same disease. He writes this just to tell his story before he died. It was an excellent piece with well-served purpose.

"My Father/My Husband" ~David J. Lawless

David J. Lawless, the author of "My Father/My Husband", is an author that I would consider less credible. It was extremely difficult to find much information on him, and it seems as though this essay is the most famous piece he has ever written. The essay is a story about his life nonetheless, and tells in great, repetitive detail the process that he went through every day to live with his wife's Alzheimer's disease. She has to take many medications, and has to be reminded multiple times a day that her husband is not her father. Throughout the essay, Lawless uses dialogue and repetition of phrases to help the reader better understand how difficult it is to live with someone with Alzheimer's. For example, "I am your husband" (206) is repeated at least five times throughout the story. That simple sentence had to be said a brutal amount of times in order for the reader to understand what the author dealt with on a daily basis. I also believe that he wanted to show the reader that although getting through a night with her was not an easy task, he was willing to do anything he could to stay with her, and to make her remember him. His wife tells him, "'Don't leave me, don't ever leave me." (204) Although confused and sometimes violent, she is a very vulnerable person and has to put all of her trust in her husband. Lawless also uses the emotional effect (pathos) to further connect with his audience. This helped him successfully get his point across. I noticed that no matter how angry his wife became when she did not believe her husband was, in fact, her husband, she never left him. I think she knew it subconciously. She only tried to prove him wrong. Because of this, I think the author wanted to prove that great love can overcome any disorder or disease. The dialogue used in the story provided a sense of realness for the reader, in that it was much easier to imagine the story happening. Lawless did a fantastic job of convincing the audience, which could have been almost anyone, that his life was tough, but out of love, he was willing to give everything he had. It left me wanting to read more.

                                                             Here Until The End
                                                           (www. bestinshowdaily.com)

"Duh, Bor-ing" ~Joseph Epstein

"Duh, Bor-ing", written by Joseph Epstein was one of the essays that motivated me to start thinking. Epstein created an essay filled with engaging observations about the idea of boredom. Although many of his references were those of which I've never heard, it was very interesting to read an essay partly meant to inform the reader about the countless ways that boredom has been analyzed. Along with his essay, he has also been a highly contributing editor of The American Scholar magazine. He was also awarded a National Humanities Medal, and wrote many short stories for different newspapers and magazines. Throughout the essay, Epstein wants to take away this seemingly negative connotation that has surrounded the word "boredom". In order to do this, Epstein first pushes the idea that boredom is part of human nature. He then goes on to briefly discuss the relatively well-known question as to how the current generation can be so "bored", when in reality, so much has been given to prevent boredom, including electronic toys, books, and sitting before screens. One of my favorite contributions to the essay was the way in which Joseph Epstein uses these little scenarios of his life, or life in general, to connect to his audience. He writes, "My own experience of boredom was intermittent, never chronic." (103) He then goes on to explain how his mother would tell him to "'knock your head against the wall'" (103) whenever he complained about his boredom. One of Epstein's greatest strengths, in my opinion, would be helping the reader to understand by using short narratives from his own life. In that particular quote, he attempted to tell the reader that boredom in his life was not continuous, but instead, it was situational, and only lasted a short period of time. One point I thought the author tried to make was that out of boredom can come brilliant ideas. He explains that Steve Jobs was quite possibly an "evil genius" (109) because he created new ways to defeat boredom, (Ipads and Iphones), when boredom is solely a "timeout for thought" (109). He concludes the essay by telling the reader that boredom should not be avoided, nor should it be considered a problem to be fixed. We are lucky to be living with boredom, and hopefully we will have to live with it for a while longer. The essay serves its purpose well, in that it shows the reader why boredom is a natural and necessary part of life.

                                            Electronics Eliminate "Timeout for Thought" (109)
                                                       (allyouneedisagoodidea.typepad.com)

"You Owe Me" ~Miah Arnold

"You Owe Me", written by Miah Arnold, was one of the more compelling essays, in my opinion. The essay revolved around a woman who taught writing and poetry to children in a cancer center. As she meets several patients, none over the age of twenty, she learns to love them all, and grieves when cancer steals each child from her classroom one by one. The author, Miah Arnold, has written multiple essays and short stories. Her most famous pieces are "You Owe Me" and "Sweet Land of Bigamy". She is a credible writer, and participates in many events in which she can teach children how to write and sometimes read to them. Throughout the essay, I noticed that Arnold repeatedly explored an idea: although she was a teacher to the children, the children were also her teachers. They taught her how to love. They taught her how to grieve. I believe the purpose of the essay was to tell a story about how we can learn from those who pass, and instead of grieving, find ways to celebrate them instead. In terms of Arnold's audience, I think she wrote to a wide group of people of all ages. In my opinion, her purpose was well achieved. The biggest contribution to the story was the emotional effect (logos) that it was meant to have on the reader. One quote included was, "I assumed that his death was a template of sorts: this is how the very young die; they become almost holy. Unlike older people, who die scared and uncertain, dying children are endowed with grace. They are able to peek into ahead into the world they are about to enter..." (Arnold, 30) In this quote, the author describes a death of one of Arnold's students, Gio. Because the story surrounds children with cancer, the author is able to use the idea of peacefulness and grace to help the reader understand what Arnold is thinking about the death of children. She also uses comparisons such as currency and the "eventual death of most of her students" (31) to help the reader comprehend what she goes through everyday with these children, and how scared the children must be.  The way the author appealed to the audience's emotions through comparison assisted her when trying to deliver her purpose. 

                                                    An Empty Classroom, An Empty Heart
                                                                 (cornellsun.com)