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.

IRB Intro: Devil In the White City

For my next IRB, I have decided to reread a historical nonfiction book called, The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. I have read it in the past, but I remember liking it, and have decided to read it again for rhetorical purposes, as well as the fact that I know I will enjoy reading it. The book takes place during the early 20th century, and revolves around a "fair", that takes place in the heart of Illinois- Chicago. at this time period, there was dancing and parties and women who found their independence, and overall, it was a time period of innovation and recreation. As the fair is being built over this time period, there is a murderer on the loose in Chicago. Like the wind, he is heard but not seen. He moves swiftly without a trace, and no one suspects him because he is a doctor. This not only adds a more intriguing plot to the book, but also provides the reader with insight about the downsides of the glamour and fabulousness that was the early 1900s.

I predict that the author will definitely utilize a dark tone throughout the book. As the book takes place in a fast-moving setting, Larson will have to sneak in the ominous tone in order to encapsulate how mysterious and dangerous this new serial killer was. Because the killer was one of the first to ever cause the death of a high number of people, it was a shock to not only Chicago, but to the entire nation. Many women and children were killed, and it was, as it says on the cover, madness. Larson will also need to change his tone throughout the book because each chapter changes topics. I mean this in the sense that one chapter will take place somewhere relating to the building of the fair, and the next will relate to the killer. The building of the fair should be more of a rushed feeling and less dangerous, but the killer's chapters should obviously be darker.

I can also predict that the author will definitely use references and maybe even allusions. Because this is a historical focus, I figure that these references will support the author's story, and give the story more of a background. It will also establish more credibility for the author, while also giving context to the reader.

I have read this book before, and I know it is good, but I feel as though reading it again for a different purpose will give me an even better understanding of how the author thinks, and maybe even make me realize things about the book I hadn't noticed before. I'm excited to read it again, and I hope it's worth it!

TOW #23: O Captain! My Captain! (Walt Whitman)

O Captain! My Captain!, a poem written by Walt Whitman, stands today as one of the most famous poems in America. It was the death of Abraham Lincoln which inspired this poem to be written. In order to memorialize and celebrate Abraham Lincoln,  Walt Whitman uses extended metaphors and specific word choice throughout his poem. 

Abraham Lincoln was, and still is, an iconic figure in America. In the poem, the "captain" mentioned is actually a metaphor for the great figure of Abe Lincoln. Not only is he represented as a person that the country admired, but more specifically, as a person that he admires. This further enhances the purpose of the poem because it adds in the perspective of the poet. Another extended metaphor throughout his poem would be the "fearful trip" that Whitman refers to in his first line. This trip represents the Civil War. Whitman's style of writing seems to be to allude to certain historical events, people, and places. Another example of this would be the metaphor of the "ship", which represents America in the Civil War. All of these metaphors add to the essence of the poem in that it embellishes Whitman's style, while also proving the importance and commemorating the life of Abe Lincoln. 

Whitman's word choice also greatly contributed to the style and purpose of his piece. He uses the word "father" as a substitute for "captain", ultimately displaying his deep respect that he has for Lincoln, otherwise known as the father of the union. In contrast, Whitman also uses the words "grim" and "daring" along with phrases such as "cold and dead" to overcast the celebration of Lincoln, and memorialize the sorrow of his death. These words are a great appeal to pathos, as well as gives the poem multiple tones in order to both encapsulate his audience while also keeping Lincoln's death in mind. 

Whitman's poem is a great example of an effective poem, because not only is it short and sweet, but it also shows Whitman's respect and need to honor one man. In order to memorialize and honor Lincoln, Whitman uses specific word choice and extended metaphors. In this regard, he successfully gets his message across to his audience, and honors one of our greatest presidents. 

TOW #22: McDonalds Ad at Bus Stop

Advertisements. They draw us in as an audience, and make us into consumers. What's interesting about the McDonalds advertisement is its placement. I hadn't really thought about how important the placement of an ad is. For example, a fast food commercial would be completely ineffective on a television station that airs fitness programs. Some ads just don't fit. This McDonalds Ad certainly does. Through the use of strategic placement and clever color schemes, McDonalds succeeds in creating a good advertisement for their food franchise.

The Ad was located at a bus stop on the back window of the area that covers the bench where one would sit. Notably, the ad might assume that the people who take the bus as transportation might be coming home from work or school after a long day, and might definitely be hungry for a pre-dinner snack. The ad is so well placed because the company thought through the day of the consumer, and where one is most likely to go after work. The ad may also assume the people who take the bus might be low to middle class people, AKA, the people who might go to McD's more often than those of higher class. Although this is in no way true for every case, the Ad does cleverly address this idea, and because McDonald's is a very cheap and affordable fast food eatery, it would appeal to those respective  classes successfully. In this way, McDonalds succeeds in its mission for advertising.

McDonald's also placed a very consumer-friendly color scheme on its ad. Thee colors are very bright and outstanding, drawing the audience's eyes straight  to the display, making sure that no one can miss it. The ad is designed as if the person on the bench is actually sitting in the restaurant, making it that much more desirable. The menus are plastered on the top, creating a mouth-watering view, and the cashiers painted on the wall are all smiling, inviting their customer to come to their restaurant. Overall, the ad does a great job of appealing to almost any audience, and the colors and pictures make it that much better.

McDonalds must have a tough time placing their advertisements, because most know it for the fattening food and 3$ meals. This, though was a great idea. Through selective placement and clever color schemes, McDonalds was able to make its mark and succeed in its advertisement.

TOW #21: Zoos or no Zoos? (MIchelle Carr)

http://www.peta.org/living/entertainment/reality-zoos/

Michelle Carr, an extreme animal-lover, wrote an article about the horrors and misconceptions of zoos. After reading the article, I felt guilty about the times in which I visited the zoo with either a class or with my family. Carr utilizes the emotional appeal and the use of "you and "I" in order to inform her audience that zoos should not be legal, and that they are harmful to animals.

Throughout her article, Carr manages to tap into the emotions of the audience by explaining how the animals are treated and what conditions they are forced to live in while in zoo captivity. She specifically mentions how the animals must be extremely bored, because in some cases, they are only left with an old tire to play with. She also mentions how the animals can become ill or even go mentally unstable because of the small environment they have to live in. For example, a gorilla attempted to escape out of its walls and ended up being shot by the police. As Carr gives these examples, her audience will feel sympathy for the animals and how they are treated in captivity. These emotions will help the audience better understand why zoos should not exist, and Carr will have proven her point.

Also in Carr's article, Carr talks directly to the audience, as if her article is a speech. She also uses first person, particularly at the end of her article, when she offers the audience an alternative to going to zoos. She tells her audience that she no longer goes to the zoo, but instead, encourages her friends and family to boycott the zoo. It was also interesting how she told her audience that watching documentaries about animals or going to see them in their natural habitats is much more interesting and would help the animals so much more than if they went to the zoo to watch them. She claims that at first, she thought zoos were fun and entertaining, but when she got to know the animals "up close", she learned that zoos are chambers for the poor creatures, and that zoos are essentially in violation of the animals' rights.

I thought Carr was very effective in her article because not only did she teach me facts about zoos that I had never thought about or known, but she used these facts to portray her message. Through the use of pronouns and the appeal to emotion, Carr effectively persuaded her audience to stop attending zoos and to think about the animals and what they go through in captivity.

TOW #20: Ronald Reagan "Challenger Distaster" Speech

In the mid-1960s, a space shuttle was launched. This was a big milestone for America, and a big loss. They'd never lost an astronaut in flight, and it was a tragedy. 73 seconds after the flight launched, the shuttle exploded, and seven astronauts were killed. Ronald Reagan, the president at the time, felt more than compelled to provide the mourning citizens with a speech. The speech lasted a little over two minutes long, and was very well delivered. Reagan used metaphors, references, and collective pronouns in his speech to remind the nation that although there will be struggle and there will be hard times, the lives lost will never be forgotten, and they will motivate the nation to keep moving forward.

   

Several times throughout his speech, Reagan uses metaphors. For example, at one point, he refers to the seven astronauts as pioneers. Not only does this show respect to the lives lost, but it also makes it evident that these people were of high importance. Pioneer represents the beginning of a movement or even the leaders of a ship, and Reagan wanted to make sure the American people understood how influential the astronauts were. 

Reagan also used references in his speech. He made a particularly interesting reference to an episode that had occurred many years before but on the same date; this event was Sir Francis Drake dying aboard ship off of the coast of Panama. Then, he connects the incident to Drake's by saying that the people who dies aboard the shuttle, "Challenger", were just as important as Sir Francis Drake. Because many know that he was, and still is, considered legendary for circumnavigating the earth, the people can realize how enormous of a point that Reagan is making by comparing these people on the shuttle to this man who has made such a difference in the world. Reagan attempts and succeeds to make the nation consider how important these lives were, and how important it is to keep moving forward,

Finally, Reagan uses collective pronouns. This is the most prominent strategy Reagan utilizes because it can be seen in almost every other sentence. His uses of "we" and "us" substantiate the idea that Reagan wants this tragedy to be seen as an opportunity, not as a dramatic ending to the hopes and dreams of the nation's space program. Reagan also directly speaks to a few groups of people; one of these groups being schoolchildren who were watching the shuttle explode on live television. He has to announce that he knows it is difficult to understand. He also addresses the men and women of NASA, and commending them for their work and dedication. The way he goes about speaking to all of these people and creating a unifying feeling for the American people definitely makes his speech recognizable. 

This was a tragedy among tragedies, and at this time period, not many people knew what to do about it. However, through metaphors, references, and the use of collective pronouns, Ronald Reagan made evident that the lives lost were not the ending of hopes and dreams, but possibly the start of a new beginning. He succeeded in letting the people know this, and even in the short time that the speech was given, he may have managed to help many, many people respect the lives of these seven astronauts, and maybe shed a glimpse of light on the hope that the people should still have.