Last-Minute Scramble as Vote Nears in Iowa

This article discusses the up-coming election in Iowa for the Republican candidate to go against current president Barack Obama for the slot as new president in November of 2012. Recent polls show that Mitt Romney is expected to win the caucus in Iowa. However, the other major Republican candidates discussed in this article (Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, and Michele Bachmann) are still staying strong with their large support group and are confident in their win over Iowa. The author of this article is Michael D. Shear for the New York Times magazine. Throughout the debates, Shear has been writing articles about each candidate and how they are progressing or digressing as time moves forward. The context of this piece is causal, because it is based on the election which occurs every 4 years. The purpose of this piece is to inform the public of the crucial election that will be occurring on Tuesday, January 2nd, 2012. Shear wrote this article to show a well-rounded, unbiased view of each candidate by providing successes and flaws of each. The audience of this piece is mostly Republicans, as well as any other citizens of America who are not for the views of Barack Obama and support one of the candidates. The rhetorical elements used in this piece are logos through the accurate quotes that were stated by the candidates, diction through the specific word choice used to describe the election, and ethos by establishing the credibility of the candidates through the description of their endorsements and speeches. The author did accomplish his purpose because he gave last minute background knowledge about each major candidate.

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/michael_d_shear/index.html?inline=nyt-per

Secret Deodorant Advertisement

This advertisement is for Secret Deodorant products; specifically the "Cherry Mischief scent." The Secret brand is an antiperspirant for women sold in Canada, Mexico, and of course, the United States. It was the first deodorant established for women in 1956 by Procter and Gamble, and is still being produced today. The context of this piece is temporal because at any given time, deodorant will be useful and is an important product for the hygiene of women. The purpose of this piece is to sell the Secret Deodorant to women through appealing pictures and eye-catching contrasts. In addition, the diction in the "Cherry Mischief" scent title appeals to women because it provides a sort of deceit to others that the nice smell could be the "natural scent" of a woman. The audience of this piece is women because Secret brand is an antiperspirant strictly for women (Procter and Gamble make Gillete and Old Spice for men, as well). The black background and pink and red colors are a perfect blend to the "Cherry" scent that is being created through these images. Also, the placement of the woman in the center shows the importance of smelling good that the deodorant provides. The author accomplishes this purpose through the rhetorical elements listed as well as the creative title of the deodorant that appeals to women as well. Also, the imagery of the mystical, pretty woman convinces women that they will either look/smell like her if they buy it.

You Say You Want a Devolution?

This article discusses how a technologically advancing society, the United States, still falls back on the past  with certain cultural aspects. For example, if a person scrutinizes the 20 year span of 1992-2012, there are no significant differences with fashion nor music- bigger stars just happened to fill in the spots that the 90's singers once had but are now not socially accepted due to their "older age." Many instances like this are discusses in the article which comes to the conclusion that America has not changed over the past 20 years, and this obscure indifference makes society wonder when the next change will be. This article was published by The Vanity Fair Magazine- a pop culture, and international magazine with issues in four European countries as well as in the United States. The writer of the article, Kurt Andersen, is a very well-known author of cultural books such as the New York Times bestseller HeyDay. The context of this piece is causal because the halt to changes in social culture has brought forth the purpose for writing this article and pointing out the indifferences between the 90's and today. This article was written to convince the audience, women interested in fashion and pop culture, that fashion, music, and other cultural aspects are very similar to the 90's and the pattern of evolution has been thrown off because there has not been a dramatic indifference since the 1800s where culture has not differed from its neighboring generation. The pattern of development of this piece is exemplification because each paragraph consists of an explanation of an opinion made by the author that supports his claim that American culture has not changed since the 90s. The author appeals to pathos as well because he sets up a personal scene for the audience to relate to and create connections between the writer and reader to lure the audience into believing his claim is correct. Also, the use of logos establishes the author's credibility because it proves he has a wide knowledge of the concept and he can be trusted. Kurt Andersen accomplished his purpose through the numerous examples to help the reader form their opinion of whether or not they want to accept or reject the claim.

http://www.vanityfair.com/style/2012/01/prisoners-of-style-201201

IRB #2- Post 1

(Introduction-Chapter 2)
The novel Blink is written by Malcolm Gladwell, a bestselling author of four novels- The Tipping Point (2000), Blink (2005), Outliers (2008), and What the Dog Saw (2009). Gladwell's main subjects of interest when writing his novels are all based around sociology, psychology, and social psychology. Having been writing for The New Yorker for 15 years, Gladwell has much experience in the field of journalism as well. Finally, along with his major success, Gladwell was awarded two significant honors so far in his young career. In 2005 he received the mention of the 100 Most Influential People by Time Magazine. Following this, in 2007, The American Sociological Association presented Gladwell with the first award for Excellence in the Reporting of Social Issues.

In the first section of Blink (Introduction-Chapter 2), Gladwell starts off with the concept of cognition and how our brain works to understand certain situations quickly. After describing an experiment of a card game involving a stress detector, subjects had to digest new and somewhat incomprehensible information in a small amount of time. There are two strategies that we do in order to understand certain situations. The unconscious strategy is slow and we use the information we know and what we learned to develop an answer. The second strategy is much faster because it is done unconsciously. Our brain reaches an answer right away through messages that are sent unconsciously. The part of the brain that does this is called the adaptive unconscious. In addition, Gladwell discusses the power of knowing in the first two seconds something that will change your decisions for the better or worse through just a minute source of experiences.

The context of this novel is spacial because the concept of rapid cognition of which the novel is based around is a social origin that is understood through history of experiments done on the brain and how the brain works. The purpose of this novel is to propose information that offers a better understanding of the reasons why we are able to jump to conclusions in just the "blink of an eye." The audience for whom this book was written for is for adolescents and above who are interested in psychology and how the brain processes information unconsciously to send a message throughout the body which can lead to different conclusions. The author does indeed accomplish his purpose because of the informative experiments and scenarios he describes to help the audience understand what rapid cognition is and how it is very interesting in the world of decision making and why thinks occur due to this concept. A few rhetorical elements used in this section are logos because of the logical information proposed about the brain, pathos through the humorous tone to engage the reader into the novel, and a sophistication of diction to establish credibility through Gladwell's understanding of cognition.

Unit 2 Reflection

“Men being, as has been said, by nature, all free, equal, and independent, no one can be put out of [his] estate, [or] subjected to the political power of another, without his own consent.” These are the famous words of John Locke, one of the most intellectual philosophers that helped shape our society to the grand nation it is today. In this unit, we studied numerous philosophers who had different views on how a society should be run and its motivations toward success. Justice, fear, love, and other factors were important for many thinkers such as Socrates and Hobbes, but the wise words of John Locke have significantly impacted the United States of America as a whole as well as individuals living within different societies. It is John Locke whose ideas left the most powerful legacy amongst all the other philosophers.

In The Second Treatise of Government, John Locke summarizes his views on government. He enforces the belief of natural law, which states that all men are equal and this is the right that is bestowed upon them from birth. They are not oppressed by any other man and can legally do whatever they need to do to have a better life- even if this means to start a new government. He also argues that individuals would agree to form a state that would protect the lives, liberty, and property of those who lived within it.  This social contract theory differed greatly from Thomas Hobbes, who wanted absolute authority and force in order to dictate the lives of the citizens and later create a stronger nation. It is evident that John Locke’s natural views are much more personable and optimistic because he defends that the government is formed by the citizens’ and favors the citizens’ wants and needs rather than not allowing their input in a society. John Locke’s theory of natural rights was used when creating the United States of America when the founding fathers was writing the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. In fact, part of Locke’s words were used in these pieces, proving how influential his views truly are on a society. If it were not for John Locke’s social contract theory being adopted by America, then our nation would not be as free and smoothly-running as it is today. 

Aside from John Locke’s political philosophy shaping our nation today, Locke’s views also had an impact on my own personal life socially and culturally. While growing up in a commonwealth based on the foundation of the greater good of the people, I believe I am very comfortable in my society and there is never a time where I fear that the government will steer me in the wrong direction or take away my basic rights as a person. Compared to a dictatorship or anarchy in other countries, my social life is much more liberal and I have the gift of freedom to do whatever I want as long as I am not endangering myself or breaking the laws that have been in place and not changed since I was born. I have a wide knowledge of how the government is structured, and I understand the consequences that could occur if I disregard these laws. If I grew up under a strict dictatorship where the government is not appointed by the citizens, I would have much more fear for I have no say in how my nation is run and my freedom would certainly be limited. Also, at any given moment, the leader could change the nation completely for the worse without the consent of its people. John Locke has impacted my life because if it were not for his political philosophy of natural laws and the happiness of the majority of the people, my world would be detrimentally different and I would not have as many opportunities open for me to be able to live a happy and free life as I do now.

This unit helped me to understand the foundation of our society through the ideas of philosophers, thinkers, and rhetoricians. The wise words of the rhetors that were studied (Plato, Cicero, Machiavelli, Locke, Hobbes, Rousseau, and Dekanawidah) struck a chord in my mind because I found it astonishing that these intelligent men could create such a powerful nation through their arguments. After delving into the readings of these writers, I have a much larger world view that is continuing to expand as this class progresses. Using the rhetorical skills that were learned in unit one, I felt that tackling these tedious pieces were much easier and I was able to use each device in order to help me understand the content. As the year progresses, I feel that my ability to rhetorically analyze a piece will continue to help me gain more knowledge. 

AOW #10- Tampax Pearl Outsmart Mother Nature (Advertisement Commercial)

This advertisement commercial is about a theoretical "mother nature" who is giving a woman a present of her "monthly gift"- her period. The woman is wearing all white, and she is stopped during a photo shoot as Mother Nature interrupts her with the gift. The woman concludes that she does not need to be worried because she has Tampax Pearl tampons- a stronger, more durable tampon that lasts longer and prevents leaks. This advertisement was created by Tampax, a brand that has been serving women since World War II. The audience of this advertisement is women between the ages of 12-50 who get their menstrual cycle monthly and need a product that helps to stop the leaks. The context of this piece is causal because the product was created to serve women who, by nature, have their menstrual cycle every month and are in need of a product to prevent leakage. The purpose of this advertisement was to convince women to purchase Tampax Pearl over the other leading brand of Tampax because of its unique abilities to shape every women and its LeakGuard protection. The brand accomplishes its purpose through numerous rhetorical devices that engage the reader in buying this product. The white outfits serve as pathos because it appeals to the emotions of women who may have had embarrassing moments when wearing white pants and having a leakage that was visible to the public through their light colored outfits. Also, the theoretical "Mother Nature" woman who gives the lady wearing white the physical gift of the period adds exaggeration because in reality, this does not occur. Finally, the tone of this piece is humorous which appeals to the audience because it makes women engaged in the product and encourages them into buying Tampax Pearl over other brands.

Locke: Second Treatise of Government Presentation Period 4

https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AYCdpvTpC_74ZGczNDk0cHFfNzdjOW5yd3BmZA&hl=en_US

AOW #9- The Last Big City with an Occupy Camp: What's Los Angeles to Do?

This article discusses the Occupy Wall Street movements occurring across the nation. After numerous police raids drove out many of the occupiers from cities such as New York to Oakland California, the last city to continue with the protests is Los Angeles. After hearing rumors that the mayor wants to move the occupiers out of Los Angeles, these protesters are very angry and are going to stand their ground until they are forced to leave. This article was written by Jens Erik Gould, a writer from Los Angeles for Time.com- the first weekly news magazine in the United States. The context of this piece is causal because the Occupy Wall Street Movement was brought about by the severe economic decline which impacted a huge growing gap between the upper class and the large middle class citizens, causing unrest and protests across the country. This piece was written to convince society about the importance of this movement and how these people are fighting not only for a fix in the economy but to prove that they are not afraid to stand up to this nation and take control of a situation through force. The audience for whom this piece was written for is the middle class citizens of America who are supporting these fighters and understand how significant it is that they maintain the protests in Los Angeles in order for them to seek a brighter economical future. Some rhetorical devices used in this article are pathos when the author alludes to the emotions of the protesters and how they are determined and using their strength to fight for America, logos through the accurate information as well as statistical data to prove the point, and using rhetorical questions to seek intellectual answers to keep the audience thinking about this movement and its effects on society. The author accomplished her purpose because of her accurate information that she proposed as well as touching the audience on an emotional level through her descriptions of the occupiers risking their lives for America.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2099885,00.html

IR Choice (MP 2)

Blink
Malcolm Gladwell
Section 1- Introduction to Chapter 2
Section 2- Chapter 3 to Chapter 5
Section 3- Chapter 6 to Conclusion
I decided to read this book because I am a fan of Malcolm Gladwell's style and his views on social psychology. I read Outliers for my first independent reading novel, and it opened my eyes to the world around me and how surroundings can influence success. My friend recommended Blink and told me that if I enjoyed Outliers, I will definitely enjoy Blink. I am very eager to start this novel and am excited to see what Gladwell has to say about decision making.

AOW #8- Bystander Psychology: Why Some Witnesses to Crime Do Nothing

This article discusses the investigation of the 40 counts of child abuse against former defense coordinator Jerry Sandusky at Pennsylvania State University. On Wednesday, the head football coach, Joe Paterno, was fired for knowing about the abuse and not telling the police. After carefully scrutinizing the social psychology behind this case, it is proven that when something within a group is hidden, the tendency is toward protecting the reputation within the group without doing the right thing in order to avoid the consequences that will certainly follow if the secret is revealed. The author of this article is Maia Szalavitz, a neuroscience journalist whose work has been published in TIME Magazine, the New York Times, Elle, Scientific American Mind, the Washington Post, New Scientist and Psychology Today. She is the winner of the American Psychological Associations Division 50 Award for Contributions to the Addictions. The context of this piece is causal because the case has just been brought about by the secret of the 40 counts of child abuse that Jerry Sandusky was committing on young ten-year-old men. The purpose for this article is to offer the social psychological background of why Joe Paterno and another witness of previous rape, Mike McQueary, did not tell the police about the children being abused. Maia Szalavitz accomplishes her purpose through the use of logos when pulling content from credible psychologists to explain the behavior of people, as well as the similar stories that are discussed of people who did nothing and let innocent children become stabbed to death, harassed, or abused. The audience of this article is directed towards the thousands of kids and people who are against the decision of Paterno being fired and being very selfish at the fact that this man did not come forward and let innocent kids suffer. The people who are supporting Paterno only care about the football team's victory instead of the unethical actions committed by Sandusky. 


Friday, Maia Szalavitz. "Bystander Psychology: Why Some Witnesses to Crime Do Nothing – TIME Healthland." TIME Healthland - A Healthy Balance of the Mind, Body and Spirit. TIME, 11 Nov. 2011. Web. 11 Nov. 2011. <http://healthland.time.com/2011/11/11/bystander-psychology-why-some-witnesses-to-crime-do-nothing/>.

Final IR Post

Outliers is a novel written by Malcolm Gladwell that offers an alternative explanation for the reason why some people succeed farther than others due to their surroundings. In an interview with the New York Times, Gladwell states, “Nor is success simply the sum of the decisions and efforts we make on our own behalf. It is, rather, a gift. Outliers are those who have been given opportunities — and who have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them.” The last section of the book describes how culture affects success more than intelligence and how various outliers portray this claim. For example, an outlier named Joe Flom had to take on harder, more risky law cases where no one else would because Flom was jewish and he was not hired by many firms. This cultural discrimination lead Joe Flom to the successful man he is and his firm boomed. Malcolm Gladwell successfully argues his claim through the use of rhetorical devices. One such example is the personal stories that the rhetor discusses to describe the outliers' lives and how they developed into a success. In addition, Gladwell uses statistics and facts to provide proof that supports his argument about culture relating to success.


After close reading Outliers and analyzing the piece through rhetorical devices, there were many observations that were made. The overview of Outliers is success and how culture and the environment play a large role in the achievements of the elite. After scrutinizing the parts of the novel, some elements that seemed important and made it evident that culture dictates accomplishments was the 10,000 hour rule. This rule shows how investing an exponential amount of time in a task will eventually reach perfection. It is scientifically proven that 10,000 hours results in achievement, and this part of the novel clearly put culture and success together. The environment of practice and pressure from family results in a favorable outcome for the outliers. The title, outliers, successfully fits the novel because an outlier is defined as "a statistical observation that is markedly different in value from the others of the sample". Gladwell includes this definition in the first chapter which sets up the type of arrangement of this novel- definition. The entire book is based on using examples to define what an outlier truly is. Malcolm Gladwell successfully creates a relationship between himself and the audience as well as the audience to the content through establishment of credibility as well as the arrangement of definition to help the reader understand the claim. Finally, Malcolm Gladwell sums up the novel by noting that success "is grounded in a web of advantages and inheritances, some deserved, some not, some earned, some just plain lucky- but all critical to making them who they are. The outlier, in the end, is not an outlier at all."This statement makes the reader thing about the claim that was made throughout the novel and how Gladwell completely refutes this claim by stating that an outlier is not an outlier, but just a person who was lucky and may have had an opportunity in their environment that lead them on the path of success. The conclusion makes the audience realize that this novel was an autobiography about Gladwell's life that he was not born into success, but the environment that evolved around him created him to the person he is today.

AOW #7- More Questions About Mammograms

This editorial discusses the use of mammography as being less beneficial in America today. Out of the 39 million women who undergo annual mammograms, only 230,000 of these women were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer from the screenings. This piece came from the New York Times online magazine, which is a well renowned newspaper, having been publishing articles since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes- the most awards any organization has achieved. The context of this piece is causal because the economic crisis that is occurring today has brought about many issues with the way our country is spending its money. Mammography is a very costly procedure and many women are wondering if this screening is doing more harm than good. This audience of this article is women above the age of 40 who annually undergo mammography screenings. The purpose of this piece is to convince the audience that the 5 billion dollars spent on mammogram screenings should be used for other purposes because mammograms are doing more harm than good. The author achieves his purpose through rhetorical devices such as logos when he uses statistics and facts to prove his argument, as well as ethos through his specific medical diction when he discusses mammograms.

"More Questions About Mammograms." The New York Times. The New York Times, 26 Oct. 2011. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/27/opinion/more-questions-about-mammograms.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss>.

AOW #6- Obama: Iraq war will be over by year's end; troops coming home

This article discusses President Barack Obama's decision to pull all of the American troops out of Iraq by December 31st. During his 2008 campaign, President Obama promised to end the war during his years of presidency. Now, after almost nine years, America is finally leaving Iraq on a positive note knowing that the country is in a good place to move in a more hopeful direction. President Obama and President Nuri al-Maliki of Iraq discussed this motive for leaving Iraq, and both were on the same page with how Iraq is going to progress as a nation. This article came from CNN.com, a world leader of all websites giving the most accurate, around-the-clock news all over the globe. The context of this piece is casual, for it was caused by the ending of the Iraqi war after nine years of fighting. The audience for whom this piece was written is the American citizens and the families of soldiers who have not seen their loved ones for very long. The purpose of this piece was to inform the public that after nine years of fighting, the Iraqi war is finally ending and all of the American troops will be out of this country by December 31st. The author accomplished his purpose through numerous rhetorical devices that allowed the audience to understand why President Obama made this decision, when the troops are coming home, and how this was decided. Some of these rhetorical devices include logos because of the statistics that were added in the piece to support the reasons behind the ending of the Iraqi war, as well as the quotes that came from credible people such as security advisors, President Barack Obama, and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta of America. In addition, the use of pathos helped the author accomplish his purpose because he used emotions to draw the reader in by saying how after nine years families will be reunited for the holidays which is a sentimental time of year.

"Obama: Iraq war will be over by year's end; troops coming home - CNN.com."CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. 21 Oct. 2011. CNN. 22 Oct. 2011 <http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/21/world/meast/iraq-us-troops/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn>.

AOW #5- Old Spice Commercial

This commercial displays an attractive man in a towel who has just gotten out of the shower after using Old Spice body wash. The man is describing a scenario engaging the women watching the commercial to look at their husband and persuading their significant other to buy the product so that he will look like the man in the commercial. The source of the advertisement is Old Spice Body Wash, Deodorants, and Man Fresheners, a well-established brand that has been around since 1937 by the Shulton Company. The context of this piece is health and hygiene for deodorants and body wash help to keep men smelling fresh and clean. The purpose of this commercial is to sell Old Spice to men by convincing them that if they use this product, it will define them as men. Also, by using this product, the scent will attract women by drawing them into the cleanliness of the men. The audience of this piece is directed towards the mens' significant others because the advertisement is directly talking to them by persuading the women that if the men in their lives use Old Spice, then they will be much more attractive. The Old Spice brand accomplished its purpose in this commercial through numerous rhetorical devices. A few of these strategies include the appeals. The commercial uses pathos to draw the emotions of the audience through the beauty of the male, as well as stating that you are not a man if you do not use Old Spice. Also, the voice of the commercial is deep and manly, depicting manliness and manhood. Finally, engaging the audience through the entire scenario draws the women in because the man is directly speaking to them in the commercial.

Unit 1- Assignment and Essential Question Reflection

What makes an effective argument?

Creating an effective argument requires a multitude of steps in order to successfully persuade an audience to agree with the rhetor. In order for the rhetor to effectively support, refute, or qualify a claim, they must first gather a plethora of information for their argument. This may be through looking at past work, brainstorming, or free-writing, as well as asking others and experts on the specific topic. This content is known as Logos, which is one of Aristotle's Appeals that he suggests a rhetor use to offer a clear, central idea to the reader. In addition, the rhetor must know who their intended audience is. This appeal is known as ethos. Ethos immediately establishes credibility to show the audience that they are believable and have only the readers' best interests at mind. Finally, in order to create a moving argument, a rhetor uses pathos, the final Appeal Aristotle suggests. When a speaker uses pathos, he/she is connecting to the audience at a deeper level by drawing in their emotions and interests. This is done through personal stories and figurative language. Aristotle's three Appeals form a strong, well-developed argument that engage the rhetor and audience to connect in the process of meaning and coming to an understanding.

Out of all of the helpful activities this class achieved in order to help us students understand the major topics discussed in Unit 1, I found that Kundera's Claim activity helped me the most. This paper helped me to understand the scoring of the AP English exam and I was able to differentiate sophisticated analyses from simplistic ones. In addition, working with a partner helped me to collaborate ideas and see what claim my partner was able to draw from this passage, and how similar his/her thinking was to mine. Finally, filling out the outline on the specific claim I decided on from the passage benefitted me for I was able to effectively organize my thoughts and visualize each aspect of a successful argument. This activity assisted me on the in-class essay we had to write a few weeks ago for I was able to successfully organize my thoughts and to include each aspect such as the support, refutation, and thesis statement in my paper.

AOW #4- Parents of a Certain Age

This article discusses the rise of the ages of mothers 45 and older conceiving children. The number of children born to older women has doubled since 1997, and is still growing today. The author of this article, Lisa Miller, is a senior editor at Newsweek and the winner of numerous journalism awards such as the 2010 Wilbur Award for Outstanding Magazine Column. The context of this piece is causal because the occasion was caused by an increase in the ages of mothers undergoing birth between 1997 and today. The audience is directed towards older women who went through the process of conceiving at a late age and can connect to the women whom Lisa Miller discusses. The purpose of this piece was written to convince readers that being at an older age and pregnant is not a terrible act. Women conceiving children later give them the opportunity to become economically stable and are able to provide better lives for their kids. The author accomplishes her purpose through personal stories that allows the reader to connect with these women and to show a different side to the stereotype that older mothers cannot bear/raise children properly. A few rhetorical elements Miller includes in this article are logos when she uses statistics to prove her claim, and the use of pathos through the emotional stories of the mothers who experienced giving birth at a late age.

Miller, Lisa. "Is There Anything Wrong With Being Over 50 and Pregnant? -- New York Magazine." New York Magazine -- NYC Guide to Restaurants, Fashion, Nightlife, Shopping, Politics, Movies. 25 Sept. 2011. Web. 07 Oct. 2011. <http://nymag.com/news/features/mothers-over-50-2011-10/>.

IR Blog #1

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell delves into the story of success by the rich and wise. Malcolm Gladwell writes for The New Yorker, a well established magazine that has been in business since 1925. He has written four books, each of which have been best sellers: What the Dog Saw, Blink, The Tipping Point, and, of course, Outliers. Gladwell has been awarded one of the 100 Most Influential People by Time Magazine for his success.

Outliers is broken up into 2 parts: Opportunity and Legacy. The introduction discusses a phenomenon of a small town in Pennsylvania where extended families living under one roof have a life span longer than that of the town next to it who does not have multi generations under one roof. This example of stress reduction is an outlier's hidden cause of a rare occurrence. The next chapter discusses why hockey players born earlier in the year have an advantage over others born later in the year. The naturally older hockey players appeared to be stronger and played much better than those born in the later months. Finally, chapter 3 discusses the 10,000 hour rule where it is proven that people who practice something repetitively for 10 years will become famous and achieve high status. This was shown through Mozart and the Beatles who both studied music for 10 years and eventually became the most elite musicians in their time.

The context of this novel is spacial because it discusses circumstances that occurred in the past that are recognized as extraordinary phenomenas. The purpose is to convey information on a different perspective of how success is formed by the world that surrounds the successors. Gladwell accomplished this purpose because he discusses how intelligence is not just innate, but also is affected by the factors surrounding these people. The audience of Outliers is the people who are interested in the cause of human potential and how it can be perceived in many different ways.

The rhetorical elements used in pages 3-68 of this novel are ethos (using statistics and birth dates to support a claim), logos (developing ideas with thorough detail and supporting claims with proof), and imagery by using sensory experiences to describe events.

AOW #3- Political Cartoon

This political cartoon depicts illegal immigration as a growing issue in America. The artist, Kevin Tuma, is a well renowned political cartoonist who draws for CNS News (a well-established conservative news website). The context of this piece is causal because in this generation, more immigrants are entering America illegally per year. The purpose of this cartoon is to address America's leniency on illegal immigration, and how it is growing each year.  Kevin Tuma accomplished his purpose by including a historical element- the Statue of Liberty. The Statue of Liberty, the icon of freedom and opportunity for immigrants to come to America, has a shocking expression on her face when she sees the "tsunami" of people entering the country. Tuma drew this to show that even the Statue of Liberty is astounded by the superfluous amount of people entering America illegally. The audience of this piece is the legal citizens of America who are angered by the large number of illegal aliens entering their country and taking up their job opportunities. The rhetorical elements in this piece are logos because it shows a quantitative amount of illegal aliens coming to America per year and ethos because it establishes credibility of the highly recognized and historical Statue of Liberty. Also, some visual elements include the placement of the tsunami being larger than the huge statue as she looks up at it, and the contrast of the dark cloud on top symbolizing death and bad situations.

"Immigration Cartoon by Kevin Tuma - Political Immigration Cartoons - Immivasion - Immigration Invasion." Immivasion - Immigration Invasion. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2011. <http://www.immivasion.us/cartoons/kt_tsunami2_w.html>.

AOW #2- Texting Makes U Stupid

This article argues the obsession teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 have with their cell phones. The author, Niall Ferguson, is a professor of history at Harvard University and a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School. In addition, Ferguson is a researcher at Jesus College, Oxford University, and Stanford University, which shows his high level of credibility. The context of this piece is causal because text messaging has been brought about by interaction between today’s generation and the past. This piece focuses on a rhetorical question that is the main purpose of this passage: how will the “civilizational illiterates” compete against America’s global rivals? The author’s intention is to propose the topic of text messaging as hindering teenager’s education, for they are reading less in their spare time and losing important knowledge from books. The audience for whom this piece is written is intended for parents of teenagers who are addicted to their cell phone, and have a high interest level on this topic. The rhetorical elements in this piece include ethos, pathos, logos, and paradox. The author accomplished his purpose because he established credibility by admitting he is guilty of text messaging, however he redeems his credit by stating that he reads books, which shows the reader that he has a high knowledge of how books stimulate the mind. Also, he proved his point by using statistics in this article. 

Ferguson, Niall. "How Will Today's Texting Teenagers Compete?" The Daily Beast. Newsweek, 11 Sept. 2011. Web. 16 Sept. 2011. <http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/09/11/how-will-today-s-texting-teenagers-compete.html>.

IR Choice

Title of Book- Outliers
Author- Malcolm Gladwell
1st. Break- Page 3-68
2nd Break- Page 69-115
3rd Break- Page 116- 176
4th Break- Page 177-270
I chose to read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell for my independent reading because my aunt had previously read this novel last year, and she found it to be the most intriguing book she has ever read. The tidbits she told me from this book seemed to boggle my mind, and I knew I wanted to read this. With strong curiosity, I decided to delve into the world of social psychology with this novel.When given the opportunity to read this book in school, I decided to take it very quickly. I am eager to begin this book and see how it will change my perspective on success and the world surrounding us.

AOW #1- Woman's Quest to Avoid Mirrors for a Year Raises Questions of Body Image

This article is about a UCLA graduate student, Kjerstin Gruys, whose goal is to prove how significant appearance is to the lives of women. After battling with anorexia for over a decade and living in an image-based society, Kjerstin decided to challenge herself by resisting to look at mirrors for a whole year. The context of this article is prompted by a trend among women. With today's widespread media, women are being more influenced by the images they see of celebrities and an increasing number are beginning to obsess over their looks.

The audience of this article is intended for high school and college students who, during this stage in their lives, believe that beauty is necessary for survival in our society. The audience can connect to Kjerstin Gruys because she is a graduate student who dealt with similar issues about her image. The author's purpose for this piece is to make other women think about how much of an impact beauty has on their lives. The author effectively used a few rhetorical elements such as the Appeals, a metaphor, a hyperbole, and irony. Bonnie Rochman accomplished this purpose because she provided personal experiences about Kjerstin Gruys that allowed the audience to connect on a deeper level. 

This article came from the health section of TIME Magazine, which is a very well established and global magazine. Bonnie Rochman, the author, writes regularly for the health section and travels globally to report the news from different countries.

Rochman, Bonnie. "Woman’s Quest to Avoid Mirrors for a Year Raises Questions of Body Image – TIME Healthland."TIME Healthland - A healthy balance of the mind, body and spirit. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2011. <http://healthland.time.com/2011/09/08/womans-quest-to-avoid-mirrors-for-a-year-raises-questions-of-body-image/>.