TOW #3- Self-Destruction

In a short memoir extract titled, "My Father, The Smoker" written by John Jeremiah Sullivan, author of Blood Horses and credited contributor to the New York Times, a son retells the experiences of his self-destructive father and the difficulty of change. Primarily addressed to “anyone with a mother or father who possesses fatalistic habits”, Sullivan looks back on the negative lifestyle decisions of his father leading up to his premature death, and the struggles that it placed on his entire family as a result. The father’s countless failed attempts at putting an end to his chain-smoking, excessive drinking, overeating, and negligence towards the advice of his loved ones placed a special torture on not only himself, but all those around him. Sullivan, along with his siblings and mother, slowly watched as the man in their lives withered away, and to this day he still feels the regret of not being there for his last few minutes of life.

Through the usage of personification and imagery, Sullivan achieves his purpose of reminiscing on older times with his father, while also educating readers on the important of good health. He personifies the bad habits as such an enormous takeover that they almost seemed to “squeeze him out of the room” and separate the family altogether. Sullivan also vividly describes the still-clear visions he has of his father’s “yellowed skin on his middle and index fingers on his left hand, or the way the hairs of his reddish brown mustache would brush the filter of the cigarette as he drew it in to inhale.” These bad actions were daily mannerisms that Sullivan was forced to live around, and as much as he tried to plead and confront his father the addictions seemed to never go away. They had turned a once happy and fit man into a monster, and in the end his sharp death came down to pure weakness and reluctance to make a difference. The raw emotion and description demonstrated throughout the entire piece clearly represents the importance of Sullivan's relationship with his father, and further extends his sharp feelings against self-destruction.

"My Father, the Smoker." Stopaddiction.firstrus.com. Guardian News, 2 Mar. 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2015.

TOW #2- Oppression of Women

     Created by professional cartoonist Malcolm Evans, this image depicts two different viewpoints on women from entirely different cultures and backgrounds. On the left side, is an American or European woman wearing a bikini, and on the right side is a Muslim woman wearing a burka. Not only does this cartoon compare and contrast the appearances of either women, but it also shows the clash between Western and Islamic views on feminism and women's rights. Both are thinking the same thing about each other, but in contrasting and slightly altered ways. This makes the audience, whether they are American, European, or Muslim, deeply consider what the true meaning of a "cruel male-dominated culture" is. Depending on where certain people live in the world, they will obviously have opposing viewpoints on other cultures and how women are treated in those societies. These views are primarily based on common prejudices, but also incorporate personal experiences.

     Females are oppressed in many ways, some more subtle than others. In the west, women are constantly objectified and sexually victimized by men because of their bodies. Yet in Muslim cultures, women face just as much violence and oppression and are forced to cover up their bodies for religious and controversial reasons. This clearly shows that regardless of location, women are subjected to negative attention and treatment. The juxtaposition of these two figures allow for the differing ideas and opinions to be exposed side by side. Evans successfully achieves his purpose of contrasting the two women and their cultures by placing them directly next to each other so that the audience can clearly see the differences at first glance. With deeper evaluation the audience can then understand that the message goes beyond just their appearances, and shows how views on female oppression can vary. 

TOW #1- Helping a Suicide When the End Isn't Near

      A New York Times opinionated article, titled, Helping a Suicide When the End Isn't Near, with pieces from both Mark Kleiman and Ira Byock, shares the idea of whether or not assisted suicide should be legal in the United States. Kleiman, who believes that laws preventing these actions must be removed, is a prestigious American professor at the UCLA School of Public Affairs, while Byock, who is entirely against any changes, is a physician that specializes in palliative care. Both authors have strong opposing viewpoints, and find the other to be highly unethical. Directed towards American adults, Kleiman addresses his belief that "laws preventing people who need help in dying- because they are physically or psychologically incapable of carrying out the task themselves- from getting that help" must be erased. Prolonging the lives of suffering humans is only making their pain worse, and by incorporating pathos into this document Kleiman is able to have a sense of control over his audience's emotions and cause them to feel sorrow for these patients. This further extends his argument and promotes his vision towards removing laws in order to allow death as a form of relief for struggling, ill patients.
      On the opposing side, Byock denounces Kleiman and states that "intentionally ending another person's life remains wrong." He believes that the concept is entirely too closely related to euthanasia and will always be immoral. He poses several rhetorical questions towards the audience, such as, "Would we approve of a doctor giving a lethal injection to an elderly woman who was simply tired of living? A women with constant ringing in her ears? A person who is chronically depressed?" These directly force the audience to consider their own viewpoint on the subject, as well as consider the contrasting sides of both authors. The purpose of urging the audience to consider the possibilities of either permitting or not permitting assisted suicide is clearly being demonstrated in this article through the usage of pathos and rhetorical questions.


Kleiman, Mark A. R., and Ira Byock. "Helping a Suicide When the End Isn't Near." The New York Times. The New York Times, 09 Sept. 2015. Web. 10 Sept. 2015.

IRB #1 Intro

For my first IRB of the year, I have chosen to read Hole in my Life, by Jack Gantos. This story initially grabbed my attention due to the fact that it is a memoir, and focuses around real and extremely unique life experiences written through the eyes of Gantos himself. At the time of this book, in 1971, Gantos was finishing up his last year of high school, and searching for ways in which to pursue his hobbies and aspirations. I feel as though this storyline and his journey will enable me to easily connect with the book. I am beginning to search for the correct direction for my future as well, and think that it can set as a model for the types of decisions that I should and should not make. After scanning several reviews and book summaries I am highly interested in starting this book and seeing how the plot unravels. It has been awarded as a Robert F. Sibert Honor Book and is highly credited by many readers. I have a strong belief that I will thoroughly enjoy reading a Hole in my Life and look forward to writing more about it.