TOW #13- Uncle Sam

          In a political cartoon created by Jeff Parker of Florida Today, a unequal balance of power and wealth is represented through symbols, mockery, and juxtaposition of the United States and a third world country. Uncle Sam, a well-known symbol and representative of America, is placed directly next to an obviously poorer group of individuals, indicating a comparison of two distinctly different countries. The enormous size of Uncle Sam as compared to the frail, hungry others represents the significant gap of power between them. 

          The culturally recognizable figure of Uncle Sam, well-groomed and dressed in fancy clothing, stands out among the rest of the components in the cartoon. When paying closer attention to the words being spoken from each side, Parker addresses the problem of obesity in America, an issue that third world countries will never be faced with because they are less fortunate and face malnutrition on a daily basis. The juxtaposition of America's supreme wealth and power, and the state of the third world country, pokes fun at the fact that obesity is taking over a large population of Americans, while others around the world are struggling to stay alive. It appeals to pathos, causing the audience, especially Americans, to consider how silly it is that obesity is an issue in America. This encourages viewers to pay more attention to the state of third world countries, and opens them up to a more mature perspective that they otherwise might have been too self-consumed to recognize. 

          This metaphorical comparison, through the usage of symbols, mockery, and juxtaposition clearly expresses the differences between America and third world countries. These differences, unrecognizable by many Americans themselves, are extremely prevalent in the lives of impoverished minorities. Jeff Parker is able to cleverly expose the ignorant side of America in this cartoon, further exemplifying the fact that the United States has much less to worry about than they think. 

TOW #12- IRB #2 First Half

          In the first half of my IRB, She Said Yes, the deep sorrow and heartbreak of Misty Bernall, mother of slain Columbine shooting victim Cassie Bernall, is intensely expressed. Waiting anxiously for her daughter to return home after hearing of the devastating news at the school, Misty questions whether or not Cassie is alive. Her sad yet insightful tone allows the audience to peer into the story of Columbine from a first person subjective point-of-view, making Cassie's encounter with the gunmen and Misty's extreme regret evermore real. With access to Cassie's private notes and by connecting with several of her close friends, Misty is able to put together the story piece by piece, learning to cope with it as she goes. She quickly realizes the truth behind Cassie's strange and satanic behavior prior to the school massacre, and is left with nothing more than a sense of remorse for not being able to fix any of it. She continues to try to understand what caused the gunmen to target her daughter, and specifically what she said that triggered the gunshots. This search for all the answers becomes a major part of the story, on top of explaining the emotional effects of the event and major changes that occurred in Columbine, Colorado.
          Throughout the memoir so far, Misty's somber tone appeals largely to pathos, causing the audience to experience the devastating sequence of events side by side with the desperate mother. It causes every word to seem a hundred times more realistic; making each new update on the shooting super shocking, even though I already know what the end result of the attack was. Cassie's battle with religious identification plays a significant role in the direction that Misty focuses her writing, and leads the audience to assume that her struggle between belief in Satan or God is a large contributor towards her death. Misty is able to add suspense to the story and explain the Columbine massacre in an entirely new light; one that even the most knowledgable on the event were not able to discover. This ability changes the impression of Misty's writing, making me at times forget that I am reading a nonfictional piece. I hope to uncover more behind Cassie's story leading up to her death, and see if her mother is able to come to terms with the murder of her innocent, conflicted teenage daughter.

TOW #11- Immigration Policy

The issue over immigration policy in the United States had been a topic hotly debated for years. Some may have their arms wide open, while others do not hesitate for a second to shut out those in need. In Clay Bennett’s 2011 cartoon, featured in the Chattanooga Times Free Press, this ongoing argument is exemplified through the incorporation of a mixed message based on contrasting opinions within a doormat.
             Written on the doormat in plain English are the words “Immigration Policy,” and protruding from the top of it are nails that spell out “Welcome.” Due to the two different opinions being expressed through both English and the nails, the audience is left to perceive the true meaning behind this cartoon. While the English provides American viewers with the topic of the visual, the construction of the word “Welcome” influences them to consider whether or not the United States is truly a welcoming country. Depending on the speaker, whether it be agricultural industries that welcome immigrants, or labor unions that discourage immigrants, the mixed message can be interpreted either way.
             This ability to include both sides demonstrates the flexibility of Bennett’s cartoon, proving his ability to propose two different viewpoints while remaining neutral to the topic at hand. He is not trying to persuade his audience of anything, he is simply allowing them to compose their own opinion and decide which side they associate themselves with in regards to immigration policy. He discovers a way to include two different voices into a singular word, solely based on the way in which the word is presented. In the end, Bennett is still clearly able to expose the contrasting views on immigration policy in America.

   

TOW #10- Syrian Refugees

        Americans are constantly being swayed by their own fears. These fears are often at times over-exaggerated, in order for the country to shield themselves from any potential harm. Recently in America, Barack Obama has declared the acceptance of Syrian refugees fleeing from the Islamic States (ISIS), sparking the frantic and conflicting opinions of many. In Jay Inslee's article, Why My State Won't Close Its Door to Syrian Refugees, the Washington governor exposes that America's foundation as a beacon of hope for others in time of need is being threatened by probable terror. He achieves this through usage of historical allusions, expository language, and anecdotes.
        In order to show how the change of heart of many Americans is unjustified, Inslee provides several examples of instances in which America has opened their arms to struggling people in the past. "Today we welcome refugees from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia. In 2014, more than 2,800 refugees from countless countries arrived in Washington, and no one demanded we send them back to where they came from" (par 9). For many years, allowing others to find safety in this country has been an honorable ability, and has provided positive outcomes, but now all of a sudden there are growing concerns among the public.
        Inslee addresses these concerns with expository language that appeals to pathos. "It is disheartening to see how easily people turn their backs on human suffering- even more so when the ones turning their backs are those who were chosen to lead" (10). This statement uncovers the negative and unprecedented actions of those who immediately turn against helping others, and causes the audience to feel anger towards these leaders and sorrow towards those who are suffering. The arousal of these emotions persuades citizens to take note of how rapidly this controversy is growing, and desire to prevent those that are against accepting the refugees. 
       Personal anecdotes also establish Inslee's credibility as a writer, making his claims against these recent behaviors even stronger. "My home is on Bainbridge Island...the first place in the nation where Japanese-Americans were subjected to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Civilian Exclusion Orders. These Washingtonians were marched to the docks by soldiers and sent to internment camps" (11). Clearly he holds a specific experience close to heart, which successfully expresses why he feels as though American citizens must not turn away.
        Americans look back on certain moments of their past and feel regret. This is why Inslee believes it is critical for the country to continue to be welcoming to all, and not jump to conclusions and shut the door on them without reason. Through the incorporation of historical allusions, expository language, and anecdotes, he reveals the disloyalty that is being expressed towards the iconic label as a "Land of Opportunity". "The blame for those acts should be with the radicals who committed them, not any religion, race or country of origin" (16). America must step away from these common assumptions and reconsider who the real threats are.

Inslee, Jay. "Why My State Won’t Close Its Doors to Syrian Refugees." The New York Times. The New York Times, 20 Nov. 2015. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.

TOW #9- The Undress Code

        In Bonnie Tsui's article, The Undress Code, she reveals her past experiences as a victim of the disturbing situation between the clothes that women wear and the resulting reactions of men. As a current New York Times opinionist and successful author, Tsui has formed a variety of different relationships with coworkers in her past professions. Among them all is one particular man, who after seeing Tsui in a sweater with holes, paid her an uncomfortable amount of attention. Even after graduating college, getting engaged, and stabilizing her writing career, this man continued to follow Tsui's work and desperately tried to stay in contact with her. It amounted to an extremely creepy level, and made Tsui question why she was haunted by this man, simply based on the clothes she used to wear when they worked together.
        She addresses these annoyances with several rhetorical questions in her article, clearly representing how the reoccurrences of this man negatively affected her life. In paragraph 3 she writes, "Did I do something to encourage these advances? Was I being too harsh, and was he actually offering to help me? Then why did it feel so unsettling and not quite right?" This clearly exemplifies the unease that she felt during this period of her life, and allows for the audience to put themselves in her shoes and attempt to answer these questions themselves.
        At the end of the article she comes to a startling conclusion that the man had actually taught her a life lesson; "What a women wears can be used as a weapon against her." Through the repetition of the phrase "Nothing happened" in the final paragraphs, the audience is left to consider whether or not something actually did happened. Although she wasn't physically harmed or disabled by him, he left her with invisible marks that altered the way she viewed herself and other women around her. He forever changed her state of mind, although he did not hinder her strength. This ongoing, difficult relationship made her realize how important it is for women to defend themselves and stand up against the dominating nature of men.


Tsui, Bonnie. "The Undress Code." Opinionator The Undress Code Comments. The New York Times, 12 Nov. 2015. Web. 13 Nov. 2015.

IRB #2 Intro

For my second IRB of the year, I have chosen to read She Said Yes. This memoir, written through the eyes of Misty Bernall, focuses around the death of her daughter Cassie Bernall, a student at Columbine High School. As a prominent event in American history, the Columbine shootings marked a major change in the ways in which society viewed teens and the protections that should be placed on weapons. This book attracted me based on the fact that I already have slide knowledge of this event, but I am interested in learning more about it from a closer source. I think that this story will be incredibly powerful and moving, since it revolves around the death of a very special girl and the courage that she had against two dangerous shooters. This book received the 2000 Christopher Award and several complimentary reviews from a variety of companies, such as New York Post and People Magazine. I am curious to begin this book and unravel more information on exactly what happened during the Columbine High School massacre.

TOW #8- IRB #1 Second Half

          In the second half of the memoir, Hole in my Life, written by Jack Gantos, his true passion for writing and a desire to turn his life around is finally revealed. Peering through the bars of his prison cell, Gantos witnesses countless acts of violence that alter his life forever. These experiences, recorded between the lines of a book found in the jail library, cause him to severely miss the way his life once was. Prior to his drug incident and admittance behind bars, Gantos constantly struggled to find inspiration for his writing. Sadly, it was not until he began living face to face with hardcore criminals that he realized he had been surrounded by positive influences his entire childhood, if only he had taken the time to recognize sooner. After the end of his sentence, Gantos is free to leave and explore ways to improve himself, but disastrously discovers that the journal he has written in for the past several years is unable to come along with him. Despite this setback he still manages to attend college, and never again does he face the temptations of returning back to dealing illegal marijuana. He now fully understands his importance and role in life, and from that moment forward focuses all of his heart and energy into writing stories of his past for young teens. Primarily in hopes that they will follow the right path in their lives, and if not, be able to recognize and recover from their mistakes.

         Present throughout this story is the inclusion of irony, in which Gantos compares two different versions of himself- pre-jail and post-jail. During transition into his new life, he is hired as a Christmas tree delivery guy. “The last job I had in New York was pushing a shopping cart full of drugs down the streets to people’s apartments. Now I was pushing a shopping cart with a Christmas tree on it” (Gantos 198). This ironic situation represents how contrasting Gantos’ new life is to his old one, and satisfies the audience by allowing them to see his improvement. Also, Gantos utilizes short and direct sentence structure in order to add emphasis to each individual word. For example he writes, “The receptionist shrugged. He couldn’t care less. I looked into the lobby. There were two agents. It was sentencing day, and they didn’t want to lose me” (Gantos 140). This causes the audience to add immediate pauses between sentences and pay closer attention to the events at hand, ultimately adding more support to his overall message. Gantos wants to make it clear to all young members of society that critical decision-making is a crucial part of leading a successful, prison-free life.