Blog 28, IRB POST, 3-26-12

As far as my independent reading book goes, I have stopped reading "The Cider House Rules" by John Irving because no matter how much I read of it I could not get into it.  I found that I was dreading the time when I would actually have to sit down and read the book.  I realized that's not what I wanted to have to do with my IRB book, I wanted to read something I was passionate about and would look forward to reading.  This is why I have dropped that book (with permission) and began reading another book that I simply can not put down and will still be finished by the time the third marking period is over so that I do not run behind with my independent reading.  

The new book I have picked out is called Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.  This book is the second book in a trilogy called The Hunger Games.  I read the first book in a series that was actually called The Hunger Games, and I fell in love with it.  I bought it only because I heard several people telling me about it being a good book and when I began reading it I could not believe a book could be so addicting.   I finished the first book within a week, and had not picked up the second until I realize I wanted to read a different book for my independent reading novel.  Catching Fire, the book I am reading now is just under 400 pages long and I have already gotten to page 252 in just a few days time.  I am more then elated that I am now able to look forward to reading... to the point where I am sneaking it under the desk in class (not in AP English of course!) or constantly waiting to have a few minutes to sneak a few pages in.

Now, for those who are unfamiliar to what the series is about... The basic summary is that there is a world, most likely in the future, that consists of a country named Panem that holds 12 districts (as if they are states).  The districts are controlled by an overwhelming power called The Capital, where the President lives with all the richest and most glamorous people in the world.  The ruling is harsh, unjustifiable, and gruesome.  There was an uprising a few years before the book's setting, where there were 13 districts, the 13th district led an uprising that got the entire district obliterated.  As a result, each year there is an event called "The Hunger Games" where a male and female tribute between the ages of 12 and 18 will be chosen at random from each district to take part in an event where they fight to the death leaving only one lone victor to riches and prosperity. The Capital uses this to maintain power and to make sure another uprising never happens again. The captivating plot and world of fiction and fantasy lead me away and is the reason I am so enthralled with this book.

However, the book "The Cider House Rules", I read over 100 pages of the massive book and still was not interested.  This is resulting from a few aspects. First of all, the type of writing was unfamiliar, somewhat wordy and with a dialect I could not altogether connect to.  The characters were boring, the story was not that interesting and I realized that after 100 pages of reading it was still not brimming with excitement or a captivating plot.  If the book was shorter, maybe I would have finished it.  But there was no way I was going to finish a book over 500 pages by the end of the marking period that I had absolutely no interest in.

Going through this process has made me realize a few things: One, that not finishing a book is alright... and if it's not interesting DON'T read it and two, I noticed I am a reader that looks for a captivating plot that pulls me into the world of fiction and steals me away from reality for hours on end.

NEW BOOK TITLE: Catching Fire

AUTHOR: Suzanna Collins

Blog 27, Week 4, (visual), 3-19-12

SIDE NOTE: Since I usually do a four week rotation with the fourth week being an IRB post..... I wanted to do a BIG IRB that I will do as my "fifth" week cycle blog post next weekend.  Therefore I can get a lot of reading done... and analyze it in the same post instead of doing two IRB blogs next to each other. (Thought this would be best for such a large book).
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SOURCE: http://bleachedbrain.wordpress.com/tag/political-cartoon/

For this AOW I decided to do a political cartoon, and I chose this one because I feel it is really prevalent... especially among the young people recently.  Joseph Kony and his leadership in the Lord's Resistance Army has become an apparent "popular" issue in American ever since the youtube video of the current event went viral over night on march 5, 2012.  The video has currently 82.5 million views and explains in detail about Kony's group and about how an American group is planning to stop him by the end of this year.  Now, Kony's group is pursuing to create a world where children live in hell.  He is kidnapping all children from their parents.  He forces the boys to become soldiers, killing their own parents and purposefully mutilating people's faces.  He kidnaps the girls and he makes them sex slaves.  It is devastating and unreal, but most of the world has no idea what the issue is or who Joseph Kony is.

The point of this political cartoon is to show that everyone all of sudden knows the term "Kony 2012" and wears the propaganda and fights for the cause... Yet most people have no idea what they are advocating.  In this cartoon it is showing a person wearing a shirt supporting to the current advocation to stop Kony by the end of 2012, but the person wearing the shirt in the picture does not know what the issue is and is only supporting it because of the popularity it has gained. It is a cartoon showing the ignorance of people towards an issue that really does need knowledge in order to help the cause.

Out of the few rhetorical devices evident the most important one is logos.  The cartoon promotes the idea of logic because I believe the author's purpose was to show that in order to support a cause, one must know and understand what the issue is and how they can help.  It is only logical that it shows ignorance and rudeness to support a cause for popularity reasons rather then for the greater good of the people involved.  The audience for this political cartoon is all ignorant people who are blind to the real reason for the "kony 2012" slogan.   The people in the cartoon look young, which means the people that are targeted for this issue could be as young as teenagers or younger or even a little bit older.  In my opinion, the author's purpose to promote knowledge on the issue has been achieved because when I came across this photo I looked into the issue because I always saw the slogan but did not know what it was for.  Now I do know what it is for and I can support a cause I understand and believe in, instead of blindly following a crowd only following a cause for popularity reasons. 

- Ali Mason

Youtube video of "Kony 2012" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc

Blog 26, Week 3, (Written), 3-12-12

Article Title: “Obama Plans Big Effort to Build Support Among Women

Author: Jackie Calmes

Source: NY Times

   This article is about Obama’s new laws, regulations and plans in order to gain more votes from women for his 2012 presidential campaign.  The article discusses what he has done in the past with his actions compared to the future and engulfs Obama’s plan as to get more votes from the women population… which he believes is crucial in order to win the election.

    Since this article was on the front cover of the New York Times newspaper… that enables it to be a credible source and therefore helps to push the author’s purpose further.  I believe Calmes’ reason for writing this article is to one) possible push women to vote for Obama or look into his new work on their behalf, or two) for people to gain more information about politics and make an informed opinion on their own about how they feel about this situation and the upcoming election.  The audience for this article could be women in this country or any potential voters looking to get their vote in for this year’s presidential election.

    There are a few rhetorical devices the author uses to create a credible article and one of which is her use of statistics… statistics help this article because when people are reading about politics they want facts.  They want something they can look at and make an opinion off of, and that can not happen if someone is writing a political piece with no idea as to what they are talking about or if it is true or not.  She uses statistics to explain the different bills and acts Obama uses as well as other aspects of his presidency.  Another rhetorical device that is used… but not intentionally is her use of ethos to present her credibility.  Although, this is established through her work in the NYTimes and her status as a front-page writer.

    I was able to analyze this piece easily because I am a girl in this country…  and in less then a year I can vote.  It is because of this that I chose to read a political piece that could help me understand what is going on this country and since this piece related to women I was even more enthralled to read this.  The author has reached her purpose and I know this because I am a reader and soon-to-be voter in this country and it is articles like these that make information ready and available to me when I need facts to make decisions. 

Blog 25, Week 2, (Written), 3-5-12

Article Title: "Whitpain Fires Police Officer Charged With DUI"
Source: Ambler Gazette News (online)
Author: n/a


   According to the article a police officer of the Whitpain township was fired after 24 years because of driving under the influence of oxycodone and alcohol and was also charged with striking his wife 5 times during the drive.  It has been reported that he is awaiting a court date and that on the day of this event the man and his wife were drinking in a bar and got into a quick fight which continued into the dangerous car ride that ended this mans career. Although this took place in August of 2011, he was arrested for his actions on January 23 2012.
  A scary thing to think about is that this man is a police officer.. a symbol of comfort in the eyes of the community and in society as a whole.   A man who is not even new to the force, but has actually spent a quarter of a century in police work and still is able to cause this type of destruction.  This leads me to believe that anyone can become anything despite a title and that even the people who are supposed to be the leaders in society can mess up their lives and become the aspect of their lives they have spent so much time preventing.
  The context of this article is during the end of last year into the beginning of this year and is showing a new shift into the police work of Whitpain township.  The purpose of this article is one, to get general information to the public about a situation that could potentially effect other people, and two, it is possible an article to show people that even the "good" guys mess up and the people we depend on could become the people we never thought we would need to worry about.  Personally, I respect and fear police officers because of their prominent role in society as the law regulators who are the tell all and show all of laws and regulations in our area.  And now that this has happened it is hard to believe that someone we all trust has let us down.  The audience is then the surrounding community that has to endure this information and understand it in order to benefit their lives.
  I'd say this is credible because it is from an official local website.. and the article establishes credibility (ethos) through statistics and quotes from the actual people involved that could not be made up without a reliable story line.  This story is also on other websites which gives more proof that it is real, therefore the credibility is established and then proven to be true.  Another evident rhetorical device is the use of pathos (briefly) when the article leans towards discussing the wife of the police officer and how he beat her when he was drink.  This pushes the audience to feel a sense apology for the woman and realize the wrong that the husband did to her.  Pathos is also used when the article states how long the man has been  a working police officer.  It my eyes, it makes me feel sad and regretful for the man because he just messed up the rest of his life and will not be able to take it back.  This will always be on his record and a part of his life and that is what connects me to this article... the way in which i feel bad for this man.   It is also in this way the way the author is using their inner voice to connect with mine.  They wanted me to feel this way at certain parts of the article, at times objective and other times filled with emotion.
   The purpose of the author was achieved because it is now a well known story on the internet and it has gotten me, as a reader, to think about this situation and apply to every day life.  Everyone is able to make mistakes, even the people that seem the most trust worthy or seem as if they are the icons of the world.  People as important as police officers make decisions that ruin their lives, it isn't just drug addicts and alcoholics.  This article has opened my eyes to a more broader view.

- Ali Mason

Blog 24, Week 1, (Written), 2-27-12

       For this article of the week I read a famous short story called "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson.  The short story is about a town in the context of a time period that is fiction but placed in the distant past (maybe present, it is questionable), that hosts an event each year called The Lottery.
       The event takes place in the midst of June where every person in the town gathers around to draw slips of paper from a black box.  The papers are all blank except for only one that has a black dot.  Within the first round, whoever draws the black dot now has to move on the second round where that person and their immediate family have to draw again.  This time when they draw a slip of paper the person who gets the black dot is then stoned to death by the rest of the town. The creepy part is that it is a ritual and no one thinks anything of it... family and friends kill their loved ones because it is a tradition.  The history behind this is that the person killed is a sacrifice for a good crop season.
      In some ways this connects to other parts of the world in the ancient civilizations... some tribes of people who have human sacrifice for their goods or to promote good weather or health.  In this case it is a civilized town that does this through a lottery and apparently (it is implied) every other town does this as well.  
     There are many different interpretations as for the purpose for this short story.  The author's intention could be among a plethora of ideas. However, the way I interpreted the story was that the author was trying to convey modern society and how in some ways we are just as corrupt.  Although society today does not do go around killing people in order to give up sacrifice, we have laws and proper authority and civility but it might be a parallel to other things in society that have become a prominent issue. Otherwise it might have been just a pure imaginative story worthy of writing down. The main target audience would be anyone in the general public.
   From a rhetorical standpoint, a device used most evidently was suspense.  This is because from the very beginning it starts out with misleading cliffhanger adjectives that make you think of spring time, and a quant little town that is quite calm and peaceful.  The discussion of the lottery is not filled with hatred or bewilderment yet it is described objectively making the reader guess for the entire story what exactly is the main point of this lottery.  It is only in the end that it is revealed the lottery is actually a quite nefarious event that results in the murderous death of a citizen, and even then all is not revealed.  It ends with someone being stoned to death with no follow up events. The final lines are, "...and then they were upon her."  This is referring to the people all gathering around Mrs. Hutchinson which was the woman who "won" the lottery.
  In this way juxtaposition is also used because the word lottery is usually associated with money, or something beneficial to the winner that results in the overwhelming feeling of felicity, but in this case something so special does not occur and the lottery is associate with death.  These two elements posing next to each other is an example of juxtaposition through written rhetoric.


   After reading this story (a few times) I was still astonished by the ending.  The first time through I literally had chills from how gruesome and blunt the story really was.  The author almost tricks readers into thinking the story will be calm, kind, simple, possible and most likely happy... That is until Mrs. Hutchinson begins to sound frightened and scared to go through with the lottery when she realizes her family has "won" and is moving on to the next level.  But by that point in the story I was completely confused and trying to understand what was going on.  I was thoroughly misunderstanding what was going on from the very beginning.  The lottery was not really a prized lottery at all, rather it was a picking for the next sacrifice.  




- Ali Mason

Blog 23, Week 4, FIRST IRB post (MP3) 2-20-12

Book Title: The Cider House Rules
Author: John Irving

       The setting of this book is between the late 1890s into the early 1900s around World War 1 and post World War 1.   I read the first two chapters which was pages 1 to 78.  Although this seems short, the book's dialect is a little difficult to comprehend when you first read it.  There are many terms and phrases that are difficult to depict and the events at times are hard to follow. The book is evidently about a man named Wilbur Larch who has grown up in a world of abortion, orphans, prostitution, and neglect. The first chapter introduces this doctor and his orphanage institution in the town of St. Clouds.  Then it introduces an orphan named Homer Wells who has lived in four foster homes which have all failed and is now a permanent orphan in the institution.  After revealing this child's early life, chapter two reveals Wilbur Larch's life and how he has become the man he is today.  He grew up with a love for medicine and bacteria, and kept running into events in his life that tied to him back to the world of sexually transmitted diseases and the "devil's work" of abortionists. The book explains his slow acceptance of proceeding with abortions as well as births at the orphanage and explains events that led to his actions. Although confusing, the book is slowly developing a story line but I am still unsure of the plot.
     The context is early 1900s where abortion is just becoming legal in some areas of the united states, the Boston area and Maine, and during a time where people performing abortions were not necessarily doctors, but people who came up with their own detrimental ways of removing the fetuses.  Although the plot or conflict is not necessarily evident yet, it is implied that it will be the upcoming adventures of Homer Wells life and his growing up, and the final years of his beloved doctor Wilbur Larch.  I am also unsure as to why the title of the book is "The Cider House Rules"... but from the information I have already read of the book it might be the case the the orphan house in St. Cloud's is this "cider house" and the "rules" it is referring to is the act of Wilbur Larch delivering babies as well as performing abortions to which rules could be inflicted upon and brought up.  The Lord's Work and the Devil's Work and the rules that go alone with both.  However there were evident rhetorical devices that helped John Irving create the story that is still finding a hold in my mind...

Anecdotes:  Anecdotes are most evident because of their importance in the story.  Throughout the entire first two chapters anecdotes from the past are brought up to explain the present situations in the orphan house.  Anecdotes of Homer Wells' foster homes and Wilbur Larch's past aggressions and struggles show the reader why things are the way they are in the present tense of the book.  They are explained with absolute validity and explanation to thoroughly lead the reader into what emotions the author wants them to achieve.  In this way the author is linking to the reader's inner voice to paint a picture in their mind what exactly the author wants them to see.

Repetition of Phrases:  In the book this phrase is repeated: "he would force himself to remember: he had slept with someone's mother and dressed himself in the light of her daughter's cigar.  He could quite comfortably abstain from having sex for the rest of his life, but how could he ever condemn another person for having sex?" This is repeated at least two or three times in light of the doctor remembering his one encounter with a prostitute that gave him an STD and he later ended up giving his first abortion to this woman and neglecting to give one to her daughter several years later.  Sex has become his enemy because his one encounter brought hims so much pain, and memories that will forever be with him.  Or perhaps he abstains from sex in order to not be the father of an aborted child or the father of a child who ends up an orphan.  After viewing so many women going through the tortures of child birth and abortion and often dying in the process, his views on sex have moved him to becoming abstinent.  This quote is very important in order to show the exact view point of the doctor and where he stands when it comes to what he has done and what he will do in his future.

Intense descriptions of Imagery:  Imagery is used very frequently in the book because every description and event is very different from the last.  Without imagery the reader would be lost and would not know the difference between the characters (which are abundant) and the events that each one took place in.  The imagery is able to give readers the proper tone to which is appropriate and to show the mood of each event in the lives of the characters.  And eventually the images will tell the whole story, and the words will mean nothing.. meaning the pictures we see when we read this book will become more important then the words used to describe each event.   The story will develop a plot and the resolution will be solved with the use of the amazing imagery produced in the story.


- Ali Mason

Blog 22, Week 3, 2-13-12

2012 Superbowl Commercial

Topic: Samsung Phones

Audience: Cell Phone Users!

http://www.youtube.com/user/samsungmobileusa?v=CgfknZidYq0

   For this week, since the superbowl recently occurred, I decided to analyze a commercial from the superbowl.  It is a well known fact that these commercials are especially prestigious and wild to attract the millions of people watching the same exact channel.  The commercial I chose was an ad advocating the new Samsung Galaxy phone while downplaying the apple iphone.  The context of this commercial (besides being in the middle of superbowl sunday) was obviously the new creation of the Samsung phone and the idea was to attract more people to this type of phone then the amount of people who were looking to buy iphones this year... this is also the purpose.    Rhetorical devices that were being used in this commercial are, communal memory which is used when people say things such as "this feels like detention" or when people are using different phones other then the samsung galaxy it pertains to the memory of the people. It is dependent on the fact that these people already know what these things are. One would need to know what detention is or feels like to relate to the one character who relates standing in line to that.

  This alludes to the fact that the commercial's one aspect of an audience would be high school students... the use of the word detention relates to the high school age group and connects with their inner memory and mind.  In a way it subconsciously pushes them to realize "YES i understand! I don't want an iphone! It takes too long standing in line!".  Although the commercial does use factual statistics which is another rhetorical device to explain the different facets of the phone it does not use a lot of factual statistics to create the commercial.  For the most part it uses pop culture and entertainment to tell the story of this one little phone and to create a new wave of excitement for the purchase of this new phone.  The commercial also shows people going from gloomy to extremely excited over this new phone which shows the audience who is watching the commercial that if they buy this new phone they will feel the same way... In this way the commercial is using pathos to appeal to the passion of the audience.  The rhetorical placement/situation of this commercial really help prove its point and get a broader sense of what audience they are actually hitting.

  Since the people in the commercial look so happy while they are using their new phones, it might push people to buy them because of this possibly false vibe that this is what they are getting when they purchase the phone.  Hyperbole is another rhetorical device because of the extreme exaggeration of excitement and events going on during the duration of the actual commercial. 

   The purpose for the commercial was met because the commercial continued to play on several different occasions (both before and after superbowl sunday) and it obviously was bringing business because of how often the commercial ran and the times that it ran.  Yet the only true way to tell if the product's commercial actually gained prestige and popularity would be to document sales of the item post-superbowl sunday.  

  I would say, as a viewer, that the commercial was actually quite effective.  The commercial made me feel the same emotion that each character was portraying and thus, interested me into purchasing this phones.  Who knows? Maybe it really is the next iphone... only better!

- Ali Mason