TOW #10 (TEXT): Don’t Go Shopping on Thanksgiving. Just Don’t. By Ellen Galinsky

In this opinion article, author Ellen Galinsky tries to persuade consumers to not shop on Thanksgiving. Galinsky is co-founder and president of the Families and Work Institute, and believes that by shopping on Thanksgiving Day, consumers are making large retailers like Macy's open their shops and thus have their employees work. Galinsky argues that having people work on holidays is detrimental to their well being, as well as their family values. In order to get her point across, Galinsky uses statistics as well as addresses the counter argument to make her point. Galinsky states, "Nearly one-third (32%) of employees report that their work has a primarily negative impact on their lives off the job by draining energy, so they don't have enough left over for their personal and family life."(par. 4). Galinsky uses this data to show readers that even without working on holidays, jobs affect people's family lives. To further her point, Galinsky uses this statistic to say that by taking off on holidays, employee morale is decreased, and there is unhappiness among the employees. These statistics make the consumer aware that morale is a big problem for employees, and that they therefore should not shop on holidays as to avoid promoting holiday working. Galinsky also addresses the other side of the argument by saying that there are some benefits like one and a half times pay for working on holidays, however she quickly refutes this claim saying that family is more important, especially on holidays. Personally I think Galinsky does a great job persuading consumers to not shop on holidays because after reading the article I feel the plight of the employees. Galinsky taught me that family is truly more valuable than money. 

IRB Intro #2: Bin Laden: The Man Who Declared War on America by Yossef Bodansky

     For the next 4 weeks, I have chosen to read, "Bin Laden: The Man Who Declared War on America" by Yossef Bodansky. This book looks into the rise of Bin Laden, and how he went from a promising engineer into a leader of radical Islam. Bodansky takes a different route into portraying Bin Laden's terrorism as he shows the why's and how's of his decision to do the things he does. Although impossible to understand the true reasons, Bodansky tries to use Bin Laden's past to try and piece together his reason for attacking the US. I stumbled upon this book when I was looking through my dad's bookshelf and decided to chose it because I realized that I truly didn't know much about Bin Laden. I thought to myself that I should know who this man was because he had such an impact on myself as well as the rest of America. Although most of us cheered when we heard about his assassination, I realized that I really had no idea who this man was. Therefore through reading this account of Bin Laden's life, I hope to understand why this man did what he did, as well as who he truly was. Often times non-fiction seems boring, however this book seems really interesting, and I am excited to read it. 

TOW #9 (Visual Text): One Coin for All of Your Cards Advertisement by Coin

   Over the weekend, I was looking at Youtube videos, and this advertisement/infomercial was the top hit on Youtube. Being that Coin is a brand new, innovative product, the video went viral, and now everyone is intrigued by the new technology. However, what truly made this advertisement successful was its mastery of the art of rhetoric. In the advertisement, the company, Coin is trying to promote its all in one credit card. In order to do this, a representative of Coin is doing everyday tasks with his new gadget and showing how simple it works. What Coin is trying to do is to explain what their product is, while showing how easy it is to use, as well as how it helps make life simpler. Coin is targeting all consumers with credit cards, as this is their target market. One of the main rhetorical strategies that Coin uses is the music in the background. The music is very techie as to give an innovative feel to the advertisement. The man's voice and the bee-bops merge well together into something that is really easy for the audience to hear, and understand. Another main part about the music is that once the man swipes his card, or does something innovative, there is a trill in the music. This roll off of the music makes a connection with the viewer, adding to the innovative feel of the device. Another rhetorical strategy that Coin uses in this advertisement is that it makes everything in very simple terms. For example, when trying to describe a portable swiper for an Iphone, the man simply says, "This thing" as to not complicate the product with techie jargon. By making things in simpler terms, almost anyone can understand what the man is saying, and understand the message of the company. Also by being informal, Coin reduces the barrier between the consumer and the creator. Personally, I thought that this advertisement was really good as it caught my attention and has even convinced me to possibly buy one. The Coin commercial used music and simple language to their benefit, and therefore the commercial really had an impact on the audience. 

TOW #8 (IRB) Moneyball By Michael Lewis

The second half of Moneyball by Michael Lewis talks more about Beane's successes as a baseball manager, and how exactly he goes on his large win streak. Compared to the beginning, the second half of the book talks more about the managerial aspect to baseball as opposed to the first half's discussion about Beane's life. Lewis does a great job of describing Beane's life as a manager by putting the reader into the action of the clubhouse. Instead of simply just talking about the events, Lewis almost makes it seem as though the reader is experiencing the events for himself or herself. Lewis uses a plethora of rhetorical devices to make simple baseball events into something interesting and connectable. In the second section, Lewis's purpose is to describe the genius of Beane as a GM. In order to do this, Lewis takes the reader through the GM process to show them how difficult it is to manage a team. In the text, Lewis describes many things going on at the same time to show how much Beane has to control. For example, one moment Lewis talks about the pitching issues of the team, and then the next Lewis talks about the batting changes Beane has to make. In showing the overwhelming tasks, Lewis shows that being a GM in baseball is quite a difficult task. Another strategy Lewis uses is he uses allusions to the lives of baseball players. For example, before Beane is about to get a player, Lewis describes the life of the player. After considering the player, Lewis writes, "Chad Bradford grew up the youngest...."(223) to show the backstory of the player. This strategy makes the reader realize that there are many things that go into the consideration of players. Also, as the first part did, Lewis uses direct quotes from actual people in order to make the book seem as real as the actual events. For example, Lewis quotes, "Pitch games that were meaningless" said Moose"(225) By using direct quotes, Lewis makes the story much more believable and relatable. Personally, I think that these strategies make Beane seem like a very accomplished GM, and also make the reader able to connect with what actually happened. I think that because of Lewis's use of rhetorical strategies and devices, I was able to read this book much quicker because it was much more interesting and connectable. Moreover, Lewis's use of rhetorical devices made the story more interesting and connectable

TOW #7: TEXT- Boys Love Rainbow Loom, Defying Stereotype and Delighting Moms Everywhere By Annie Murphy Paul

In this opinion piece, Annie Murphy Paul discusses her son's newfound desire for Rainbow Loom, a popular bracelet making toy. Paul, being a mother herself as well as a writer well-established health writer understands that a "girly" toy such as the Rainbow Loom usually isn't something that boys play with. Paul then takes this information to essentially say that this change could possibly lead to more gender equality in the future. In order to make her point, Paul uses a plethora of rhetorical devices to draw the reader in. Paul first starts out with an anecdote as to target her audience of parents of children under 12 years old. By talking about a common motherly experience with her 12 year old child, Paul is trying to connect with her parent audience. By using her real like to draw experience from, Paul makes her article seem less scientific, and more approachable. However, in order to substantiate the claims she makes through anecdotes, Paul then uses scientific evidence to show 97% of all boys prefer cars, weapons, etc. (stereotypical boy toys) over girly ones. Although this is the case, the bracelet making toy has stood the test of time as such a fad is still going on today. Paul shows the benefits of boys taking on this very meticulous task of looming because instead of just breaking things, boys are now spending their time quietly making bracelets. Then to wrap it all up, Paul says that this change in toy selection, one of the most gender separated industries, is a positive one because it is eliminating gender roles in society. Personally, I think this claim is a bit far fetched, however I agree that this change to bracelet making for all kids is quite unusual. I think Paul's rhetorical devices were really well used because after reading the article, I had to think about what was truly happening with these rubber band bracelets. Although at the end of the day I don't agree with Paul, I think she made really good points.

TOW #6 (Text): Are Chicks Brighter Than Babies? By Nicholas D. Kristof

In the New York Times article, Are Chicks Brighter Than Babies?, author, Nicholas D. Kristof provides insight as to how chickens, despite popular opinion, are actually smart. Kristof uses the fact that chickens are not "birdbrains" to provide a broader message that cruelty of animals, no matter what we think of them, should be eliminated. Kristof, a two time Pulitzer Prize winner, grew up on a farm and provides anecdotal evidence as to how chickens aren't simply dumb birds, but rather social creatures. He then uses scientific evidence to support his claim that chickens are indeed smart, and in some cases more so than babies. Kristof uses a combination of ethos through his anecdotes and logos through his scientific studies to provide an overall message that chickens should be treated with respect, and not treated as a dumb and unworthy bird. In an attempt to seem less of a preacher and environmental activist, Kristof admits that he himself eats chicken all the time. However he uses this point to further show that the common meat eater can take small steps to avoid harming chickens by just not eating factory farmed ones. He puts into the reader's mind the scene of rotting dead chickens next to others in a farm and says that this is wrong. One of the most effective parts of Kristof's argument is how he compares chickens to human characteristics. Through his anecdotes, Kristof makes a claim such as, "Geese shared family obligations" and then delves into his argument that geese (chickens) are similar to humans. He later even compares them to babies, saying that chickens have been seen to replicate TV faster and better than when babies are shown what to do on TV. The comparison of chickens to humans was an attempt to show that chickens don't deserve cruelty just as much as humans don't. Being a vegetarian, this article really connected with me and I found it a refreshing way to send the vegetarian message. Although it didn't say to go vegetarian, it provided simple steps as to how the common consumer can easily avoid animal cruelty. I found that Kristof's overall comparison of chickens to humans, scientific evidence, and use of anecdotes were profound as this is quite possibly one of my favorite articles that I have read in a while. 

Suffering Chicken

TOW #5 (Visual Text)- FedEx Advertisement by FedEx

     In the FedEx advertisement shown below, FedEx is essentially showing consumers that they are as much as two times better than UPS, a competitor in the shipping industry. In this advertisement, FedEx is targeting anyone who uses postal services and more specifically, those who don't know whether to choose UPS or FedEx. Since many people don't really know which company is better for their shipping needs, FedEx tries to clear this discrepancy for customers as through the advertisement they essentially they can ship twice as much as UPS while also showing that UPS uses FedEx to transport its own trucks. FedEx uses this visual advertisement to stress to the consumers that FedEx is so good that even its competitors use it. Although this may not be true, FedEx's use of hyperbole makes the viewer think that FedEx is the superior company. In addition to hyperbole, FedEx puts two UPS trucks inside one of its trucks to show that FedEx can ship twice as much as UPS. Although consumers probably aren't going to want to send two truckloads of items, the comparison of 2:1 makes FedEx seem far superior to UPS.  FedEx, being a huge leader in the transport industry, is trying to further prove its brand, and make it seem better than the competition, and in this advertisement it does achieve that task. Personally, this advertisement caught my attention right away, and I thought it was a creative way to make FedEx seem better than UPS. With a simple image, FedEx was able to make it seem two times better than UPS, while also showing that it is a reliable brand that even its competitors use. Overall, I thought this advertisement was very effective and the rhetorical strategies to essentially build up the ethos of FedEx worked. Currently, I have my own t-shirt company, Qi Apparel, and after seeing this advertisement I feel inclined to check out FedEx prices because the advertisement was so compelling. 

Advertisement from FedEx Blows UPS out of the Water