TOW #13 "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie (IRB Post)

“How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie is truly an inspiring book.  With his ideas, Carnegie is able to clearly communicate to a person how to basically take over the world.  You may think that I’m exaggerating, but I’m not.  With his tips towards his audience of a general demographic, he influences them to be practically perfect citizens.  He tells them how that they need to smile, listen to others, and do a lot of other polite things to make others like them.  People who were around the readers of this book after it was read would be unable to resist said readers.  Anyway, since I have always had a diabolical mind, I thought that reading this self-help book by Carnegie would help me fulfill my dreams of taking over the world.  We’ll see how it works out.  Now, as can be seen, I have mentioned tips a few times already.  The reason for that is because they relate to the purpose of the book.  The purpose of the book is to teach and/or guide people how to act in order for them to win friends and influence others.  Carnegie is able to accomplish his purpose by the structure of the book.  The structure of the book is fairly simple because it’s very direct.  He clearly labels each section so that the reader knows exactly what to expect at each part of the book.  It’s sort of like a glossary.  Anyway, in each chapter, there are multiple tips in a numbered list.  The tips can range from a simple word to a whole sentence or two.  However, overall the tips and chapters have a rather parallel structure.  The parallel structure and simplicity of the book make it a very easy read.  Overall, even though the self-help book is under 300 pages, it leaves a remarkable impression and accomplishes its purpose of teaching people how to be successful.

The Man Behind the Success

http://www.biography.com/people/dale-carnegie-9238769

TOW #12: "Black Friday 2013 Backfires On Retailers. Can Cyber Monday Save Them?" by Walter Loeb

Walter Loeb, writer of “Black Friday 2013 Backfires On Retailers. Can Cyber Monday Save Them?”, has had much success in the retail industry, leading him to become President of Loeb Associates Inc. in 1998.  Due to his numerous achievements in the retail industry, he is a credible source to discuss the flops of this past Black Friday.  Black Friday is the most anticipated sale of the year that causes people to flock to stores early in the morning in order to get the best products.  Stores usually don’t open until it’s Friday but, this year, stores opened on Thanksgiving.  That move, according to Loeb, may have hurt the sales of Black Friday.  In his article, he discusses and proves to his general audience that sales this year weren’t spectacular and that Black Friday shopping is not how it used to be.  He proves this by using logic, a personal standpoint, and factual support.  Loeb uses a combination of fact and logic to show the idea that Black Friday, along with the then coming Cyber Monday, weren’t as successful as previous years.  He wrote, “I think that Walmart changed the whole tempo by opening on Thursday at 6 PM with big value promotions followed by additional great value specials at 8 PM.”  He gives a logical idea that changing the opening time of a store caused a shift in the general Black Friday concept with factual evidence as support after the quote.  Loeb also uses a first-person-point-of-view and shares a past experience to prove how Black Friday shopping has changed over the years.  By adding his own opinions and personal experience(s), Loeb creates an even bigger sense of credibility because he is sharing his own ideas after he has had those experiences in the retail industry.  He shows that he knows what he’s talking about.  Anyway, Loeb manages to shed some light that due to an increase in discounts after Black Friday, that shopping day and Cyber Monday did not help businesses much this year and that the shopping experience has changed due to stores opening earlier.
 

Such Long Lines

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Saving-Money/2013/1108/Black-Friday-2013-12-ways-this-year-will-be-different

TOW #11: Zumanjaro Drop of Doom Advertisement

http://www.inparkmagazine.com/six-flags-announces-2014-attraction-lineup/

Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is currently the largest regional theme park company in the United States.  Scratch that; it's the largest in the world.  The company owns 13 parks, not including the separate water parks, or Hurricane Harbors.  Each park is located in North America.  As a result of owning these parks, the company is credible to promote this advertisement.  Anyway, out of those 13 parks, Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey is the one gaining a new world record holding ride.  Already home to the world’s tallest roller coaster that is also the fastest in North America, Kingda Ka, the park will be adding a new attraction for the 2014 season.  The new ride, Zumanjaro Drop of Doom, will be attached to Kingda Ka and will be the world's highest drop at 415 feet.  The purpose of this advertisement is to excite people for the upcoming season and ride with the hope that more people will go to the park in order to ride it.  If more people go to the park, the company makes more profits.  In order to accomplish its purpose, which it does, the advertisement uses bright coloration, appropriate diction that excites, and imagery. The bright coloring of the advertisement sticks attracts viewers to the advertisement.  Once they are attracted, they will want to attend the park to ride Zumanjaro.  The "WORLD RECORD DROP!" appeals to people because it provides a reason for them to go to the park, to ride a world record drop.  When faced with an award winning or record holding object, people generally get excited and want to see it, eat it, etc. The "DROP OF DOOM" excites the audience because it makes them feel like they would be accomplishing something if they rode the ride.  The j in the name sticks up, representing how tall the ride is, exciting people more.  The imagery of how tall the ride is by reaching space makes people want to ride.  The people pictured on the ride smiling make people want to ride the attraction more.   

TOW #10: The Devastating Abortion Story That Could Change the Way You Vote by Liz Welch (the words of Vanessa Riley)

Vanessa Riley has had a devastating experience in her life the loss of a child.  However, this child was still in her womb when she was told to terminate her pregnancy.  Since Riley herself had this experience, she is credible to talk about the issue at hand: abortion in politics.  As everyone knows, abortion is a controversial issue in politics.  Democrats want to give women a choice while Republicans want to take the choice away from women and make abortion illegal. When Riley heard about the new abortion laws about banning abortion at twenty weeks of pregnancy in Texas, she went to Austin in July and shared her story to lawmakers.  Yet, the laws were passed and are now being enforced by the Supreme Court.   In this article, Riley’s story is shown as well as her pro-life views in order to appeal to her audience of aged 18+ women to see how bad pro-life views are.  In order to convince the audience to adapt her view(s), she uses an appeal to pathos, logic, and a persuasive ending argument.  Riley’s appeal to emotions is basically the entire story.  She shares her sad story of how she had trouble getting pregnant, got pregnant, and how she ended her pregnancy and lost a child.  Her use of logic is shown when even after she shared her heartbreaking story with Texas lawmakers, they still passed the law that she was protesting.  It did not make sense that after such a touching story those people were fine with passing the legislation.  Finally, Riley says in order to bring her point home, “I hear their war cry of "Pro-Life!" and I think of what my little girl's future would have been under these laws with two words — what life?”  She is arguing that if these laws were there during her pregnancy, her deceased fetus would have had a bad quality of life due to its illnesses, such as lemon sign.  By using these appeals, Riley effectively shares her story and manages to persuade at least a few people to be against pro-life views.  

 

Riley's Life Five Weeks Later (23 Weeks not 18)

 

 

http://www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/news/2013/03/what-happened-when-my-pro-abortion-friend-saw-this-picture/#.UpINgowo4iQ

Marking Period Two Independent Reading Book Intro Post

For the second marking period of AP English, I will be reading "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie.  This book is basically a book that leads people down the road of success.  After reading this book, people should be able to turn any bad situation around and obtain the job of their dreams. This self-help book is divided into four different sections.  They include, Three Fundamental Techniques in Handling People, The Six Ways to Make People Like You, The Twelve Ways to Win People to Your Way of Thinking, and The Nine Ways to Change People Without Arousing Resentment.  As can be seen, the titles of the sections seem rather comical, which is one part as to why I chose this book.  I was going through a list of the best non-fiction books in Times Magazine when I saw this one.  Just the title intrigued me because I found it funny and I felt that the book actually would help me.  You see, I was computer schooled through middle school so when I went to high school, I noticed that some of my people skills deteriorated.  Therefore, I wanted to read this book in order to help redevelop those skills.  I hope to gain better people skills from reading this book.  I also have been having problems with my friends so I hope that I will gain a better understanding of how to deal with them and our issues from this book.  Another reason why I chose to read this guide is because I always feel bad when I am the one odd one out of a group of people.  I would really like to be able to charm my way into getting along with everyone seamlessly but still be able to be myself.  By reading Carnegie’s book, I will essentially learn how to better deal with many of my personal insecurities and how to advance socially and professionally, not that I even have a job yet.  

TOW #9: 9 sabermetric stars who got jilted by baseball's MVP voters by Jon Terbush

On thursday, Miguel Cabrera won his second MVP award in a row.  However, Mike Trout of the Anaheim Angels, put up the highest number of wins above replacement, or WAR, for the second year in a row.  According to author Jon Terbush, a credible source due to his publications in numerous newspapers and websites, this is not fair.  In Terbush’s article, “9 sabermetric stars who got jilted by baseball's MVP voters,” he gives examples of 9 baseball players who had better statistics than the people who beat them out for the MVP title.  Therefore, the purpose of the article is to show the audience, people who watch baseball and possibly voters of the MVP award, how great players have been overlooked by others and how the voting needs to improve.  Terbush accomplishes his purposes by using effective diction, satire, and an appeal to logos.  Terbush uses to great choices of words to convey his purpose.  In the title, “sabermetric” and “jilted” are used.  Sabermetrics is the analysis of baseball records by using mathematics and statistics.  Since he uses the word “sabermetric” before saying stars, the readers know right away that the baseball players he is referring to were very good.  By using “jilted” after describing the players as being very good, the audience knows exactly where the article is heading.  Terbush uses a lot of satire to help get his point of voters picking the wrong men across.  He wrote about voters in terms of his Lou Gehrig example, “The voters went with the playoff-bound guy.”  Even though Gehrig was a much better player than Mickey Cochrane w, the voters chose Cochrane as MVP because his team went to the playoffs.  Terbush views this as a big mistake of the voters. Terbush uses facts to juxtapose his players to the ones that beat them out for MVP.  Using statistics and extending arguments help prove his purpose that the listed players deserved to be MVP’s and that voters need to vote based on who has better overall statistics.  

2013 MVP: Miguel Cabrera

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2013/11/14/cabrera-wins-al-mvp-mccutchen-takes-nl-award/

TOW #8: Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (IRB Post)

While I am still not very far in The Devil in the White City, by author Erik Larson, a credible author due to his renowned reputation in the literary world, I have come to realize something.  Although nothing has changed, for example, the context is still about how a serial killer used Chicago’s World Fair to cover up his tracks and how his life coincided with Daniel Burnham’s and the book is still about how that collision of lives happened, I have come to see that Larson’s purpose is more than just entertaining his audience of young adults and adults and telling the story.  In addition to those two purposes, Larson also wanted to inform his audience of what happened.  He proves that by going into detail about the minute of aspects while at the same time using those same aspects to further articulate bigger pictures, such as the childhood of Herman Webster Mudgett, the boy who grow up to become a mass murderer.  Larson is able to accomplish his purpose of informing his audience about the events that took place in 1893, as well as events before and after, by basically telling a story in past tense.  An example of this is from pages 37 to 44, although the past tense is present throughout the book.  It is in these seven pages that the readers learn who Mudgett was before he changed his name to Holmes.  In these pages, Larson does more than just say where he was from but includes little mini stories  of events that strongly impacted how Mudgett would turn from a somewhat innocent little boy into a killer.  Along with these stories, many of which Homes mentioned himself in his memoirs, had Larson’s own personal interpretations of what could have possibly happened at the portrayed events.  By including so much background information about not only Mudgett’s past but of Burnham’s life and other little details, Larson accomplishes his purpose to inform his audience of what happened while also entertaining them and telling the story.  

H. H. Holmes Formerly Herman Webster Mudgett

 

 

http://www.examiner.com/article/haunting-castle-of-h-h-holmes-at-screams-the-park-rosemont-attraction

TOW #7: Cross Culture Indian Cuisine Menu by Cross Culture Indian Cuisine

    Cross Culture Indian Restaurant is just what it sounds, an Indian restaurant.  It’s located in Doylestown, Pennsylvania on 62 West State Street.  Technically, I don’t know who the writer of the menu.  One, because the name of the individual or group of writers is not listed and two, because the owners of the restaurant may have hired someone to write it.  Therefore, the author is not very credible.  On the street where this restaurant is, there is a long chain of restaurants all trying to attract an audience, or customers, just like this one is.  In order to compete against each other, the restaurants post their menus outside of their walls .  The Cross Culture menu manages to fulfill its purpose of attracting customers and informing them of the place’s food by using good diction that produces enticing imagery to convince people to eat their and eat certain foods there.  An example of this is when the Harabhara Kabab is described.  The text says, “Fresh spinach balls scrumptiously spiced and deep-fried.”  The diction makes the patrons desire to have the kabab because they think that it will taste scrumptious and was made ready for them.  Also, with the vivid description, the customer can envision what the kabab looks like perfectly.  Something to notice is that the dishes that are the most descriptive are the highest price.  Another thing that can also appeal to the consumers is the price of the products.  The cheaper the food is, the more desire of people to dine there.  One more thing that should be noticed about this particular menu is the message on the side.  This message tries to appeal to consumers even more by saying how the restaurant is serving great Indian cuisine and has done the diners (and possible ones) multiple favors by making the food a bit less authentic in terms of spices and by having some healthier dishes.  All in all, the restaurant’s menu has accomplished its purpose of attracting people into the establishment and informing people of what they are about to eat.  

Cross Culture Indian Cuisine Sign

http://www.crosscultureindiancuisine.net/entire-menu.html

TOW #6: I Went Social Media Sober by Tess Koman

Tess Koman, a twenty-two year old writer for Cosmopolitan, isn’t someone who would seem credible to non-Cosmo readers.  However, she is here because she’s writing about her own experiences.  In her editorial describing her addiction to social media, “I Went Social Media Sober,” Koman describes how she has been trying to stop using Facebook and Instagram.  As everyone knows, teens and young adults are constantly on social media sites and, in effect, are becoming somewhat dependent on them to have a life.  As Koman tries to resonate with her fellow “twentysomethings,” she uses her own narrative, logical arguments, and humorous comments in order to explicitly share her story and implicitly to say how people are wasting too much time with technology and should instead be living a non-digital life.  By using her own story, Koman connects to her readers on a personal level because it proves to them that she isn’t writing to judge.  In fact, she even admits that she spends most of her free time on social media sites.  Along with her narrative account of her withdrawal, Koman uses logical evidence to point out the effect(s), social media has on the human life.  She references real-life studies to demonstrate that these types of websites are actually detrimental to the human mindset because they make people feel inadequate to those with more likes.  Therefore, both Facebook and this editorial appeal to pathos.  Koman also makes funny, satirical comments about the situation.  For example, she wrote in the opening paragraph, “I did have to allow myself Twitter, which I need for work, so while this was a crash diet, it wasn't like that lemonade nonsense where you have no solid food at all.”  That comment, as well as many others in the text, entice the readers because they make such a unique subject all the more interesting.  By using these rhetorical devices, Koman manages to accomplish her purposes of sharing her story and motivating her peers to live their live in the real world instead of the digital one.  If anyone actually heeds her advice, I applaud thee.  

What Our Time is Being Wasted On

http://entmoney.com/2012/12/17/did-facebook-backdoor-twitter-in-buying-instagram-pruchase/

TOW #5: College Admissions Satirization by Unknown

As anyone can plainly see, there is only a simple scribble, a nice one however, to mark who the author is of this cartoon.  Therefore, the author is unknown and is not credible.  However, as this cartoon was found at Tisch School of the Arts, part of New York University, the author was most likely a student there who could be somewhat well-known.  In this unknown author's work, intended to be seen by his/her fellow classmates at school, a man is viewing a college application and going through it like he would any application.  Then he is seen getting bribed by a fifty dollar bill to let the applicant into the school.  As most people know, the college admissions process is very difficult and selective and people need something very special to stand out from the crowd.  In this case, that special something is money.  By using the money and Santa Claus in this cartoon, the author accomplishes his/her purpose of satirizing the college admissions process and entertaining viewers.  Although it is not outright stated, the man in the cartoon can be assumed to be Santa Claus because he uses his famous phrase "Ho-Ho" and also has the nameplate of Noel.  Noel means Christmas in French.  Using Santa Claus adds a bit of credibility to the author's cartoon because most people know and love Santa Claus.  Also, Santa is essentially checking off a list of what this student has in his/her profile like he would a naughty or nice list.  When he gets to the money, the student is essentially nice and is rewarded with a gift, a gift to go to Tisch.  Based the exceptional use of Santa Claus in this cartoon, I believe that the author effectively satirized the college admissions process and entertained his/her readers.

TOW #4: Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (IRB Post)

The Devil in the White City was written by Erik Larson, a credible author due to his extensive education that included both the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University and his literary award nominations and win.  The one win was the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime, which he one for this book about the intersection of the lives of an architect named Daniel Burnham and a doctor by day and serial killer by night Mr. H. H. Holmes.  While Burnham and his business partner were commissioned to build the Chicago's World Fair of 1893, Holmes built a mansion next to it and used the fair to mask his abductions and murders of beautiful women.  As these events did at one time occur, Larson's purpose is to both tell the story and entertain his audience, a general one comprising of older kids, teens, and adults, while doing so.  In an attempt to accomplish his purpose, Larson appeals to ethos and uses a third-person point-of-view.  In order to tell this story in an entertaining way and as accurately as possible, Larson uses quotes from people who were involved in the scandal and/or knew of the people involved.  Doing that makes the story seem more credible because the reader really starts to realize that the events did take place and that barely anything, if any aspects at all, in the book is make believe.  By using a third-person point of view, Larson gives flexibility to his writing and allows the reader to visually imagine everything and everyone involved in the plot because he is able to describe them and the events clearly.  Although the story will eventually be told and will hopefully be entertaining, neither of Larson’s purposes are being accomplished as of yet (about page 40) in the book.  So far, he has set up the background very well by describing who the involved people were and talking about how Burnham met his wife, met his partner, and got picked to build the fair, but has yet to actually get to the meat of the story.  

Chicago's World Fair of 1893

 

http://landofozbookstudy.blogspot.com/2012/04/place-of-publication.html

 

 

 

TOW #3: Curtis Freedom by Anna Haverly

Anna Haverly is a thirteen year old girl from Mancos, Colorado.  Although just a young teenager, she has been published, and is even the author of the featured story of the month, in Stone Soup, a magazine with illustrations and stories written by children.  Since she’s a kid, she’s not very credible.  However, in her story, Curtis Freedom, she makes sure to include factual evidence to support the plot, making her have some credibility.  Up until slavery was abolished in 1865 due to the Thirteenth Amendment, it was common in America, and Harriet Tubman was an escaped slave who managed to free other slaves, just as she does for Curtis in the story.  Curtis is a twelve year old boy who’s a slave that dreams of freedom.  He was separated from his parents and hopes to be with them again, especially his father.  He travels with Tubman to Canada, where he finally reunites with his father and his freedom that he wanted for so long is granted.  By portraying Curtis’ journey, Haverly’s purpose is clearly to entertain her audience, a general one of all ages, with a story about hope, freedom, and a young boy’s search for his father.  In order to achieve her purpose of entertaining readers, which she does accomplish, Haverly appeals to pathos, uses a comparison, uses a second person point-of-view, and uses dialogue.  Haverly makes the audience feel bad for Curtis by portraying him as a slave who is subject to harsh treatment and has been separated from his family.  The hope that he has to be free and find his family gets transferred to the readers as they start to wish the same for him.  Haverly also includes a comparison of Harriet Tubman to Moses because they both freed slaves.  This comparison made a lot of sense and is very intriguing.  The second person point-of-view helps Haverly entertain the audience because it makes it possible to show the movements of all of the involved and not just have Curtis’ thoughts.  By using those rhetorical devices, Haverly writes a story entertaining to all readers.  

African American Child Slaves

http://blackamericaweb.com/120552/little-known-black-history-fact-plantation-games/

TOW #2: Dance Dance Revolution Disney Mix by Konami

Dance Dance Revolution is a virtual dancing game that was first released by Konami, a Japanese company known for releasing many animes and video games, such as Yu-Gi-Oh!, on November 21, 1998.  Since its first release, Dance Dance Revolution has been installed in numerous arcades across the globe.  It is at those arcades that young kids saw older adolescents playing the game and wanted to join in.  However, Dance Dance Revolution games are generally geared toward older adolescents and teens.  The ratings on the majority of the games says that the games are for everyone ten years of age or older.  The reason for that being the suggestive clothing of the characters and suggestive song lyrics.  Therefore, those young kids looking at the game in awe were usually not allowed to play or purchase the games by their parents.  That is why Konami started to make other editions of the game, such as the Mario version and this one, the Disney edition; to have younger players and to make more of a profit.  By using the Disney characters, Konami appeals to both ethos and logos.  Although the younger kids may have already wanted to play Dance Dance Revolution, Konami understands that they will most likely enjoy it more by being able to compete with characters that they are familiar with.  However, the Disney group is also dressed up in a way that would normally appeal to the older demographic, but it entices the younger demographic to the game even more because it makes them feel older.  Also, by using family friendly characters that parents know, love, and trust instead of more vulgar characters, they have no reason to forbid their young children from playing the game.  As a result of creating the Disney version of Dance Dance Revolution, Konami has managed to reach its audience, the parents of young child gamers, and has effortlessly convinced them to buy their product.  Therefore, the purpose of Konami to get younger children to play Dance Dance Revolution was achieved.  

TOW #1: Guns made for kids: How young is too young to shoot? by Matthew DeLuca, Staff Writer, NBC News

Matthew DeLuca is a credible author because he is writing for NBC, a news agency  whose purpose is to inform the public news happening in the United States.  Besides Guns made for kids: How young is too young to shoot?, DeLuca has written numerous articles for NBC.  In Guns made for kids: How young is too young to shoot?, DeLuca’s purpose is to have the audience answer his title question about how old they believe people, more specifically kids, should be before they are allowed to use guns.  On Tuesday, April 30, 2013, a five year-old boy in Kentucky shot his two year-old sister accidentally with the use of a gun that was a present to him.  Currently, there are many children under the age of 18, including that boy, that use guns, and there are many laws on the topic of children gun usage.  Anyway, the author was able to accomplish his purpose by sharing different perspectives about the issue from numerous sources so the audience could compare and contrast their points of views and by discussing the laws surrounding the subject.  For example, DeLuca included Josh Sugarmann’s, executive director of the Violence Policy Center, quote, “There’s a recognition that the majority of the American public has concerns about putting guns in the hands of children.”  Later, DeLuca would include quotes from Andy Fink, editor-in-chief of a magazine called Junior Shooters that focuses on the benefits of kids using guns.  The people and their points not only are used for comparison but contradict each other well, as do other quotes in the article.  DeLuca appeals to authority by using quotes from well-known and knowledgeable people related to children gun usage as well as discussing laws, he appeals to emotions by sharing the story of an innocent 2 year-old girl being shot, and he appeals to logic by using data to support different points-of-views on the topic, such as a survey conducted by Hunting Heritage Trust and the National Shooting Sports Foundation in January 2012.  DeLuca is unbiased so the audience can make a choice for themselves, which they do.  

Children Using Guns for Takeover?

 

http://knutwoerner.onsugar.com/kid-gun-3546339?page=0,0,0

 

Marking Period One Independent Reading Book Intro Post

For the first marking period of AP English, I will be reading The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson.  Daniel Burnham was a successful architect while Holmes was a doctor who was also a serial killer.  While Burnham helped build The Chicago World's Fair of 1893, or "The White City",  Holmes built a mansion next to it and lured in young women and killed them.  All the while, the fair masked his wrongdoings.  I chose to read this book because...honestly, there is no real reason except that it seemed interesting.  After my teacher said in class that we had to read non-fiction, I thought about different non-fiction works that I knew about or had read.  Not a single one seemed interesting.  When I got home that day, contemplating what to read, I kept going back to the idea of mysteries.  The idea seemed appealing because I love detective shows and murder mysteries.  Therefore, I thought it would be interesting to read about a real life murder mystery that I had never heard of before.  So I searched online and found a list where this book was either the first or second one there.  It looked pretty good.  Anyway, what I hope to gain from reading this book is to gain a better appreciation for non-fiction writing as well as to learn how to incorporate aspects of good storytelling into my own writing. 

Unprepared

Jerald Walker is a credible author who has been published many times, won awards, been a professor, and co-founded a literary journal called The Bridge.  Walker is an African American who grew up in Chicago and was once robbed.  He believes deeply in equality.  In Unprepared, Walker tries to show everyone, especially whites, that both black and whites commit horrendous crimes and that they are all equal.  His purpose is accomplished by using in media res, satire, logos, and analogies.  In the story, Walker ends up getting offered a ride to work by a stranger after he forgets his umbrella earlier in the morning.  It was revealed through a flashback that Walker had been robbed before so was wary of accepting the ride, but he did.  The stranger made Walker uncomfortable by showing his attraction toward him, but Walker felt that his body was safe.  At the same time in Atlanta, there had been a series of murders that spanned two years, from 1979-1981, in which Walker watched the trial.  The trial angered the black community, including Walker, because the convicted was black.  Walker wrote, “Sure, we had some rotten apples amount us, your garden variety of thugs, burglars, prostitutes, gangbangers, and dope dealers.  We even had middle-age men in cars who’d solicit sex from teenaged boys, but the torturing and execution of people for sport or at the behest of inner voices, that pathological shit, was the strict domain of white folks” (215-216).  Walker satirizes both blacks and whites to prove that whites are just as bad as blacks.  He even gives examples of white murderers who were clearly psychotic.  After hearing of a murder case involving a crazy black man, Walker wrote, “This was just a man-as vile and deranged as any white counterpart who had preceded him or who would follow.  And he, like Wayne Williams, and like Gein, Bundy, Mugett, and the others, belonged to us all” (217).  He uses logic to prove that both races are equal and that blacks are not the stereotype they are painted after he gets out of the car safely.     

Racism Still Exists

 http://abcnews.go.com



Rude am I in My Speech

Besides being an English professor at Yale University, Caryl Phillips is a credible author because he has written numerous essays, novels, and screenplays and has won many awards.  Phillips’ family are immigrants, and being a second-generation immigrant, Phillips has managed to assimilate himself into the English culture much better than his father.  In Rude am I in My Speech, Phillips describes a personal narrative of when he met his father for lunch after not having seen him for a few years.  This lunch has caused Phillips to evaluate the lives of first-generation migrants and how they differentiate from those of the second generation.  As a result, his purpose has become to encourage people of the second generation to record information about the lives of the first generation.  That way,  heritages will not be lost and there will be a better understanding of past struggles as well as better communication between the generations.  He accomplishes his purpose mainly by using Othello from Shakespeare’s Othello in an analogy with first-generation migrants to logically explain how important it is for people to conform to their societies.  Othello was an outsider who believed that he was above the rules and ways of the culture around him.  Since he got away with things that others of the society could not, such as having a secret marriage, he thought he was accepted into society.  Therefore, he did not realize until it was too late that he was not assimilated.  Phillips’ father however, did try to fit into society.  Phillips’ wrote, “My father is no Othello.  He may have polished up a few words and phrases here and there, and done a little studying of the dictionary, but to this day he remains admirably rude in speech” (144).  While trying to fit into society, Phillips’ father tried to also keep a sense of identity by going to clubs and behaving like himself at home.  As a second-generation migrant, Phillips’ did not understand his father’s ways and would get frustrated.  However, he later understood that he could incorporate more of his father’s views into his own mindset.  

Othello and First-Generation Immigrants are Black Sheep

http://cloud.lib.wfu.edu



What Really Happened

Madge McKeithen is a credible author due to being a teacher turned writer who has been published in many different literary outlets.  In What Really Happened, McKeithen tries to teach readers how to get the closure and acceptance that they need in order to move on with their lives after tragedy has struck.  She accomplishes this by writing in the mindset of a woman who is in great emotional turmoil.  Twelve years previously, a woman was murdered by her husband, and her kids were sent to live with the wife’s mother.  The husband was sent to jail for life and without parole.  Twelve years later, a friend of the woman has not gotten over what has happened and does not comprehend why such a situation had to occur.  Therefore, she goes to visit her friend’s murderer in jail in order to get closure for both herself and for her friend.  McKeithen wrote, “Hear You are there for her . . . to see, ask, hear . . . because she isn’t” (139).  The in media res approach allows the readers to guess the circumstances as to why the protagonist is visiting a prison and emphasize with her pain as the details, as well as her nostalgia, come into focus.  The woman is so lost and confused that she calls other friends who knew the deceased one in order to recall memories, looks at old pictures, learns about her friend’s kids, and even calls the mother of her dead friend.  After visiting the husband in jail, the woman does not get her catharsis.  Even though she gets the husband answers her questions, she still does not have a full understanding of why it had to happen because his logic does not make sense to her.  However, she finally gets her closure after meeting one of the sons of her friend at a wedding and hearing from him how he has lived a happy life.  It is there that she hears from her deceased friend to“love life” (140).  Finally, she gets her closure and is able to move on.

Another Man Who Killed His Wife Without Remorse

http://www.mirror.co.uk

Pearl, Upwards

Patricia Smith, a credible writer who is a renowned poet and who has been nominated for many awards, teaches the main character of Pearl, Upward, Annie, that she should not have taken her old life for granted, that she cannot always run away when she does not like the view of her life, and that she must face the consequences of her choices.  Annie Pearl Connor, mother of the storyteller, was a Delta girl from Alabama who was always “running wide, running on purpose, running toward something” (Smith 183) when she was a child.  She had a nice life in Alabama but it was not enough; she wanted to live the American dream in Chicago, the foil of Alabama. While residing in Chicago, Annie loses the tenacious young girl she once was and becomes a scorned woman filled with regret.  Instead of living the dream, she lives a nightmare.  Smith wrote, “She crafts a life that is dimmer than she’d hoped, in a tenement flat with walls pressing hard and fat roaches, sluggish with Raid, dropping into her food, writing on the mattress of her Murphy bed” (181).  Chicago’s rejection of Annie causes the reader to both pity and be a little happy that she is getting her just desserts because of the irony of the situation.  To “claim her place in the north” (Smith 183), Annie tries to find love and have a baby.  She was “driven by that American dream of birthing a colorless colored child with no memories whatsoever of the Delta” (Smith 183) in order to prove to herself that she made the right decision to leave Alabama behind.  However, as her lover offers her no promise of a future or support for her child, Annie is left alone in Chicago with a new responsibility that she cannot run away from.  It is then that Annie learns the intended lesson of the author and fulfills the bildungsroman purpose.  Smith’s target audience, people who run away from their problems and/or those who have left their past behind them but are regretting their actions, have learned their lesson(s) as well.

The Equivalent of Annie's Dreams

http://wallpoper.com

A Personal Essay by a Personal Essay

Founded by Dave Eggers, McSweeney’s publishes a website entitled McSweeney’s Internet Tendency where authors submit pieces of humorous literature; one of whom is Christy Vannoy.  On this site, she has published 18 articles, including A Personal Essay by a Personal Essay.  In the essay, Vannoy is an applicant to get her life story inside of a national magazine where the winner is the person with the saddest life.  As she listens to the other contestants trying to sell themselves to the judges, she reflects back on her own life and adds insight to her adversaries’ lives while trying to prove that life is not as bad as it seems.  For example, Vannoy wrote, “It wasn’t as if they’d landed in state care, like I had, and been delivered straight into the wandering hands of recently paroled foster parents.  Being gay is about as tragic as a stray cuticle, and I wasn’t born a Jehovah’s Witness yesterday” (210-211).  It is shown that Vannoy uses ethos and logos perfectly; she makes the reader believe her logic by portraying herself to be more knowledgeable about how hard life can be in comparison to the others.  Her satirization of the other contestants helps convey and accomplish her didactic purpose by making said purpose easy to interpret and repeatedly shown.  Vannoy essentially reinforces the age old  adage of making lemonade when given lemons.  She does so by writing, “But the thing about life is that you simply cannot settle for melancholy, even when it’s true.  You are not a tragedy, you are a personal essay.  You must rise above and you must do it in the last paragraph with basic grammar and easily recognized words” (212).  She is saying that people must fight to overcome the difficult times in their lives in order to live happier ones.  Her point can be interpreted through examples, proving that Vannoy has accomplished her purpose.  As a result of Vannoy writing about overcoming adversity and comparing problems, the essay is mainly intended for those who are depressed about their lives and the problems they face.

Lemons Into Lemonade

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