TOW #12- "Why Women Smile" by Amy Cunningham

This week's TOW is on "Why Women Smile" by Amy Cunningham. This essay in on the ideal of women to always appear happy, even when they are not. The author explains that from very early childhood, we learn to smile, and it is a very natural thing. Even children who are blind smile, because they are exposed to an event or sensation that makes them very happy. However, as we get older, smiles become more of a mask. Cunningham explains how smiling becomes a standard expression for a woman, and they are expected to smile and appear happy all the time. Women, when not smiling, are often asked if they are ok or if something is terribly wrong. While this is a nice gesture, sometimes they are just holding a neutral expression, and there is actually nothing wrong. "We smile so often and so promiscuously-when we're angry, when we're tense, when we're with children, when we're being photographed, when we're interviewing for a job, when we're meeting candidates to employ-that the Smiling Woman has become a peculiarly American archetype"(Para 3 Cunningham). This has prevented women from showing their real expressions, and allowing them to be true to themselves. The author's purpose in this essay is to show the harm and benefit of smiling all the time, but also proves a point on how our society can be shallow, and force us to wear masks instead of expressing our true selves.

TOW #11- Visual Text- Road Safety

This campaign for proper road safety is done by Securite Routiere, which is a French institute for Road Safety. In this particular advertisement, it portrays a young girl whose head has been dented and scraped. She is illustrated as though she is made of plastic. This uses pathos on the viewer, and gives a mood of grief. The viewer would think of his/her own family, and the children he/she knows, and would not want them to get hurt. The use of the little girl also helps to attract an audience of adults, since they are the ones who drive the most and would likely have children of their own. The campaign puts a bit of information in the bottom left corner, in order to make their point. This is the use of logos, and explains how a change in speed can seriously impact the amount of time it takes to stop a car. This fact matches the use of a little girl as the visual, since children may wander into the street when playing outside. This encourages the audience to slow down and take into consideration their speed the next time they drive. It finishes with a slogan "Car accidents don't just happen to cars", to emphasize how critically a car accident can hurt someone, and how the consequence of the injury to the passenger is much more severe than that to a car. This is all for the purpose of expressing how important road safety and awareness is, and how detrimental is can be to not take proper precautions.

TOW #10- "On Being an Only Child" by Geoff Dyer

My TOW for this week is a memoir essay by Geoff Dyer. This essay is about Dyer's life as an only child, and how it has impacted him. He discussed how as a child, he was often spoiled. He was an only child, and so he got all of his parents and relative's attention. However, his parents were obsessed with saving money, because they had grown up in the Depression, and that's what they were used to. Everything was done to save money and cut down on spending. Most possessions were hand-made, they took longer routes on trips to avoid tolls, and didn't spend much on holidays or birthdays. One example is, "I remember wishing that we could be in a hurry, just once. Being in a hurry looked like fun. It wasn’t just driving; everything we did was done slowly. I was always waiting. My parents kept telling me that patience was a virtue. I have, as a consequence, turned into a raging inferno of impatience"(Dyer para 6). Dyer was so used to a slow-paced life that he longer for something faster, believing it would make his life more interesting. He mentions how this affected him later in life, he became a person who liked a bit of a fast-paced lifestyle, he became a splurger, and lacked patience. But, it also allowed him to be more adaptable, since Dyer was often used to living off of necessity rather than want. He used a structure of cause and effect, retelling events of his childhood, and then connecting them to how he became who he is today. His purpose was to explain the effect a person's childhood can have on their life. He very successfully fulfilled this purpose by providing several examples from his own life. Dyer connected his childhood experiences to the way he lives his life now, fulfilling the purpose of emphasizing the significance a childhood has on a person later in life.

IRB #2 Into- "The Power of Myth" by Joseph Campbell

My IRB for this section is the "Power of Myth", by Joseph Campbell. This book is a conversation between Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell about mythology, and the power and impact mythology has. Joseph Campbell is well as a mythologist, writer, and lecturer. He has graduated from Columbia University, and has studied at the University of Paris and the University of Munich. He is best known for studying comparative religion and mythology. He has many theories on the function and evolution of myth. I chose this book because I have always been very interested in mythology, and reading this book would help me get to understand more about mythology and its importance.

IRB Post #8- "A Long Walk to Freedom"-Nelson Mandela

For my IRB/TOW post for this week, I finished the book "A Long Walk to Freedom", by Nelson Mandela. Mandela officiates the divorce with his wife, Winnie. Also, tensions in South Africa were peaking, people were desperate for their freedom and tired of waiting. They were tired of talks and negotiations and wanted to take their freedom by force through weapons. Several Mass shootings were occurring, spreading fear and horror. A colleague of Mandela's, Chris Hani, was assassinated. Hani was well-known as a figure in the ANC, and many feared that his assassination would set off a racial war. Manela's close friend Oliver also died, which was a significant blow on Mandela's personal life. Mandela won the 1993 Nobel Peace Price jointly with Mr. de Klerk. On April 27, 1994, for the first time, black people would be allowed to vote for their leaders. The ANC got 62.6% of the majority vote, which allowed them 252 of the 400 seats in the national assembly. On May 10, Mr. de Klerk became second deputy president and Thabo Mbeki became the first. Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as the President of South Africa. Mandela concludes by explaining why he took up this journey to freedom, saying "Freedom is indivisible; the chains on any one of my people were the chains on all of them, the chains on all of my people were the chains on me"(Mandela 624). Mandela finishes by saying that while they have taken large steps toward freedom, the fight is long from over. Mandela did an incredible job in writing this autobiography, and while it was long, it was interesting and brilliant description of a long journey and the fight for freedom and justice. The messages Mandela spreads throughout this book are very inspiring, and encourage people not to lose hope and to always stand for what it right.

TOW #7- "My Touchstone and a Heart of Gold" by Caroline Leavitt

My TOW for this week is the short memoir essay, "My Touchstone and a Heart of Gold" by Caroline Leavitt. Caroline Leavitt is an American novelist, and is the author of "Is This Tomorrow" and "Picture of You". This essay is about a young woman who experiences trouble with finding love. She begins the essay explaining how she used to live with her boyfriend who was very different than she is. They bought a pet tortoise named Minnie, and Leavitt's affection for the animal eventually creates a split in her boyfriend and her relationship, causing them to separate and live on their own. Leavitt eventually finds someone who does not mind the turtle, and they end up getting married. Her new husband, Jeff, praised her for things her old boyfriend found endless flaws in, and allowed her to feel cared about. During Leavitt's time of illness, Minnie became sick and they had to put him down. This was very upsetting for Leavitt, since Minnie was her companion when nobody else was, and Minnie meant a lot to her. Jeff got a portrait of Minnie made, and hung it up for Caroline as a surprise, showing her that he understands the impact Minnie's death had on her, and that he cares for her and wants to support her. The purpose of this essay was to show the impact love and care can have. In Caroline's relationship with her old boyfriend, he put her down for something as small as caring for a turtle, and it eventually escalated into him speaking rudely of her about many other subjects. At the end of the essay, Caroline reflects on how even though she had quirks, somebody cared for her, just like she cared for Minnie."I was no more fit in my old life than Minnie had in his tiny pet store tank. I remembered my ex telling me he wanted a girlfriend who was more normal...there was Minnie. A strange little figure. Uncommon. Odd. And completely and always beloved"(Leavitt). This shows how Minnie and her were both strange and similar in that way, and at first were unlucky in love and having people to care about them. However, despite seeming strange to others, they were able to find love in their own ways, and able to show how much of a positive influence it had on her life.

TOW #6- "Now We Are Five" - David Sedaris

For my TOW this week I read "Now We Are Five" by David Sedaris. It is a short memoir about the suicide of David's youngest sister, Tiffany. In this memoir, David reflects on the memories he had with his family and his sister. David's purpose is to illustrate the impact of losing a loved one can have. David uses flashbacks, comparisons, and repetition in this essay to fulfill this purpose. His audience is anyone, young or old, who has lost a loved one. One example is, "In the past, when my family rented a cottage my sisters and I would crowd the door like puppies around a food dish"(Section 3 Sedaris). In this example, the author is reflecting on when his family would visit a cottage every summer, and how much fun and memorable these trips were. Sedaris uses old memories of these trips and compares and contrasts it to when his family took the same trip after Tiffany's death. He comments on the memories of his childhood, and then uses the differences between then and more recent memories to show the changes his family has gone through over time. This comparison between two different times also shows the significance Tiffany's death had on David's family, as much of the trip is spent remembering her. David also using repetition through this dialogue: "'Six kids!' people would say. 'How do your poor folks manage?'"(Section 1 Sedaris). The author mentions this dialogue early in the essay to emphasize the big family he had, and how uses he was to having six in his family, instead of only five. He makes this statement much more significant by closing the essay with a similar phrase. He ends the essay mentioning a dialogue with a friend: "'That makes five-wow! Now, that's a big family'"(Section 10 Sedaris). This repetition is very meaningful and helps to signify the impact the death of his sister had, and how there is now an empty spot in his family that can't be filled again. This essay fulfills the purpose of showing the significance a death of a loved one can have. It successfully reaches out to audiences who have been through similar experiences, and encourages them to keep the people they lost in memory and to honor them.

TOW #5-Political Cartoon: Gun Control

My TOW is a visual text on gun control versus mental health care. It illustrates the door labeled 'Mental Health Treatment", as being a locked, bolted, and very secure door. It symbolizes how hard it is to get real and helpful mental healthcare, either because of expense or finding proper care for their particular case. The safe, on the other hand, is labeled 'Guns'. This door is wide open without really any security. This shows how easy it can be to access a gun, whether its by buying one, getting one from a friend, or stealing one. The differences between these two doors show that having access to guns and weaponry is easier than getting mental health care. Most cases of shootings are said to be caused by people who had mental disabilities. The purpose of this cartoon and visual text is to say that the security on guns should be tightened, and the access to mental health care should be made much easier. It suggests that this will help solve the problem of the mass shootings America experiences.

IRB Post #2/TOW #4: "Long Walk to Freedom"

The book "Long Walk to Freedom", is an autobiography of Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela was a President of South Africa, and is well know for being an anti-apartheid activist. He was the son of Mphakanyiswa, a chief. Mandela was taught early on how to take on the role of being the head of the Ixhiba house, and to counsel the rulers of his tribe. However, because of complications, Mandela and his mother moved to Qunu. After Nelson's father passed away, they left Qunu. His mother put him in the care of Jongintaba, a chief and acting regent of the Thembu. Mandela grew up quickly under his care and received a great education. However, when Jongintaba confronted Mandela and his brother, Justice, of an arranged marriage, they both ran away to Johannesburg. After recieving his BA, Mandela then joined the African National Congress, and helped create the ANC Youth League. He also married Evelyn Mase in 1944. Mandela was able to become more involved in the ANC and the ANC Youth League, and got them to take on the Programme of Action. He was also chosen to be the National Volunteer-in Chief for the Defiance Campaign. Because of the Defiance Campaign and the protests occurring from it, him and several other were charged for communism and were forced into nine months of labor. Mandela, because of his actions as a political activist and acting against the government and apartheid, was put on the list of banned people. He was then arrested in 1955, and the Treason Trial began. After being acquitted, Nelson Mandela began his life underground. This is as far as I have gotten so far, and this autobiography is proving to be very interesting and I am able to learn a lot about his life and of the history of South Africa.

TOW #3- "You're Worthless" - StopBullying

This text was created by StopBullying.gov, which is a bully-prevention website. StopBullying.gov works to raise awareness about bullying, who is affected, and how to stop it. It helps students and parents understand how to prevent bullying, and where to get help. This website is credible, and is monitored and published by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. The purpose of this text is to raise awareness to parents about the bullying their children may go through or see, and to encourage parents to teach their children about standing up against it. The audience is parents, because the text mentions "Your kids do", which would imply that it is directed to an adult with children. The dark brown and dull grays used in this visual text help create a somber or depressing mood, which gives a message of depression or feeling low. This helps in the author's purpose in trying to express to parents what their children go through when they're being bullied. This visual text also uses words to help express it's message. It shows, by stating "You're Worthless", what kids would hear every day when they or someone they know is being bullied. Bullying also makes people feel like they're worthless or that they're not enough, and this visual clearly conveys that. It also mentions on the side that parents don't deal with bullying the same way that their children do, and that it is important to teach their children how to defend themselves and others. This uses pathos, since most parents are protective of their children, and would never want them to be hurt. The text also provides a link where parents can learn more, offering a solution to the issue that was brought up. This helps in the authors purpose, because parents who see this visual text will likely think about their children and their safety, and click on the link to learn more on how to support their children against bullying.

TOW # 2 Assignment - "Handicapped"

For my TOW this week, I read "Handicapped" by Randolph Bourne. Randolph Bourne was a writer and 'leftist' intellectual. He graduated from Columbia University, and was a student of John Dewey. He is most famous for his writing, "The State", and is best known for his essays. Randolph Bourne was also deformed in his face at birth; and also suffered from tuberculosis of the spine, which stunted his growth and caused his to write the essay "The Handicapped". The audience for this essay is likely young adults to adults, as it discusses the fleeting moments of life and of growing up. This essay is about the experiences of someone with disabilities. Bourne moves throughout his life, describing what each phase of his life was like with a disability. He explains how differently life was because of his disability, and how that it was not entirely a bad thing. His disability allowed him to cherish life more and form better and more meaningful relationships with the people around it. It also pushed him to try, and to not let his disability set him back from life. Bourne's purpose is writing this essay is to explain how disabilities aren't completely a disadvantage, and how important it is to constantly strive for what you want and live life to its fullest. The author does well to accomplish this purpose by demonstrating how he found his way to do just that. He recognized his disability and the disadvantages that came with it, but he also recognized the advantages to being disabled, and built on those. Bourne uses description, colorful adjectives, comparisons, and flashbacks as rhetorical devices in his essay. These assist in Bourne achieving his purpose by making his essay more descriptive, allowing the audience to be more understanding. It also helps him voice what he means more clearly, and gets the audience drawn into the essay.

TOW Assignment - "They All Just Went Away"

For my TOW, I read "They All Just Went Away"by Joyce Carol Oates. Joyce is an accomplished author, having published over 40 books as well as plays, short stories, poetry, and non-fiction. She has won a National Book Award, two Pulitzer Prizes, two O. Henry Awards, and a National Humanities Award. She is currently a professor at Princeton University. This essay is about the fleeting of childhood, and about her neighbor's family. The audience is any young adult or older, especially those who have just left home to start a life of their own. Joyce Oates recalls many childhood memories, describing how quickly it all went by, and how clearly she can remember it all even now. She also begins to tell of her neighbor's family, the Weidels. She explains how unusual they were in comparison to her own family. She also tells of how she became friends with the daughter, Ruth. The author tried to help Ruth in her own little ways, and wanted to make her happier. Joyce Carol Oates uses a lot of imagery, description, and flashbacks throughout the story. The flashback allows her to tell stories of her past. The imagery is used well to create an illustration of her experiences for the audience. One example of this is: "A startled buzzing of flies, hornets. The slithering, ticklish, sensation of a garter snack crawling across floorboards"(Oates 1). The author's purpose was to demonstrate the feeling of a loneliness and feeling detached. She also showed how stepping into people's lives can really help them. The author accomplishes this purpose by explaining that she was a lonely child herself. She describes her friendship with Ruth Weidel, and explains how she was able to be her friend and make her feel like she was a part of something. By describing her relationship with Ruth, she was able to demonstrate how a little can go a long way.

IRB Introduction - "Long Way to Freedom"

The IRB I have selected is "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela. This book is an autobiography of Nelson Mandela's life. It describes how he grew up and became the man that he was, and how he changed South Africa and the world. I choose this book because I am interested in Nelson Mandela and the civil rights work that he did in South Africa. He made an impact on his country and the world, and I wanted to learn more about it. By reading this book, I hope to gain more knowledge about Nelson Mandela's life and his work. I want to get a better understanding of how life was during those times, and how he was able to work so hard to get to where he was. I feel like it is a very inspiration and interesting story, and I wanted to learn more about it.

Summer assignment: "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings", by Maya Angelou

“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” immerses the reader in a ‘bird’s eye view’ of growing up under the restraints of segregation, oppression of racism, and fear persecution.  Maya Angelou is an internationally acclaimed African-American writer, essayist, and poet. She was also a dancer, actress, singer, director, playwright, and civil rights activist. Angelou has won a Pulitzer Prize, a Tony Award, three Grammys, the Spingarn Medal, the National Medal of Arts, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This essay takes place in a time steeped in segregation and deeply embedded racism. Angelou shares her experiences and also explain how through personal character and head-strong determination, she was able to stay strong through it all. The intended audience is young adult to adult in want of a glimpse inside her journey. In this essay, the author uses several rhetorical devices, including numerous comparisons and a lot of description and imagery. These allow the reader to picture the scenes more clearly and have a way too try and see through the author’s eyes. I think that the author fulfilled her purpose well. Throughout the essay, she the reader journeys through a painful and approachable perspective on how it felt to be in her shoes while facing racism, segregation, and persecution. Experiencing what it was like to face people who would mock her and her family, as well as people who wanted to hurt her just because she was African American. An example of this is, “I wanted to throw a handful of black pepper in their faces, to throw lye on them, to scream that they were dirty, scummy peckerwoods, but I knew I was as clearly imprisoned behind the scene as the actors outside were confined to their roles”(Angelou 356).  Even though people hurt her and her family, she was determined to lie low and bear through the pain, and not lower herself to committing the actions she so disliked in others. She explained that her family and the simple beauty of the things around her helped her be strong and admire life. Angelou successfully promote her cause against racism and segregation, and give the reader a new perspective on the issue.

Summer assignment: "Women and honor: Some Notes on Lying", by Adrienne Rich

“Women and Honor” discusses the relationship with women and the concept of lying. Adrienne Rich studied at Radcliffe College and Oxford, and has written several essays, novels, and poems. She was very involved in civil rights and promoting feminism. The NY Times described her as “a poet of towering reputation, towering rage, whose work…brought the oppression of women and lesbians to the forefront of poetic discourse”(NY Times). Her essay explains why people lie, and what comes of these lies. She claims that women lie to hide their feelings, and the end result is that the liar lives in fear and loneliness. The essay is a protest against the need for women to lie and live in fear of telling the truth and not being accepted. The intended audience is young adult to adult. Adrienne Rich used repetition, similes, and metaphors throughout this essay as rhetoric devices. Some sections were almost like poetry, beginning each line with ‘liars’, for emphasis. These rhetoric devices made the book more intriguing, and allowed the author to show her passion for her topic. The comparisons used allowed the reader to think deeper about the points she was bringing up. I believe that Adrienne Rich did fulfill her purpose well. Throughout the essay she expresses the dangers and reasons for lying, and in the end, and encourage the reader to seek more truthful, even if more different, conversations. She says, “That we both know we are trying, all the time, to extend the possibilities of truth between us. The possibility of life between us”(Rich 420). The essay ends expressing the notion that truth in a relationship creates stronger bonds and sustenance, allowing relationships to be more secure and last longer. The poetic structure of the essay, concluding with a challenge for us each to strive to become more truthful result in Rich accomplishing her purpose beautifully.