Tow #13 "Are Today's New Surgeons Unprepared?"

For some, capping the number of work hours for employees might seem like a relief. However, for others, particularly surgeons, Pauline W. Chen declares this is not the case. In this New York Times article, Chen, a surgeon, author, and columnist argues that the effects of minimizing the work hours of training significantly impact surgeons' performance and skill.

Chen first starts off with an anecdote to emphasize the importance of time and practice in honing one's skills. She describes an encounter with a friend who had started out like them, as "a lowly resident of the medical center" but returned 10 years later as a dexterous surgeon with refined skills and could easily operations in a single hour that took others three or four. When asked what his secret was, he describes to Chen the hundreds of operations that he had completed over and over again, to the point of familiarity where he could of done the operations with his eyes closed. With her short anecdote of how her friend was able to succeed in his profession only through years and years of experience, Chen effectively sets the background information for her argument.

In the second paragraph, Chen addresses the recent problem that has been affecting surgeons all over the U.S. In response to pressure from politicians, unions and sleep experts, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education has worked to limit the number of hours residents are allowed to work.  The recent 2011 limits specifically, have reduced work hours to 80 hours for all in-hospital work. Chen argues that with the number of hours lost, surgeons suffer an impact detrimental to opportunities to perform more operations, especially new trainees who need it the most and are only getting "two maybe three operations each week". Calculating the total hours lost, Chen says that young surgeons-to-be are missing as much as a year's worth of valuable experience. And the results sure show it. After a year or two of training, recent residents have been incapable of "operating or making clinical decisions on the their own. Nearly a third can not perform even the most basic operations like a gallbladder removal on their own". By listing these consequences , Chen convinces the audience that the surgical field is in grave trouble as a result of these working limitations. With hours being cut just as the skills surgeons need to know expanding more than ever before, Chen adamantly urges the hour confining laws to be overturned.

IRB Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

Mary Roach introduces the subject of death in a rather interesting manner; she compares being dead as going on a cruise. "These cruises take their passengers to unknown, unimagined places. They give them the chance to do things they would not otherwise get to do"(1). Roach then goes on to justify this heavy topic of using human cadavers for experiments with humor. She describes Cadavers as superheroes and lists a bunch of "abilities" that they possess: the ability to brave fire, withstand falls from buildings, gunshots, and being in six places at once. She then concludes the paragraph with a statement that leaves the audience thinking, "What are shame to waste these powers, to not use them for the betterment of humankind" (3). This thought provoking sentence helps sway audience members who have previously been hesitant about reading a book about corpses and convinces them to keep on reading. Roach continues to clarify her book by stating, "this book is not about death as in dying" (4). Dying is sad and profound because it is the loss of a loved one. She characterizes the dead on the other hand as hulls and just the shell of a person who use to be. By contrasting between death and dying, the audience can see that Roach approaches this subject in a humane matter and they are further able to  understand the position Roach is taking on in her book. Besides the use of humor to approach as touchy subject, Roach also employs the use of perspective to her advantage. Stiff is written in first person and third person as well as both the past and present. When writing about historical events, she uses third person and appears in the past tense, taking on a tone that is less intimate and more objective. Here, her primary focus is to communicate information to the reader, and not necessarily to be humorous. However, when she appears in the first person in the present tense, Roach seems to be "very present" to the reader and establishes humor as well as intimacy and immediacy. By alternating between these two tenses, Roach effectively alternates her tone and mood of her writing to suit the situation.

Tow #12 Kellogg's All-bran Cereal: "Snow White"

During 2008, to advertise one of its slogans "more fruit than before" for their All-bran cereal, Kellogg's brought in none other than the iconic Snow White in one of their advertisements. In it, Snow White is in a setting familiar to most of its audience, a similar wooden cottage to that portrayed in childrens' picture books. Above on a fancy ribbon made of a wooden shaving is the phrase "more fruit than before". Right off the bat, adults should immediately be transported to their childhood memories and children should make the connection to their storybooks. However, what jumps out even before the background is Snow White standing transfixed at the sight, in an overflowing pile of shiny, red apples filling the entire cottage. The advertisement's use of apples references the symbolic image of Snow White and the apple that all audiences are familiar with. In the ad, the pile of apples is so immense that three of the dwarves are even buried underneath them. All the audience can see is their pointed hats sticking out through the heap. The overflowing abundance of the fruit helps illustrate "the extra fruitiness" of the new cereal. The whole image has a sort of fantastical, dreamy feel to it. With the use of humor and symbolism with an iconic character, Kellogg's effectively appeals to pathos in the audience and triggers childhood memories. In addition, in the bottom corner of the ad is a picture of fresh fruit and cereal, boxed and in a bowl. Contrasting from the fantasy- like image above, the photograph brings the audience back to reality as if to say "look, the fruit in our cereal actually is as fresh as it appears!" Through the symbolism of Snow White and the apple, and the contrast of the top and bottom images, Kellogg's ad will raise a chuckle from audiences both young and old. 

Tow #11 "Making a Scene: 11 Performances"

For this years Movies Issue, New York Times Magazine commissioned a group of screenwriters, responsible for some of the best scripts of 2013 to each write a single captivating line of monologue for 11 short films directed by the Oscar winning cinematographer of Saving Private Ryan and  Schindler's List, Janusz Kaminski. These lines were then given to 11 talented actors and actresses to perform. Kaminski describes these short vignettes as "slightly whimsical and off-center. Each short evokes a  particular style and conveys an emotion through the lighting, music and tone that is translated to the audience with the juxtaposition of the setting and diction. The actors' bizarre lines often contrast with the background settings of the scene, creating just the right dose of confusion to peak the interest of the audience. My personal favorite with 'Blue Jasmine' starring Cate Blanchett and written by Andrew Bujalski. The scene opens with dramatic orchestral music with a view of an elegant booth at a restaurant. Then with a 'crunch' the camera zooms in on a fish that has just landed on the plate, followed by the 'zing' of a knife and fork. Just as Blanchett picks up the utensils and is about to cut into the fish, the dramatic music is interrupted by a loud thump as the fish eyeball pops out of the fish and rolls to the plate. Blanchett then simpers at the fish, "show me where the bed is...put a blanket over me... and don't ever... let me see you again." She then proceeds to drape herself across the booth as the dramatic orchestra hits a crescendo and the camera zooms out to juxtapose her with the fish. The allure of these vignettes simply comes from the juxtaposition of the melodramatic scenes and climactic music with the quirky, and out of place lines. It it completely bewildering to the audience and it's genius.

Tow #10 "For Millennials, It's Not Practical"

The NYTimes article "For Millennials, It's Not Practical" is written by Elena Sheppard, a writer and editor for NYTimes and in charge of arts and entertainment at PolicyMic. In her article, Sheppard writes about the financial struggles artists face who are trying to make it in "the real world". She states that "becoming a successful artist requires a cocktail of connections, financial support, talent and luck, so many of us are opting for more stable paths". Indeed, as a result, the rising creative class of artists is now largely determined by money. In "For Millennials, It's Not Practical" calls attention to the plight of Generation Y artists in the U.S. through her use of anecdotes and counterargument. Sheppard also establishes credibility with her audience by identifying herself as a struggling artist. However, she notes that she is more fortunate than many due to her advantage of growing up in New York City. Unlike many others, Sheppard was able to live at home and pursue the beginning of her New York career of unpaid internships and entry-level salaries. Without this opportunity, she may not have been able to seek the field of journalism and may very well have chosen a different career path.
Sheppard also quashes the "you-can-do-anything" dream that anything is possible as long as one persists. Seriously misleading, she points out that artists have to face student loans first, and unpaid internships. In the end, Sheppard makes the point, "no matter how passionate you are, at a certain point, finances trump all". Artistically, millennials have been labeled the "me me me generation"but in reality, Sheppard thinks they are practical. With huge debts and petty income, if the pay for the arts fails to increase, the creative class will remain monopolized by the wealthy.

IRB #2 Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers is written by Mary Roach, a New York Times bestseller, a 2003 Barnes and Nobles Discover Great New Writers pick, one of Entertainment Weekly's Best Books of 2003 and other numerous awards. I became interested in this book last year during our nonfiction unit when Mrs. Minges introduced it to us along with a few other books by this author. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers is a nonfiction, humorous book about our bodies postmortem, especially in the science and medical fields. This includes some of the oddest undertakings in France's first guillotines, NASA space shuttles, and being crucified in a Parisian lab to test the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin.

Tow #9 Swedish Fish

Swedish Fish are a staple at the U.S. candy scenes, appearing at almost every movie theater snack stand and grocery store. First imported to the U.S. in the late 1950s from Malaco, a Swedish Confectionary company, the fish shape candies were called "swedish fish", named after the huge fishing industries in Sweden. It immediately became popular in American and Canadian markets and the candy became a part of U.S. culture, inspiring many different varieties and even a Rita's water ice flavor. But why a fish? And what makes them so popular?
Swedish Fish lovers would probably first mention the unique cherry/strawberry/fruit punch flavor and texture that seems to be unparalleled to any other candy. However, interestingly, the packaging and the appearance of the product itself may play just as large of a role in its popularity. The logo, the small red fish with the word "swedish" imprinted on its side shapes the candies and appears on the front of the wrapper. The use of this fish not only enforces the idea of the brand of candy, it also appeals to the customers' sensory details that make the candy more interesting than just the average gummy. In fact, it has become so iconic it is probably immediately recognizable to most Americans. In addition, the company also appeals to pathos through the wrapper's design. The whole package is painted with vivid shades of the three primary colors, red, yellow and blue, simple yet effective. Yellow gills decorate the background of the whole package and "Swedish Fish" stands out  in bright, bold red lettering across the middle. Underneath, a Swedish Fish is swimming from the right side of the bag, which is see-through allowing the audience to view the product, towards a pond of water. The creative juxtaposition of the cartoonized package and the real product contributes to the overall effect of the scene depicted. The rich colors and iconic logo effectively embody what Swedish Fish candies are to the audience and its particular packaging design is unique but simple enough for customers to remember and recognize the brand.

Tow #8 IRB The Glass Castle

The second half of The Glass Castle focuses on Jeanette's transition into adulthood from her adolescence to the present. During Part 3, Walls primarily focuses on her life during her teenage years. Compared to the first half of the book, Walls' family life seems to deteriorate even more, especially during the winter seasons. The children have to fend for themselves as Rex and her mother make no attempt to find a job. Out of desperation, Jeanette is forced to hide in toilet stalls during school and scavenge the left overs of her peers. However at home one day, Brian discovers their mother hiding underneath the blankets secretly eating a family sized chocolate bar. Walls specifically chooses this memory to tell the audience because it appeals to pathos. The audience pities the children because they are forced to live in such poverty with no way out of it because they are so young. It also gives the readers a deeper view of the mother's selfish personality and allows them to realize that she isn't as helpless as she seems. By Part 4, Jeanette is almost an adult and has moved to New York City with Brian, and Lori. Rex and mom, who are homeless soon follow. In these chapters, as some of their merits are revealed, Jeanette learns to come to terms with her parents' lifestyle and accept who they are. When Jeanette decides to quit college because doesn't have enough money to pay tuition, Rex scrounges up nine hundred dollars and a mink coat for her from gambling, covering her tuition. It is in these moments, just as Jeanette wants to give up on her parents, that they redeem themselves. At the very last chapter, Walls depicts a scene of the whole family together during Thanksgiving dinner. When  Brian says, "you know, it's really not that hard to put food on the table if that's what you decide to do", Lori tells him to let it go by saying, "Now, no recriminations." Brian reminiscing of the their childhood represent how their past will always affect the present. However by forgiving their parents and moving on as Lori says to do is how the family survives and remains in touch.

Tow #7 "Big Women Bare All"

"Big Women Bare All" is a Newsweek article written by Abigail Jones. Jones has written quite a few articles for Newsweek about life, style and culture. In this article, Jones introduces Yossi Loloi's Full Beauty project to the audience. "The Full Beauty project" is a collection of photos of obese women in the nude designed to challenge society's views of "acceptable" female bodies, beauty, and size. Jones quotes Loloi "The women depicted are targets of societal backlash, but they are strong. They fight for acceptance in a world that doesn't approve of the slightest bulging of a love handle, let alone 'morbid obesity' or the possibility that some people find beauty in... all those things women spend thousands of dollars on every year trying to erase". Jones clearly tries to debunk the view that big women aren't beautiful by using statistics, figurative language and counterargument.

Jones first introduces her article with a vivid description of one of the project's subjects to allow her audience to develop their opinion on the subject. "Her thighs and calves are so profound that her feet appear miniscule, like dollhouse accessories". She then challenges the image of the ideal perfect, skinny woman that mainstream media offers by asking why a nude fat women is labeled a "provocation" but a thin model isn't. Jones explains that although the models are vulnerable, they are courageous enough to to appear in Loloi's project to force people to face their assumptions about women's bodies. Staring at their stretch marks and veins, suddenly we, the audience become the vulnerable ones. Our reactions say more about us than the about the women in the pictures. Jones makes her point as if to say, "Why can't big women be beautiful too?"

The argument is further supported by world wide statistics. Jones argues that the fact that one-third of American adults are obese and more women are a 16 than a size 2 and 0 combined prove that the Full beauty project isn't a confrontation but a nod to reality. Instead of discriminating a more than common appearance, why not embrace it?

Tow #6 "The photographer behind 'Humans of New York'"

"They call me Cat Man. I've normally got about three or four kittens in my jacket with me. There's this empty lot in Brooklyn where this one cat keeps pumping out ten kittens every three months. She just won't stop. She's some sort of super cat. I carry them around and sell them for about $40 apiece." (http://www.humansofnewyork.com)


"The photographer behind 'Humans of New York'" is a CNN article written by Emanuella Grinberg, a journalist that has written many articles for CNN about style, culture, and arts. Although upon further research, the audience can find the numerous articles Grinberg has written, she is not well-known enough for readers to recognize her name. Therefore, she can't establish automatic ethos and must establish her credibility within the article.

Grinberg's article may be targeted towards new readers who haven't heard of HONY (Humans of New York), but is probably more likely aimed for readers who are already fans of HONY. Grinberg's purpose of the article is to introduce readers to HONY and promote his new book, "Humans of New York". HONY is a website and Facebook page launched by a photographer named Brandon Stanton. HONY started as a small, unnoticed website in 2009, but quickly became popular, getting millions of hits a day. Everyday, Stanton walks around New York City and takes photos of people to capture the culture of the city. But what makes HONY different from other photography blogs are the compelling stories that the subjects of the photos share with the audience. Each subject offers a snippet of their lives through their stories or advice that they share with the world. Each photo always provokes contemplation and mass debate on the website. In the article, Grinberg posts a transcript of an interview between Stanton and CNN, where they discuss his book, tactics of approaching people for photos and his everyday life. The transcript not only allows the audience to learn more about who HONY is and what it does, it also appeals to pathos and shows the audience that Stanton is a down-to-earth person who is just like them.

Grinberg is able to establish her credibility and introduce HONY to the readers by relying heavily on the readers' background knowledge about HONY and appealing to pathos. With most of the audience already enthusiastic and excited about the photography website, it isn't hard to promote HONY and its new book.

Tow #5 "Brainy Elephants: One More Way They're as Smart as Humans"

"Brainy Elephants: One More Way They're as Smart as Humans" is a Times article written by Veronique Greenwood, a journalist that has frequently written articles for Time about animals, marine life, and anthropology. Greenwood establishes credibility with her audience from her experience with related topics. However, she does not establish automatic ethos because she is not well-known enough for readers to recognize her name.

Greenwood seems to target this article for an audience that is interested in psychology, animals, and their interaction with humans. In the article, she primarily focuses on the gesture of pointing and how elephants respond to it. The article is introduced with the explanation that pointing is an "extremely complex cognitive skill". It indicates an understanding that not only do individuals have thoughts in their own heads but others around them have different thought and may share them. It may be simple to humans but that's only because we learn to recognize the motion when we are infants. In Zimbabwe, psychology graduate student, Anna Smelt, performed an experiment with 11 elephants in the area. She studied the effect of pointing at a specific food bucket on the decision of elephants to recognize the gesture. Smelt tried a variety of pointing positions and the the elephants chose the bucket indicated by Smelt a greater proportion of time compared to the empty bucket. With these results, Greenwood makes the argument that are extremely intelligent animals, possible even just as smart as humans. She also disproves the counterargument that elephants may have learned pointing from humans by stating that if this were true, elephants held in captivity the longest would be better at pointing than newcomers, which is not true. Furthermore, Greenwood concedes, even if elephants did somehow learn pointing from humans, "they still are a step ahead of any other species researchers have tested, who have never made the connection between pointing and the target".

Greenwood makes an effective argument by connecting the elephants' recognition of pointing to humans and addressing the counterargument with solid evidence and explanation. Her article is intriguing to elephant and animal lovers alike.

IRB The Glass Castle

After reading half of The Glass Castle, I have definitely gained some new insight about Jeannette Walls' memoir. Walls first introduces her story as her adult self, in her most recent flashback. She is sitting in a taxi when she spies her homeless mother picking through trash in a dumpster. This prompts Jeannette to crouch down in the taxi so that her mother won't see her. Later, she faces conflictions of worry and guilt. She is embarrassed by her own mother's homelessness yet worried about her well-being. The introduction of this chapter not only shows the readers the authors successful life in the present, it also introduces a theme of Jeanette's conflictions about her family that appear throughout the memoir. The next chapter transitions into Jeanette's earliest flashback. At the age of three, Jeanette is cooking her own hotdogs when she gets burned and sent to the hospital. This is the first indication of her unusual life at home. Later, Rex, Jeanette's alcoholic father takes her from the hospital to escape from paying the bills. Most of her childhood consists of her family moving from temporary home to home because neither of her parents are able to hold a stable job.  Throughout the story, the reader develops a love-hate relationship with Rex. Rex is intelligent and charismatic but also extremely irresponsible at the same time. He lies, steals, and occasionally abandons his family, but in each chapter, Walls allows allows the readers a glimpse of Rex's soft, fatherly side, which allows him to redeem himself. Walls primarily appeals to pathos throughout the story. The way she describes herself as a child makes readers feel empathetic for her naivety, innocence and resilience throughout her poverty-stricken childhood. The fact that she hangs onto this for the rest of the story, inspires readers to keep on reading.

Tow #4 Filet-o-fish

This ad was published by McDonald's in 1977. The focus of the picture, a filet-o-fish sandwich is placed front and center in the ad, surrounded by an anchor and ropes. In the background of the ad is a ship next to a dock. These images allow the audience to assume that the environment of this ad takes place at a fishery or dock. In addition, the soft, warm colors establish the tone and are appealing to the audience. The light is  shone on the filet-o-fish and the rest of the colors in the background are dulled to bring attention to the subject. There is also some text on the ad such as the quote "Food for Thought" at the top of the page and "Made from 100% North Atlantic white fish filet" at the bottom. The author makes both stand out by using bright white/yellow colored font to make it stand out against the darker background. The ad also has a USDA grade A stamp at the bottom of the page to convince the audience that their fish is healthy and nutritious and reliable and establish McDonald's credibility. Therefore, the purpose of the McDonald's, to convince the audience that McDonald's has the most appetizing, freshest fish, is established using the contrast of soft and bold colors, appealing imagery of the product, and recognizable symbols. However, even though McDonald's uses many effective rhetorical devices, they ultimately cannot convince all of their audience to buy their product due to their reputation. Most of the audience simply has too much background info about McDonald's unhealthiness and unsanitary conditions even before they see the ad. Although it may convince some people to buy the filet-o-fish, it certainly doesn't persuade people that it is a healthy, reliable product.

TOW #3 "The Real Source of Heroic Behavior'

"The Real Source of Heroic Behavior" is a a Time article written by Elizabeth Svoboda, the author of What Makes a Hero?: The Surprising Science of Selflessness. Because Svoboda is not a well-known writer, she cannot establish automatic ethos with her audience. The audience in this article isn't specified but it is most likely targeted towards adults who are interested in psychology.

Svoboda's main purpose in writing this is to debunk the generalization that heroes are larger-than-life figures and prove that they can be in fact, normal people. In the article, Svoboda first lists the characteristics of a hero then backs it up with evidence from a real situation. Some of the characteristics she depicts are determination to lead a meaningful life in the face of challenges, more likely to take unusual risks and more likely to take part in social service. The author's evidence is given the form of exemplification. She introduces a normal 47-year old school clerk, Antoinette Tuff who prevented a mass shooting in Decatur, GA. Tuff, who has been through her own share of difficulties was able to talk the shooter, Michael Brandon Hill to dropping his gun. The author quotes Tuff, "You know I tried to commit suicide last year after my husband left me...It's gonna be all right, sweetheart. I just want you to know that I love you, though, okay?" By using Tuff's words, the author is able to appeal to pathos to the audience and make herself, as well as Tuff seem more credible in the article.

Tuff was a fitting example for Svoboda's argument that our society's conception of heroes as unflappable males is far too narrow. Tuff's decision to risk her life to save 800 children and staff members demonstrates that women also feel compelled to take risks to help others.

TOW #2 "The Problem with Prize Culture"

"The Problem With Prize Culture" is a Time article written by Hilary Levey Friedman, a PhD of the Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. She is also the author of Playing to Win: Raising Children in a Competitive Culture. 

Today, every kid is categorized by age, previous achievement, and type of performance. Whether it be a sport, dance, chess or another competitive activity, every participant is ranked based on their ability. In the article, Friedman cites that the U.S.'s culture of increasingly embracing prizes and awards has major consequences. Although Friedman addresses the counter argument and admits that awards help people set goals for themselves and encourage them to practice their activity, she argues that overall, awards are essentially a business practice that ensures the return of clients and actually do more harm than good. According to psychological research, giving kids rewards for accomplishing an activity actually lowers levels of intrinsic motivation. Friedman insists that motivation is exactly what we need to encourage as this allows kids to reach long-term success and pride in a well-earned achievement.

Friedman's informal tone and use of the first person pronoun suggests that she is trying to establish credibility by making the article more personal. Her constant mentioning of her goal to maintain the well-being of kids may be to appeal first to an immediate audience of parents and then to an extended audience of media, which she accuses of promoting "the carving up of honor". To convince the audience that the "trophy culture" has gone too far, Friedman makes allusions to media and uses exemplification of popular children's activities. One example that she uses is the United States Chess Federation, who she states is the most precise when it comes to ranking. The organization publishes a list of the top winners for each age group every three months, ranking the participants on their public website. Any one can see it, allowing people to become more aware of their position in the hierarchy. In addition, Friedman references Dance Moms, a show that has a wide audience, which has as weekly "pyramid" showing how dancers performances compare to their peers. By using well supported examples that the audience recognizes, and appealing to pathos, Friedman is able to effectively communicate her argument.

Tow #1 "No Child Left Behind"

“No Child Left Behind” is an article in the New York times by Carlo Rotella, a well recognized American journalist and writer. Rotella writes for the New York Time Magazine as well as the Washington Post Magazine and has won many awards such as the 2006 Guggenheim Fellowship and Whiting Writers’ Award. 

In “No Child Left Behind”, Rotella explores the pros and cons of the newly installed tablets in the schools of Guilford County. Located in Greensboro, North Carolina, Guilford County’s 18 middle schools will be the first to fully integrate the tablets into everyday school use. Every student and teacher will receive a tablet that should be used for teaching lessons, or classwork, homework and educational games. The purpose of the tablet is to transform American education by connecting students and teachers and focusing on personalized learning. As U.S. education falls behind, and billions of dollars are poured into education with no real progress, Joe Klein, the CEO of Amplify emphasizes the need for a much more drastic change. Guilford County serves as the guinea pig as schools across the will U.S. closely watch the tablets’ effect on student enthusiasm, engagement and of course, test scores.

This article is no doubtedly targeted at an audience of teachers and parents who’s children are stuck in the midst of an educational/technological crisis. To demonstrate the benefits and downfalls of the tablets, Rotella interviews a wide variety of people. He asks for opinions of teachers who are wary of the new technology as well as those who think it’ll be a great improvement for students. He also talks to Joel Klein, the CEO of Amplify tablets and Arne Duncan, the U.S.secretary of education. However, even though Rotella represents a wide spectrum of views, he himself clearly states his disproval of plan. He expresses his strong belief that the U.S. is now “overvaluing technology and undervaluing people” and opposes the plan to add so much more screen time to students’ lives. Ultimately, at the end of the article, Rotella questions the reader, “Wouldn’t it make more sense to devote our resources to strengthening the teaching profession with better recruitment, training, support and pay than putting an expensive tool in the hands of teachers we otherwise treat like the poor relations of the high-tech whiz kids who design the tool?”

The Glass Castle Intro

The book that I decided to choose for my first IRB is The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. Walls is an American writer and journalist who achieved recognition from this novel. The Glass Castle has not only won the 2005 Elle Readers' Prize and 2006 American Library Association Alex Award, but also was on The New York Times Best Seller List for a lengthy time, and is under development as a film. Walls' memoir is about her childhood growing up in a poverty-stricken home with unstable parents. Through the story, the reader will learn about Walls' perseverance and early responsibility that she takes upon herself to raise her family. I selected this book after the recommendation of friends and Mr. Yost. By reading this book, I hope to be inspired, gain perspective into Walls' life and learn about what she did to persevere through her tough times.

"Objects of Affection"

“Objects of Affection” is written by essayist and literary translator, Ewa Hryniewicz- Yarbrough. Her work has appeared in The Missouri Review, The Threepenny Review, Ploughshares, The American Scholar, TriQuarterly, The New Yorker, Poetry, The Paris Review as well as The Best American Essays 2012.

In "Objects of Affection", Yarbrough talks about her attachment to objects and how she became so attached to them. She also explains her grandmother's influence on her hoarding habits. This essay's targeted audience is most likely middle-aged people because a younger audience may not be able to understand the World War II references and the environment that Yarbrough grew up in.

Yarbrough grew up in a communist Poland, during a period with many shortages of practically everything, including food, clothes, furniture. She states that this may be where her complicated attitude toward objects stems from. She also attributes her reluctance to part with objects that could possibly be repaired to her grandmother. Her grandmother seems to have been a significant figure in her life because the author goes into great detail about her and how the 1944 Warsaw Uprising effected her attitude towards objects. Contrasting with her own fascination of objects, Yarbrough says her grandmother owned only "the necessary items, simple and functional, no trinkets of any kind" (171). We can infer that her grandmother developed this unsentimental attitude after everything she had perished in the Warsaw Uprising.

I think the author achieved her purpose of explaining why objects are important to her. To help achieve her purpose, Yarbrough mainly uses pathos. She describes her childhood memories with her grandmother to appeal to the readers' emotions. Her writing is also sprinkled with colorful similies. For example, she described the food in the U.S. piled like "elaborate pyramids" (170). At the end of the essay, Yarbrough writes, "objects help us exorcise some of our fears, ...they are stronger than we are, perfect and independent,... they give us a semblance of permanence and grant a stay against chaos, darkness, and oblivion" (175). Yarbrough loves objects because they are a tangible part of history to her. They connect her to the past and to people, like her grandmother. I agree with her that objects have meaning because they have history, however, I disagree that "objects are stronger than we are". Although sometimes objects may outlive people, without us, their memories and stories are meaningless.

"Semblance of Permanance"

"These mute witnesses to human life inspire awe and amazement at the mere fact of their survival" (167).

bestiws.com



"My Father/ My Husband"

“My Father/ My Husband” is a short story written by David J. Lawless. He doesn’t seem to be well known for any other stories. However “My Father/ My Husband” did win the Prism 2011 nonfiction contest. 

I found this essay to be different from the other ones I have read so far. Lawless is not the sole protagonist in this story. It is mainly about his wife. In addition, the entire essay is mostly a dialogue between Lawless and his wife, with the exception of a few paragraphs that explain the background info. In the previous essays, there was very little dialogue and mostly narration. 

“My Father/ My Husband” seems to be suited more toward an older audience due to the topics of dementia and alzheimer’s. In his essay, Lawless portrays his daily life with his wife suffering from dementia and alzheimer’s. This story is definitely one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking reads in The Best American Essays 2012. For the past two or three years, everyday, Lawless’s wife asks him the same questions. Are you my father?  Where do we live? Do we have children? She doesn’t remember marrying him and even insults him sometimes. “I’ve never been married. And I certainly wouldn’t marry an old man like you. Look at you. Gray hair. Big belly. Who would marry you?” (194). My heart went out to Lawless as he patiently answers her questions over and over again everyday, only for her to forget the next day, or the next minute. At one point, his wife even calls the cops on him for being an intruder.

Lawless uses the rhetorical device pathos in “My Father/My Husband”. Although his wife doesn’t remember who he is, he stays by her side and repeatedly answers the same questions everyday. Even though she doesn’t remember him, he is still her patient, loving husband. Throughout the essay, his wife often jumbles memories between her husband and father. I think this is because they were both two loving, respectable figures that were present throughout her life. Throughout his essay, Lawless successfully demonstrates his true love for his wife to his readers.

"True love"

"'You are not my husband. I never had a husband.' 

'Yes, I am.' He taps his cheek and leans toward her.

She kisses his cheek and they both Smile" (206).

Bob Phillip

thechive.com

"Killing My Body to Save My Mind"

“Killing My Body to Save My Mind” is written by Lauren Slater, a psychologist and writer. She is a frequent writer in The New York Times Magazine, Harper’s Magazine, and Elle Magazine. She also has been the recipient of many awards, including the 2004 National Endowments for the Arts and the selection of multiple essays in the the Best American Volumes. 

“Killing My Body to Save My Mind” is about Slater’s experiences of the side effects of anti-depressant, Zyprexa, particularly weight gain, and how it’s effected her health, self-esteem and family life. It  most likely is targeted towards a middle-aged audience, or people who have experienced depression or Zyprexa because they would be able to relate the most. 

In this essay, Slater first introduces herself as a pessimistic obese woman who is trying to get life insurance. She then explains her obesity as a side effect from the drug, Zyprexa which she takes to suppress her deep depression. At first Zyprexa works so well that she ignores her rapidly increasing weight. It isn’t until Slater gains an additional 80 pounds that she realizes the damage it’s done. Zyprexa not only has made her hefty, it’s also put her at risk for diabetes, cardiovascular problems and cancer. Slater knows that as long as she keeps taking the drug, she won’t be able to live past her seventies. But she keeps on taking it. 

Slater’s purpose of writing this essay is to explain her sacrifice.  She decides that although Zyprexa has many disadvantages, such as a shortened life, weight gain, and risks of cancer, she values her mental health more than her physical health. Similar to Murray, in “How Doctors Die” Slater chooses a life of quality over quantity. To her, being able to love and communicate with her husband and children is the most important thing in life.

I think Slater definitely accomplished her purpose of defending her choice to take Zyprexa despite the side effects. Many people put in her position would probably do the same thing. In addition Slater’s writing contains many colorful metaphors that capture the readers’ the attention. For example, she describes her depression as “a wet velvet curtain, heavy and dripping”, and her hunger as “a wolf after winter, when he’s gone a whole season without prey” (257).  Slater’s story is relatable to many. It shows that in life, we must sacrifice certain things for greater priorities. 

"Sacrifice"

"I'm killing my body to save my mind- and it's downright scary. I can practically feel the sugar in my blood, practically hear the crystals clanking" (260).

Tom Nagy

Gallerystock.com

"How Doctors Die"

“How Doctors Die” is written by Ken Murray, a retired clinical assistant professor of family medicine at the University of Southern California. Its publication generated national attention after becoming viral on the internet. It helped develop conversation on controversial issues about patients’ wishes to end their lives and doctors’ decisions.

“How to Die”, similar to “The Good Short Life” may be written for an audience who is dealing with death of loved ones or just informative reading for a normal person. Murray wanted to provide the readers with the doctors’ views on death, which surprisingly contrasts with what they do explain his own choice on his death.

In his essay, Murray states that doctors are trained to do everything to keep their patients alive. However, they don’t want the same care for themselves. Murray’s fellow physicians have said that they’d rather be left to die than put in intensive care. “Some medical personnel wear medallions stamped “NO CODE” to tell physicians not to perform CPR on them” (232). When it comes to dying, most doctors will refuse to get radiation, chemotherapy, or surgical treatment even though they have access to any sort of medical care they want. So why are doctors so adamant about dying without medical help? According to Murray, “doctors know enough about modern medicine to know it’s limits” and after treating so many patients, they know “what all people fear most: dying in pain, and dying alone” (231). So when terminally ill doctors are faced with the decision to seek further treatment or stop treatment and spend time with their family, doctors will usually choose the latter. 

Through rhetorical devices and personal examples Murray achieves his purpose of explaining how people deserve a life of quality, not just quantity and a death with dignity. His essay is able to appeal to the readers through his use of logos and pathos. He persuades the audiences against intensive care for terminally sick patients with numbers and stats of the medical bills. In addition, he appealed to the audience emotionally by giving examples of his dead patient and cousin. The patient went against his advice and sought surgery, dying shortly after, but his cousin sought no medical help and enjoyed his last couple of days. “How to Die” was an interesting read that provided readers with a different perspective. 

"No Code"

“Some medical personnel wear medallions stamped “NO CODE” to tell physicians not to perform CPR on them” (232).

Jacob Sanders 

Jacobsandersillustration.blogspot.com

"The Good Short Life"

"The Good Short Life" was written by the journalist and author, Dudley Clendinen. Clendinen wrote for the New York Times and was also an editor for The Baltimore Sun. His essay is about his 18-month struggle with a terminal disease called ALS, or as Clendinen liked to call it, Lou. His essay is most likely targeted for people dealing with the death of or dying loved ones.

I found this short story intriguing because of the way he approached the topic of his death. Rather than ignoring his impending death, Clendinen decides to relish it by chronicling his last months on public radio and doing activities he enjoys with friends and family. He definitely came to terms with his fate, stating, “I’m having a wonderful time.” 

The way people deal with death is one of the most important topics Clendinen addresses in the essay. His purpose was to tell his own story to help make it easier for people to talk about death and dying. His main message to the readers is that people must accept the death of loved ones and also respect the wishes of those who would rather end their own life than let the disease kill them. He talks about how in our country, “we obsess about what to eat and dress and drink and live. But we don’t talk about how to die” (65). Clendinen sees Lou as “a weird blessing because there is no escape” (64). In fact, he is prepared. Clendinen says that he will pick the time and place of his death. He states that he would rather commit suicide than allow others to waste a huge amount of love and money caring for somebody who is no longer there. 

At first, after finishing the story I wasn’t sure whether I thought Clendinen’s choice to commit suicide was selfish or reasonable. However, after thinking about it and putting myself in his shoes, I’ve come to the conclusion that I agree with his decision. I wouldn’t want my family wasting money on me just so I could live a few more months as a vegetable either.

I think Clendinen succeeded in accomplishing his purpose of opening people’s eyes to how they viewed death through his essay. It was definitely advantageous that he was the protagonist because it made it more personal for the reader. In addition, he used many rhetorical devices such as logos, pathos and ethos in his writing. He appealed to the audience by stating stats about the costs of treatment and care, describing his daily struggles with ALS and most importantly challenging the majority’s view about dying. Clendinen’s metaphors and irony also drew me to his story. His humor and light-heartedness contrasts with the gloominess that usually surrounds the topic of death. For example, when talking about his wish to commit suicide Clendinen writes, “I just have to act while my hands still work: the gun, narcotics, sharp blades, a plastic bag, fast car over-the-counter drugs, oleander tea (the polite southern way), even helium. That would give me a really funny voice at the end” (66). Some may not agree with Clendinen’s way to end his life, however, the essay has definitely taught the readers that although death is inevitable, they are in charge of their own lives and should live it to the fullest.

"Moving on"

"When the music stops-when I can't tie my bow tie, tell a funny story, walk my dog, talk with Whitney, kiss someone special, or tap out lines like this- I'll know that Life is over" (66).

 http://indianapublicmedia.org

Don Glass