"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.
"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.
“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 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.
