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.