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