AOW #8: "The Path Not Taken" Editorial

The Path Not Taken

The author of "The Path Not Taken," Paul Krugman, has wrote as an Op-Ed columnist for the New York Times since 1999. He is also a professor of Economics and International Affairs at Princeton University; therefore his opinion on the coping strategies of certain countries through these hard economic times expressed in this piece is knowledgeable. This editorial was specifically prompted by his visit to Iceland, where economists discussed how Iceland was handling their economic situation differently than other countries (exigence). Krugman explains that many European countries and the United States took the approach of cutting spending and bailing out banks at the cost of unemployment and hurting workers. He refutes their claims that this was the only approach; Iceland let its banks go bankrupt and “expanded its social safety net”. Krugman indicates that he would have rather seen the United States employ Iceland’s approach rather than their “‘fiscal consolidation’” approach (purpose) through rhetorical devices:

• diction: by using simple words rather than economic jargon (“an economy that is 18 percent smaller..” instead of something like, “The GNP is 18 percent lower...”), Krugman expands his audience beyond other economists to the public.
• repetition: in two consecutive sentences, Krugman used the term “slump” three times, which emphasized the economic repression.
• tone: for most of the piece, the tone was a bit depressing because Krugman continuously bashed the United States government for their costly economic coping strategy. However, because he was writing for an American newspaper: “It [the suffering of so many citizens because of the economic crisis] didn’t and doesn’t have to be this way.” With this last line, the tone switches to hopeful, which appeals to his American audience and encourages them to agree with his opinion.

I do not think Krugman accomplished his purpose because, although he did a thorough job in pointing out the failures of the bank-bail-out plan employed by the Unites States, he did not explain what Iceland was specifically doing (other than not bailing out banks) in their economic plan. This omission prevented the audience from being persuaded that the United States should copy Iceland’s economic plan.

AOW #7: Carcinogenic Cell Phones

Why the Latest Study on Cell Phone Use and Brain Cancer Won't Be the Last Word

This article, “Why the Latest Study on Cell Phone Use and Brain Cancer Won't Be the Last Word,” discusses the possibility that the radiation emitted from cell phones increases the chance of developing brain tumors. The author, Bryan Walsh, a senior writer at TIME.com (a well-credited, widely-read news source), presented both sides of the argument: he cited some scientists who concluded from their studies that cell phones are not carcinogenic, while also including the response of other scientists saying that such studies were unreliable because they were too short and uncontrolled. Walsh concluded that the issue it is still undecided, and there will most likely be more research and debate on the subject in the future. This article was written in the context of Cancer Awareness Month; October was designated as a period to remember those who died, survived, or are surviving from cancer and to support those who are working to find a cure. The purpose of this piece is to address circulating concerns in society on the subject: rhetorical devices such as using first person point of view when saying, “If you're suspicious of cell phones,” indicates that Walsh is trying to appeal to an audience of public readers who are concerned that their cell phones may be carcinogenic, and let them know that the answer to their concerns is unclear. Walsh is successful in this because he presents the conflicting ideas of both groups of scientists, showing that both groups are uncertain and need more research in order to back their claims. Another possible purpose of the piece is to lead readers to read other TIME articles, because there were links to articles written about a similar topic embedded in this article; I found this to be unsuccessful because I did not feel inclined to read those additional articles.

AOW #6: "To the Student"

“To The Student” is part of the introduction that explains the Lee A. Jacobus’s purpose of comprising A World of Ideas and how he intends the collection to be used by students. Jacobus writes that he first compiled the passages found in his book for his own students and was not expecting such a supportive and appraising public response; there were not many collections of its kind since the idea of publishing excerpts from multiple authors and thinkers ranging from Aristotle to Martin Luther King Jr. in one book was “modern.” Jacobus explains that this book is designed to help students with understanding the writing and meaning of such great thinkers, which is why he included footnotes and guides within the readings. Jacobus (author) is credible to write this passage because he is also the writer of the book that the passage is meant to introduce. The purpose of this passage was to instruct teachers and students on how to use this book since its exigence was that teachers and students were not used to using this kind of collection. Although the author appealed to instructors, his main audience for this passage was students, which is signified as he writes that students should not be intimidated by the readings in the book because his tips and notes will help with comprehension. Jacobus effectively uses the rhetorical element of arrangement to introduce himself to his audience by starting with the process he went through comprising the excerpts in the book, and ending on the assuring idea that understanding the authors in the book is possible; this further appeals to the students in his audience. He also appeals to logos by providing examples from letters he received from his readers that explained why this book was helpful and necessary for students. This helped him achieve his purpose of explaining how the book should be used.

Unit 1 Reflection

So far, the most helpful assignment was analyzing Tim O'Brien's "How to Tell A True War Story" on our own and analyzing its rhetorical strategies further in class. Analyzing the piece in depth on my own not only allowed me to form ideas about the rhetorical strategies, but also find the themes and other characteristics of literary analysis that O'Brien portrayed. Although this class is focused on rhetorical analysis rather than literary analysis, the literary aspects of the piece helped me identify and understand the rhetorical aspects that were discussed in class. For example, O'Brien's juxtaposition between light and darkness is a rhetorical strategy, but with my own literary analysis of the theme and meaning of the story, I can identify this juxtaposition to symbolize goodness and evil. Although we practiced these analyses for other pieces (like Pablo Picasso's Guernica), the lessons I learned from "How to Tell A True War Story" made the most memorable impression in my mind because we spent the most time on it.

AOW #5: Retracing the Steps of Ansel Adams

collection: Retracing The Steps of Ansel Adams

The purpose of the six pictures in Peter Essick’s collection featured on NPR, a publicly-funded world news source, is to honor the deceased famous photographer named Ansel Adams, who, like Essick currently, was a valued photographer for National Geographic. Essick’s black-and-white photographs in the collection mirror scenes of Adams’ own photographs. Judging by the number of comments expressing praise and appreciation for the beauty of the purpose and the beauty of the pictures, Essick’s purpose was accomplished.

Essick is trying to appeal to a wide audience of people from many different locations; this is apparent from the content of nature scenes from all over the world, which lets many people connect to them especially if they have been to the sites being featured, and from the context of being featured on a news website that is well-known to and viewed by many people all over the world.

Rhetorical Elements included:

• the pictures flow together well and are pleasing to the eye because each has a similarity to the one before and after it in the order: The first picture shows mountain ranges covered in snow, which relates to the second one that depicts dirt-covered mountains 
• the repetition of the contrasting black-and-white subjects in the pictures (the lighter mountains juxtapose the black sky in Picture 2, and the black trees juxtapose the white background in Picture 3) stresses the tone of reflection and commemoration

AOW #4: IRB Post #1

Dexter Filkins lives in New York, but has worked overseas as as a foreign journalist covering wars in Afghanistan and Iraq for the New York Times in 2001. Before this project, he worked as the chief of the Los Angeles Times’ New Delhi bureau, and for The Miami Herald. Filkins’ awards include a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the George Polk Award, and two Overseas Press Club awards. 

This book was published in 2008, a context that would have helped sell this book. In America, the 2008 presidential elections were underway and one of the key issues being considered for both the Democratic and Republican runners was their stance on the war in Iraq.

In this section, Filkins describes his experiences in Afghanistan. He converges many short stories of horrifying every-day events that he witnessed himself or that he gathered from his interviews. The story starts off with a detailed scene full of war action when he was with American marines, trying to advance in an Iraqi city. This was a clever introduction chapter because his audience, American citizens, would most likely be interested in the American side of the war – this is shown because he clearly pits the Iraqi soldiers as the ‘bad guys.’ In retrospect, this is understandable because, being a true, primary account, he did feel as if the Iraqi soldiers were the bad guys; they were firing at him too. Still, by addressing the part of the war that Americans are most likely to recognize and be interested in (especially for those interested in action-packed war), he is effectively achieving one purpose: pulling his audience into the story. A notable rhetorical element Filkins writes with is the syntax, especially the bluntness of certain sentences. For example, the detailed, fast-paced, anxious first chapter about the marine advance in an Iraqi town spanned of 9 pages long. Yet, Filkins concludes the experience with, “We’ve advanced about two hundred yards.” Not only does this symbolize his idea that the war is more complex than it seems (another purpose), but it also stresses the fact that the war is very real, dangerous, and hard for soldiers. The rest of the section is about his travels in Afghanistan, where he met with refugees, orphan children, and members of the Taliban – some who tried to kill him, and others who invited him to press conferences. Diction was another pivitol rhetorical element used; the words Filkins used to describe the setting, actions, and people mirrored the tone of the scene and how it made him feel. During one interview, the Afghani refugee was described with lifeless, piteous adjectives and his actions were described with verbs of the same tone, which emphasized the devastation Afghanistan has suffered over the years of fighting.

The overall purpose for this part of the story was to show the other side of the war, to portray the lives of the soldiers, refugees, and leaders of America’s opponents. Filkins highlights that many of the people mixed up in these towns have turned to fighting as a last resort because they are are uneducated and do not know any other way to survive, or they have been forced to do so by the Taliban or warlords. He is successful in this purpose. Filkins show that despite which side Afghanis choose, everyone suffers tremendously.