Independent Viewing Project – Post 2

Choice 1

Claim: Although not explicitly stated, the main purpose of the film was to increase viewers’ appreciation of nature and will to protect the environment.

• awareness of context and audience:
• 2005 and years before, Al Gore gives speeches on environment and gains popularity for environmental concern(portrayed in An Inconvenient Truth released 2006)
• viewers of both were probably environmentalists or political followers of Al Gore who might have became more aware and concerned about the environment with after hearing his concerns about Global Warming
• an important message in his speeches was that glaciers are melting which is affecting 1. wildlife: polar bears cannot survive without ice, drowning, and potentially going extinct, and 2. humans: when glaciers melt, the melted water will create tsunamis and wind currents that will cause hurricanes, tornados that will destroy and/or flood major cities and coasts that will displace millions of people
• March of the Penguins mirrors 1. wildlife by planting the idea that the only reasons penguins are able to proliferate is because they can find solid ice to mate and rest on almost year-long – if the ice melts, the penguins will die and potentially go extinct
• March of the Penguins mirrors 2. many scenes in March of the Penguins show images of huge chunks of ice breaking off the side of glaciers and images of pools of the melted water that are caused by global warming and speed up the melting of glaciers; By showing these pictures throughout the film, this film subliminally solidifies the ideas that global warming is real, it will eventually affect us, and our environment needs to be protected, and we need to protect it
• third-person:
• using third person allows for speculation like “They’re really not that different than us” which increases audience’s concern for the penguins and feeling that penguins and their environment must be protected
• appeals to ethos by giving the feeling that the narrator is all-knowing and wise
• full-circle ending: beginning: “story of love”; end: “live and love”
• repetition of the theme of “love” adds importance and intrigue to the story, appeals to pathos, and also lets audience connect to the story and also increases concern for penguins and the feeling that environment must be protected
• reflects the “circle of life” theme that reminds the audience that they too are a part of the circle of life and have a duty to protect it and the environment

Independent Viewing Project – Post 1

March of the Penguins. Dir. Michel Fessler and Luc Jacques. By Luc Jacques. Perf. Morgan Freeman. Warner Bros., 2005. On Demand.

Originally titled La Marche de l’empereur, March of the Penguins is a nature movie that was released in 2005. The film was co-written by Michel Fessler and Luc Jacques; Jacques was also the director. While the French version was narrated by three voices as first-person insights to three penguins’ lives, the English version (the one I watched) was narrated by Morgan Freeman in third-person. Warner Bros. Studio distributed the film in America. The American film portrays one year of the life of a penguin, beginning with summer summer breeding when penguins above the age of five years old emerge from the Arctic waters to mate and hatch chicks. After laying the egg and passing it on to the father, the mother returns to the ocean to eat and catch fish to feed her chick once she returns to the father after winter ends and the egg hatches. This long march to and from the sea takes the whole winter, during which the fathers must survive the freezing climate and keep their eggs incubated. They huddle together for their egg’s and their own warmth until the mother returns. The movie concludes after the eggs hatch and all family members – mom, dad, and baby – return to the sea never to see each other again, as penguins are monogamous creatures who mate with a new partner each season.

There are several strategies the director used to make a seemingly simple and boring story of penguins impacting, interesting, and meaningful to viewers. The first is implemented by Morgan Freeman. The tone of voice Freeman uses to narrate the story reflects the mood of the scene; when Freeman introduces the film, his voice sounds wise and all-knowing, which, coupled with the majestic imagery of huge glaciers and snowy sunsets, eases the reader into the story and adds a feeling of importance and authority. The pictures enhance whatever Freeman is saying in the scene; for example, in the beginning of the film, Freeman speaks of the penguins’ purpose to mate and create “new life” just as a clip of a gorgeous sunrise pans over the television screen. Sunrises and babies both symbolize proliferation and the purpose of biology in general, and by matching them together, the director adds importance to the penguins’ lives and, therefore, to the film. This is also an example of the skillful use of diction throughout the film. Creating “new life” has much more positive and joyful connotations than a phrase like, “hatch offspring”. This euphemism is repeated throughout the film; Freeman refers to a mother penguin who is about to die of starvation and cold on her walk back to the sea by stating that “some fall asleep and disappear,” as a natural part of the circle of life that viewers must accept. This also adds to the beauty and importance of penguins’ lives. Freeman’s soothing, all-knowing voice states broad ideas that not only make penguins’ lives seem more important and beautiful to readers but also allows the film to move forward in time; in order to cover a year in an hour and a half, the film must skip through the seasons. Using general statements subliminally signals to the viewer that time is passing without rushing and destroying the mood. Background music also helps establish the mood of certain scenes. When a predator approaches an egg, suspenseful and stressful music plays. When chicks play and chirp, joyful, silly music can be heard.

AOW #28: IRB

In this section, pages 98-195, Monsieur Poirot attempts to find out more about Norma Restarick by contacting her family, friends, and connections they might have that would influence Norma. Poirot is frustrated by all of the information he has gathered: he sees “the links”, that connect people surrounding Norma to her and to each other, but he cannot find “the pattern”. He can not make sense of the information that would explain what Norma had first referred to when she told him she “thought” that she had committed a murder. This frustration he feels is reflected in the writing; the omniscient narrator takes the reader through Poirot’s thoughts as he summarizes and mulls over all the information he has gathered. This provides the reader with an overview of what has been uncovered, and what may be important in solving the mystery. In his summary he stresses some aspects that the reader knows to be important, such as the significance of Norma’s position as “The third girl”. Not only does the reader note this fact as important because of it’s repeated mention, but also because it is the title of the book. The individual parts of the mystery are presented through different characters, not only Poirot; using third person omniscient allows Christie to reveal tiny pieces of information that may be useful to Poirot through other characters in different chapters, different parts of the story. When Christie then describes their interpretation of their experiences to Poirot, the reader is able to compare what actually happened to what Poirot thinks happened. This is important because there are some discrepancies which affect Poirot’s ability to solve the mystery. For example, Mrs. Oliver, an old woman who is trying to help Poirot, finds out that one of the tenants of the apartment building Norma lives in died shortly before Poirot’s first encounter with Norma. Mrs. Oliver did not note this as important, so she mentions it briefly a while after finding out. Poirot is very upset by this, because he does think this is important. This example of the effective use of breaking the information into parts also shows one of the many intricate interrelationships surrounding the mystery that Poirot finds very frustrating. After Poirot investigates this “suicide”, he finds that the name of the woman who died is Louise Charpentier. Poirot does not realize this, but Louise was also the name of the woman who could be blamed for Norma’s destroyed childhood: her father had left her mother for another woman – a woman named Louise. The reader realizes this connection because it was discussed by other characters in an earlier chapter. But Poirot does not. At first, I did not make the connection between the two “Louise”s mentioned; however, the suspenseful conclusion, like many of the other cliff-hangers she ends her chapters with, stresses the importance of the name. Christie writes (from Poirot’s point of view), “Why had the name Louise some haunting memory about it?” (Christie 188). This is one example of the effectiveness  of Christie’s style in pulling the reader into the story and encouraging them to solve the mystery with Monsieur Poirot.

AOW #27: IRB 2

In this section, pages 98-195, Monsieur Poirot attempts to find out more about Norma Restarick by contacting her family, friends, and connections they might have that would influence Norma. Poirot is frustrated by all of the information he has gathered: he sees “the links”, that connect people surrounding Norma to her and to each other, but he cannot find “the pattern”. He can not make sense of the information that would explain what Norma had first referred to when she told him she “thought” that she had committed a murder. This frustration he feels is reflected in the writing; the omniscient narrator takes the reader through Poirot’s thoughts as he summarizes and mulls over all the information he has gathered. This provides the reader with an overview of what has been uncovered, and what may be important in solving the mystery. In his summary he stresses some aspects that the reader knows to be important, such as the significance of Norma’s position as “The third girl”. Not only does the reader note this fact as important because of it’s repeated mention, but also because it is the title of the book. The individual parts of the mystery are presented through different characters, not only Poirot; using third person omniscient allows Christie to reveal tiny pieces of information that may be useful to Poirot through other characters in different chapters, different parts of the story. When Christie then describes their interpretation of their experiences to Poirot, the reader is able to compare what actually happened to what Poirot thinks happened. This is important because there are some discrepancies which affect Poirot’s ability to solve the mystery. For example, Mrs. Oliver, an old woman who is trying to help Poirot, finds out that one of the tenants of the apartment building Norma lives in died shortly before Poirot’s first encounter with Norma. Mrs. Oliver did not note this as important, so she mentions it briefly a while after finding out. Poirot is very upset by this, because he does think this is important. This example of the effective use of breaking the information into parts also shows one of the many intricate interrelationships surrounding the mystery that Poirot finds very frustrating. After Poirot investigates this “suicide”, he finds that the name of the woman who died is Louise Charpentier. Poirot does not realize this, but Louise was also the name of the woman who could be blamed for Norma’s destroyed childhood: her father had left her mother for another woman – a woman named Louise. The reader realizes this connection because it was discussed by other characters in an earlier chapter. But Poirot does not. At first, I did not make the connection between the two “Louise”s mentioned; however, the suspenseful conclusion, like many of the other cliff-hangers she ends her chapters with, stresses the importance of the name. Christie writes (from Poirot’s point of view), “Why had the name Louise some haunting memory about it?” (Christie 188). This is one example of the effectiveness  of Christie’s style in pulling the reader into the story and encouraging them to solve the mystery with Monsieur Poirot.

AOW #26

This TV advertisement was recently released by Apple to promote their latest version of the iPad, which features Retina display, 5MP iSight camera, and 4G LTE. The clip features 2 young girls, scenes from the movie, Up, a flower, text from a children’s book, and a painting. Along with background music, these images are used to illustrate the adjectives the narrator uses to describe the iPad: stunning, brilliant, new, vibrant. The purpose of the advertisement is to convince their audience that the improvements made to this new iPad make it worth $500. The images shown indicate that the targeted audience consists of children and their parents: Up and the text appeal to children, and the images of happy, smiling, learning children appeal to parents who want their children to be happy, smiling, and learning. The tone of the background music and of the narrator serves as another rhetorical device intended to appeal to children and their parents; the tone is soft, gentle, and simplistic. The progression of dark to light images symbolizes the learning that the iPad brings to children, while also reflecting the context of the advertisement: spring is approaching, so Apple used scenes of butterflies, flowers, and bright green grass backgrounds to illustrate the positive diction. While I agree that this iPad is very high-tech and innovative, I do not see why parents would spend $500 on a slim piece of technology for their children to finger print and potentially break, especially if they already bought an earlier version of the iPad. For this reason, (even though I would not mind having one myself) I do not think Apple achieved its purpose.

AOW #25: Text (APUSH Chapter 30)

Chapter 30 in The American Pageant, written by David M. Kennedy, Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas A. Bailey (all renowned professors of history considered to be experts in the area of study), describes America’s role in and point of view during World War I. This book was written for American high school students who are preparing to take the AP United States History Exam in May, which influences the way it’s written insofar as which facts and concepts it highlights. For example, instead of delineating the exact warpath of each Allied army unit with full descriptions of each battle, the text book only mentions the most important ones with more focus on their historical significance than their military technicalities. This is because the AP exam focuses on the “historical mindedness” aspect of United States History: the overall trends and events that have shaped our society in a way that have caused our country to be the way it is today and how they did this. Memorizing each battle will not help with the AP Exam. The authors included other rhetorical elements that are intended to help students study for the exam, including organization, colored maps and pictures, and extra passages. The chapters are organized with bolded, colorful, attention-grabbing headings and titles that indicate what the section will be about. They also reflect the narrative style of the writing; rather than listing the information as dry facts, the authors write history as if it were a story and the titles are just as captivating. The colored maps and pictures provide more material for students to survey while reading which breaks up the sometimes-seemingly-monotonous text and also help students further understand concepts being discussed in the text. Extra passages are included to delve further into an idea discussed briefly in the main text (such as more detail about the migration of the Irish to America) or to introduce other ways of thinking about what was presented in the main text (such as the “Varying Viewpoints” passages inserted at the close of almost every chapter). With these rhetorical elements, the authors accomplish their purpose of helping students prepare for the AP exam.

AOW #24: Text

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17174678

This piece, published by BBC News, a widely-read news source based in Britain, recapped the awards given at the Oscars earlier in February (exigence). It was purely informative, and was almost presented in a listing format, indicating that the audience of the piece was those interested in the Oscars and who missed the original showing (audience). However, little descriptions were given about each of the actors or actresses, or about the movies or directors that were being awarded so readers could have a sense of what the awards were commending rather than just a list of names and titles (rhetorical device). These descriptions also served one of author’s purposes of enticing readers to watch the movies that were given the awards (purpose). This purpose was not achieved in my opinion because as a reader I do not feel the need to watch any of these movies because I read this article. At the bottom of the article there are many other videos and articles about the Oscars; this encourages readers to peruse the news-site more which is probably another interest driving BBC to post a recap of the Oscars (purpose). This purpose was also not achieved for me because I was not interested in watching any of these other clips. Pictures were inserted in the text, which was informative but written with varying syntax and diction (rhetorical devices); both of these rhetorical devices kept readers interested in the happenings and helped distinguish each award from the other.

AOW # 23: Visual

In the February issue of Vogue, a magazine that millions of women all over the world read for fashion and entertainment, the selections for “FLASH – Talking Fashion” column was called “Gilded Age,” featuring seven images of women wearing gold and sparkly evening dresses. The main text for the collection reads, “A metallic sheen can be more than just an accent as the Red Carpet’s brightest strike gold.” This alludes to the context of the piece; thousands of people watched the Grammy Awards, where popular musicians performed their pieces and the best artists were voted for prestigious award. I had a personal context for noticing this page: the title, “Gilded Age” reminded me of our APUSH discussions about how Twain sarcastically called the time period after the Civil War “The Gilded Age” because the time saw many new advancements and developments in America, which gave the political, social, and economic corruption that were also important characteristics of the era a ‘golden cover-up’. This suggests that a possible purpose of the piece (other than to remind viewers to watch the Grammy’s) was to slyly criticize the ‘golden cover-up’ to today’s time also; there are many political, social, and economic problems America and the rest of the world are facing today, yet so many members of the upper class are spending millions of dollars on expensive, fancy outfits and other unnecessary commodities when they could be using the money to help others who are less fortunate. The audience Vogue is trying to attract with this topic are those who watched the Grammy Awards and those members of the upper class (and perhaps those who know of the historical American “Golden Age”). Notable rhetorical elements included placing, sizing, and shapes; Vogue editors knew that the bright, gold dresses could be overwhelming and confusing to look at, so they placed the rectangular pictures in straight rows to simplify the page. But the pictures were different sizes, which avoided the piece from being boring and monotonous.  

AOW #22: IRB 1

In the first section of Third Girl, readers discover the meaning of the title; the plot revolves around “the third girl” – a character, Norma, who is the third girl to share the rent of an apartment shared by two friends who needed another roommate in order to afford the flat. Norma is introduced to the reader when she visits the main character, Monsieur Poirot, an “old” detective, and tells him that she thinks she committed a murder. Then she decides telling M. Poirot her situation was a bad idea and leaves without giving her name, phone number, or any other contact information. Luckily, when M. Poirot was telling his friend, Mrs. Oliver, about the strange encounter, Mrs. Oliver recognized his description of her appearance: she was an ugly college-aged girl with dark, curly hair. Mrs. Oliver’s character is perfect for continuing the plot because of her nosy curiosity and her connections, both of which eventually allow her and M. Poirot to figure out the details of Norma’s life, including her family situation, her job, her boyfriend, and most importantly, her bizarre and “crazy” personality. The story takes place in England, where the country-side and the city of London are close to each other, which allows for the initial search for Norma: her family in the country-side thinks she is working in London, but her roommates in London know she is not there and is missing and/or hiding. This draws the reader further into the story and allows the plot to continue. The point of view is third person omniscient, although it is mostly from the point of view of M. Poirot, Mrs. Oliver, or Norma’s roommates. This allows Christie to present the story in different pieces, which makes it more enjoyable for the reader to try to put the ‘pieces together’ and solve the mystery. It is hard to predict the theme and purpose of this story from only reading the first section, but I predict that it will be about the differences and miscommunications between younger and older generations; the first scene stresses the fact that M. Poirot is very old compared to Norma, and the idea that ‘the girl is young’ tends to be a frequently frowned-upon excuse made for her when the older adults do not understand her actions.

AOW #19

Leslie Camhi, an author who writes the “Up Front” column in Vogue, revealed her failed love story in An Old Flame Flames Out with several purposes in mind. She described how she took the chance to reconnect with her “first love” who she had first met in her childhood. Camhi rented an apartment with this man after he told her his divorce was finalized, and set out to create their life together with her 6-year-old son, Asher. At first, things went well until he started traveling more frequently “for business”. Although he sent her love letters and called her, she uncovered the fact that he was seeing his ex-wife, and his divorce had not actually been finalized. As Camhi wrote, “then he vanished”. No emails, no calls, no contact. 

The purpose of this article was not only to entertain silly readers with a romantic episode; Camhi explained from the beginning that her relationship failed with him leaving her, so readers knew it would not be a typical happily-ever-after love story. Instead, Camhi’s purpose was to tell other independent, successful women (audience) that in the real world, fairy tales do not exist, but that trying for one is bold, exciting, but not without consequences. One rhetorical device that indicated this message was that Camhi never revealed her lover’s name; she referred to him as “he”. This not only allowed readers to connect to the story more easily, but it also shifted the focus from the man’s personality to his role and actions in their relationship. This emphasized both his charm and his faults, which supported her conclusion that while she enjoyed their love while it lasted, she realized he was not the man she dreamed of, since he hurt her and her child when he disappeared. Because it was told in first person, Camhi was able to soften the fact that she had cheated on “her son’s father” with this other man in order to appeal to the audience as a credible and honorable person, worthy of listening to for relationship advise, with the diction she used to present her affair. This rhetorical devise was also crucial in achieving her purpose; I believe she was successful.

Love is timeless, as relationships have been an important part of life since cavemen, so there was no revealed exigence that decided the timing of the piece other than that the author was ready to tell her story. 

IR Fiction Book

Title: Third Girl

Author: Agatha Christie

Sections:

pgs. 1-97

pgs. 98-195

pgs. 196-275 (end)

I chose this book because I have read other Poirot mysteries by Christie, so I already know that Third Girl will be enjoyable and perfect for this assignment: the ratios of Burkes Pentad are easy to identify because of the detailed and intricate way Christie reveals the plot, theme, purpose, and characters, such as Monsieur Poirot, the detective featured as the main character in this piece and many of her other works.

AOW #18: Media

To Love Again, by Chris Botti

This song was released by Chris Botti, an American trumpeter and composer who has been nominated for multiple Grammy Awards, among other awards, in his 2005 album To Love Again, The Duets. The album featured this song, “To Love Again”, and was a sequel to his previous album, When I Fall in Love (context). Listeners can interpret the purpose to be continuing a love story Botti expresses through music; another purpose may have been to broaden his audience and reach more listeners because the performance that Botti presented the piece with showcased guest vocalists and took place in London. The piece starts with a soft Botti starts the piece with a short introduction before he comes in strong with the trumpet. The tone is soft and quiet, suggesting reserve and defeat. Then it shifts to sadness when the trumpet enters with a quick crescendo that backs off and fades away, still suggesting reserve. But as the piece progresses, the trumpet builds and the higher, stronger notes make the tone more hopeful. This reflects the title, “To Love Again”, because when a person loves again, they are emerging from reserve and defeat in order to hope for a new love. This interpretation would reveal another purpose: to demonstrate that people can love again. After listening to this song, the listener is left in a better mood and more open to loving again; he did accomplish their purpose.

Unit 3 Reflection

      In addressing this response, it is necessary to first define the terms “society” and “individual.” In this case, “individual” refers to one person and “society” refers to  the aggregation of these “individuals.” By those definitions, societies have been around since the beginning of mankind: cavemen travelled in groups, and although they may not have settled with the same people in a permanent location, I still believe these groups could be referred to as “societies” since they were comprised of individual people living together. What is thought of as a “society” today is larger, more advanced, and more structured than the caveman society. Today’s societies have things like education, laws, economy, family, media, entertainment, and technology. Today’s societies are regulated by governments that must manage the individuals within their society. In order to have a functioning society it is important for the government and the individual citizens to work together and uphold their duties: a government must be respectful to and include all of its citizens, and citizens must be respectful to their government and include all of the other citizens in society. The writings of Thomas Jefferson, Katy Stanton, and Martin Luther King Jr. show how American society and individuals felt that these duties were important as well.

Governments must represent all people and their goals and beliefs. This is a crucial way that all individuals can be included in their society. The Declaration of Independence shows that the founding fathers of America realized this as well. One of the claimed “truths” colonial Americans believed “self-evident,” and therefore crucial for Great Britain to acknowledge, was that a ruling government derives their “just powers from the consent of the governed” (Jacobus 80). In writing this, Thomas Jefferson implied that King George did not have the consent of the colonists; King George did not represent all of the individuals he claimed to govern. We know from history that, the Americans separated from Great Britain during the Revolution because King George did not represent the colonists and did not include them in his government. Still, the American government that formed after their independence was not perfect either. The Declaration of Independence claimed that all white men were given rights, omitting women and blacks (80). These underrepresented people eventually petitioned and fought for rights, led respectively by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Martin Luther King Jr. Stanton mimicked the structure and diction of the Declaration of Independence, but added the idea that “all men and women were created equal,” proving that women deserve the same rights as men (204). Similarly, Martin Luther King Jr. petitioned segregation of African Americans by caucasian Americans in his letters from Birmingham Jail stating that, “it gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority” (219). Both Stanton and King argue that the American government was not just in repressing certain peoples in society. The American government needed to include these groups in the government in order to promote a successful society. These individuals have duties too; citizens must respect their government and work with their leaders in order to promote cooperation. The diction and tone in Martin Luther King Jr.’s letters shows this respect: in responding to his critics, some of them being very violent, King calmly explained that “since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable term” (214). King uses rational, calm diction that shows he respects other citizens in America and that shows he respects the American government, even if he is pointing out their representative faults. 

It is imperative that individuals to respect their government and that governments include and represent all individuals in order to have a functioning society. This is reflected in the evolution of American society through the writings of Thomas Jefferson, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Martin Luther King Jr. 

AOW #17: IRB Post #2

In this section of Bella Tuscany, Fances Mayes, continues to describe her life in rural Italy and contrast it with time she spends in the United States. As she portrays the everyday tasks of adjusting to her new Italian home, Mayes also informs her audience of  the new cultural lessons she is experiencing. The style she uses in these explanations indicate that she is appealing to an American audience; for example, when Mayes describes the Italian wine, “vin santo”, to taste “something like sherry” (97). Most Americans are familiar with sherry, which is why this detail also appeals to an American audience. Similarly, when Mayes is describing a guest house she is visiting, she notes that there is “No TV, no technology at all, not even a radio in sight” (97). Not only does this resonate with the stereotypical TV-loving American, but such informal diction (“TV” rather than “television”) indicates that Mayes is appealing to readers of a wide range of reading levels. The short syntax of that example quickens the pace of reading and draws the reader into the story, making them feel more surprised that there is not technology in the guest house. This example of informal, colloquial diction and short, choppy syntax contrasts with other examples of language she uses that appeal to higher reading levels; another sentence in that chapter reads, “Finding the taproots of places far in the country counterweighs the noetic life with a powerful reality” (112). The language and syntax of that sentence differ from the previous example I used in that the vocabulary is more advanced (“neotic”) and the syntax is more balanced. By using these different styles in the same piece, Mayes is able to reach out to a wider audience. Such beautiful imagery used in the latter example portray the entire theme of the book: the beauty of Italy.

AOW #16: Text

Josh Bell

Newsweek’s “My Favorite Mistake” featured Joshua Bell, a well-known American violinist, this month. The article described how Joshua Bell  restarted a piece after he made a mistake in the beginning of an audition in front of a live audience when he was 12 years old. He auditioned for the experience rather than to win; it was a college-level competition. However, because of his talent, because he did not get flustered, and because he calmly started over, he was able to correct his mistake and win third place. After describing this event, Bell describes the messages he wants his readers to learn from his story: “when you take your mind off worrying about being perfect all the time, sometimes amazing things can happen,” and that “so much of performing is a mind game” (purpose). The second message is specific to performers, but he widens his audience because everyone can learn from the first message. A major rhetorical device Bell uses is colloquial language; his diction is plain and his sentences are short, as if he is speaking to the reader in person rather than writing in a magazine, which allows the audience to connect to his story. Otherwise, the audience might have trouble relating to a nationally-famous, Grammy-winning musician. By using first person and actually quoting Bell, the Newsweek interviewer, Kara Cutruzzula, makes the piece more personal and enjoyable to read. This attracts more people to this piece and also encourages people to read the next “My Favorite Mistake” article she publishes in next month’s magazine. The exigence is apparent as the reader glances through the “Career Arc” timeline that notes the release date of Bell’s next album in 2012. Therefore, another purpose Bell wrote this was to advertise for his new album. Because his story was inspiring, I think Bell did achieve his purpose in leading readers to believe that his music is inspiring as well and in convincing them to listen to his work.