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.