TOW #11 - National Geographic Jane Goodall (visual text)

This image was taken by a national geographic photographer and pictured is anthropologist, Jane Goodall. In this image she is reaching out to a baby chimpanzee. She is dressed in typical safari attire, khaki shirt and shorts. The image was taken at the perspective of seeing more of the back of Goodall's head but the face of chimpanzee. They are both reaching out to one another. Both the subjects of this photo are in focus but the background is not.
By analyzing the setup and context of this issue a few meanings can be extracted. One observed meaning is that of two worlds coming together. Goodall studies humans and primates and this image depicts both coming into contact. There are studies that humans have evolved from apes and it is as if in this image these two very similar creations are connecting over mutual genetic make ups. Another meaning depicted by this image is that of humans respecting that they share this world with animals. Animals are just as important to this world as humans and both can benefit the other. Humans must respect their fellow living creature and Goodall clearly acknowledges and respects that for in this image she is reaching out to a creature for whom she respects and admires.
The audience of this image I believe is humans as a whole. To make them aware and also fascinated by the ways humans and animals can interact. While yes many wild animals are dangerous because they have the natural instincts to attack the unknown (humans) there are also animals for whom we do not need to be afraid. Goodall exhibits that sometimes they are just as curious as we are and that communication can be possible and teach us more about our fellow inhabitants of this planet.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/125/national-geographic-memorable-moments/#/7

TOW #10 - Dog Days and Starlit Nights (written)

     Dog Days and Starlit Nights is a nonfiction short story written by Angie J. Mayfield. She is an English professor at Vincennes University in Indiana. This short factoid helps to establish her credibility as a writer. This short piece is about her finding a stray dog on the side of a road and taking it in as her on. She recollects on her children's first reactions and hers and how the dog adapted to its new home.
     It is a short story that is directly to the point but filled with just enough to keep the reader intrigued. One of her strongest strategies with this piece is her imagery. Mayfield really paints the scene and describes every happening with great detail. In such a short piece it is important to be concise yet thick. What I mean by this is that it is called a short story for a reason, because it is supposed to be exactly that. But this does not mean that simplistic language is necessary nor that the content has to be weak. Even the shortest of stories can be powerful, such as this one.
    Branching off this idea of the how powerful this piece is, is the way that Mayfield appeals to pathos. She creates this appeal through her previous mentioned descriptions. She mentions the withering state of the dog and how easily her family welcomed such a poorly appearing creature into their home. Right there we have two major elements that create an emotional reaction. The mention of family and dogs are usually things that spark some type of feeling. Mayfield takes advantage of this to connect to her audience.
     I believe that the audience of this piece is people as a whole. To get them to realize that even the most broken looking of things have the ability to heal. This idea also relates to he purpose. An example of how she appeals to both audience and her purpose is when she first found this dog it was scavenging for food and was stick thin but that didn't stop her from welcoming the creature into her home to be taken care of. Every creature deserves love and compassion and the chance to be repaired and I think that is her purpose in writing such a piece.

http://www.backhandstories.com/non-fiction/dog-days-and-starlit-nights-by-angie-j-mayfield/#more-253

IRB #2 Intro - In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote is the story of a murder that took place in Holcomb, Kansas in 1959. The victims were a man named Herbert Clutter, his wife and two of their children. Once Capote heard of the murder case he was intrigued to find out more so he traveled to Kansas and interviewed locals and people working on the case and gather enough notes to produce this book. Through his extensive research and first hand information collection dying the unraveling of this murder, he was also able to see what effects the case had on the community.
This book is greatly unlike anything that I have ever read before and when it was recommended to me I found it's topic very interesting. Although they can be eery and gruesome I love to watch murder mysteries or crime shows and this is a real life case of one so it caught my interest at first recommendation. From this book I hope to gain true insight into the process of solving a murder. I am well aware that most things on television are fabricated so I am interested to find out what really happened in a true life murder case.

TOW #9 - Martin Luther Kind Jr's I have a Dream Speech (written)

Martin Luther King Jr was a social rights activist. Many associate the name with the man who sought equality and change in this nation and who was so close but was sadly taken from this earth too soon. But his contributions and the work that he did for the equality of minorities is one that has gone down in the record books. In his most famous speech, "I have a Dream..." King's most successfully used rhetorical devices are anaphora and allusion.
King wants people to become aware that certain groups are being denied their god given rights and that it is his hope to see the day when people are no longer plagued by the injustices of others. One way he accomplishes this is through anaphora. He constantly repeats phrases and terms at the beginnings, middles and ends of his sentences to really drive his point home. A specific example of this is when he mentions that while slavery has ended, the discrimination of blacks has not. He repeats the phrase "one hundred years ago" for a few consecutive sentences and this is then followed by examples of what was extended o happen with the end of slavery but how that did not work out as planned. Building off of the repetition of this phrase and his mention of the past Kind also effectively uses allusion as another rhetorical device. As previously mentioned he references the past and more specifically President Lincoln who was the abolitionist of slavery. King cites the things that Lincoln fought for as an allusion to the current time period and how it was written into law years ago and still not abided by. His point in these references to the past are for people to be aware that these rules exist but are cruelly ignored out go ignorance and prejudice. He wants to see a better more inclusive world than that which he sees around him. Considering the fact that King went about his protests in a nonviolent matter it is understood why his words and speech would be so strong and use such powerful devices to get his point across.

TOW #8 - IRB

Author of The Glass Castle Jeanette Walls grew up in life of disorganized chaos. With two very outward thinking parents her life was no where near ordinary. Her book The Glass Castle tells this story of her childhood and how she finally got out of an unhealthy situation. The first half of the story is mostly about her and her family constantly moving and how she was so young she thought nothing of it and that her life was special. But contrastingly in the second half of the book, her family has settled into one place and her main objective is to be saving money to leave the dreadful situation behind. Overall Walls uses meaningful character evolution and symbolism to get show the long and winding path she took to get where she is today.

As I said that book started with Walls being so young that she believes the way her parents act is normal that her life is one big adventure. But once they get settled down in a run down town, and a few years later her sister decides to leave, she realizes that she needs to get out and see the world. This evolution of her view on her lifestyle flows chronologically with the stages of her life she is in. The story begins with her being naive and standing up for all of the wrong things such as always defending her father for his drinking. Then we see towards the end of the story her seeing all the flaws of the way her family lives and no longer supporting her fathers decisions. This loss of belief in her father can also be seen as symbolic of her trying to grow up from her past and move on to a brighter future. This sense of time and of maturity growth helps the audience follow the author and travel with her into her new life.

I believe that she reaches out to an audience of misunderstood kids or kids in rough situations to give them the spark of hope that they can overcome their obstacles. Family issues tend to be very complex and not the easiest situations to get out of but Walls exhibits that she was able to and she clearly became successful from her efforts. Through such a personal story she really shows that one doesn't have to succumb to the status of their families. They can branch out and be their own person and find themselves as hard of a process as it may be.