TOW #30: Letter to a new APELC student

Dear New APELC Student,

Welcome to Junior Year and the wonderful world of AP courses! You’ve

probably walked into Mr. Yost’s room today feeling a bit intimidated by the

mountain of a year that lies before you; especially since you’ve opted to take the

widely-feared Eleventh Grade AP English. Well, you have the right to be a bit

nervous, as Junior Year is the cornerstone of your high school career. However,

I’m going to tell you today that if you’ve come into the year (and specifically this

classroom) focused and ready to improve yourself, you will be absolutely fine.

Since you’ve decided to take AP English this year, it probably means that

you’re the type of student who received high A’s and A+’s each marking period of 9th

and 10th

 grade English. One thing to be prepared for as you begin this course is that

you will likely not receive the grades that you’re used to receiving in an English

class. The nature of this course being an AP requires a definite shift in the mindset of

a student transitioning from Honors English classes. But this is no reason to be

discouraged. When you inevitably start out the year receiving grades that are lower

than you’re used to, use this as motivation to improve yourself rather than a cause

for giving up on the class. If you stay motivated and continue giving assignments like

timed essays and short quizzes your full attention, they will undoubtedly get easier

as the year goes on.

Another major thing that people feared last year coming into AP English was

the thought of taking the exam in May. If you’re anything like I was at the beginning

of Junior Year, a three hour long exam that includes hand-writing three full length

essays seems impossible. Rest assured though, by the end of the year you will be so

prepared for the exam that it won’t even seem like anything out of the ordinary. The

daily trials of this class will improve your writing and analysis skills, prepare you for

any arduous future testing occasion, and maybe even end up getting you credit to

put towards college. Overall, you’ve made a really good choice in choosing to take

this class. It is one of my favorites that I’ve ever taken. Keep a positive outlook this

year, don’t be afraid to ask for help, and stay focused. You’ll be fine.

Good Luck,

Abby Ponticello

Tow #29: Waiting for Superman part 2

            Waiting For Superman, a documentary by director Davis Guggenheim and producer Lesley Chilcott, exposes the major flaws of the United States public education system and expresses a need for reform. It follows a number of ambitious young children, both less- fortunate and well off, as they journey through the public school system and eventually apply for acceptance at charter schools. One of the major claims that is set forth by Waiting For Superman is that the difficulty of firing a teacher from a position in the public school system is extremely damaging for the good of the children at stake. Based on the information provided in the film and outside testimony, I am inclined to strongly agree with this claim.

            The information provided in this film informs the viewer that in many districts and states of America, there is a stipulation in the contract of public school teachers that makes it very difficult to fire them after they have been employed at any given district for a certain amount of time. The statistic that was used to back this statement was that in Illinois, while 1 in 97 attorneys loose their law licenses each year, only 1 in 2500 teachers loose their teaching credentials. The difficulty of firing teachers creates a situation known as the “lemon dance”, where each year school districts shift around teachers that are openly known to be incompetent or flat out bad. This creates a situation where districts keep teachers that they know are not benefitting the students simply on a legal formality. The students that fall into the hands of such teachers fall several grade levels behind their counterparts with teachers that are effectively covering all of the curriculum material. When these students are then moved on to the next grade and integrated with their peers, they find themselves struggling and becoming discouraged with the education system. For a system that will enable students to succeed, the contractual obstacles that stand in the way of firing truly bad teachers must be changed. 

Tow #28: Waiting For Superman

            Waiting For Superman is a documentary from well-known American director Davis Guggenheim and producer Lesley Chilcott. This film examines the flaws and failures of the American public school system in relation to that of other developed countries and the evolving expectations of education over time. Several children of different socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds are followed throughout the film and their difficulties in the public education system are documented. Social activist and educator Geoffrey Canada, as well as other education-authorities, offer commentary throughout the film. The exposé-type nature of the content offered by Waiting For Superman responds to obvious failings of schools, teachers, and students in America over the last few decades, and a subsequent growing call for reform.

            Though this documentary embodies a sentiment of the masses, the direct voice behind the information of the film is director Davis Guggenheim. With this piece of work, Guggenheim aims to inform his audience of average American viewers of the bad state of public schools throughout the nation. By spreading awareness, the ultimate purpose is to rally the American people to get involved and eventually change the failing system. Though parents of children enrolled in “drop-out factory” inner city schools may be well aware of the deplorable state of American education today, middle or upper class Americans living in the suburbs may not have such a keen awareness. Guggenheim uses this documentary as a means to spread information beyond the direct pool of people it affects most.

            This film is not only heavily saturated with necessary information; it is also entertaining and contains many elements of good cinematography. The soundtrack is one prime example of a cinematic factor that helps to achieve the film’s purpose. The sad, slow piano pieces that play during clips of less-fortunate children and schools create an instant emotional appeal to the viewer that makes them feel personally invested in the issues that are being depicted. The information being presented is proved credible thanks to the wise selection of education-authorities such as Geoffrey Canada and former DC school superintendent Michelle Rhee that comment of the film’s content. The abundance of data and statistics relating to the failures of public schools is also instrumental in exemplifying the terrible state of the American public education system today. The inclusion of data appeals to the reader’s sense of reason and rational thinking, as well as proving that the views included are not biased and can be backed by cold hard facts.  

TOW #27: Reflection

This week, for the first of the post-exam TOW assignments, I read three of my old TOW posts from throughout the year. I read Tow #7: The Fruit that Really Does Keep the Doctor Away from marking period one, Tow #14: Rent Original Broadway Promotion Poster from marking period two, and Tow #20: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell from the third marking period. As I broke down each post and examined the different components, there was one clear progression that I saw from the first post to the last. In my earliest post, though I attempted to smoothly combine the necessary features into a coherent analysis, it definitely seemed a bit disjointed. By my second post I was able to more smoothly identify the rhetorical strategies and tie them in with the author’s purpose, though the transition from my introduction to analysis of strategy wasn’t very sophisticated. The growth in my third marking period post demonstrated an overall more sophisticated command of analysis, with the transitions between each component being very smooth. Even reading back this post I’m not able to clearly pick out a spot for each individual criteria that went into the writing, though each one is included. This higher level of sophistication in seamlessly tying analysis of strategies used to how they achieve the author’s purpose is the main skill that I mastered throughout the course of this year. One aspect that could still use some improvement is variation of rhetorical strategies to analyze. Looking at the body of work on my blog, I analyzed a lot of the same rhetorical strategies over and over again. In future writing endeavors I will try to vary my sources of analysis.

            When it came time for the exam, I began to realize how practicing on tow posts had helped me gain the ability to look at a piece, quickly discern the author’s purpose, identify rhetorical strategies, and connect the pieces into a coherent analysis. These skills benefitted me on the both the writing and the multiple-choice portions of the exam. Though it may have seemed like a pesky extra assignment at the beginning of the year, I feel that tows provided me with valuable practice and were beneficial in the long run. 

TOW 26: Personality trait that most often predicts success by Drake Baer

            According to a recent article published by Drake Baer of Yahoo Finance online, the number one trait in society today that links people to success throughout life is conscientiousness. Though there are a number of other traits, such as agreeableness and extroversion, which have links to the success of individuals, conscientiousness seems to be the one with the most staggering evidence and lifelong implications. With the tendency to be thoughtful and responsible, conscientious people generally succeed in a work or social environment more so than others and are even proven to live longer due to heightened health considerations. In a current American society so driven by the need to be successful, this article is contains information that is highly in demand and is very relevant to an audience of young, average Americans. In writing this piece, the author is conveying the theory that pure intelligence, contrary to popular belief, is not the most important factor to success in today’s society.

            Yahoo business insider Drake Baer appeals to logos very effectively in this article through usage of expert testimony and data. One such example of reliable testimony is when Baer cites University of Pennsylvania psychologist Angela Duckworth as saying that aspects of conscientiousness “self control and grit” are most integral to the academic success of children than their IQs. The author also draws from numerous studies to prove that conscientiousness rather than intelligence is the most important indicator of lifelong success. Baer mentions a convincing study from the National Institute of Mental Health, which shows that conscientious men earn higher salaries than others. The expert data and testimony that the author includes seems irrefutable, and goes a long way towards making the reader agree with his purpose. I feel that Baer utilized information very effectively in this article to appeal logically to his reader and enforce his purpose. As a reader, I am thoroughly convinced that conscientiousness is a vital factor in determining a person’s success.

TOW #25 Beatles Promo Poster

There is a poster hanging on the wall opposite my couch in my bedroom that advertises the Beatles’ first gig in America on the Ed Sullivan Show, for February 9, 1964. This poster has been displayed in my room for years, and I am constantly looking at it and analyzing it for purpose and rhetoric without even realizing it. This week, I decided that the time might be right to finally formally analyze this special piece of my room décor.

The poster that I own is a replica of something that might have been displayed on street corners and store windows in American cities during the weeks leading up to February 9, 1964. Along with all pertinent information regarding the Beatles' television appearance, the poster contains a black-and-white photograph of the four band members peering over a staircase, and three broadly displayed titles of popular songs. The purpose of the advertisement is clear: to drum up a large audience for the television premiere of the Beatles in America. Upon considering the poster’s purpose, it is obvious that the producer of the advertisement is CBS Studios, the network that the Ed Sullivan Show ran on. CBS’ motive in encouraging viewership of the Beatles’ debut was ultimately to earn themselves higher TV ratings by having more viewers.

The makers of this promotional poster appealed to pathos very effectively by including the titles of three popular Beatles songs. While something like a time, date, and network name might not have generated a strong enough appeal to the audience to gain viewers, including the names of beloved songs certainly did. Just the mere mention of these obscenely popular songs would have incited a response of excitement and interest from the target audience of average American citizens. Though the Beatles at this point in their history did not really need any additional promotion other than simply being themselves, the rhetorical aspects that this poster includes are effective in their goal of gaining the show more viewers.

Goals:

-New and interesting visual text

-Do not list components

-Paragraph breakdown

IRB Intro #4

When searching for my fourth marking period IRB, I thought hard about nonfiction books that I've heard of through the years or had recommended to me by people that I trust. Being someone that has never been a huge fan of nonfiction, finding such a book requires a bit more effort than it does for me to pick up any historical fiction or fantasy novel and be able to love it instantly. In straining my memory and simultaneously looking online for a book I might enjoy, I remembered a recommendation by my eighth grade English teacher, Ms. Dunn, who is one of the most amazing and influential teachers I've ever had. During my eighth grade year she mentioned The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls many times as a book that she had enjoyed immensely and highly recommended. For this marking period, I'm going to finally take up her suggestion and read The Glass Castle. I'm excited to read this book (other than because one of my favorite teachers loved it) because it is a memoir, which is one of the types of nonfiction that I enjoy most. Also, neither of my last two IRBs have been memoirs. I hope to gain the same positive and lasting impression from reading this book that Ms. Dunn did.

TOW #24: Outliers part 2

            The concluding half of Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell followed basically the same format and style as the first half. Gladwell continued his method of first presenting a success story and then dissecting the circumstances and factors that helped enable the success to happen. This order of information worked towards Gladwell’s ultimate goal of proving that success is more a result of circumstantial factors rather than personal determination or ambition. Gladwell’s purpose throughout the second half of Outliers remained constant with his purpose in the beginning. Throughout this section the author presented several more examples of success stories with corresponding analysis, including that of his own mother. The interesting examples combined with thorough and irrefutable analysis appealed to Gladwell’s audience of educated and curious American intellectuals.

            Although there were many fundamental similarities between the second half of the book and the first, one of the most prevalent rhetorical devices was different. One device that Gladwell leaned on heavily throughout the end of the book that he had not previously touched on was personal anecdote. Gladwell actually incorporated autobiographical information into the end of the novel by including the story of his mother, a Jamaican descendent of African slaves. Gladwell detailed the circumstances leading up to his mother’s meeting and marrying a British mathematician and leading a much more privileged life than most other slave descendants. The inclusion of this personal information really made it clear to the reader that Gladwell really believed in the conditional view of success that he was conveying to his audience. This was particularly effective in achieving the author’s purpose by having him show the reader how his view on success can even apply to his own life, and presumably the lives of his readers. As I reader, I found this late inclusion of a rhetorical strategy to be one of the most effective aspects of the whole book. 

Goals:

-clear and concise

-accentuate similarities with first half of book without being repetitive

-prove that author's purpose was effective

TOW #23: Stairway to Heaven

            The Haiku Stairs in Oahu, Hawaii (nicknamed the ‘Stairway to Heaven’) were built during World War II so that the military could access a radio antenna 2,000 feet up in the mountains. Today, this former military vantage point has become something of a quest for ambitious hikers and sightseers in Hawaii. The ‘Stairway to Heaven’, as reports the travel section of the well-respected Huffington Post, offers one of the most unique and beautiful experiences that Hawaii has to offer. The fact that the 3,922-step climb is technically illegal only serves to add to the mystery and allure of the Haiku stairs. The last paragraph of this article describes with vivid imagery some of the scary and dangerous moments of the otherwise beautiful climb. The author’s purpose in juxtaposing the riskiness of the hike with the beauty and splendor of the payoff is meant to show the reader that sometimes it is worth taking a risk to enjoy the reward.

The previously mentioned vivid imagery is one of the main rhetorical devices used to achieve the author’s purpose in this piece. The author describes the terror caused by the early part of the journey, going up a steep mountain and over a highway: “Soon thereafter, however, the stairway takes you above the noisy highway below, and meanders its way along the ridgeline, balancing between terrifying and exhilarating.” Such powerful writing really enables the audience of potential travellers to feel the emotional journey of the climb. The author then uses juxtaposition to contrast this piece of imagery with another description, this time of the tranquil beauty that you will see once you have completed the hike: “Thankfully, several viewing points throughout remind you to look up and around at the green mountains above you, the glistening water below you, and the sharp sunlight bouncing off the clouds all around you.” The two juxtaposed images are extremely effective in showing the reader why the stunning beauty of the Stairway to Heaven will be worth the risks it takes to get there, and in a larger sense, why it is often worth it to go through something difficult for the sake of the positive end result.

Goals:

·      Smooth transitions between components

·      Prove author’s purpose with description of devices

TOW #22: Sour Patch Nutrition Facts

Nutrition facts can be found on the back of any publicly marketed food or beverage. For such a commonly found and taken for granted piece of text, there is actually much more there to analyze than what initially meets the eye. This week I chose to rhetorically analyze the nutrition facts on the back of a package of Sour Patch Kids candy that I had lying around my room. Featured in the neatly organized boxes on the nutrition facts label there are various pieces of information regarding the contents and nutritional value of the candy. The speaker of the nutrition label (as well as the rest of the packaging) is Maynards, the British confectionary company. The audience that the nutrition facts reach encompasses all consumers of the Sour Patch Kids product, being that the nutritional information is prominently featured on each package. The purpose of the nutritional facts column is to satisfy the need to inform the consumer about the contents of the product, while also organizing and proportioning the data in a way that is appealing to the consumer. This is done mainly by breaking up the total calorie and fat count of the product into “serving sizes”, which give the illusion that the product contains fewer calories than it actually does.

The main rhetorical device utilized in the nutrition facts column of Sour Patch Kids is precise organization. The step-by-step listing of each different nutrition aspect is very easy to interpret and accessible for the consumer. The usage of serving sizes also makes the nutrition information more attractive to the consumer while still being honest. In my opinion, this particular nutrition label is very effective in making its information clear and appealing to the consumer. Though this is a very big package of candy that contains a lot of calories, breaking it up into serving sizes of 10 pieces and listing the nutrition information based on that portion makes it much more enticing to possible consumers. 

TOW #21: The Godfather DVD case

            The Godfather, based off of the novel by Mario Puzo and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is arguably one of the greatest cinematic masterpieces ever created. The intriguing backdrop of New York City in the 1940’s and the brilliant acting performances of Al Pacino and Marlon Brando accent the classic and timeless tale of a struggle for power. Being that The Godfather is my favorite movie of all time, it is only natural that I should own the DVD and keep it sitting on the desk in my room at all times. Accordingly, when I was casting about for inspiration for my TOW post this week, I was suddenly stuck with the idea to rhetorically analyze the front cover of The Godfather’s DVD case. The most prominent of the images on the front of the movie case displays a large photograph of Don Vito Corleone, the Godfather and patriarch of the Corleone crime family. Superimposed in the bottom right corner of the cover is a faded image of the Don and his three sons: Sonny, Fredo, and Michael. Next to the Don’s head is the original Godfather logo that was also featured on the front cover of the novel. The DVD and its packaging were produced by Paramount Pictures, and based off of the ideas of story of Mario Puzo. This movie appeals predominantly to adults who will understand the mature themes and can connect to the ideals of the time period. The chief function that is served by the front cover of any DVD case is to provide a snapshot of the movie’s highlights that will entice consumers enough to buy the movie.

            Colors are used to great effect on The Godfather’s DVD case. The dominance of neutral colors (mostly black and white) creates a simple yet intriguing tone. Also, the absence of any color draws all of the viewers focus to the picture of Don Corleone, who looks formidable and intense. As is true with everything else about The Godfather, I like this case. The simplicity and absence of color on the front is definitely stark and interesting. If I were an objective consumer, this case would definitely spark my interest in the movie. 

TOW #20 Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

            The Oxford American Dictionary defines an “outlier” as something that is situated away from or classed differently from a main or related body. In other words, an outlier is something that is different from the masses, an exception to what is considered normal. Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers, sets out to analyze and explain one specific type of outlier in this book: the success story. The common perception of extremely successful people is that they have achieved their success through personal determination and merit. Highly respected author Gladwell sets out to disprove this belief in Outliers through showing the array of favorable circumstances and lucky opportunities that have allowed some of the most successful people of our time to reach their position. Gladwell makes it abundantly clear through each success story and subsequent breakdown of events, that success owes much more to environment, circumstance, and opportunity than it does to personal grit or ambition. The ultimate message that the reader can take away from Gladwell’s analysis of success is that it can be extremely beneficial and enlightening to look further into certain inevitable trends of humanity that most people take for granted, such as the reasons why there are always some people that blossom into great success stories while others of similar ability are doomed to remain average. 

            Gladwell’s consistent arrangement throughout this book is every effective in tying together his message on success and human behavior. First, he presents the reader with a seemingly perfect story of success (examples from the book so far include the Beatles, Bill Gates, and Bill Joy). He then backtracks and breaks the story down from the very beginning, pointing out every avenue where environment or coincidence played an enormous role in the person’s eventual success. This arrangement is continuous throughout each chapter and different success story. This is highly effective in that it shows the consistency of the way that success is NOT based primarily on individual merit or intelligence. Gladwell’s dissection of success stories using this organized arrangement shows that success, an innate human trend, is based largely on the factors that are out of a person’s control. 

TOW #19 The Old Guitarist by Picasso

            The Old Guitarist, painted by Pablo Picasso in 1903, is a painting that encapsulates many of the key characteristics that were featured in the artist’s paintings at that time in his life. Set against a backdrop made up of shades of blue and gray, the main focus of the painting is an older-looking man sitting cross-legged and playing the guitar. The skin of the man is light gray and almost seems lifeless. He holds a simply painted acoustic guitar with gnarled hands that indicate his age. The rip in the shoulder of his blue tunic gives an impression of poverty, possibly even homelessness. Pablo Picasso was undergoing an intense period of depression at the time when he painted The Old Guitarist; this period is commonly known as his blue period. Prevalent in many of his works during this time were themes of loneliness, destitution, and despair. Scenes featuring the homeless and most desolate members of society that Picasso produced during this time, including The Old Guitarist, express his bleak sentiment on life and society in his home country of Spain at the time.

            Obvious though it may seem, the colors used in this picture convey the themes that Picasso intended more effectively than anything else. Though some of the details of the old man’s body indicate his age and destitution, the melancholy tone set by the blue color scheme really gives the viewer of the painting a sense of loneliness. Picasso uses his color scheme to set a tone that appeals to the reader’s sense of human emotion. He also draws on the collective cultural memory of his audience, knowing that many of his viewers would recognize the figure of a lone man, sitting on a sidewalk, playing guitar to earn a meager pittance. Picasso’s appeals to emotion and a collective cultural memory are very effective in impressing his intended feeling of desolate loneliness upon the viewer of this painting. 

IRB #3 Intro Post

For this marking period, I am planning on reading Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. From what I have read and heard of this book (and Gladwell's work in general), it will be unlike anything I have read before. This book examines in detail all of the factors that contribute to high levels of success across many different fields and cultures. I have been recommended Gladwell's works many times by different teachers and fellow students alike. I hope to gain a new and interesting perspective on things that I may have not previously understood from my reading of this book.

TOW #18: Betty Crocker Gingerbread recipe

            While baking with my mom recently, I came to the realization that a recipe would be a very interesting text to analyze rhetorically. Consequently, this week I have chosen to analyze a Betty Crocker recipe for gingerbread cookies, which is one of my favorites. The author of this recipe is Betty Crocker, which is a globally known and respected brand of food products. The name Betty Crocker gives immediate recognition and credibility to any recipe that it is attached to. The intended audience of this recipe is generally common people, as it is fairly simple and easy to follow. Anyone who is interested in baking specifically would fall within the target audience of this text. As any good recipe does, this recipe gives the reader step-by-step instructions on how to take the list of ingredients and turn them into a finished product. Recipes are interesting types of types, being that they are extremely relevant and useful in daily life.

            An essential aspect of every good recipe is the organized and logical arrangement. This recipe lists the ingredients first, followed by the steps that need to be done in order to achieve the correct results for the recipe. An organized arrangement like this one is extremely crucial for a recipe, because if the steps are listed out of order the recipe will likely not be carried out correctly and the reader will not be able to create the desired food. This rhetorical device also generates an appeal to ethos. When the audience of the recipe sees the text being well organized, it immediately affords credibility. The author’s purpose in this recipe (and any recipe) is clearly to enable the reader to create a specific food product. I believe that this recipe is effective in achieving its purpose due in part to its well-organized arrangement. I can personally attest to the fact that is recipe achieves its purpose, as I have made and really enjoyed the gingerbread cookies several times. 

TOW #17: Twelfth Night Review by Ben Brantley

For my Text of the Week this week, I chose to read a theater review. From the New York Times online, I found a review of a current Broadway showing of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”. Once I settled in on a theater review as my text of choice, choosing this particular review was a logical choice for a theater-lover like myself. A Broadway showing of a Shakespeare play is always a special event for theater fans, especially when the show is imported directly from London’s Globe Theater as this one is. This review covers all conceivable aspects of the production… notably the acting, costuming, staging, and comparison to other productions. This review is clearly written for avid theater- goers and fans of Shakespeare’s work. Emphasis being placed on this incarnation of Shakespeare on Broadway is relevant when one considers that it is an inordinately authentic version. Solely male actors are used in this version, which is true to original Shakespearean productions.

The rhetorical device that author Ben Brantley, respected chief theater critic of the New York Times, utilizes most effectively is evocative diction. One line that jumped out at me in particular was his description of his reaction to the show being “pure, tickling joy”. Such deeply descriptive language evokes an emotional response from an audience. This emotional response helps to get the reader invested in the work being described and works towards the author’s ultimate purpose: to review the show effectively and either persuade or dissuade others from going. In the case of this review, Brantley’s diction is very effective in striking my interest. Such strong descriptive language makes me feel as though I am having the experience of seeing the show myself and definitely makes me want to go and see this particular production. 

TOW #16: A Dark History: The Roman Emperors by Michael Kerrigan part 2

            This week I completed my reading of A Dark History: The Roman Emperors, by respected historical author Michael Kerrigan. The detailed accounts of the scandals in the everyday life of an ancient Roman emperor are just as riveting throughout the second half of the book as they were in the first. The latter half of this historical discourse covers the “Five Good Emperors”, Rome’s notorious emperor Commodus, and the “Year of Shame”, amongst other things. Published recently in 2008, this book gives the common first-world reader a modern look on some of history’s most storied rulers and ancient events. With astonishing descriptions and vivid imagery, the second half of A Dark History: The Roman Emperors powerfully wraps up hundreds of years of historical accounts, and leaves the reader with a lasting impression of the grandeur and complexity of ancient Rome. Though the purpose of the first half of the text (to provide the reader with a modern account of ancient Roman history) carries through to the end of the accounts, another purpose also emerges in the second part. Through usage of vivid imagery, the author aims to show that the scandals of the ancients, while sometimes shocking and socially inappropriate by current standards, are not such a far cry from modern life. Kerrigan’s elaborate descriptions of political upheavals and tempestuous relationships can be very reminiscent of affairs in relatively recent times. For example, the details of the reign of the murderous emperor Titus invoke some similarities to 20^th century political figure Adolf Hitler. Both harbored a deep hatred for Jews, and set out on a personal quest to exterminate the “Jewish problem”. Being able to make this connection due to Kerrigan’s imagery allows the reader to see how being informed about the ancient Roman emperors can be very useful and relevant in modern times. Being that I was able to make this connection, I would definitely say that Kerrigan was effective in his usage of rhetorical strategies to achieve his purpose.  

TOW #15: Happy waitress even happier after receiving astounding tip by: Lauren Tuck

            As I opened up my Safari browser to begin work on my post this week, an uplifting-looking article on the Yahoo homepage caught my eye. “Happy Waitress Even Happier After Receiving Astounding Tip”, written by Yahoo Shine Staff member Lauren Tuck, turned out to be a sunny little article highlighting a random act of kindness. Last week in Lincoln, Nebraska an 18-year old server at a Cracker Barrel was rewarded for her positive attitude and touching life story with a 6,000 tip from two unnamed male patrons. After asking for the restaurant’s grumpiest server and being told that no such server was present, the two men were directed towards Abigail Sailors. Sailors, known as the establishment’s happiest waitress, confided in the men that she was a student at a college in North Dakota, struggling to pay for her own education. Upon hearing that Sailors was going to be unable to return to school for her spring semester due to her inability to pay tuition, one of the men revealed himself to be an alumni of the same college and presented Sailors with the astounding gift of 5,000 for tuition and an additional 1,000 for any other needs. Sailors is the most recent recipient in the nationwide craze of leaving extremely generous tips for servers as a random act of kindness.

            The text is directed towards members of the general American public. Tuck appeals to the emotions of the average American in this piece through the usage of an anecdote taken from waitress Abigail Sailors, describing her difficult childhood being shuffled through the foster care system. Sailors’ tale, which she had recounted to the two men, involves being split up from her siblings multiple times and abused before being adopted by Susi and John Sailors. The inclusion of this anecdote is particularly effective in conveying the author’s main purpose, which is that random acts of kindness by strangers are an extremely positive thing to put out into the world, and can really change someone’s life. Tuck is attempting to give readers of this article a renewed hope for the goodness of mankind. I was inspired and moved by this article, and therefore would definitely say that the author was successful.