TOW # 14 "Hey Santa" (article)

Jason Sheean is an author at Philadelphia Magazine, where he wrote his article “Hey Santa.” In this article Sheean tries to use humorous and casual syntax to address parts of the Philadelphia food community that he feels we no longer need.   

Humor is basically the only rhetorical strategy Sheean uses in this essay. Simply by addressing the article “Dear Santa,” in his first sentence, shows how he tries to attract his audience by being funny. However, his “humor” is ineffective and only makes him seem whiny and flippant. Sheean writes, “Rather than asking for things we need, I’m asking for things to go away.” This is his primary thesis statement, one that he undermines multiple times throughout the article. For instance, “I’d like to see some street other than Easy Passyunk attracting our best chefs…” or “would it be asking too much for you to give us one solid, high-end Thai restaurant in town?” here he is consciously asking for something to occur not something to go away. The way Sheean writes is very simple. He does not go into detail about his argument nor does he explain his reasoning for wanting and not wanting certain things. He gives no ethos and no logos to justify his argument, except for the fact that he simply does not like Italian or “crazy cheesesteak” places.

The Philadelphia magazine readers Sheean targets will have to have a lot of background information on the Philadelphia food scene in order for Sheean’s essay to be effective. His humor is ineffective, he undermines his own thesis, and his purpose gets lost and misconstrued as the article develops causing Sheean to seem unfocused or off-topic, and makes his argument unsuccessful.  

TOW # 13 "Interrogation COLOR" Randall Enos (VT)

            In the spirit of Christmas, Randall Enos, an illustrator of 46 years, presents a political cartoon that includes none other then Santa Clause himself. In this visual text Enos uses diction and humor to illustrate the ongoing investigations of the CIA’s illegal interrogation techniques that may or may not have led to the death of Osama Bin Laden.

            Although the first thing a person sees when looking at this drawing is the big red Santa, the diction Enos uses is the most important part of this visual. In big white letters he writes, “Santa’s enhanced interrogation techniques!” Without this text the audience would have no idea what Enos was trying to present. Therefore, his audience must have needed a previous knowledge on the current event. Humor is integrated within the diction when you connect it with the rest of the drawing. By saying “Santa’s” interrogation techniques Enos is comically connecting Santa’s use of such techniques to get little kids to tell them what they want for Christmas, with the illegal interrogation methods of the CIA to obtain information from prisoners. Also, humor in this political cartoon is obvious when Enos drew a huge red and pink Santa along with a crying baby on his lap, and by doing this I believe Enos was trying to show how naïve the world must be to think that extreme measures aren’t sometimes used to obtain necessary information. By using Santa and a crying baby I think Santa definitely represents the CIA, but the baby could represent the prisoners being interrogated as well as the American people.  

            With his use of diction and humor I believe Enos achieved his purpose of highlighting an important current event and expressing his feelings on the subject.

TOW # 12 "Angela's Ashes" (IRB)

In his heartbreaking story Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt shares his horrible childhood experiences with his audience. Through the use of interesting point of view and shocking imagery McCourt is able to captivate his reader’s minds and hearts, while still being able to stay objective and true about his life.

McCourt tells his story through an unusual point of view. He does not write from the point of view of a man looking back at his childhood, but as the boy himself experiencing all of the atrocities for the first time. This type of narration provides a tone of enthusiasm and determination throughout the book; the same enthusiasm that a child has when he or she looks at the world. This allows the book to not seem over concentrated with sadness and disgust. In addition, this type of perspective allows McCourt to explain his relationship with his father, Malachy, objectively. Malachy McCourt Sr. is an alcoholic who spends his family’s money on drinks while his wife and children starve. He is the clear villain of the story, however, through the child-like perspective McCourt is able to depict the misery his father inflicts upon the family, but also the obvious love that Malachy has for his sons. For example, McCourt explains one night when he and his family were trying to sleep when a hoard of fleas started to attack, “Dad poured water and salt into a jam jar and dabbed at our bits. The salt burned but he said we’d feel better soon” (McCourt 70). The simple of act of taking care of and comforting his children shows the love Malachy has for his kids, which can be described due to McCourt’s interesting point of view.    

Imagery is a key component throughout this book. By describing vividly what McCourt went through as a child his audience is able to believe his hardships, but probably most of them won’t understand them. From the same page that Malachy comforts his son, McCourt uses imagery to describe the experience, “We slapped at them and slapped but they hopped from body to body, hopping, biting. We tore at the bites till they bled!” (McCourt 70). Imagery, in this case, helps invoke a feeling of discomfort and disgust within the reader, which was exactly how McCourt’s life was at that time, uncomfortable and disgusting. Imagery throughout the book helps the reader feel what McCourt must have felt, which allows McCourt to connect with his readers.

Although I have only read half of this book, I find it extremely interesting and can say that McCourt achieves his purpose of captivating his readers while still telling a true story, through the use of unusual point of view and shocking imagery. I am very excited to read more.    

  

TOW #11 "A Beauty" (Essay)

A beauty, written by Robert Boyers, a professor and author of multiple books, is an essay that examines beauty as a factor in one’s morality. Boyers wants to show his readers how the beauty of the people around them can effect their own moral compass, causing them to betray what is good because they are blinded by the bright and radiant light of beauty. In order to investigate this abstract idea, Boyers concentrates on how beauty may have poisoned his own morality through an anecdotal narration, but also further explained through the use of allusions.  

“The most beautiful man I ever knew was Charles Newman” (Boyers 52). Boyers tells this story by examining his life with one of his friends Charles Newman. Boyers writes, “In his fifties, when he was married to an obviously devoted and substantial woman, he was going around with a very attractive younger woman in St. Louis” (56). Boyers knew what his friend was doing was wrong but he did not know if he himself had a moral obligation to tell Charlie’s wife. He thinks of how he would feel if Charlie was flirtatious with his own wife, and he realizes that his view of Charlie’s beauty would have been severely compromised, because he could not understand how Charlie could cause so much pain for him and his wife. But Boyers does not tell Charlie’s wife. He knows it is wrong but he mentions how the beauty of Charlie allowed him to do horrible things. Not because it gave him options (with women), but because it almost seemed like a birthright, or natural. Boyers uses this as somewhat an excuse of his actions or more non-actions. Further explaining through the words of Doris Lessig, Boyers alludes to Lessig as she writes about how she feels knowing she stole a man from another woman, and she writes, “I felt it was my right.” This use of allusion helps the author explain how our judgment can be clouded by a deceived notion that beauty gives people leniency when it comes to right and wrong, and the use of anecdote helps the author show that most of us are guilty of believing it.

Although he presents an interesting concept, I do not feel like Robert Boyers achieves his purpose. His use of anecdote and allusions help his argument, but do not diminish counterarguments that can be suggested as well.   

Tow # 10 "The Foul Reign of 'Self-Reliance'" (essay)

In his essay, The Foul Reign of “Self-Reliance”, Benjamin Anastas, teacher and author of several novels, depicts and argues against the original perception of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self Reliance.” Through the use of anecdotes and antagonistic tone Anastas tries but fails to reveal that the original idea of self-reliance from Emerson’s work has turned into self-centeredness.

Anastas begins his essay with an anecdote explaining his first exposure to Emerson’s “Self Reliance.” Sharing that he was introduced to this piece of literature in an English class when he was a teenager. By using this anecdote, Anastas revealed that he formerly blamed his teacher for introducing his class to a lecture of  “self-conceit so intensely intellectual” (Anastas 2), but then realized that his teacher only “fell under the spell, like countless others before him and after, of the most pernicious piece of literature in the American canon” (Anastas 2). By using this anecdote, Anastas is able to clearly state his opinion on this specific piece of literature and describe why he has it. He believes that Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” laid havoc to generations of Americans by praising self-centeredness. However, this is where I believe Anastas discredits himself. By placing sole responsibility on Emerson’s work he leaves room for other interpretations of “Self-Reliance” as well as other reasons for why self-reliance has turned into self-centeredness in our society.

Throughout the text, Anastas uses an antagonistic tone to try and explain his contempt of “Emerson’s tacit endorsement of a radically self-centered worldview” (Anastas 4). Anastas writes, “It’s not like… the sun, the moon, and the stars revolve around our portable reclining chairs, and whatever contradicts our right to harbor misconceptions… is the prattle of the unenlightened majority and can be dismissed out of hand” (Anastas 4). By using such a tone the author tries to evoke his true feelings of American society today by depicting us as always wanting the spotlight. Although this tone is memorable, it is ineffective. It angers the audience for generalizing the American people as one thing when not everyone is the same. Part of why this does not work is because Anastas does not appeal to ethos enough to give him the authority to make such generalizations. It also causes Anastas’s points to seem unorganized, in that it seems his irritation takes over and his thoughts become unclear.

Although this piece of writing is very memorable and interesting I do not feel like Anastas successfully achieves his purpose. Due to his use of anecdotes and antagonistic tone he is unable to show the Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” is the reason for our society’s self-centeredness, in his work The Foul Reign of “Self-Reliance”.