Connecticut School Shooting

     The context of this article is the terrible shooting that happened in Sandy Hook Elementary School (Newtown, Connecticut) on Friday December 14th, 2012. Connecticut Shooting Victims' Stories Begin To Emerge describes the stories of the twenty-six victims, twenty of them children, including adults: Victoria Soto (teacher); Mary Sherlach (school psychologist); Lauren Gabrielle Rousseau (teacher); Anne Marie Murphy (teacher); Rachel Diavino (behavioral therapist); and Dawn Hochsprung (principal).
     Connecticut Shooting Victims' Stories Begin To Emerge was published in news website The Huffington Post, a credible news source that has been on the internet since 2005. A liberal, left-wing newspaper, it can be somewhat skewed.
     The author's purpose in writing this article was to inform people about a terrible event that happened on Friday, and I think he was able to accomplish just that. School and university shootings, however unfortunate, are not unheard of, and have been littering the news as early as the 1960s. However, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was one of the first shootings targeting such a young crowd, making it even more devastating. The intended audience was really just anyone who wanted to learn more about the shooting, especially since there were a lot of people curious about the event.
     A rhetorical element used in this article is pathos. The author is able to convey the bitter sadness at the thought of the death of these good people through sentences such as, "It was the last outfit the redhead would ever fit out."

NHL Lockout

     The National Hockey League has been in an almost three month lockout, with all ice hockey games cancelled through December 14th. The article explains the ongoing labor dispute between the franchise owners and the players. Many of the disgruntled ice hockey players are considering switching over to a European ice hockey league, and the delay of the season has resulted in loss of money for many Canadian businesses. Unfortunately, it looks as if this issue is not going to be resolved soon. Sorry dad.
     NHL says it's out of ideas on how to resolve lockout is published in USA Today without a credited author. USA Today is a believable news source, but because there is no cited author, this article could potentially not be credible.
     The context of this article is surrounding the current stand-still following the expiration of the NHL's collective bargaining agreement. The author's purpose in writing this article is to explain the lockout between the NHL and the players, mainly defending the players. I think the author achieves this purpose when he writes "The Pittsburgh Penguins star [Crosby] wants to get back to work. He said Friday the prospect of lacing up his skates in Europe is growing more appealing as the lockout nears the three-month mark. The breakdown in negotiations left Crosby "disappointed" and considering other opportunities. The intended audience for this article are the many disheartened Flyers fans begging and pleading for this lockout to be over because the Eagles are not playing very well and nobody really likes the 76ers.
     The author uses ethos in this article. He quoted a particular player saying, "'I just want to play hockey,'" Crosby told reporters after an informal workout with some of his teammates on Friday morning." The author is appealing to the readers in saying these players don't want a lot, just to be able to keep playing the sport they love.

The Soloist: Post #1: The Beginning

     The Soloist by Steve Lopez is about a young man named Nathaniel Ayers who attended the music school Juliard, but was forced to drop out, even though he still had world-class talent, because of his growing mental instability. He now wanders the streets of Los Angeles playing a dilapidated violin. Steve Lopez, columnist for the Los Angeles Times, is searching for a new story when he meets Nathaniel and decides to use him. After the reactions he was receiving from his readers, Lopez becomes more interested in Nathaniel's life and wishes to help him.  
     The novel takes place mainly on the poor streets of Los Angeles as well as a mental health facility for the homeless on Skid Row. Through a patient and unlikely friendship, Steven Lopez is able to get Nathaniel Ayers off of the streets and into an apartment as well as treatment for his schizophrenia.
     The purpose of this book is to show Lopez's story, showing how Nathaniel changed his life, and possibly change the reader's life as well. I feel that the author is able to accomplish this task, because after his first column, support for Nathaniel, for example by way of letters and instruments, started flooding in. Lopez's original audience was the readers of his column in the LA Times; however it has become more popular, especially after the book was made into a movie.
     Similies and metaphors are used in The Soloist as well as rhetorical questions, analogies, and imagery.

Four Score and Seven Years Ago...

     During the throes of the Civil War, on November 19th 1863, President Abraham Lincoln had to find a way to unite the quarreling states after the bloody Battle of Gettysburg.
     With only using ten sentences and just over two minutes, President Lincoln was able to sum up the ideals that would go on to shape America. His speech not only moved the thousands of people who had gathered for the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, but also many people across the globe by speaking about American independence and freedom.
     Lincoln's speech has two purposes. The first was to dedicate a plot of land that would become the Soldier's National Cemetery to honor the fallen soldiers. Also, since the Civil War still raged, President Lincoln realized that he also had to inspire the people to continue to fight. I think he is able to accomplish his purpose when he eloquently said, "Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated can long endure." The importance of winning this war takes on an even greater significance. Lincoln's audience is the American people after the terrible Battle of Gettysburg.
     A rhetorical device effectively used in this speech is contrast. Lincoln says, "those who here gave their lives that this nation might live." This major contrast between life and
 death is most compelling.

Fiscal cliff: How to judge if debt cuts are real

     If President Obama and the leaders of Congress "announce a bipartisan package promising to curb mushrooming federal deficits, will it be real?"
     This question that has many Americans scratching their heads is answered in the article Fiscal cliff: How to judge if debt cuts are real by Alan Fram, staff writer for The News & Observer. This newspaper has been in print since 1880, and is the regional daily newspaper for the "Research Triangle."
     The article has broken the answer to the above question down into a brief checklist as to how to assess the government's work: overall deficit cuts; taxes; and spending. President Obama has suggested a ten year savings plan that would save around $4.4 trillion, and this is should be seen as a sign of seriousness (that things are actually getting done). According to the article, changes in tax laws are being debated, for example whether to raise the income tax for individuals making $200 thousand as well as families making $250 thousand. One of the ways spending is being cut is the hundreds of billions of dollars the Obama administration is saving by easing the troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/11/24/2503243/fiscal-cliff-how-to-judge-if-debt.html#storylink=cpy

     The author's purpose was to inform the audience, the American public, as to the state of economic affairs in America. I think he is able to achieve that purpose, because even me, who knows absolutely nothing about economics, is able to understand what the government is attempting to do in order to reduce the United States's $16 trillion (and growing) debt.
     A literary device that, thankfully, was not used in this article was jargon. If jargon was used repeatedly, such as arbitrage pricing theory and zero-sum game, the common folk would have been hopelessly lost.

Life of Pi – first look review

Life of Pi, a new movie based off of Yann Martel's novel, is directed by Ang Lee (Sense and Sensibility, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon). Stone has many positive comments about the director, writing "one of the things that tells you the director is in his prime - a model of creative evolution - is that his films feel like total surprise when first announced but fit snugly into his oeuvre once you've seen them." Life of Pi, the opening of the New York film festival, is the summation of the principle powering of Mr. Ang Lee's career and a success in the eyes of the critics.
     This article is written by Tom Stone, an arts & entertainment writer for The Guardian. The Guardian is a British national daily newspaper that has been in print since 1821.
     The context of this article is that Life of Pi is coming to theaters on November 21st, 2012. The author's purpose for writing this review was to weigh the positive and negative aspects of this movie, allowing his audience, avid movie goers, a chance to determine whether to see it or not. I think the author is able to achieve his purpose, because he has positive and constructive comments interspersed throughout his commentary. For example, "the film takes a while to get going, like someone roused from their morning meditation ... or as if they had been hit around the head with a brass pot."
     A rhetorical device used in this article was contrast, or the identification of differences between two or more subjects: "director Ang Lee melds so many disparate elements - Aesopian fable and cutting-edge 3D technology, east and west, young and old - that he may have just succeeded in rebranding himself as the Obama of world cinema."

You just gotta keep livin' man, L-I-V-I-N

Because of a recent law passed in Colorado and Washington, a shopping list could possibly look like this:
     -Milk
     -Eggs
     -Bread
     -Cucumbers
     -Pot

     The article, Pot votes in CO, WA raise specter of weed tourism, describes a new law passed in Colorado and Washington allowing adults 21 or older to buy small amounts of marijuana in stores and the law's possible consequences on Colorado's tourism trade. With the tourist trade as CO's #2 industry because of the Rocky Mountains and its skiing industry, recreational marijuana usage could either increase or decrease tourism. This law opens up the door to increased marijuana tourism; however it is projected that there could be a possible decline in leisure tourists. It is also speculated that there will not be that much of a difference: "Colorado ski slopes already are dotted with 'smoke shacks,' old mining cabins that have been illicitly repurposed as places to smoke pot out of the cold."
     Pot votes in CO, WA raise specter of weed tourism was written by Kristen Wyatt, a Philadelphia Inquirer reporter. The Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that has served the Philadelphia area since 1829, and is the third oldest surviving daily newspaper in the United States.
     The context of this article is that states are now beginning to allow recreational drug usage in their states. There are currently 18 states in America that allow medicinal marijuana usage. The author's purpose is to make people aware of a legal change in Colorado and Washington as well as its social and economic implications. I believe that the author is able to achieve this purpose, because he is able to explain the law as well as the positive and negative effects it will have, and it compares it to a similar situation in Amsterdam, Netherlands. This article could have been intended for people who are planning on going to Colorado and wish to get a well-rounded view of the state before traveling.
     I feel as if the author uses "understatement," or the deliberate expression of an idea as less important than it actually is, either for ironic emphasis or for politeness and tact, frequently in this argument to describe the issue of legalization of recreational marijuana usage in Colorado and Washington. "'Some folks might come to Colorado to enjoy some marijuana as will be their right. So what?' said Betty Aldworth, advocacy director for the Colorado marijuana campaign. The author of the article wanted to showcase the ever-growing opinion that recreational drug use is 'no big deal.'

Angela's Ashes Post #2: The Ending

The final chapter of Frank McCourt's memoir, Angela's Ashes, is quite simply written:

Chapter XIX

     'Tis.

     I will admit that I knew the ending before even starting the book, not from sheer nosiness (I hate reading books when the ending is ruined), rather from having heard others discuss it with disgust. When I started reading the memoir, I expected it to be just as boring and dragging as was described to me; however I was taken on a ride through the slums of the early twentieth century Ireland as a young boy tried to pave a way for himself. And I quite frankly enjoyed it. 

     The ending, contrary to popular adolescent belief, adequately sums up McCourt's intention of the novel. Even though he himself calls his memoir "an epic of woe," the final chapter "'Tis." allows him to end this sad story with a glimpse of hope that he will find in America. This simple statement of agreement shows how McCourt agrees that America is a great country. 

     Frank McCourt is able to show his progression as a person through the course of the novel. As he questions his own morality, he discovers what it truly means to be a good person and emerges from adolescence with a mature toughness necessary to deal with the world. This helps him come to terms with his decision to leave for the United States. Instead of feeling like he abandoned his family, McCourt remains strongly connected to Ireland and committed to providing for his family, making him a good man. 

     

The Scream

The Scream is a painting by the late nineteenth and early twentieth century impressionist artist Edvard Munch. Edward Munch, a popular Norwegian painter and printmaker, used psychological themes to base his paintings, and he greatly influenced the German Expressionism in the early twentieth century. Munch's purpose in this painting was to convey the human emotions of anguish and melancholy, shown by the face that is contorted by the scream. I think the author is able to convey his purpose because the viewer can see the obvious pain in the main subject's pale, genderless face. Another rhetorical device is the painting's use of opposites. The use of hot colors in the sky (reds, yellows, oranges) contrasts with the cool colors of the water (blues, greens, purples) to create tension. The subject is standing by a chaotic environment. Most artists do not paint for an audience, but for themselves. It is believed that Munch suffered from depression, so it is possible that he used the painting as an emotional outlet. However, most people find this painting fascinating and an accurate representation as to a feeling that we have felt at one time or another, making it very relatable. The Scream is part of a larger collection by Edvard Munch called The Frieze of Life. The inspiration for this masterpiece came from the mental institution where his sister was kept, and it is said that you could actually hear the screams of the mental patients from the institution.

Monster Galaxy May Have Been Stirred Up by Black-Hole Mischief

     NASA's Hubble Telescope, a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency, has recently obtained a new view of an elliptical galaxy that that astronomers believe to have been "puffed up" because of black holes in its core. This galaxy is approximately ten times wider in diameter than the Milky Way and is part of the Abell 2261 cluster. Astronomers believe this galaxy is bloated, because there are two black holes are closely orbiting each other collectively having the mass of billions of suns. A black hole is a region of space having a gravitational field so intense that no matter or radiation can escape. The astronomers think that if one of the black holes was native to the galaxy, the second hole would have been added from a smaller galaxy that was gobbled up by the massive galaxy.
     This article came from Science Daily, an American news website for scientific articles. The articles are selected from news releases by universities and other research institutions, making this source credible. The context surrounding this text is the newly taken pictures from NASA's Space Hubble Telescope.  
     Because it is more of a scientific article, there are no detected rhetorical devices found in this article.
     This article was written for other scientists, mainly astronomers. The reader can tell this by the jargon used such as "black hole," "galaxy," and "theory of general relativity." The purpose of the article was to explain several theories surrounding the existance of an incredibly large galaxy. I think the author did an okay job of explaining these theories, because even though a fellow astronomer would be able to comprehend what the author was saying, the average reader would have difficulty understanding what the author was talking about. Even though analogies are used such as "Expecting to find a black hole in every galaxy is sort of like expecting to find a pit inside a peach," the article is still very complex.

EU summit leaves controversial issues untouched

EU summit leaves controversial issues untouched by Ian Traynor was published in England's The Guardian. The Guardian, a British daily newspaper, has been in print since 1821, and its sister newspaper, The Guardian Weekly, circulates world-wide, making this a credible source.

     The article describes how the most recent European Union [EU] summit on Friday October 19th, 2012 failed to address the issue of stabilizing the euro, the EU's single currency. The main issue surrounding the controversy at the summit was deciding how best to formulate a new single supervisory, the European Central Bank. Disagreements between France, Germany, and Spain representatives means that it will be at least a year until the EU can tackle the european debt crisis. The European Union remains unable to currently resolve this issue and there are some important decisions that will not be dealt with until the next meeting in December.

     The author’s purpose is to inform his european audience about what is being done to confront the debt crisis in Europe. Greece is attempting to leave the EU and return to the drachma, its prior currency; however because of Greece’s debt, if they were to secede, the Central European Bank would lose a lot of money, and Spain, Italy, and Portugal would attempt to leave the union as well. Because of Ian Traynor’s use of diction and control of language, he is able to achieve his purpose. Traynor’s explanation of the events occurring at the summit uses simple yet intelligent language to help make a confusing topic uncomplicated.  This use of ethos helps the author to establish credibility with the audience. 

Andrea Hudy: KU's Secret Weapon

Andrea Hudy, one of the few female strength and conditioning trainers to work at the Division 1 level, has had a very successful career. At first, she was underestimated by her coworkers, but Hudy was able to prove herself worthy of working at that level. She helped to produce more than two dozen NBA players at Kansas and Connecticut, where she worked from 1995-2004. With this and many more accomplishments, Hudy definitely reached her goal in helping people care about exercise.
     Andrea Hudy: KU's Secret Weapon by Jason King, from ESPN.com (Entertainment and Sports Programming Network), is a credible sports reporting source.
     The author's purpose is to show that you should never underestimate a person because a lot of the time they will surprise you. This purpose is achieved through the author's highlighting of Andrea Hudy's successful career as a strength and conditioning trainer for Connecticut University and Kansas University, where she helped to win many NCAA titles.
     The context of this article is Kansas University's recent Mach Madness successes including past season's Final Four run as well as achievements in other collegiate sports.
     One retorical device used in this article is ethos, because the author is able to show the credibility of Hudy. By describing her victories, "She's helped transform 7-footer Jeff Withey from a frail, 210-pounder who could hardly get on the court into a sturdy, aggressive banger who set a record for blocks in a single NCAA tournament," her role in Connecticut and Kansas winning NCAA titles, and her education, Jason King makes it clear how successful she is at her job.

Angela’s Ashes Post #1: Chapters 1-3

The first three chapters of Frank McCourt’s book, Angela’s Ashes, describe Frank’s early childhood in New York and his beginning years in Limerick, Ireland. Francis McCourt is born and baptized in Brooklyn, New York, along with three younger brothers: Malachy, and the twins, Eugene and Oliver. When Margaret, their youngest sister, dies, the McCourts move back to Ireland. Angela, Frank’s mother, falls into depression after her only daughter dies. More troubles plague the McCourts when they move back to Ireland; Angela has a miscarriage, the twins, Oliver and Eugene, die, and Malachy (Frank’s father) continues to drink away the dole money.
     The purpose of Angela’s Ashes is to convey poverty and hardships of life in Ireland. A combination of the famine, lack of jobs, and religious conflicts, and the author explains Ireland as a country stuck with nowhere to go. A mature audience is needed to appreciate Frank McCourt's stark picture of poverty and family relationships. The memoir's context is the suffering going on for the impoverished in Ireland in the 1930s, these trials including losing three siblings, getting typhoid fever, and gnawing hunger.
     There are certainly many anecdotes in this memoir, and McCourt goes off on many tangents in the beginning to explain his parents’ background. Pathos is also used in Angela’s Ashes, but not in the conventional sense. McCourt remains oddly detached from his childhood and writes with such a matter-of-fact tone making him not whiny, but the tragic events happening to him makes the reader feel sympathy for him all the same.
     Angela’s Ashes has also won the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Award, the ABBY Award and the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Biography, thus making the book quite credible.

 

A Date Which Will Live In Infamy

http://youtu.be/3VqQAf74fsE

In the midst of the World War II, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. In response to the surprise attack, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered a speech the next day in Washington D.C. entitled Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation. As the president of the United States, This speech was written for American citizens, and its purpose was to inform the American people what occurred in Hawaii on December 7th, 1941. 

     In President Roosevelt’s Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation, the president lists Japan’s unprovoked attacks on Hawaii’s naval base, Pearl Harbor and includes details as to why America should declare war on Japan. Explaining that it was unprovoked, he also lists the names of the other countries the Japanese army attacked. President Roosevelt stresses to the people that no matter what happens, in the end the United States will come out victorious. At the end of his speech, the president asks congress to declare war on Japan, and after the terrible attack, the United States felt as if they could no longer remain detached from the war that was going on in Europe. 

     The first line in this sentence is a rhetorical device. "December 7th, 1941: a date which will live in infamy," is an emotionally charged opener that appeals to pathos. Other rhetorical devices include anaphora (last night... last night...) and repetition of the idea of  victory, which is also an appeal to pathos. 

Ravi Coltrane leaves his band in the dust at Jazz Showcase

Saxophonist Ravi Coltrane outplayed the rest of his quartet in the Jazz Showcase on Thursday September 27^th, 2012. The band leader’s rhythm section, made up of bassist Drew Gress, drummer E.J. Strickland and pianist Luis Perdomo, was not up to par, and quite often they dragged behind Coltrane. Fortunately, their performance at the Jazz Showcase is not a reflection of their typical work as the group just recently released a very well played record. This article was written by Howard Reich, an arts critic for The Chicago Tribune. The Chicago Tribune, a credible resource, is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois and has been in print since June 10^th, 1847. The main reason this reviewer was disappointed with Coltrane’s group’s performance because his latest record, “Spirit Fiction,” was rather impressive. This article was written for jazz enthusiasts as well as for the benefit of Ravi Coltrane’s band themselves as a second opinion of Thursday night’s performance. The author uses many similes as well as personification to describe the poor musicianship of Ravi Coltrane’s rhythm section members including their tone, phrasing, and rhythm. The author wrote this article to express his well-developed opinion as to how Ravi Coltane’s band performed at the Jazz Showcase. I believe that he accomplished his purpose through the text, because he is an experienced reviewer. The reader can tell this because of his logical reasoning as to why the quartet’s performance was not up to their usual standard.  

Trouble in the Corral

“Trouble in the Corral” is a faith story told by Susan Stone in the magazine Guideposts: True Stories of Hope and Inspiration. Guideposts, a nonsectarian magazine, contains short articles by individuals of any age, gender, or race recounting how their faith in God has comforted them through personal tribulations. “Trouble in the Corral” features Susan Stone, who always wanted to be a rancher. She moved to Winnett, Montana to get a job as a ranch hand. She adopted an intelligent puppy named Smokey Joe. When Stone would work with cows, Smokey Joe knew to never step inside; however when she and her boss were calving, the heifer went crazy and began to attack them. Fortunately, Smokey Joe came to the rescue and by biting the cow, chasing her back into the cattle shed. Although she was injured, Smokey Joe saved Susan Stone’s life. A rhetorical device used in this article is the appeal to pathos, because the author appeals to the audience’s emotion through her faith story. The purpose of this text is to show how God has had an impact on Susan Stone’s life, and it was written for people who of faith, such as Christians. I believe that the author has accomplished her purpose through the text, because Susan Stone is able to convey her faith through the story of her dog. 

In Standoff, Latest Sign of Unions Under Siege

     Beginning September 9th, 2012, twenty-six thousand public school teachers in Chicago, Illinois have gone on strike. The teachers have gone on strike because if students do not meet annual yearly progress, money will be deducted from their salaries. The Chicago governor, Rohm Emanuel, has made many demands that has angered teachers’ unions: he has pressed the school board to withdraw a four percent raise and have student performance count heavily in evaluating teachers for tenure. The New York Times article I read, In Standoff, Latest Sign of Unions Under Siege, was written by Steven Greenhouse. The NY Times is a credible daily newspaper that has been in print since 1851. It has won 108 Pulitzer Prizes, which is more than any other news organization. Steven Greenhouse graduated from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 1975 and has been reporting for the NY Times since 1983. The circumstance behind the teachers’ strike is the No Child Left Behind Act. The government’s educational reform is based on the idea that setting learning standards and establishing high goals are the source of improving individual outcomes in education. The purpose of this article is to inform the reader about the recent issues surrounding teachers' unions, and newspapers are intended to keep the public educated about current events. This article was written for the average person who reads the newspaper. We have just begun studying rhetoric in English class so I am not quite an expert yet; however to the best of my knowledge, I have not picked up on any rhetorical devices. I believe that the author does accomplish his purpose through the text. The Chicago teachers’ strikes have been going on for about a week, and it is important that the public understands why it is happening, and the writer conveys his point well.