TOW #4 -- "Night" by Elie Wiesel (IRB Post #1)

In the spring of 1944, the Jews of Sighet -- a town located in what is now modern day Romania -- gathered around their radios listening to reports of Jews across Europe becoming victims of violent attacks. Elie recounted their reluctance to believe that one man, Adolf Hitler, could wipe out an entire race, saying "The Germans were already in town, the Fascists were already in power, the verdict was already out – and the Jews of Sighet were still smiling."

In a matter of weeks, they too found themselves in that very situation when the Nazis stumbled upon their town. Yet, not once did their optimism waiver up until the point when innocent civilians began to be shot down in the streets. It was in the wake of Passover that the violence first struck. It started with a command to shoot any Jews who left their homes within the first three days following the holiday. Then the command was to shoot any Jews who refused to give up their valuable belongings. This progressed to the relocation of the Jews into two ghettos -- and then eventually to the deportation of the Jews to concentration camps in Germany.

At the time of Sighet's downfall, Elie was only 12 years old. He looked upon the town nervously as his father and the accompanying council members made the decision to not evacuate the area. He again looked upon the town nervously as the German soldiers marched through the streets, each choosing a house to occupy. Elie's fate was out of his hands, making him a mere bystander to the events unfolding around him. Within a few weeks, The Wiesels were transported to a ghetto where they would live for another few weeks until being transported to a smaller ghetto where they would await their deportation. They would then be forced into cattle cars -- some holding over 80 Jews at once -- and shipped off to Auschwitz, a Jewish concentration camp operated by the Nazis. There, Elie and his father would be split from his mother and sister and sent to work. Looming over were smokestacks working day and night releasing the smoke from the burning bodies in the furnace below. It is then that Elie begins to doubt his further existence, feeling abandoned by God as his death is looming near.

The reader can sense this in Elie as he Wiesel tells stories of himself looking for ways to kill himself rather than to be killed as a prisoner of the Nazis. He talks of one point when he thought about running into an electric fence to avoid being burned to death. This thought came shortly after he witnessed children being burned alive along the side of the trail he was walking on. Through images such as these which are imprinted in the minds of the readers, Wiesel is truly able to get the reader to sympathize with him as he writes.

TOW #3 -- "The Ravioli Smile"

"The Ravioli Smile" was the slogan for an ad released by Chef Boy-ar-dee in 1971. The ad -- featured below -- depicts a young, smiling child ready to eat a spoonful of the company's product. This image is accompanied by a description below, saying that the beef ravioli is not just regular food, but fun food; food that is given as a treat or used as a celebration. It makes the reader think, "Hey, if the adorable kid in the ad likes the food, why shouldn't mine?" This is the exact reaction the company's marketers were hoping to achieve. The text written below the smiling child attacks three common marketing strategies: developing ethos, pathos, and logos. As for the smiling child itself, that is meant to draw emotion from the reader which makes them invested in the advertisement. 

It is difficult to establish ethos when talking about foods. The mention of famous chefs lacks any appeal when associated with kids' food. After all, the parent consumers are not looking to buy a 5-star quality meal for their picky 5-year-old sitting in their cart. Parents, however, do associate with other parents. New parents in particular reap the tips and tricks left behind by those preceding them. Parents trust parents. This is what the marketers exploited. Written in small print below, is "Found in Mom's Basement." This insinuates that other parents trust Chef-boy-ar-dee with the diet of their children, so why should the reader? Mission accomplished. 

Now onto the emotions. A smiling kid means a happy parent. So if ravioli makes a kid smile, than it makes the parents of the kid smile. It's a win-win for everyone. Mission accomplished -- again. 

Finally, appealing to the logic. If ravioli means a smiling kid, and a smiling kid means a smiling parent, than a parent wanting to smile should buy the ravioli. Even better, the ravioli a nutritious food too, according to the ad. What else could a parent want? The ravioli is deal as well at 20 cents per serving. One word: sold. 

TOW #2 -- "Honduras's Desperate Voyagers" by Ioan Grillo

TIME Magazine recently published an article in their August 18th, 2014 issue concerning the recent spike in refugees from Honduras fleeing to the United States. In "Honduras's Desperate Voyages," Ioan Grillo explains that the social infrastructure in Honduras has collapsed under the pressure of a corrupt government and street gangs patrolling the cities. For the 170,000 people that live in Chemelecón, one of the most violent suburbs of San Pedro Sula, the police only have access to 4 patrol cars. Needless to say, those who are supposed to protect the security of the people are rendered helpless.

All across Honduras, violence is nearly inescapable. Following the introduction of Latin American drug cartels in the country after having been forced from their positions in Mexico and Columbia, crime rates rose exponentially. In 2012 alone, the country -- which is only home to 8.6 million people -- saw the deaths of 7,172 people -- the highest in the world outside of a declared war-zone.

To add onto the pressure, citizens are forced by the street gangs to pay a "war tax," which has greatly corrupted the country's economy. In addition, the country's youth join street gangs to avoid the extortion and in the hopes of finding more security than that provided by their government.

However, the many Honduran citizens have now begun to flee to the United States with the help of illegal organizations that run routes similar to trade routes through the Rio Grande into the United States. For $6,500 a piece, one is promised a safe journey to freedom and at their destination, it is said that Obama will be waiting for them with legal permits allowing them to enter the country. Though false in reality, those willing to pay the hefty fee truly believe that they have no other options left than to believe in the smugglers.

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández called upon the United States to help Honduras stop the flow of the Honduran youth to the United States by cracking down on those who have taken refuge in the country. It is his hope that with a system put in place similar to Plan Columbia, a campaign run in Columbia during the 1990's which effectively lowered crime rates, that Honduras will be able to return to a stable country.

Grillo relays all of this information with established logos -- including a wealth of statistics backing the claims of Honduras's corruption and how that has created the flow of Honduran citizens to the United States. It is through this tactic that Grillo is able to bring to light the serious problems that the immigration poses to both countries as well as what needs to be done to stop the immigration.

IRB Intro -- "Night" by Elie Wiesel

The IRB I have chosen for the first marking period is "Night," by Elie Wiesel, the 1986 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Night is an autobiographical account of the experiences undergone by Elie and his father within Auschwitz -- a Jewish concentration camp -- during the Jewish Holocaust. The text focuses on both Elie's battle for survival and his battle with God as he tries to understand the cruelty plaguing the world around him.

TOW #1 -- "How To Say Nothing in 500 Words"

Professor Paul Roberts’ 1956 essay, “How to Say Nothing in 500 Words,” is a staple for the principles of good writing which should be evident in every written piece. Having taught college English for over twenty years, in both San Jose State College and later in Ivy League member Cornell University, Roberts was well versed in linguistics. It is from this experience that Roberts is able to guide the reader -- someone with the ambition to become a better writer -- to including elements needed to make a good written piece, an exquisite written piece, as well as eliminating those that interfere with this goal.
Roberts first suggests to the reader practices such as; the inclusion of examples, rather than plain facts; and the practice of being concise, or removing extra words and ideas not needed in the paper. The inclusion of examples can help to further illustrate an idea, and helps to eliminate the dull atmosphere created by plain facts. The latter – which he refers to as padding a paper – is a technique often used by writers to reach the word limit in a written piece. Roberts points out that using this technique distracts the reader from the point of the paper, and should therefore never present within a paper.
Roberts also introduces the idea of using colored, colorful, and colorless words. He goes on to explain that colored words suggest the writer focuses on putting words in correct order, which can then be expressed with colorful words that tell a story. Colorless words, Roberts explains, are those which he believes to be road blocks in a paper as they provide little importance.
All of this comes wrapped in diction, or specific word choice, which keeps the piece focused on the task of making the reader a better writer. Specifically, the diction eliminates meaningless comments and highlights what is to be learned.
It is through successful writing techniques such as these that Roberts is able to teach the reader what he knows about writing a good essay. Using his own tips in his writing helps the reader to further conclude their importance as they experience firsthand the power of the techniques to create clarity.

When Writers Speak -- Arthur Krystal

Arthur Krystal’s “When Writers Speak” focuses on the intellectual process that takes place while writing, as opposed to that which occurs while speaking. Krystal seeks to establish – within the reader – an understanding of how a brain may work so as to divulge information seemingly only known to the writers who experience the phenomenon first hand. Edgar Allan Poe once said, “Some Frenchman – possibly Montaigne – says ‘People talk about thinking, but for my part I never think except when I sit down to write.’” Krystal goes on to explain writing as a catalyst for thought, likening the process to “…a petri dish for its genesis.” Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker then pointed out that thinking precedes writing, a process we are usually unable to tap into while in conversation. This allows one to deliberately create a well-rounded sentence which they may not conjure up if asked on the spot, due to time restraints. Pinker does agree, however, that since the writing process enables opportunity for revision, it may engage larger parts of the brain in the thinking process – in effect – producing greater result. It is through the disclosure of this information that Krystal reveals the difference in cognitive function when completing an ordinary task as opposed to one thought out deeply. Simply put, talking is done on the fly, while writing is carefully cultivated to vocalize one’s opinion or feelings. Krystal compares this to mathematicians thinking differently while working on a theorem than while counting change, or to a quarterback throwing a pass during a game as opposed to having a catch in his backyard. This analogy helps the reader – who is essentially anyone with thoughts – to distinguish between the ways in which they divulge their ideas through words. In fact, Krystal’s effective analogy and scientific reasoning help the reader to understand the difference between any action done before and after it is thought out.

Speaking vs. Writing 

Thought precedes writing while speaking is on the fly -- englishharmony.com

Irreconcilable Dissonance -- Brian Doyle

Brian Doyle, author of “Irreconcilable Dissonance,” experienced firsthand the perils of growing up in a household with his disputing parents -- along with watching his friends and coworkers experience the same struggles. Doyle points out that anyone could fall victim to divorce at any time, which constitutes his audience to anyone reading the essay. Doyle explains: "The instant there is no chance of death is the moment of death." In the United States alone, 50% of all marriages end in divorce. That means there is about 1 divorce every 13 seconds in the United States, which adds up to about 6,646 divorces per day and around 46,523 divorces in a single week. What was once a rare occurrence has now become the go-to outlet for married couples experiencing turmoil in their relationship. Yet, what is even more dismal than the aforementioned statistics is the reason behind they are what they are. While many divorces are caused by a hindered relationship, there are divorces caused by small things such as "one man who got divorced so he could watch all sixty episodes of The Wire in chronological order" nonetheless. In many divorces, the couple simply claims to be tired; tired of fighting, tired of being unhappy, tired of being where they are. Doyle makes a point of this by saying, "...so if what makes a marriage work (the constant shifting of expectations and eternal parade of small surprises) is also what causes marriages to dissolve, where is it safe to stand? Nowhere, of course." Merely anything can lead to divorce, so the state of being "safe" is virtually nonexistent. It is through these lessons – coupled with imagery of decade-long marriages ending due to the smallest reason, such as a practical joke – that Doyle teaches the reader to become aware of the possibility of divorce, so as to help the reader to accept that living in fear of divorce only makes it easier for you to become victim to it.

American Divorce Infographic 

Divorce statistics in America -- dailyinfographic.com

The Dead Book -- Jane Churchon

Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “If you treat people right, they will treat you right…ninety percent of the time.” It is the belief in this idea that causes Jane Churchon, a registered nurse for over the past 20+ years, to treat the process of pronouncing someone dead as she does; with the respect and care she hopes will be afforded to her when she passes away. Jane describes this process in her essay, “The Dead Book,” which details the accounts of pronouncing a single person as deceased. She starts out by saying, “I like to take my time when I pronounce someone dead.” She goes on to explain that it is her desire to treat bodies with the same respect that she would give to a living, breathing patient. This is evident throughout a fictional representation of the process she goes through when pronouncing Mrs. Jones deceased. Through imagery and allusions, such as “…I use one of those disposable stethoscopes…made of flimsy red plastic the color of cartoon blood, and I feel a little cheap…as if I have shown up to a dinner party in a ribbed tube top,” she engages the reader in the process, implanting feelings of remorse and respect in the reader – almost as if they personally knew Mrs. Jones. Anyone who has had someone close to them pass away can relate to these feelings. Yet, having the same feelings for someone who you didn’t know rarely surface, except in Churchon’s case. Hovering over the body, she explains her curiosity as to who the patient was and what their life was like before they were ready to be pronounced deceased. Perhaps we don’t feel this way because we don’t have a direct relation to the patient, whereas Churchon is the person responsible for bringing an end to their life officially in legal terms. But we do feel this way with Mrs. Jones, because Churchon has fostered in us a little melancholy just by bringing to mind what the people who did know Mrs. Jones personally are feeling. We weep not out of remorse, but out of respect.

Feeling For a Pulse That Isn't There 

A nurse checking for a patient's pules -- Sylvia Nickerson

The Bad Lion -- Toni Bentley

We are all creatures of habit. It is in our blood to interfere with acts of nature when we see fit. Yet, there are moments in time when interfering with acts of nature compromise our moral identities. Nonetheless, there is an equal amount of moments in time when leaving nature be goes against every fiber in our body. Toni Bentley’s “The Bad Lion” proves to be an allegory for this human tendency. The story, which follows a group of tourists essentially intruding on the natural habitat of the African Lions – whom are residing within the Sabi Sands Game Reserve – focuses on the human perspective of acts in nature for which we lack understanding. While on a safari adventure, the tourists come face-to-face with Satan, a rogue lion, whose aspirations for dominance deviate from the typical lion behavior, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake as he works to impose his dominance on the other lions inhabiting the game reserve. It is after watching Satan attack a female lion firsthand that we begin to see the aforementioned human tendency unravelling. Clueless as to why the lion has entered this state of rampage, the tourists question their bystanding roles in the act and devise ways of – in their minds – restoring order.  This is what Toni Bentley intended on revealing to the reader, the aspiration of the tourists to “make things right.” Perhaps what we don’t realize is that, much like Satan, we feel the need for dominance and control. Through selective imagery in which the reader – which could be anyone who picked up the book – was exposed to a situation of out the ordinary, Bentley was able to bring to light our longing for order and structure both personally and in a general sense. Having received praise for her work from The New York Times and Harvard University, among other publishers and institutions, Bentley is well versed in the writing community. Her highly acclaimed book, The Surrender, An Erotic Memoir, seemingly set the stage for this essay as it was focused on the struggle for dominance, much like Satan’s.

 

Lions on the Prowl

African Lions in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve -- thewildsource.com

Fatheralong -- John Edgar Wideman

Emmett Till was a 14-year-old African American Chicago boy murdered in Mississippi in 1955. Emmett’s body, pulled from the Tallahatchie River, was beaten and disfigured to the point of being unidentifiable, only by the ring on his finger belonging to his father, Louis Till. Louis had gone off to war in a segregated army in 1942 – just months after Emmett was born – and only returned home once. Having committed rape and murder, he was hanged by the United States Army on July 2^nd, 1955 in Italy, not long before his son was murdered. Much like his son, Louis had grown up without the presence of a father. What seemingly appears as a mere coincidence may in fact have a substantial connection, according to John Edgar Wideman – a professor at Brown University and widely-celebrated writer – in his essay, “Fatheralong.” Wideman proposes a point that, “One could argue that the concept of race abiding today in America is a profound orphaning of all black children.” Wideman goes on to further explain that myths of race isolate children and place them at risk, due to the stereotype defining the role of black fathers in their children’s’ lives. It is without doubt that the existence of race in the United States continues to plague the ailing attempts of true equality because we entertain a segregated vision of our nation. When problems arise, fingers point towards it being a “white problem” or a “black problem,” not a problem for the general population. It is because of this that we are unable to truly live without – both openly and in the backs of our minds – ideas of race. This constituting the idea that the death of Emmett Till was due to the actions of his father, Louis, who did not “properly” teach him about how white people treated black people in the South as opposed to the North, something we have condemned him for as we expect him – as a black father – to have done so. In truth, the death of both Emmett and his father are our collective responsibility because we as a nation, fostered unjust expectations of Louis – and his father as well. Through the imagery of Emmett and Louis Till’s deaths, Wideman was able to address the readers, most of whom are American citizens experiencing the race epidemic, and convince them of the perils of the belief in race.

Emmett Tillman

Emmett Tillman, a 14-year-old boy murdered in 1955 -- biography.com