IRB Intro #4: Go Ask Alice

Written in 1971, this diary follows the life of a girl who is immersed into the world of drugs and becomes addicted. The author of the diary is kept anonymous and a name of who wrote it is never given. The main character is portrayed as lonely and awkward and under the pressure of her strict parents who want her to be "perfect". Her journey begins when a friend laces her drink with LSD, and soon she is drinking different drugs that take her away from reality.

TOW #14 - Saudi Arabia: Women Arrested For Violating Driving Ban

On November 30th, a Saudi Arabian woman videotaped herself driving a car and posted it on youtube. This demonstration protested the law of Saudi Arabia that it is illegal for a woman to drive. The next day on December 1st, she was arrested by officials. When it comes to women’s rights, Saudi Arabia remains one of the most restrictive countries in the world. Guardianship laws mean that a woman cannot marry, work or travel abroad without the consent of a male relative. This story was covered by Inquisitr an internationally recognized news web site with a strong presence in the USA, and is currently is one of the top 2500 web sites globally and one of the top 1000 web sites in the USA.  This media used biased diction to tell the story of the Saudi women drivers, and make them seem like the victims. It wrote very biasedly for example when they mentioned, “The religious practices of Saudi Arabia are so radical in fact that many...” The use of the words such as radical creates a one-way viewpoint on the topic, and only sheds a light on the media's side of the story. This effectively helps their purpose of showing the bravery of the women activist and their story. Using biased diction, they are also able to help appeal to pathos. It appeals to Pathos because the specific diction creates a rebellious mood, and is followed through when describing that other women have followed in the footsteps of defying the driving ban. The mood affects the reader and immediately could make the reader feel for the women protesters. This is effect in the sense that getting the mass to agree with the protesters, which successfully told the story to make the women drivers look good. It is intended that the article’s effectiveness is t gain awareness so that people will reach out to try and help the women drivers of Saudi Arabia, and maybe can overturn the guardian laws that are established there. I believe that this was an effective use of rhetorics in order to achieve their purpose because it draws in the audience through telling the story of a law against a simple right, and then uses pathos to raise awareness and to help the women of Saudi Arabia.

TOW #13: Fast Food Nation (IRB Part 2)

The author of Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser, begins talking about the image that fast food companies, specifically the well known brands like McDonalds, create in order to get the attention of their customers. The first big idea that was created and quickly adopted by a lot of  fast food companies such as Wendy’s, McDonalds, and Burger King was to create a mascot, or a cartoon-like person to advertise the food. Schlosser mentions that McDonalds had Ronald McDonald, Wendy’s had Wendy, and Burger King had the King. He clarifies that the main goal was to allow people to create an emotional connection. The consumers will then be more likely to purchase their products because they’re doing are drawn to the characters and to the bigger picture of the company itself. The author also explains that making sure the people behind the counter were good employees was just as important as choosing a spokesperson. A corporation's employers typically handpicked employees who appeared to have an enthusiastic view and outlook of the company. With that, customer interactions would leave a good impression on the customer and encourage them to come back to the restaurant. Throughout the book, Schlosser uses various rhetorical strategies in order to make his points clear to the audience. He uses straightforward facts/statistics to support his view of how these companies have succeeded. Along with the facts, he uses personal anecdotes to provide the reader with his encounters with fast food spokespeople and employees working behind the counter. One of the author's most powerful rhetorical devices, however, is his use of historical references. He initially analyzes the beginnings of the fast food corporations which can really say a lot about the amount of displays the amount of progress that the industries have undergone. I believe that Schlosser is able to achieve his purpose of educating the American people about the history of fast food and how their ways of advertisement have attracted so many people because he uses facts to back up his reasoning, and also personal experiences to show that he has done his research and is well versed in the area.

TOW #12: Fast Food Nation (IRB)

Fast food nation, a book about the truths of the fast food industry started off in an interesting way. The author Eric Schlosser, an Oxford and Princeton graduate, was a journalist with The Atlantic Monthly. He was also awarded the National Magazine Award and has had his work appear in in Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The Nation. With this in mind, I think it’s safe to say that Eric Schlosser is a credible author. When I began reading Fast Food Nation the first part of the book was all about the history of fast food. This helps Eric Schlosser in crafting his story because it is necessary for the author to provide the reader with background knowledge. Although the information was boring at times, it sitll kept the audience informed. However, because the first section was strictly historical knowledge, it lacked rhetorical devices, which didn't define much of a purpose yet. It is implied that the purpose for the writing is because of the increase of popularity of the fast food industry along with the attention that it has drawn, and the negative effects that creates. Schlosser's audience is the same audience of the fast food companies, the American people. He attempts to educate the people of the consequences of supporting fast food in America, and the negative outcomes related to it. As of now, Schlosser is doing a good job with keeping his readers informed and initiating his point of how the fast food industry is making a negative impact on health. Since I haven't finished the book yet, it's expected that I don't know Schlosser's full purpose and juicy details of the rest of his book. The provided background information for his readers is necessary for readers to be able to understand the rest of the book.