In the anonymously written diary, Go Ask Alice, the author describes her experience of being immersed into the world of drugs. The diary begins with Alice moving to another town because of her father's new job. She is just a normal teenage girl facing boy problems and weight issues, still very innocent with very little issues. At a party she attends, she is introduced to LSD for the first time when she is handed a laced drink, this changed her life forever and pushes her into a direction of constantly being under the influence. The author's purpose of expressing the built up emotions and thoughts that a drug addicted teenager would have at that point of her life was well backed up through the use of clear symbolism and thorough use of smilies.
One of the key devices to focus on in this book is the use of symbolism. Not only does it help illustrate what she is experiencing, but it also offers an insight into her mind and how it affects her as a character. Throughout the book Alice has a reoccurring fear of maggots and worms as they come out in her dream and she keeps thinking about them eating the dead bodies. Her first revelation of this fear was when she, "I [she] had a nightmare last night about Gramps' body all filled with maggots and worms, and I [she] thought about what would happen if I [she] should die." Although it is a gross image, as she goes further into the description of maggots and worms eating her there is a clear symbol that is seen. At first, her fear of the maggots focuses around the loneliness of her individual mind. Part of her fear is that she is unaware of what happens to a body underground that is hidden from sight. Alice's loneliness connects to this anxiety, that she fears no one knows what is happening in her mind. Later on when she is in a hospital, she remembers the "dead things and people" that were "pushing" her into a casket, becoming something that seeks to harm Alice. The audience is able to interpret the maggots and worms as instances of destructive impulses in society that Alice has incorporates into low self-esteem as if society is "pushing" her inside the coffin just how it has pushed her into drugs, away from her family, and even further away from reality.
Due to the fact that this book is centered around drugs, Alice often uses similes and metaphors to compare her experiences in a way that the audience will be able to take a look into how she is feeling. Her perception of being under the influence is often described in a positive way, especially when she says, "last night was like reaching heaven". Her comparison to experiencing drugs for the first time to heaven shows that she had a really good time and this contributes to how she becomes hooked into having an addiction. In another situation Alice explains that her and her peers were, "all crying unashamedly and like babies". By describing the way they were crying like babies, it is easy to see the extent of how Alice's emotions were heightened at the moment of when a certain event took place. She is able to make it dramatic and something that the audience can connect to because they have experienced that feeling at some point in their lives.
The author does a good job of achieving her purpose because she is able to utilize the rhetorical devices into an expressive way that helps the audience see into Alice's mind and her emotions. By repeatedly mentioning her fear throughout the book, we are able to see a clearly defined symbol that allows us to look into the deeper side of how drugs have affected Alice. At the same time the author also blatantly states her feelings and experiences through similes and compares them instances that the audience can understand, making it easier to see the main character's expression of emotions.
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Monday, January 19, 2015
TOW #16: Visual Text
A political cartoon published by cartoonist Steve Kelley, a Dartmouth graduate and Pulitzer Prize winner, shows a cartoonist sitting at the head of the table with his family during a thanksgiving meal. When the family is saying what they are thankful for, the cartoonist says that he is thankful for “Joe Biden, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, the Tea Party, the Cheney sisters, and most of all Obamacare.” Kelley’s purpose in providing these topics is to make fun of them but also at the same time to make fun of the cartoonists that have to be grateful for these foolish topics because in turn these topics are what provide them with jobs.
One of the main rhetorical devices that Kelley uses is irony. Usually at Thanksgiving when people say what they are thankful for, they talk about positive things and good things that are happening in their lives. They also may mention things that are good for a community, such as good health, family, or spending time with loved ones. As opposed to saying those things, the cartoonist in the picture instead says things that are controversial. However, it is ironic because the things he says give him a job, and provide him with something to write about, therefore the reason why he is grateful for them.
I believe that Steve Kelley does a good job at achieving his purpose. He provides a list of topics that have been on the news in the past and are controversial but still relevant. The audience for this cartoon was mostly Americans or anyone who is aware of what is going on in North American politics. Other political cartoonists would also be likely to enjoy the cartoon. Part of what helps achieve his goal is that when the audience reads through the list, they are able to make a humorous connection between the items listed and the news items that have caused some to think these are humorous topics.
One of the main rhetorical devices that Kelley uses is irony. Usually at Thanksgiving when people say what they are thankful for, they talk about positive things and good things that are happening in their lives. They also may mention things that are good for a community, such as good health, family, or spending time with loved ones. As opposed to saying those things, the cartoonist in the picture instead says things that are controversial. However, it is ironic because the things he says give him a job, and provide him with something to write about, therefore the reason why he is grateful for them.
I believe that Steve Kelley does a good job at achieving his purpose. He provides a list of topics that have been on the news in the past and are controversial but still relevant. The audience for this cartoon was mostly Americans or anyone who is aware of what is going on in North American politics. Other political cartoonists would also be likely to enjoy the cartoon. Part of what helps achieve his goal is that when the audience reads through the list, they are able to make a humorous connection between the items listed and the news items that have caused some to think these are humorous topics.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Tow #15: How Technology is Changing the Way Children Think and Focus By Jim Taylor
Nowadays in our society, technology is becoming a growing aspect that is a part of people's everyday lives, and is also bringing up the controversy of whether or not it's harmful. Many use it for teaching and ease of everyday life, whereas others choose to keep their children away form it. Jim Taylor, a professor for Psychology at the University of San Francisco, looks to show his perspective differently. Taylor argues that rather than harming children, technology simply changes the way they think and focus through analogy and exemplification.
Taylor begins by using an analogy of scuba diving and jet skiing to illustrate the different types of focus that it takes to read compared to just easily searching it on the internet. He claims, "book reading is like scuba diving in which the diver is submerged in a quiet, visually restricted, slow-paced setting with few distractions and, as a result, is required to focus narrowly and think deeply. In contrast, using the Internet is like jet skiing, in which the jet skier is skimming along the surface of the water at high speed, exposed to a broad vista, surrounded by many distractions, and only able to focus fleetingly on any one thing". By using this analogy, Taylor shows that even though reading requires a person to focus on one specific thing, searching the internet requires someone to scan many options and focus on many. By showing this to the audience, he illustrates that technology changes the way the younger generation thinks. Instead of learning to completely focus on one thing, technology teaches children to take in large amounts of information at once. The analogy of jet skiing and scuba diving helps the author achieve his purpose of portraying the difference.
In the text, Taylor aso uses exemplification to show the validity of his argument and to relay that technology is not as bad as others think. He includes "Research shows that, for example, video games and other screen media improve visual-spatial capabilities, increase attentional ability, reaction times, and the capacity to identify details among clutter". Taylor frequently quotes studies and other facts to back up his argument and provide ethos. By doing this, he is adding credibility to his argument, making his claim even stronger. Showing that studies and other accredited psychologists agree with Taylor's perspective creates an ethical appeal and causes the audience to believe what he is saying.
I believe that Taylor does a very good job on achieving his purpose because his argument is different than others regarding the effects of technology. Instead of simply arguing whether or not technology is good or bad, he uses an analogy and exemplification to show to the audience that technology changes the way children think and teaches them in a different way.
Taylor begins by using an analogy of scuba diving and jet skiing to illustrate the different types of focus that it takes to read compared to just easily searching it on the internet. He claims, "book reading is like scuba diving in which the diver is submerged in a quiet, visually restricted, slow-paced setting with few distractions and, as a result, is required to focus narrowly and think deeply. In contrast, using the Internet is like jet skiing, in which the jet skier is skimming along the surface of the water at high speed, exposed to a broad vista, surrounded by many distractions, and only able to focus fleetingly on any one thing". By using this analogy, Taylor shows that even though reading requires a person to focus on one specific thing, searching the internet requires someone to scan many options and focus on many. By showing this to the audience, he illustrates that technology changes the way the younger generation thinks. Instead of learning to completely focus on one thing, technology teaches children to take in large amounts of information at once. The analogy of jet skiing and scuba diving helps the author achieve his purpose of portraying the difference.
In the text, Taylor aso uses exemplification to show the validity of his argument and to relay that technology is not as bad as others think. He includes "Research shows that, for example, video games and other screen media improve visual-spatial capabilities, increase attentional ability, reaction times, and the capacity to identify details among clutter". Taylor frequently quotes studies and other facts to back up his argument and provide ethos. By doing this, he is adding credibility to his argument, making his claim even stronger. Showing that studies and other accredited psychologists agree with Taylor's perspective creates an ethical appeal and causes the audience to believe what he is saying.
I believe that Taylor does a very good job on achieving his purpose because his argument is different than others regarding the effects of technology. Instead of simply arguing whether or not technology is good or bad, he uses an analogy and exemplification to show to the audience that technology changes the way children think and teaches them in a different way.
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