TOW #23

In the article “Yes, Wall Street Needs Help”, the author brings about some issues on Wall Street, and how they can eventually be a major detriment to the economy and to the financial security of people all over the United States. One of the first issues that Kathryn Wylde touches upon is that over the past five years, over 25,000 financial services jobs have been laid off, and then shares her ideas on how this will affect the city and beyond. When she discusses this topic, the major rhetorical device that is used, happens to be logos. She states, “Most of the estimated 310,000 financial-services workers in New York City — down from 360,000 in 2000 — are in the middle class. Fifty-one percent make less than $100,000 a year” (para. 4). This is significant because of the fact that it clearly shows how the number of workers has decreased, and how these people are now in a tough situation financially without a job.

She moves on to talking about how some people don’t care about the economic aspects of the city. Here she brings out the rhetorical device or juxtaposition, or more of a “They say, I say” approach. “Critics who think the financial-services sector is still too big, and that salaries at the top are still too high, might say: So what? But that is not a view anyone who cares about our city can afford to take” (para. 3). By using the idea of comparing what some people believes in, and then talking about her beliefs, she refers to her purpose. Her purpose being that people need to pay more attention to Wall Street due to how much impact it has on our lives.

Kathryn Wylde is the Chief Executive Officer and President of The Partnership for New York City, Inc. as well as the Chamber of Commerce, Inc., so clearly she has a lot of knowledge in the world of commerce, establishing her ethos.

Through the use of ethos, logos, and juxtaposition, Wylde effectively demonstrates her purpose in that Wall Street needs to be functioning fluently in order for society to function as well, in her article “Yes, Wall Street Needs Help”. 

TOW #21 - The Unnatural Kingdom

All throughout time, people have always had an obsession with the natural wildlife that roam the grounds in tandem with humans. Whether it be the bald eagle that soars through the air as a symbol of freedom, or in Daniel Duane's case, the Sierra bighorn sheep. In an article writing about the protection of wildlife, Duane begins with a anecdote of viewing a bighorn sheep through the lens of binoculars. From a distance, it may seem like such a majestic sight, dangerously toeing the sides of rocky mountains with their big, massive horns. But no, take a closer look. With the bighorn sheep in recent years being put on the list of Endangered Species, scientists needed to find a way to protect them. Lions seemed to be a big problem, killing off a couple of sheep in a very short time span, and knocking the total American population down to just 100 of these wonderful creatures. What they've done is installed GPS systems in each and every one of these sheep. If a lion kills a few of them in a short time frame, they use the last known location, and go after those lions with hunting dogs so that they can eliminate the threat to the bighorns. It's quite fascinating if you ask me. In the intriguing speculation about the use of technology to preserve wildlife, Duane uses glorifying imagery to promote the idea that although it might tarnish the beauty of the animals, the steps taken are necessary and acceptable in order to keep them coexisting in tandem with humans. "Binoculars reveal three sturdy ewes perched on a wall of rock, accompanied by two lambs and a muscular ram. The sight fills you with awe and also with gratitude for the national parks, forests and, yes, environmental regulations that keep the American dream of wilderness alive." What this does is by glorifying the animals, Duane expresses the idea that it is necessary to preserve the creatures in any way possible because of their beauty. Although it might tarnish your view of the animals now with a collar around their neck, it'll be worth it in the long run when we are still able to enjoy their company 1,000 years from now.

TOW #19 - Trigger Warnings

In an article written by Peter Manseau of the New York Times, the gun control controversy is once again highlighted. As more and more accidents and tragedies are occurring with gun violence, people are starting to question the liberties that we as Americans posses. It's interesting, you see, how when the safety of the general public comes into question, it seems to take priority over maintaining our freedoms. The author of the article states, "Though often seen as an embodiment of the nation’s freedom-loving swagger, every gun comes loaded with an alternate history: not heroic self-reliance but hapless tragedy." People are starting to notice that there are more and more of these happenings, and starting to take action, as we see with some of the presidential candidates. The laws in certain states essentially allow free reign to this unique invention that no matter what, will always be half-wild. When a two-year-old son takes out a legally concealed weapon and kills his mother with it, the media will certainly take notice. Not only was in captivating because of the kid's age, but because the mom had it concealed while shopping at the local Wal-mart. Wal-mart, of all places. Why does this woman even have a gun in her purse while shopping? Well clearly because she was thinking and anticipating a situation where she would need to use it. Which thus brings us to the controversy. If people are willing to sacrifice their liberties for their own safety, how far are they willing to go? I think we have seen far too much tragedy to keep the law the way it is. I'm not advocating for total abolishment of gun control, but limiting would not be a bad option. With the Virginia Tech shooting, Columbine shooting, and Sandy Hook Elementary tragedies all taking place recently, it's time to make a change. 

TOW #18 - Is Humanity Getting Better?

In one of the most captivating articles I've read in a while, author Leif Wenar begins with discussing the Plague of 1665 that wiped out about 20 percent of London's citizens. This number equates to about a million and a half lives in today's society. Eager to learn where the article was going, I continued to read about some of our greatest feats as humans. How our science is so penetrating, how our bombs are now informed by particle physics, how our computers are becoming faster, and how our transportation networks have become a thing of beauty. But yet, the author draws a comparison to the ignorance that led to the spread of diseases, such as London of 1665. Wenar claimed that pestilence doesn't threaten us because of the ignorance, but because of the success of our systems. Which begs the question, if the systems, such as transportation, are such a success, then why downplay them and draw the comparison to such awful times in the mid 1600s? Through the use of a metaphor that humanity is adding energy to itself, Wenar successfully argues that humanity is advancing, and that "more energy = more humanity." To prove that the more energy has brought more humanity he reveals "...the big picture of postwar history shows significant improvements in nearly all indicators of lived human experience. The average life span of humans is today longer than it has ever been. A smaller proportion of women die in childbirth than ever before. Child malnutrition is at its lowest level ever, while literacy rates worldwide have never been higher. Most impressive has been the recent reduction in severe poverty." In the end, we must realize that although our new success have brought along some evil, we must not overlook that there are so many things to overlook the bad. If we fail to recognize this, he claims, future generations will marvel that we did not see it. 

IRB Post #3

For my third IRB, I have chosen to read the book The Unwanted: A Memoir of a Childhood. In this story, Kien Nguyen relives his ten years of childhood in Vietnam after Saigon fell to the Vietcong. Kien reveals all that he had to go through as a young boy including many kids viewing him as an outsider due to his mixed race, as well as many harsh racists remarks on a daily basis. I have chosen to read this book because it offers me a look into what it was like to be a kid with American blood during this time, and it is also the only memoir by an Amerasian who stayed behind in Vietnam after the fall of Saigon and who is now living in America. I hope to gain this knowledge because I view myself as a bit of a history geek, as you can tell since my past two reads have both related to World War II. 

TOW #14 - Is the Hoverboard Cool?

Today's generation seems to be mesmerized by the silliest of trends that make older generations think that we are a joke. The new hoverboard that has thousands of teens fascinated is no exception. In an effort to keep up with the trends, author Michael Christie gives his opinion on the experience he had with the modern version of skateboarding. Through his use of targeted sarcasm, Christie makes fun of our obsession with the ridiculous luxuries and exemplifies how today's society is much different in regards to technology from when he grew up. Back when Christie was a in his teens, "No skateboard had ever caught fire, as one Fit Turbo hoverboard did, while its cheap lithium-ion batteries were charging, badly damaging a family’s Louisiana home." Taking aim directly at how our culture is so much different from "the good ol' days", Christie's sense of humor exposes how ridiculous obsession is with such ridiculous items. Similar to the passage I read about pink flamingos in the 1970s, the author has a very different view of the fancy trends, then a majority of Americans. He sees through to how the hoverboard is a representation of such a change in times and technology. "Skateboarding was once dismissed as a fad as well, wasn’t it? Had I become a crank? A nostalgic? A believer that all the truly cool things lay behind us?" Not only is this a great use of sarcasm, but the rhetorical questions also remind the reader of how it seems that people who used to think they were hip, have now ended up in the review mirror to the new types of technological trends of the era. Wrapping up the essay with him taking a test drive, it seems at first that he is going to get the hang of it. However, just as quickly as he got on, the board flew right out from under his feet, leaving him crashing to the floor in the local appliance store. Today's generation has endless limits with the knowledge and the technology when it comes to benefiting society, however, Christine and many other old timers are skeptic the new trends that has risen out of the technological era, such as the hoverboard.