TOW #7 - Article: "Making New Elements" by Brooke Borel

How to Make New Elements!

Science has always been making revolutionary changes and uncovering fascinating things. Last year, Germany sought to create the heaviest known element in the universe: element 119. In order to develop such this artificial element, scientists have attempted to fuse together two lighter molecules into one "super-molecule," which theoretically is suppose to yield element 119. Not only are scientists trying to understand the behavior of atoms and their nuclei, but also to be praised. By creating this element, scientists will not only be developing the heaviest element, but also add another row to the period table of elements. Borel, a contributor for PopSci and a writer for other websites, then transitions into the superficial procedure of how to make a new element: 1) accelerate, 2) collide, 3) separate, and 4) detect. If this procedure were to actually prove successful, history in the science community will be made. Borel felt it necessary to inform those who are science enthusiasts about this possibility. In order to inform those with interests in molecular science, Borel structures her article in a very simple and easy-to-follow manner. In the beginning, Borel provides the reader with background information about why and how a new element could be created, and then she moves onto the method of being able to do so. Furthermore, Borel incorporates a lot of images in order to make her information clear and to supplement what she is saying. For example, in the image above, Borel outlines the steps of creating an element, making the procedure lucid for the reader. Also, there is another picture in the article that depicts what the "future" periodic table of elements would look like if element 119 is able to be successfully created. With the combined results of the use of simple structure and images, Borel was able to easily inform her readers about this phenomenon that could potentially take place in their lifetimes. 

Link: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-04/making-new-elements?dom=tw&src=SOC

TOW #6 - Article: "Traditional Work Hours are a Myth: Why Companies Should Ditch the 9-to-5 Standard" by Ilya Pozin

Continuing Working 9-to-5?

Ilya Pozin, a columnist on entrepreneurship and marketing, a writer, an investor, and an entrepreneur himself,  is a man who believes that the 9-to-5 work hours are not a productive range of time for employees. As the founder of Open Me, a social greeting card company, and Ciplex, a digital marketing agency, Pozin has a lot experience regarding the productivity and the efficiency of his employees. In the very beginning of his article, he makes the claim, "Automatically adopting a rigid schedule may have a negative effect on your employee's productivity and happiness. Telling them exactly when they must complete their work is a fast way to make them feel less autonomous and erode their trust."After explicitly stating his purpose for writing this article, Pozin transitions into a list of reasons as to why the 9-to-5 work schedule is inadequate. The reasons to "ditch the 9-to-5 standard" include less productivity, loss in trust, distracting time limit, and inhibition of teamwork. In today's society, competition between various companies is escalating and only the most capable of companies will be successful. Addressing his message to directly to businessmen, Pozin wants to ensure that CEOs and business leaders follow the right path when it comes to managing employees and their work hours. Pozin makes his points very lucid by incorporating a variety of rhetorical devices in his article. Firstly, his assertive tone makes his message very urgent, as if Pozin is saying, "Companies must get rid of this rigid work schedule NOW or the consequences will be fatal!" Additionally, Pozin organizes his thoughts in a very simplistic manner. He uses a list. By arranging his ideas in such way, the audience/readers can pinpoint exactly what Pozin wants to convey. Such an structure also has a strong appeal to logos, allowing facts and reasons to be channeled easily to the readers. Overall, Pozin's brief yet informative article effectively achieves its purpose because of its consistent straightforward information and its relation to the current business world.

Link: http://thenextweb.com/entrepreneur/2013/10/17/traditional-work-hours-myth-companies-ditch-9-5-standard/

TOW #5 - Visual Text: "I Want You" Poster

"I Want You" - James M. Flagg

http://www.crazywebsite.com/Free-Galleries-01/USA_Patriotic/Pictures_WW1_Posters_LG/Uncle_Sam_Wants_You_1917_US_Army_Recruiting_Poster_Flagg-1LG.jpg

Uncle Sam has always been the "main man," a national personification, for the American government. This poster, created in 1917 to encourage recruitment in the United States army during World War I, is still highly recognizable today by the majority of the United States' population, which demonstrates its prominence in current society. James M. Flagg, the creator of the "I Want You" poster, was an artist and illustrator at the time, working in media ranging from paintings to cartoons. However, his most valued and remembered pieces of work are his political posters. During World War I, over four million copies of Flagg's poster were printed, and it was abundantly printed again during World War II, but Flagg made a few modifications to the latter poster.  To make recruitment in the United States army during these major wars, Flagg incorporated a variety of rhetorical devices in order to convey his message. Firstly, his contrasting color scheme helps his message, to join the army, stand out. With a white colored background and black colored text, the words "I Want You" stand out and catch the attention of the audience. In addition to the contrasting color scheme, the poster also has a color scheme that includes colors of the American flag. These colors illustrates what the United States itself wants from the people and gives a sense of nationalism, which appeals to ethos because this poster makes everyone feel like one. This poster does not only appeal to ethos, but it also appeals to pathos. By emphasizing the word "I Want You" on the poster, Flagg makes the audience feel as if they are needed and that they are an essential part to the American government. The important fact to keep in mind is that this poster has been around for almost 100 years now, and everyone still knows about it, showing that Flagg created a powerful poster that clearly achieved his purpose. 

TOW #4 - Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt (Part 1)

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

John Berendt, the author of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, is a splendid writer who has edited for a variety of magazines. Additionally, he has written for Esquire and has also served as editor of the New York magazine. From his experiences as a writer, Berendt traverse around the United States and documented/wrote about many of his adventures. One such travel was when he went to Savannah, Georgia, which is where his book takes place. In part 1, consisting of the first 11 chapters of the book, Berendt takes the reader through a series of encounters, which primarily serve as an introduction before climaxing at the murder (at the very end of part 1). Since the purpose of part 1 in the book was to set the scene before Berendt goes into detail about the murder, it can be inferred that part 2 of the book will consist of people trying to solve this felony. Overall, the main reason the author wrote his book was to inform the public of this murder, considering the fact that this is a nonfiction book, and to illustrate his experiences while he was in Savannah. This book is not written for any specific group of people, but an audience that would most enjoy reading such a book would be one that loves true-crime murder stories. Throughout part 1 of the book, Berendt uses a variety of rhetorical devices. One main device used is imagery. Through vivid descriptions of the setting and people, Berendt is able to pellucidly depict everything he saw/experienced while he was in Savannah. In addition to imagery, Berendt uses diction that is mostly found in fiction books. In order to write this book, Berendt interviewed everyone he met. From each interview, he pulled quotes and treated them as dialogues in his book, making this book progress as if it were a novel. Writing in such a fashion allowed Berendt to successfully hook the reader and convey all the necessary information to fully comprehend what/why events play out the way they do.