TOW #13 - Article:"Why Do Children Believe in Santa But Not Harry Potter?" by Nathalia Gjersoe

Merry Christmas!

Tooth fairies, mermaids, monsters, and magical creatures of some sort make up a great amount of children's childhood. Nathalia Gjersoe, a lecturer in developmental psychology and the author of "Why Do Children Believe in Santa But Not Harry Potter?" goes into great detail as to why children tend to believe in Santa more than other mythical and imaginary creatures. After various studies conducted regarding  children's beliefs, it was concluded that there should be "physical evidence" that supports the claim that such characters exist. For instance, "in the Candy Witch study, 5-year-olds whose Halloween sweets had been replaced with a toy in the morning were much more likely to subsequently say the Candy Witch was real than those who has simply been told about her." However, Santa is considered to be the most believed fictitious character though because not only parents, but also because society goes to great lengths just to publicize Santa and make young children believe in him. Santa is everywhere during the Christmas, which only makes him more believable! Gjersoe's purpose of writing her article is not only to convey information, but also to make parents and society to consider whether it is ok to perpetuate the myth about Santa. To achieve her purpose, Gjersoe incorporated statistics and hypothetical situations. With the addition of statistics, Gjersoe is able to effectively illustrate the beliefs of different groups of children, playing a role that makes parents and society think about how children would feel once they find out that Santa does not exist. Furthermore, by describing various hypothetical situations, Gjersoe is able to prove to the readers why children believe in such fantasies. It establishes her credibility because she is applying her knowledge of psychology into her article. Also, Gjersoe's hypothetical situations make it easier for the readers to understand the points she is making by simplifying the results of the studies into something more general. Through those two rhetorical devices, Gjersoe was able to successfully able to achieve of purpose. 

Link: http://www.theguardian.com/science/head-quarters/2013/dec/13/why-do-children-believe-in-santa-but-not-harry-potter

TOW #12 - Everything Bad is Good for You by Steven Johnston (Part 1)

Steven Johnston, the author of Everything Bad is Good for You, is an iconoclastic and captivating writer who is also an American popular science author and a media theorist. Having graduated from Brown University with a degree in semiotics and Columbia University with a degree in English literature, Johnston incorporates his knowledge of media, pop culture, and technology in order to argue that the pop culture we are exposed to everyday is actually beneficial. In part 1 on of his book, Johnston goes into the description of how video games, television, internet, and films are aspects of current culture that stimulate cognition, contrary to popular belief. For example, Johnston talks about how current kid's movies are a lot more complex today than they were in the past. For example, the intricate plot structure, the clever dialogue, and the fascinating special effects are all different qualities of a movie that make up mental exercises for children. Regarding the internet, Johnston brings up that it forces us to problem solve. We have to navigate through various websites, find necessary information, install new software, fix computer issue, etc, and these account for the various cognitive challenges that we go through on a daily basis. Addressing his message most likely to parents and adults, Johnston wants to change their views of pop culture so that a positive view is created. Johnston achieves his purpose by adding visuals and using reliable people to bolster his assertions. By using pictures, Johnston is able to covey his information in an efficient manner, allowing the readers to easily understand the points he is making. Furthermore, pulling quotes from reliable people, such as game scholar James Paul Gee for instance, establishes Johnston's credibility as an author who is arguing in favor of pop culture's benefits. His credibility thus makes him qualified to express his arguments. Through his use of visuals and reliable sources, Johnston was indeed able to achieve his purpose early on in his book. 

TOW #11 - Article: "Where To Travel Based On Your Personality Type" by Lisa Miller

Adventure Time!

Everyone loves to travel. Whether it is local or out of the country, travel calls for adventure, and adventure calls for new and exciting experiences. However, not every place is considered "fun" for everyone. There is a trend between personality types and vacation spots, and this can influence where people choose to travel. Lisa Miller, the author of "Where To Travel Based On Your Personality Type", is an associate editor and writes articles under the HuffPost Travel section, making her a reliable source for obtaining any travel advice or information. Her article gives brief insight to the general public into the various places of travel based on Myers-Briggs personality test. Ranging from the calmest traveler to the most extreme traveler, the article lists a variety of places that different personality-typed people would enjoy. For instance, "the wild traveler" would probably go to a place like New Zealand, where there are many "wild" outdoor activities such a bungee jumping and skydiving. On the other hand, "the chill traveler" would probably enjoy a laid-back beach vacation or some place quiet and serene such as San Juan. The article continues to list much more. To convey her information and describe how personality correlates to vacation spots, Miller uses a variety of rhetorical devices. Firstly, her incorporation of images of various places illustrates the types of areas different people would be willing to visit. Additionally, pictures have a slight appeal to pathos, making readers have a feeling of wanting to travel or something related, which also keeps them interested in Miller's writing. Furthermore, Miller's repetition in the structure of the article helps her achieve her purpose. For a total of 16 times, Miller first presents a picture of a vacation spot. Then she describes a personality type and finally ends by suggesting a place to travel. With a simple and easy structure, readers are able to easily absorb the information and go through the article with ease. Lisa Miller's use of images and simple structure crafts a well written article that not only conveys information about travel destinations, but also gives readers knowledge about the correlation between personality type and vacations. 

Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/02/personality-travel_n_4344626.html