TOW #28: Park Avenue: Money, Power, and the American Dream

     Park Avenue: Money, Power, and the American Dream is an enlightening film that illustrates the great social divide between the rich and poor, the inconsiderate attitude of the many billionaires, and the manipulative power the wealthy have in politics. Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney asserts that because of the growing income gap in society, the possibility for social mobility is sharply declining, putting the American dream out of reach for the poor. Gibney goes into great detail of the many billionaire's lifestyles, influence on society, and their treatment of others. Prosperously living on Park Avenue, these people have no need to worry about food, shelter, and a comfort and regularly compares such a life to that of the poor. Gibney most likely made this film for the middle and upper classes of American society. Because he believes that the rich are the cause of this disastrous problem, they should be the ones to fix it. Through donations, charity, policies in favor of the underprivileged, the rich and congressmen can make a significant change in society. 

     The most effective rhetorical strategy that Gibney incorporates throughout his film is juxtaposition. From beginning to end, he makes a clear distinction between the rich and the poor. Even in a simple study with the game of monopoly, a discerning attitude towards the other player was noticeable. The "poorer" player, who was only allowed to roll one die, started out with less money, and lacked the advantageous opportunities the "wealthier" player had within this experiment. Surprisingly, the winning player felt no sympathy for the losing player and only believed in winning. By juxtaposing the results to Park Avenue itself, the conclusion turned out to be the same. The prosperous side of Park Avenue is filled with billionaire who care about nothing but themselves. And just across a bridge, 10 minutes away from the wealthy area, is South Bronx, a poverty-stricken city in which people struggle to acquire proper food and education. No one is willing to help these penniless people by sparing even a $50 bill. This great disparity between the two social classes ultimately shows that aid from the wealthy is necessary, and without it, fighting for the American dream is a futile effort.

     Further accomplishing Gibney's purpose are his many interviews. The entire documentary is based on the statements said by Jack Abramoff, Bruce Bartlett, Michael Gross, as well as other acclaimed people. From the very beginning, this continuously establishes the credibility of Gibney because he can corroborate his assertions with facts, statistics, and statements made by these people. From these interviews, anecdotes were also provided, adding a more personal element within this multitude of information. On the of the bellmen who worked at a luxurious hotel on Park Avenue described his experiences carrying luggage for the wealthy people. He said that the rich were some of the cheapest people to live due to their self-centric behavior, money-hungry attitude, and greedy personality. After 3-4 bellmen carried many heavy bags into a car, various affluent men did not even give a tip! The poor continue to face an even greater crisis as the rich get even richer while the poor remain/get even poorer. Again, showing how the rich are the ones creating the social problem and that only they have the power to stop it. 

     Indeed, Alex Gibney successfully achieved his purpose of letting his audience understand the social dilemma taking place and that the rich need to help the lower classes. Even with business magnates donating some part of their wealth to charities, that is not enough. The rich show that it is possible for everyone to become just like them, but those same people act as a barrier to social mobility. 

TOW #27: TOW Reflection

TOW Posts Re-read: #1, #13, #20

     Throughout the school year, I have made a lot of progress in writing my TOWs. After reading through previous posts, I was surprised to see how much my writing has improved and developed every week. In the beginning, I remember struggling with how I was suppose to organize the necessary content in each post (ie. context, audience, rhetorical device...). Slowly, I was able to eventually come up with a "TOW template" that I followed for each one. It helped me organize my thoughts and ideas, resulting in better TOW posts as the school year went on. One major change I noticed was that I went back to the thesis after analyzing each rhetorical device. For the majority of my earlier TOW posts, I failed to do that, and now, I understand what I need to do to write an effective analysis essay.
     Right now, I think I have mastered how to write a brief yet concise introductory paragraph. Quickly after the hook, I transition into the context, audience, purpose, and the rhetorical devices used in the text. Another aspect I feel I have mastered is being able to pick out rhetorical strategies and explaining the author's purpose of adding them. I used to just summarize them, but that eventually changed into actually analyzing them.
     Even though there are some things I feel confident with, there is still more I need to work on. Firstly, I need to make sure I remember to tie my analysis back to my thesis and stating how/why the rhetorical device helps the author achieve his/her purpose. In my current writing, I always make the attempt to do that, but I don't feel like I do it adequately enough to produce great body paragraphs. Additionally, I could also improve my conclusion paragraph. I can quickly summarize my essay in that paragraph, but I have trouble ending my essays with a "so what."
     Given that the purpose of the TOWs was a way to practice and improve our analysis of a text or image, I felt that I benefitted a lot from them. Evident through my progression, my writing improved and so did the perspective in which I analyze texts. Instead of looking for rhetorical devices first, I instead search for the author's purpose and then find the devices. Having that approach in mind, I was able to apply it to our analysis essays we did in class and at home. In the beginning, I thought that TOWs would be an unnecessary waste of time, but now I realize how useful they have been toward my writing. 

TOW 26 - Article: Snapchat Steps Up Its Game With Sophisticated New Messaging Features by Karissa Bell

Writing Goals:
Have analysis be concise and go back to the thesis

Reading Goals:Analyze a piece relating to current trends

     Excited and overwhelmed by the possibility of things, I was extremely animated when I learned about Snapchat's most recent update. Rather than just sending pictures and video in real time, this app is enhanced with a new look, messaging capabilities and video chatting. Karissa Bell, a journalist who writes about new apps and software programs for Mashable, praises the new features Snapchat has to present. By strategically incorporating simple format and illustrative pictures, Bell encourages smartphone users to get the latest version of Snapchat.
     To make it easy for readers to understand the information and message she is trying to give, Bell formats her article in a simple yet intelligent manner. Bell first organizes each section of her writing by each of Snapchat's newest features: "A New Look," "Text Messaging," and "Video Chatting." Within each of those sections, Bell includes a description of each feature as well as incorporate an image of what that component looks like. Complemented by her enthusiastic tone, this uncomplicated structure quickly and efficiently channels Bell's message to the readers. By showing how "great" the new specs of Snapchat are, Bell makes a strong appeal to pathos and makes audience feel excited about the new Snapchat.
     The simple structure of her article is further compounded by her use of illustrative pictures. Words can easily give a description of anything, but a picture can tell an entire story. Within each section of the article, Bell adds in a picture that enhances the readers understanding of what she is explaining. For instance, under the text messaging section, there is an image of two people sending messages to each other as well as pictures. This image alone portrays what the new features of Snapchat are like. Additionally, there is a caption under each image giving a brief overview of each new Snapchat features. This complemented by the praise given by Bell about this trending app is powerful enough to convince smartphone users to get this app.
     Karissa Bell, an enthusiastic journalist who approves of Snapchat's new update, successfully achieved her purpose of encouraging smartphone users to download this popular app. By integrating a simple structure and informative images, Bell was able to have her audience take Snapchat into consideration, allowing her to promote Snapchat to the public.

Link: http://mashable.com/2014/05/01/hands-on-with-the-new-snapchat/