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. 

TOW #3 - Article: "Need Some Time Off Your Feet? NASA Paying Volunteers $18K to Lie in Bed for 70 Days" by Michelle Castillo

NASA's Space Travel Study

Many people wish that they could make money in their sleep. It has always been a dream in everyone's mind. Luckily, NASA has created a study in which volunteers will be paid to lie in a bed, which is tilted at a 6 degree angle. Lying down for a total of 70 days, volunteers of this study can expect to earn up to $18,000. NASA developed this study in order to test and understand the conditions that astronaut may experience during space travel. By scrutinizing the physical changes in this study, scientists can craft methods of space travel that will allow astronauts to maintain their physical health without much struggle. Unfortunately, this study has its own risks that will most likely damage a volunteer's physcial health. Risks include loss in muscle strength, bone density, and respiratory capacity. The author of this article, Michelle Castillo, is currently an associate producer at CBS News. Having written for The Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard.com, City Arts, MSNBC, and other corporations, Castillo demonstrates that she is a very experienced journalist. Furthermore, she has also received her Masters of Science of Journalism from Columbia University. Castillo, showing her strong interest in science, wrote this article in order to inform the public, who is the audience, of the study NASA is conducting. Additionally, she notifies people that NASA is on the lookout for potential subjects for its study. In order to successfully portray her message, Castillo uses dialogue and quotes from scientists running NASA's study. By quoting the senior scientist Dr. Roni Cromwell, Castillo is able to appeal to logos because Cromwell is able to amplify the message she is trying to send to her audience. Throughout the entire article, one fact or another was always stated, which directly shows that Castillo wants everyone to know about this study. Overall, Castillo was able to successfully inform the public of NASA's study because of her consistent appeal to logos. 

Link:http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57603872/need-some-time-off-your-feet-nasa-paying-volunteers-$18k-to-lie-in-bed-for-70-days/

TOW #2 - Article: "Toxoplasma Infection Permanently Shifts Balance in Cat and Mouse Game" by University of California - Berkeley

Mice no Longer Fear Cats!

http://images.sciencedaily.com/2013/09/130918181110-large.jpg

Science has always been the epitome of surprise and mystery. In today's society, the scientific community is at the pinnacle of its success, making discoveries almost everyday. With the assistance of Michael Eisen and Ellen Robey (molecular and cell biology professors), graduate Wendy Ingram discovered that the Toxoplasma parasite can permanently alter the behavior of mice. Known to cause spontaneous abortions and undermine one's immune system, these parasites can also reshape mice's behavior so that they no longer fear cats. Even when the parasite is removed from a mouse, the condition still remains. Predictions as to the direct cause of this phenomenon include brain damage and memory loss. This article, published in sciencedaily.com, was written by the University of California - Berkeley, a university on the west coast of USA known for its extensive science and research programs. Though not written by a single person, this sciencedaily article is a product of those who contributed to this research project. The goal of disclosing this breakthrough is to inform the scientific community and the general public of the progress science is making currently. Additionally, this disclosure allows everyone to learn that there is much that can be explored in the field of neurology. Throughout the entire article, the rhetorical device that appealed most to the audience is logos. Line after line and sentence after sentence, facts were continuously stated and researchers who were involved were constantly quoted. Furthermore, to start off the article, the author(s) incorporated a little humor to appeal to pathos. The introduction reads, "Infected mice lose their fear of cats, which is good for both cats and the parasite, because the cat gets an easy meal and the parasite gets into the cat's intestinal track, the only place it can sexually reproduce and continue its cycle of infection." By starting off in such a matter, the article hooks the audience, making them interested. Overall, the University of California was able to successfully inform the public of their discovery through of its abundance of stated findings, complemented with the appeal to logos and pathos. 

Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130918181110.htm

TOW #1 - Visual Text: "Apples For Our Teachers" by Tony Auth

"Apples For Our Teachers" - Tony Auth

http://www.newsworks.org/images/stories/flexicontent/l_teachers1200.jpg

     Nowadays, schools and school districts have been slashed of their fundings. Such an action leaves various schools across the nation with little capital, hindering them from buying necessary school supplies. Spending their own money, teachers of all grades have had conjure up their own savings, buy materials, and help their students become academically successful. This cartoon, entitled "Apples For Our Teachers," elucidates on this predicament by depicting a teacher with empty pockets. What is also shown is the contribution between school districts and students, which exhibits that even though a teacher supplies a lot, the state still wants more. The goal of this cartoon was to send a message saying that teachers are unable to pay for crucial school supplies. Just recently, an article published in USA Today explained how teachers work extra jobs and spend too much of their pocket money for their classes. This message is primarily for city and state officials who continuously demand teachers to buy supplies for their students. Annually, teachers' supply expenses add up to over $1.6 billion, yet the state still want more. Tony Auth, an editorial cartoonist, created "Apples For Our Teachers," which was published in News Works. Best known for his work in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Tony Auth also creates many political cartoons and comic strips. Auth started his career as a cartoonist in 1971, and since then he has won multiple awards, including the Pulitzer Prize in 1975 and the Herblock Prize in 2005. More recently, Auth received an honorary doctorate award by the University of the Arts in 2002. A rhetorical device that Auth used in his cartoon was antithesis, which juxtaposed the contribution between school students and the district. By symbolizing apples as money, Auth shows how "apple-less" school districts are, clearly depicting the difficulties teachers and schools have to go through. Overall, I feel that Tony Auth's cartoon successfully accomplished his purpose. With a well created cartoon that incorporated anthesis and symbolism, "Apples For Our Teachers" guarantees that Auth's message will have a reverberating effect on the public.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

The nonfiction IRB book that I have selected to read this marking period is Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt. This book chronicles a murder that took place on May 2, 1981 in the grandest mansion of Savannah, Georgia. Some claim that this killing was a result of a controversy between two lovers. Others, however, assert that this was a premeditated murder. Through a first-person account of his life, Berendt generates an entertaining yet mysterious story of the murder case.

I chose to read this book because I intended to read it over the summer, but I never had the chance to. What intrigues me the most is the style in which the book is written. This book is written as if it were a novel, incorporating a lot of mystery and suspense. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is the first book that I have heard of that has been written in such a fashion. By reading this book, I hope to collect valuable writing strategies that I could later incorporate into my own work.