AOW 3/26: Miami Heat Hoodie

This week's articles come from the Huffington Post. Both articles discuss the significance of the Miami Heat's Million Hoodie March picture. After the shooting of Trayvon Martin broke national news, Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and the Miami Heat organized a team photo before the game where all the members of the Miami Heat wore a team sweatshirt and bowed their heads down like Trayvon Martin. The articles applaud James, Wade, and the Heat's effort to take a stand and promote a worthy cause. They discuss how that this is much more different than how professional athletes are today. The author juxtaposes Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods to Dwayne Wade and Lebron James and observes how Jordan and Woods did not take a stand. He also voices his opinion saying that Woods and Jordan had opportunities to take a stand and make a difference, not just money. The article also establishes background about the shooting and the national reaction to the event. He mentions President Obama's speech regarding the issue. He also uses communal memory to connect people's knowledge of the Million Hoodie March and connect it to the actions of the Miami Heat. Both writers appeal to pathos and try to establish feelings about the shooting. One writer discusses how many people's opinions about Lebron, Wade, and the Heat have significantly changed because of the stance in the issue. He also shows how this is a rare event today because many athletes have become self-centered and do not want to become involved in issues such as this. The other article establishes the national stance on the issue and shows how people are beginning to readdress racism in America. The article's purposes were to praise the Miami Heat's efforts in supporting the issue and taking a stand that is not seen very often. They also discuss the national attention the shooting has received in the media. Both article's accomplish their purpose because they illustrate the Heat's actions as admirable and describe the various protests and speeches made about the issue.

AOW 3/19: IR 2

In the second section of This Side of Paradise, F. Scott Fitzgerlad discusses Amory Blaine's years at Princeton University and his growing interest in partying and exploring poetry and literature. It also documents a change in Amory's attitudes and ideals.

Character: Amory entered Princeton from St. Regis with a plan to become a popular and respected person on the campus. He got involved with some organizations including the Princetonian, the universities newspaper. Through developments in the plot, Amory discoveries that it is not necessary to be the top of the class and participate on Senior Counsil or be the Princetonian Chairman. He had failed one class and realized that there was nothing to do about it, so his attitudes change and the plot begins to discuss the trips and parties Amory and his friends visited.

Plot: After Amory had failed one of his classes, he began to focus on the enjoyable parts of life. He and his friends attended lavish parties. At college, he did not focus on his curricula, but rather studied literature and poetry independently with his friend Tom. During his senior year, Burne Holiday began a "revolution" that led many Juniors and Seniors to resign from their clubs. After Amory and Burne talk, they strike up a friendship that changes Amory. He becomes more eccentric and brings various guests to dinner parties.

Theme: After Amory had failed one his exam and was kicked out of the newspaper, sucess was something he would not be able to attain at Princeton. He met with Monsignor Darcy to discuss his father's death and Amory's life at Princeton. He had concluded that Amory's life had given him a second chance to change. Taking this knowledge, Amory fails the exam, removes his successes, and begins to look at himself as the "fundamental Amory." Amory learns that he does not have to be the top of society and become part of the Princeton society, rather enjoy personal pursuits that make you happy. This change in thinking is why Amory begins to disregard his academics and divulge himself into literature and parties.

AOW 3/12: Old Spice Guy

This week's visual is the Old Spice commercials that aired in 2010. The premise is that a man could smell like a women's dream man and also act like him as well. It was a wildly successful campaign for Old Spice and they would make seven commercials that would involve "the man your man could smell like." It was successful because the character was a very memorable character and certain elements of the "plot" were very funny and had snappy diction. The purpose of the commercial was to sell Old Spice, but to sell Old Spice as a product to smell good and get to be the man your women dreams about. They do this well because the commercial is well known and the actor, Isaiah Mustafa, is known for his role in the commercial. They also appeal to their audience very well, they are targeting men who are somewhere between the ages of 16-30. The diction is very repetitive, but is effective because it displays a psychological trick of seeing the person and the commercial and yourself as the same person. The diction is also similar to how the "Beats" generation wrote. It jumps all over the place and is shown by how the commercial flows. The diction helps support their purpose because it shows how "anything is possible" and that is something that this product may bring to one of their typical users. This commercial also appeals to pathos because of the emphasis in his voice, but also by the inspiration of "anything is possible." Their users will use it more because they market the product almost as something that makes them better and that will not only help their customers, but also attract new customers. Old Spice accomplished their purpose because they were able to sell their product, but is also shown in the additional commercials that have the same premise.

AOW 3/5: Changing Congress

The week's article comes from America's Finest News Source, The Onion. It discusses recent revelations in Congressional behavior that has many Americans in a tailspin. People are fearing for their lives and are speculating the ulterior motives of the democrats and republicans. They speculate from potential political coups to the precursor to an attack we do not know. The purpose of this piece was supposed to show how Congress' behavior is consistent with division and a high sense of self interest. They show how Congress normally thinks about themselves and believe that their opinions are right and everything else is wrong. With the tone and diction of the piece, the author shows that Congress' recent change in behavior is startling and that their normal behavior is the accepted standard. The author is writing to a general audience, probably a certain sector who follows the daily politics of our country. They also may write to people who may watch satirical news shows such as Daily Show or Colbert Report. The author of this piece appeals to pathos by showing how some Americans could have reacted if they found out about this revelation. The authors uses communal memory of different apocalyptic situations that have been found in movies, TV, and books. The author discusses how people stock up on non-perishables or they empty out all of their savings etc. The author appeals to ethos by extracting factual information from the Congressional session, such as the passing of a jobs training bill. The author is able to use this information to support his warrant of Congress actually coming together for the betterment of their country. By using this warrant he can support his claim by showing how this is not normal. The author accomplishes their purpose because they paint a sarcastic tone throughout the article and show how Congress should really act.