TOW #3 - "Pope Francis Meets America"

Nancy Gibbs, the managing editor of TIME and best-selling co-author, teams up with Elizabeth Dias to write a magazine article about the pontiff's first visit in the States. As a major event in Catholic history, as well as American, the two write to not only the over 65 Roman Catholics residing in the States but also to those looking to read about the momentous visit of the pontiff. In their article, "Pope Francis Meets America" Gibbs and Dias utilize metaphors, imagery, and juxtaposition to encapsulate the historic visit of the Pope in order to explain his role as a strategic player on the global stage. To begin the article, America is described as the love child of faith and power, a metaphor for the separation of church and state, due to its welcoming people of all faiths after it grew rich and mighty. Their metaphor for the US sets the tone as they discusses this particular genealogy in the next paragraph. The metaphor not only effectively provides background, but also establishes the authors' viewpoint on the US as a superpower of hubris and materialism. Imagery is plenty throughout the article, from the description of the Pope's facial features that "dissolved into a look of distant contemplation" to the line "he came as a shepherd and was everywhere tending his flock." The authors' use of imagery creates a vision of Francis as a sturdy 78 who is intensely focused and a shrewd operator, who has come to the American shores at just the right time and it works through its conflicts of faith and politics. It seems as if the authors' description of Francis as a shepherd is not far off, as he is driven to stand alongside the leaders of the world for his agenda about the poor and climate change. He demonstrates the strengths and limits of moral leadership, that the authors hint the US lacks in the modern age. The juxtaposition of Paul VI and John Paul II's visits to the US back before Francis' visits in the age of social media, serves to create the very different extenuating circumstances of papal visits over the past 50 years. Quite a lot has happened over the past 50 years, as the authors are sure to point out the effect of social media in Francis' papacy, allowing the Pope's message to be more intimate and give way to the age of persuasion. The pairing very effectively cause the readers to understand the very different situations of popes over the years, and how the modern age of Instagram gives Francis the ability to be more personal. Pope Francis, famous for his humble ways and going off script, is defined as a strategic player in this TIME article as Gibbs and Dias successfully utilize rhetorics to encapsulate the historic visit of Pope Francis.

TOW #2 - Salvation Army/CareHaven "The Dress" PSA

The Salvation Army capitalizes on "the dress" phenomenon that exploded all over social media in February with their Public Service Announcement (PSA). The international charitable organization takes advantage of the great debate of whether the dress was white and gold or black and blue, an illusion brought on by our own personal perception. The Salvation Army teamed up with CareHaven, an organization which provides homes for abused women and children, to create this domestic violence PSA for the viewing of the public. It takes quite a candid and factual tone on the issue of stopping abuse against women. The PSA effectively juxtaposes a woman covered in black and blue wearing the gold and white dress to the headline, "Why is it so hard to see black and blue?". Such an effective image and headline grabs the attention of viewers and causes a shocking realization, as an effect of logos and pathos. The organization also compares the illusion of the dress color to the illusion of the belief that the bruises were her choice. The Salvation Army cleverly chooses to play on the effects of logos and pathos, as this PSA screams out for attention from its imagery to its hard hitting headline. The point of a PSA is to bring attention to a critical issue, and the Salvation Army does so as it reframes the trivial dress discussion into a critical issue which is much more deserving of public attention. Despite it being a very simple PSA, it brings great awareness to domestic violence and the call to action to stop abuse against women. The organization smartly capitalizes on the influence of social media to create much needed attention on domestic violence to effectively accomplish their purpose. The PSA is visual communication at its finest, as it not only brings attention to the subject but also commands readers to at least think about it. The Salvation Army manages to create a powerful and memorable PSA about domestic violence.

TOW #1 - "Don't Trust Putin on Syria"

Andrew Foxall, the director of the Russia Studies Center at the Henry Jackson Society, shares his view on Western policies for the Middle East and Russia's "diplomatic" approach on Syria in his article titled, "Don't Trust Putin on Syria." Foxall writes to Western political leaders, as result of the destruction occurring in Syria, urging them to not be "stepped" on again by the Russians. As a director of Russian studies, he brings his experiences and knowledge to the table to make his stance clear-cut. His attitude toward the Syrian situation is quite clear, as he begins by starting his article stating, "Syria is being destroyed." He continues to describe the situation in Syria and the policies Western governments have created to combat the jihadists. When describing Russia's role in the Syrian struggle, Foxall makes sure to emphasis President Putin's close relations to Islamist terrorism. He then writes about the Islamist terrorists from the southern Russian republic of Chechnya which lead to recently appointed prime minister to be swept into presidency. Foxall's logic makes perfect sense as he cites evidence of how Putin had convinced the West that the threat it was facing in Afghanistan was the same as Russia faced in Chechnya; allowing him to tamp down Western criticism of Russian brutality in Chechnya. Foxall's writing continues to make an impact on readers as he dismisses Putin's call to action for an international effort against terrorism, as it is only a ruse to rehabilitate himself just as he did after 9/11. Throughout the article, he switches between a second and third person narration to emphasis certain paragraphs, like when he begins his first piece of evidence against Putin's attempts of international coalitions writing, "We've been here before." Foxall's colloquial manner makes his points come across very distinctly and strengthen his argument. As he relies heavily on logos, presenting evidence that makes his article more valid, it encourages his thought that the Kremlin's "enthusiasm" for cooperation could undermine current US-Russian relations and cause many to redefine their relationships with Washington as well. In Foxall's final paragraph, he writes, "We must not let Mr. Putin dictate the terms of cooperation. To do so risks repeating past mistakes." His purpose is clearly stated as he alludes to the issues in Georgia and Ukraine caused by the West's failure to block Russia's diplomacy. He sensibly pushes his call to action to the forefront as he warns the West of what will happen if it repeats its past mistakes.

As a high school student who does not typically follow politics and world news, unless discussed in school, Foxall manages to clearly present his opinion and back it up with evidence in such a manner that the reader is compelled to join his side.

IRB Intro #1

Seeing Voices, a book by Oliver Sacks, caught my attention as the inside coverlet praises Sacks and his journey into the world of the deaf. One of the five senses that writers typically appeal to heads the forefront of this work. The book is beautifully described as I was appealed to the deaf culture, a world which is quite foreign to myself. I find human conditions fascinating and look forward to reading about Sacks' take on the four sense world.