TOW #13 - Nonfiction Text: “Why Do I Have to Call This App ‘Julie’” by Joanne McNeil

The thought of having a personal assistant is something several companies have taken into consideration. Today, companies like Apple and Microsoft have given their customers the ability to use the  built-in personal assistants known as Siri and Cortana. Named after women, these personal assistants follow a stereotype that predates the technology. Joanne McNeil explores this gender issue in her article “Why Do I Have to Call This App ‘Julie,’” making light of it through the use of facts and figures as well as an anecdotal experience. These artificial intelligences are dressed up with a feminine name and voice, and feminine pronouns.  Joanne points out that the reasoning behind the naming process, “It seems like developers decided on Julie, Amy and Clara only because these are common women’s names. These products, representing new technological possibilities, play into old stereotypes about what gender is best suited for administrative work,” (McNeil). This stereotype predates the technology, rooted in the female secretaries of office spaces. Now the steryotype can live on in your phone. McNeil points out that despite the advent of male versions of Siri, they are largely unused. Through McNeils use of such artificial intelligences like Siri, Cortana, or in her case “Julie,” McNiel points out the gender issue of having a “female” secretary. “ The product is an interesting idea and easy to use, but interacting with a fake woman assistant just feels too weird. So I shut “her” off. This Stepford app, designed to make my work more efficient, only reminds me of the gendered division of labor that I’m trying to escape.”

TOW #12 - Nonfiction Text: “How Terror Hardens Us” by Jessica Stern

Today the fear of terrorism is higher than ever, whether it be domestic or overseas, the fear of terrorism reaches far. The text, “How Terror Hardens Us” by Jessica Stern discusses this heightened sense of fear, the motives and different types of terrorism, as well as a theory regarding our reactions to terrorism, through the use of data and personal accounts, in an effort to distinguish different types of terrorism and help Americans better respond in the aftermath of a terrorist attack. Jessica Stern is a professor at Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies. Her article, featured in the New York Times,  discusses a theory that goes, “when people are reminded of their morality- especially if the reminder doesn’t register consciously, as happens after a brutal attack of terror - they will more readily enforce their cultural worldviews. If our cultural worldview is xenophobic, nationalistic, or moralistic, we are prone to become more so, “ (Stern). She backs up this theory through the use of historical examples. She discusses an interview with a perpatrator of a mass shooting, in which the motives of said shooting were discussed. From this Americans can gather the difference between static domestic terrorism and terrorism from a group, such as ISIS or Al Qaeda. Using this information, Americans can be better prepared in the aftermath of a terrorist attack, and give the proper reaction in order to properly fight terrorism.

Applying her theory, she states that with the rise in frequency of terror and domestic attacks, “the question has morphed: It’s not how did this happen, but how often will it,” (Stern). And the answer to the ever important question in dealing with terrorism she states is to “remember that the freedoms we aspire to come with great responsibilities. And these responsibilities involve not just fighting terrorists, but also managing our own terror.” (Stern).

TOW #10 - Nonfiction Text: A Pickle for the Knowing Ones or Plain Truth in a Homespun Dress by Timothy Dexter - 1802

Timothy Dexter was an American businessman noted for his writing and eccentricity. A largely uneducated man, Dexter’s business practices were considered peculiar. Later in his life he wrote an autobiography entitled A Pickle for the Knowing Ones or Plain Truth in a Homespun Dress. Dexter’s autobiography is a collection of correspondence and chronicles penned by Dexter and first self-published as an anthology in May of 1802. The book contained 8,847 words and 33,864 letters, but no punctuation and its capitalization seemed random. He complained about politicians, the clergy and his wife. In his autobiography, Timothy Dexter uses anecdotal tales of his life, as well as written outside sources to highlight his life.

At first, he handed his book out for free, but it became popular and was reprinted for sale eight times. In the second edition, Dexter added an extra page which consisted of 13 lines of punctuation marks with the instructions that readers could “peper and soolt it as they pleased.” His style of writing is poor, with little attention to spelling, grammar, punctuation etc. The preface of the autobiography, not written by dexter, highlights the eccentricities of his life, “Dexter got up a mock funeral, which with all but his family and a few associates was to pass as real. Various people in the town were invited by card, who came and found the family clad in mourning, and preparations for the funeral going forward. The burial service was read by a wag, who then pronounced a bombastic eulogy upon the deceased. The mourners moved in procession to the tomb in the garden, the coffin was deposited, and they returned to the large hall, where a sumptuous entertainment was provided. While the feast was going on, a loud noise attracted the guests to the kitchen, where they beheld the arisen Lord caning his wife for not having shed a tear during the ceremony! He entered the hall with the astonished mourners, in high spirits, joined in the rout, threw money from the window to the crowd of boys, and expressed his satisfaction with every thing except the indifference of his wife, and the silence of the bells” (Dexter 5). Through this anecdote, as well as the others that comprise the autobiography, Dexter’s eccentricities can be seen. Dexter achieves his purpose of highlighting his life experiences and business ventures in A Pickle for the Knowing Ones or Plain Truth in a Homespun Dress.

TOW #9: Visual Text - Syrian Refugee Political Cartoon

In the midst of a civil war, many Syrians have been left homeless. More than four million refugees have been displaced across the world. Hundreds of thousands of refugees have found their way to Europe. As the conflict in Syria drives these refugees out, some western European nations have been accepting refugees at large into their countries, whereas others have opposed to taking in the refugees. In this political cartoon, Syrian refugees are caught in the middle as a hand adorning the EU logo and a knife with IS (Islamic State) on the blade push the refugees back and forth, representing the current situation the migrants are in. The refugees have nowhere to go, as depicted in the cartoon. The IS inscribed knife represents their inability to return to their homes, for fear that they may be killed in the brutal Syrian civil war. The hand of the EU pushing the refugees back representing the unwillingness to accept the refugees of many European nations. In the aftermath of the recent terrorist attacks by ISIS in Paris, the attitude towards refugees and the response to ISIS may change. Countries previously more accepting of refugees, especially France, may have different policies towards refugees and national security as time goes on and the French people reel from the recent attacks. Just as the U.S. responded to 9/11 with the patriot act and the deployment of troops into the Middle East, France has closed its borders temporarily, heightening security. Only time will tell if this trend continues with France, as well as the rest of Europe, in the coming months and years.

IRB Intro Post #2: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

For my IRB this marking period, I am reading Unbroken. Unbroken is a biography of World War II hero Louis Zamperini, a former Olympic track star who survived a plane crash in the Pacific theater, spent 47 days drifting on a raft, and then survived more than two and a half years as a prisoner of war in three brutal Japanese prisoner-of-war camps. 

Kevin TOW #8 - IRB Post: Children of the Flames: Dr. Josef Mengele and the Untold Story of the Twins of Auschwitz by Lucette Matalon Lagnado

Dr. Josef Mengele was an infamous SS doctor who experimented on people, affecting them even after the war ended. Children of the Flames: Dr. Josef Mengele and the Untold Story of the Twins of Auschwitz tells of Mengele’s life from his childhood to his death in Argentina in 1979. The book describes in detail, including first person accounts, of the horrible experiments conducted by Mengele on twins, and anyone else he found “interesting”, in the extermination camp at Auschwitz. The authors of this book, Lucette Lagnado and Sheila Dekel, wrote this book because they wanted the survivors of Mengele's experiments to have their story heard and remembered. It had been difficult for these people to come out and tell their stories-- many had told no one of their experiences, not even close loved ones. Many tried to forget what happened. In this book survivors recount their experiences with Mengele, describing painful injections and Mengele's two sided nature; being kind and gentle yet sadistic and cold-hearted. "Mengele once put a needle in my arm--only the needle, not the syringe. Blood started spurting out. He calmly placed the blood in a test tube. Then, he gave me a sugar cube," (Solomon Malik, 65). The use of testimonies from survivors of Mengele’s experiences makes the story feel more real. A personal connection is drawn to the story, the personal first person accounts allow the reader to understand the truly appalling conditions of Auschwitz and Mengele’s laboratory.  Even after the war, Mengele continues to influence the survivors lives, some of whom never get full closure due to him getting away. This book serves as an opportunity for the stories of those victims of Dr. Joseph Mengele to be heard.

TOW#6 - Visual Text: U.S. Airman Dewey Wayne Waddell, Held Prisoner in Hanoi, Vietnam. Thomas Billhardt - 1967

The Vietnam war was a war unlike any other the U.S. had experienced before. The war featured an enemy that was illusive, blending in with the villagers throughout Vietnam, making it nearly impossible to know who was on what side. This photograph features a female Vietnamese guerrilla holding an American pilot captive at gun point and escorting him on a country road. Taken by former East German photographer, Thomas Billhardt, this photograph evokes pathos by giving hope to those who viewed it, as well as illustrating the reality of the Vietnam war and symbolizing the American success in the war, through the juxtaposition of the uniformed American Airman and the Vietnamese woman without a uniform, showing that it was nearly impossible to distinguish who was on what side.

The American Airman, Dewey Wayne Waddell, met with the photographer 31 years later, and stated that the photograph positively impacted his own life by helping his family and the U.S. know that he remained alive. This photograph provided his family a sense of hope that they would see him again one day. The juxtaposition of the two belligerents shows two completely different opponents. The Vietnamese woman without uniform, illustrates the elusive, guerrilla fighting nature of the Viet Cong, in the inability to distinguish a combatant from a civilian. Opposed to the American Airman, in uniform, clearly distinguishable from any non combatant. This photo provided a family and friends with a glimmer of hope, while serving as a symbol for the war, showing both sides and the American success in the conflict.

TOW#5 - Nonfiction Text: “Drones and the Democracy Disconnect” by Firmin DeBrabander

As American involvement in the Middle East continues, the technology being deployed to the region continues to advance. Drones are playing an ever increasing role in the conflicts in the Middle East, able to wipe out targets from thousands of feet in the air, miles away, keeping American soldiers out of the line of fire, at the same time potentially putting more civilians at risk. Firmin DeBrabander, a professor of philosophy at the Maryland Institute College of Art, discusses this in his New York Times Op-Ed, Drones and the Democracy Disconnect. In his article, DeBrabander uses compare and contrast, as well as quotes to encourage a limited use of drones in future conflicts.

DeBrabander, despite being a professor of philosophy, establishes further credibility in his use of quotes. When describing the use of drones in war, he relates the issue to a quote by Machivelli about new technology in warfare, “‘prevents men from employing and displaying their virtue as they used to do of old’” (DeBrabander p. 9). This quote allows DeBrabander to further his credibility by quoting a well known war strategist, as well as stating that new technologies on the battlefield prevent the display of courage and bravery on the battlefield. This can be related to today’s drones, in that courage and bravery is not required to sit behind a screen killing people from thousands of miles away. Debrabander then compares the situations of each end of the drone, the people behind the controls, and the victim's point of view. He uses a quote from George Monbiot, a writer known for his political pieces. He paraphrases Monbiot’s writing, stating that Monbiot called “…the United States’ drone strikes in Pakistan cowardly” (DeBrabander par. 6). This quote continues, showing the effects on Pakistani civilians. It highlights the removal of the Americans from the brutality. The quote being from a well respected political writer establishes further ethos, and suggests to the audience that drone strikes are not a good idea in warfare, due to civilian casualties and removal of emotions. Debrabander’s use of compare and contrast and quotes, develops a strong argument against the use of drones in warfare in the Middle East.

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TOW#3 - Visual Text: West Berlin policemen and East German soldiers face each other after a young girl made it across the border, 1955

Following World War II, Germany is in ruins and divided amongst the Allies. The English, Americans, and French controlling sectors in the West, and the Soviet Union controlling the east side of Berlin, the same was for the rest of Germany. Before and after the wall was constructed in 1961, West Berlin became a sanctuary for those who had escaped the East. In this photograph, taken 6 years prior to the wall’s construction, a young girl has successfully escaped from East Germany. Police officers from the East and the West stand on their respective sides in a standoff, guns drawn. The line down the middle, dividing two nations, and juxtaposing two ways of life. A communist East and a capitalist West. The audience of this photograph is those of West Germany, as well as the rest of the western world. It shows the threat of communism, and the dangers of escaping it.

This photograph is a symbol of the struggles Germans experienced during the Cold War, especially those of East and West Berlin and those who successfully escaped. This photograph evokes Pathos by capturing not only the particular moment, but also the emotions felt. Feelings of tension between the police forces of East and West, as well as feelings of relief and satisfaction as the girl has made it to safety. These feelings are not limited to this particular event, but all of the successful escapes from East to West Berlin.

TOW#2 - Nonfiction Text - Bop by Langston Hughes - 1949

Langston Hughes discusses the cultural significance of Bop music. The essay is written in a narrative format, and focuses on two main characters, Simple, and the author. Hughes’ audience is those whoIt begins as the Hughes is stopped by his friend Simple and is told to listen to the Bop music. At first, Hughes does not understand the significance of the seemingly non-sense lyrics. His friend, Simple, states that Be-Bop is colored folks’ music, “Be-Bop music was certainly colored folks’ music - which is why white folks found it so hard to imitate,” (Hughes 190-191). Simple goes onto say that Be-Bop comes “From the police beating Negroes’ heads… Every time a cop hits a Negro with his billy club, that old club says, ‘BOP! BOP! … BE-BOP! … MOP! … BOP!” Hughes uses diction in his interesting word choice, to parallel the style of Be-Bop music and the cultural origins of the particular style of music. After Simple explains the origins of the style, he then applies it to his own life, “In some parts of this American country as soon as the polices see me, they say, ‘Boy, what are you doing in this neighborhood?’ … And if my answers do not satisfy them, BOP! MOP! … BE-BOP! … MOP!” (Hughes 191).  His use of an anecdote, his explanation of the origins of Be-Bop music,  and the diction Simple used in his explanation, is to convey the idea that Be-Bop music embodies the struggles of African-Americans in America.

IRB Intro Post #1 - "Children of the Flames" by Lucette Malton Lagnado & Sheila Cohn Dekel

For marking period one I have chosen to read The Children of the Flames by Lucette Malton Lagnado & Sheila Cohn Dekel. The book follows the story of twins who survive Auschwitz and their lives following the war. I have always had an interest in history, especially World War 2, and I wanted to read more on the subject.

TOW#1 - Nonfiction text: “The Figure a Poem Makes” by Robert Frost - 1939

In Robert Frost’s Essay “The Figure a Poem Makes”, he discusses his view of how a poem should be perceived and read. That is that all poems should be distinct and have variety from one another, “The object in writing poetry is to make all poems sound as different as possible from each other…” (Frost).  Frost also states that poems exist not only to entertain readers but give wisdom to the reader as well, “begin in delight and end in wisdom” (Frost).  Frost’s purpose is that to educate the reader about the perspective a poem should be viewed by, the idea that poems are eternal and that a poem “will forever keep its freshness” and that “it can never lose its sense of a meaning that once unfolded by surprise as it went” (Frost).  

Frost’s audience are those scholars who differ from artists (poets) “in the way their knowledge is come by” (Frost). Frost achieves his purpose in conveying his message by connecting this abstract idea of poetic variety through connecting it to different experiences the reader may have, such as love, “It begins in delight and ends in wisdom. The figure is the same as for love. No one can really hold that the ecstasy should be static and stand still in one place. It begins in delight, it inclines to the impulse, it assumes direction with the first line laid down … It finds its own name as it goes and discovers the best waiting for it in some final phrase at once wise and sad -- the happy-sad blend of the drinking song” (Frost). Through this connection Frost achieves his purpose in conveying to his audience, that each poem is unique and eternal in its truth and wisdom, and should be perceived as such.

Coatesville by John Jay Chapman - 1912

Written as a response and an address to the burning of a black man. This was meant to address, not only the people of Coatesville, but the people of America as well. Chapman's purpose in writing this address is to criticize the people of Coatesville as well as the people of America for standing by and doing nothing in response to the public burning of a person. His purpose is also to inform the people of America that "A nation cannot practice a course of inhuman crime for three hundred years and then suddenly throw off the effects of it. Less than fifty years ago domestic slavery was abolished among us; and in one way or another the marks of that vice are in our faces," (Chapman). Chapman uses this quote to describe how humans accept change gradually rather than abruptly. The abolishment of slavery was an abrupt change that took years to be accepted into society. Just as today we still face issues with people's acceptance towards change in regards to the legalization of gay marriage which is still heavily opposed in society. Being treated unfairly in either situation, whether it be a burning, or the denial of a marriage license.

'Once More to the Lake' by E.B. White - 1941

E.B. White, in his essay ‘Once More to the Lake’, tells a story about his return to the lake with his son, where he spent his vacation in August growing up. He uses this story to convey his feelings of nostalgia. He tells a story of this calm, tranquil, undisturbed lake that hasn't changed in years. "The years were a mirage and there had been no years." White keeps alluding to the fact that this lake hasn't changed literally at all since the his days as a youth. It supports his description because the idea that this lake and everything about the lake hasn't changed literally at all, not one bit, since he last was there as a child about the same age as his son. He uses his visit to the lake with his son to relive his past experiences through his son. In paragraph five White states, “We went fishing in the morning. I felt the same… I looked at the boy, who was silently watching his fly, and it was my hands that held his rod, my eyes watching. I felt dizzy and didn’t know which rod I was at the end of.” This ties into his purpose of exploiting the human desire to resist change.  White has an obsession with the fact that the lake has not changed, and it allows him to relive these cherished moments, which is something everyone can relate to. Through using examples relating to nostalgia, White is able to better convey the idea that humans resist change.

White has very few direct references to time in the essay, giving the reader a timeless impression which goes hand in hand with his purpose. He uses imagery to create a sense of pleasure in the reader's mind by showing the lake as a calm, tranquil, untouched place, effectively blurring the advancement of time and gives the reader the impression that “The years were a mirage and there had been no years.”  This allows the reader to connect with his writing, furthering their understanding of not just his writing, but his purpose as well.  

'Corn-pone Opinions' by Mark Twain - 1901

Written during a time when slavery and segregation were much alive, Mark Twain writes the essay, Corn-pone Opinions to shine a light on the instinct of conformity in American society.  He starts the essay off with an anecdote from his childhood, where their slave said something that he very much agreed with, “You tell me whar a man gits his corn pone, en I'll tell you what his 'pinions is”, meaning that no human can strive above their ‘corn-pone opinions’ and everyone must get approval from other people.  This ties into Twain’s purpose of wanting to make American society aware of their conformity issue, and hopefully stop it.  To achieve his goal, Twain uses the strategy of rhetorical questions, which includes his audience of Americans in his writing, making them question themselves and hopefully change their actions.  He defines public opinion as “the Voice of God” when he talks about how countries get divided over issues they have no true feelings about.  When talking about this, he asks the audience, “Do you believe that a tenth part of the people, on either side, had any rational excuse for having an opinion about the matter at all? I studied that mighty question to the bottom -- came out empty.”  Because of public opinion, people have developed no true opinions and or feelings about anything; they just follow whoever the “Voice of God” is.  Americans have conformed to having no opinion at all because the only one that matters is public opinion.

When it came to women’s fashion, Twain points out, “Public opinion resented it before, public opinion accepts it now, and is happy in it. Why? Was the resentment reasoned out? Was the acceptance reasoned out? No. The instinct that moves to conformity did the work.”  Since people do not have a brain for themselves, they always conform to what society thinks is correct.  Twain wants the reader to question themselves and about their individuality in hopes to create the urge to change.  By using rhetorical questions, Twain successfully achieves his purpose by making the reader want to change and become more original.

“They All Just Went Away” by Joyce Carol Oates - 1995

Joyce Carol Oates, editor of The Best American Essays of the Century, included one of her own essays about her childhood where she explores her love of investigating abandoned houses.  She focuses on the unique and tragic story of her former neighbors, the Weidels, and the story they left behind.  She describes them as a broken family with abusive parents who drank heavily, along with four sons and two daughters.  During one horrific night, the drunk father tried to set the house on fire while his family was sleeping.  She moves into her purpose of wanting to raise awareness for people in abusive relationships, making the point that because people are living in a home that makes them feel secure, does not mean they are actually living a safe life.  Throughout the essay, Oates defines what it is to be a home, “The house contains the home, but is not identical with it. The house anticipates the home and will very likely survive it, reverting again simply to a house when the home (that is, life) departs. For only where there is life can there be home.”  The only way a house can be a home is if the family is strong and is truly loving towards one another.  Oates appeals to her audience of the average human by hitting a topic that everyone can relate to: somewhere they call home.  

She uses the Weidels as an example of what happens when the relationships people hold dearly within a home are inexistent.  Home for some people overcomes the abuse and they become convinced everything is okay when in reality, it is the complete opposite.  Oates uses the rhetorical strategy of making a comparison between the Weidels home (which is the reality for many families throughout the world) and what a house really should be.  She argues the definition, wanting people to realize that a home is not a home without healthy relationships.  She says, “... these abandoned houses where jealousy guarded, even prized possessions have become mere trash… where a house has been abandoned… you can be sure there has been a sad story.”  Oates successfully achieves her purpose of wanting people to realize that a house is not a home without a loving family by giving the tragic story of the Weidels, which represents many families in the world.  By using a topic everyone can relate to, she successfully raises awareness of domestic abuse and violence, and how people need to have the courage to leave their house because it never was a home.