TOW #3 The Real Reason He Picked Her Over You by Karmen Fox

     Girls’ Life Magazine features articles that are not intellectually pleasing, but rather for just mind numbing girly entertainment. In the most recent edition of the magazine The Real Reason He Picked Her Over You by Karmen Fox was one of the featured articles. The purpose of the article was to educate girl readers why boys' would not pick them and teach them what to do in the future to prevent similar situations. In the article the author lists what the girl did wrong and what can be done in the future to change the outcome. The way persona was used in the article assisted in achieving the purpose. Karmen Fox is in her thirties she is

currently an online contributing editor at GL Magazine and has a degree in both Spanish and Linguistics from the University of Maryland. Fox days in the schoolgirl love atmosphere are long over her persona in the article gave her the mask of being a young girl. The use of phrases such as “LOL-worthy T-shirt” and “crush-snagging” are words that are not fitting to women of her age and education, but was for the audience. The use of her persona in the article made it more appealing to the girls who are most likely reading it. The article is directed towards girls who read Girls’ life Magazine, which are girls who range from the ages of 8-14 years old. Fox’s article in particular was directed towards young naïve girls’ just getting into the dating scene that are looking for some guidance on why guys are not choosing them. I personally would never follow this advice but I was not the intended audience of the article so it all makes sense. The use of her persona is something that I think really made a difference in this article. Fox was able to achieve her purpose in my own opinion.

TOW #2 Campbell's Soup Can

            

       

       It is getting closer to that time of the year to start bringing out the comfy sweaters and warm bowls of soup. A can of Campbell’s Mega Noodle condensed soup is on store shelves around the world and one happens to be in my kitchen cupboard. The can itself is all about the soup: picturing a bowl of the soup, detailed nutrition facts and instructions on how to make the soup. A can of Mega Noodle is not just simply a can of chicken noodle soup, but rather a can of chicken noodle soup with three different pasta shapes! The can appeals to a younger audience the font is extremely large in an assortment of colors. The front of the can is used to draw in the children wanting to buy it but the can also appeals to another audience, which are the parents of the children. On the can there is a huge part of the label dedicated to nutritional facts all of which lean towards the suggestion that the soup is healthy, which causes parents to buy the soup. The purpose of the can of Campbell’s Mega Noodle soup is , simply, to make consumers want to buy it.  Campbell’s has been an established company since 1869 and while the label does not have a specific author on it is known that a branch of the marketing team at Campbell’s designed this specific can label. In order to achieve their purpose the team used the strategy of adding a joke onto the can. The joke appeals to the audiences’ emotions and makes them feel more comfortable which increases the likelihood that they would buy the can of soup. The purpose for the can of soup was achieved in my own opinion; because, obviously, I bought it and it is in my own kitchen cupboard. Looking at the can actually makes me want to go make myself a nice bowl of Campbell’s Mega Noodle soup.

Joke on the can: Where do Snowmen keep their money?

Answer: A Snow Bank!!!

TOW #1 Hearing You Out by Nicholas D. Kristof

            The United States is currently debating on what the best option for the current crisis in Syria is, and the outcome will impact American history forever. Opinions can be made for several viable options, but with multiple options in the air a decision is incredibly hard to agree on. The op-ed columnist Nicholas D. Kristof recently stated that he supports the use of missiles in Syria, and after receiving backlash wrote the article Hearing You Out. The author directed the article to the readers’ who disagreed with his previous opinion. Kristof’s purpose of the article was to dispel arguments against his opinion on the use of missiles in Syria. I personally believe that the author did accomplish his purpose in the piece, although I disagree with some of his points, he was able to construct supported facts that dismantled the arguments made against his opinion. The article covered a variety of different arguments ranging from financial issues to moral dilemmas. I thought that the purpose was best achieved through the author’s use of the rhetorical device of persona. Kristof’s persona in the article was strong, and appealed to the readers’ emotions. For example when disputing the argument the America could regret the decision of getting involved in Syria he referenced the issue of the genocide in Rwanda referring that to when “Western forces evacuated a dog from the French Embassy, but left behind the Rwandan staff to be slaughtered. That wasn't “restraint.” That was passivity and myopia, and it was wrong” (Kristof). The use of his own persona enabled the situation to become more emotional, and Nicholas was able to add his own opinion on the matter. Nicholas Kristof is a two time Pulitzer Prize recipient, and has been a columnist at the New York Times since 2001 where twice a week an op-ed article of his is featured (Winter). Overall, I found the article to be well written, and, although I have my own opinion on the debate, I thought the purpose of the article was achieved.

Works Cited

Kristof, Nicholas. "Hearing You Out - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. N.p., 14 Sept. 2013. Web. 15 Sept. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/15/opinion/sunday/kristof-hearing-you-out.html?ref=opinion>.

Winter, Damon. "Nicholas D. Kristof's Columns." Times Topics - The New York Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2013. <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/opinion/editorialsandoped/oped/columnists/nicholasdkristof/index.html>.

IRB Intro: 1

History is an area that has always intrigued me; although, I have rarely taken history farther then what is taught in the classroom. I have chosen the book Guns, Germs, and Steel The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond because it covers a theory that is not involved in the school curriculum. The book is about the environmental factors that have impacted patterns throughout history, including why certain groups of people had the power to conquer others. I know that by reading this book I will understand a new theory as to the why the world is the way it is today. I am incredibly excited to read this book and learn something new and interesting.