TOW #24- "The Prince"

Throughout the entire book, Machiavelli shows his knowledge for politics through the studies of previous rulers and governments. Displaying this knowledge in his writing, Machiavelli uses references to previous principalities and states as concrete, historical evidence to show the qualities that lead to the downfall of such governments, and how to avoid the same fate. An example of Machiavelli's usage of history is seen when he famously discusses cruelty and compassion in Chapter XVII. Stating that "Cesare Borgia was accounted cruel; nevertheless, this cruelty of his reformed the Romagna, brought it unity and restored order and obedience" (95). This example of the Duke of Valentinois expands upon Machiavelli's point that cruelty and fear is, at times, needed to provide the best for the state and the people. Using concrete examples, especially ones of history, help Machiavelli in his arguments of how to avoid the deathly downfall that other principalities have reached.

Machiavelli, in his famous book, The Prince, uses comparisons and references to previous rulers and governments in order to provide concrete evidence for his arguments; thus, his arguments are more persuasive. The effective argumentation that Machiavelli uses, along with his straight-forward claims and descriptive content, has made a lasting impression on the world. Many rulers have followed Machiavelli's points in order to create the best state possible. Though some of his ideas are morally and politically questionable, Machiavelli makes readers question, even until today, to what extent a ruler must go so that his state may thrive.

TOW #23- IRB "Freakonomics"

Freakonomics, written by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, well-respected economists known for their unique perspectives, divide the book into different chapters. The one called "Why Do Drug Dealers Still live with Their Moms?" illustrates the "conventional wisdom" where experts and journalists often fabricate information and knowledge intentionally for their self-interest and convenience. Their purpose in writing the essay is to inform people of how facts can sometimes be tainted with one's selfish motives, and how it leads to misconception. By doing so, their audience, who are regular citizens with no expertise, is able to learn the true statistics. They mix a balance of logic and analogy to effectively accomplish their goals. When providing an example of conventional wisdom, they write, "In the early 1980...Mitch Snyder took to saying that there were about 3 million homeless Americas... More than 1 of every 100 people were homeless? That sure seemed high, but...well, the expert said it...Ultimately, when Snyder was pressed on his figure of 3 million homeless, he admitted that it was a fabrication" (90). This informally presented incident is very familiar; we often hear bizarre statistics that claim similar "fact." However, this is the same logical process that most people go through. First they are in disbelief, but then soon give in to the expertise, simply because we assume they have more knowledge over us. The two authors clearly show a flaw in this logic that we misuse every day. Also, when talking about the story of Sudhir Venkatesh, who goes in to live with drug gangs, he uses an analogy to explain why many drug dealers who merely earn $3.30 choose to stay in their depressing situation. It is said that they are likely to be arrested about 5.9 times, and has a 1 in 4 chance of being killed in the four year period. For their main audience, who are unlikely to understand the situation in the slums, it is hard to understand why they are paying money to stay in such business. However, they explain that it is "for the same reason that a pretty Wisconsin farm girl moves to Hollywood. For the same reason that a high-school quarterback wakes up at 5 a.m. to life weights." The dealers are aiming to earn $100,000 like their leader does and rise up the social ladder. In addition, their lack of education and job availability forces them to turn to these drug dealing jobs. With their compelling stories and thorough explanations, they accomplish their goals for writing this chapter.

TOW #22- Visual Text

The poster known as "Rosie the Riveter" has been utilized in the 1940s during World War II, during the feminist movement. Flexing her muscles, the woman in the picture is tough and strong, a combination that was unusual in the 1940s when this poster was made. Yet, through its depiction of a resilient woman and its usage of four simple words "We Can Do It!" the poster accomplishes its purpose of rallying the war spirit while motivating women to join the work force. However, this poster's power does not simply stop after World War II; even today, the poster illustrates the power women have, leading to a battle for gender equality along with motivating and encouraging women of today.

The depiction of a strong woman is one that differs from the idea that women are inferior and weaker than men; thus, this shocking, drastically different portrayal of a woman encouraged women to take a more active role in society. During World War II, many women joined the work force and took the jobs of the men who were at war. With an increase in employed women, the poster shows that women loved the depiction of an independent, tough woman. In addition, the color scheme of the depiction is red, white, and blue, reflecting a patriotic attitude that the woman should have: they are doing work and labor for the good of their country. Lastly, the facial expression and the hairstyle of the woman shows that the woman depicted in the poster does not agree with the idea that women are weak. The bandana shows a hairstyle that, rather than being meant for aesthetic reasons, is practical and suits the job. The facial expression of the woman is determined, guiding women viewers to imagine themselves as the female shown in the poster.

TOW #21- "What are Masterpieces and Why are There so Few of Them?"

           Written in the 1900s, during the time of the great depression, this controversial piece of literature reminds us of the time when the Americans, including Stein, believed that they could no longer be inspired to create masterpieces. In the Essay “What are Masterpieces and Why are There so Few of Them,” Stein displays her opinion on what builds a masterpiece. Through the use of ambiguous sentence structures and repetition, Stein intrigues the readers’ curiosity to get to her purpose in explaining what a masterpiece is, isn’t, and why there are so few of them.

            Stein’s style of writing ignores the rules of grammar and sounds as if she is directly speaking to the audience. However, Stein purposely manipulates her words to display the exact mess of thoughts on why there are very few masterpieces: “I’m I because my dog knows me but, creatively speaking, the little dog knowing that you are you and your recognizing that he knows, that is what destroys creation” (Stein, 131).  This ambiguous sentence structure shows how ironically, clarity on one’s identity consequently make one remember themselves and fail to produce originality, a masterpiece.

            In addition to his unique style of language, Stein continuously repeats words and phrases to emphasize the negative effect of over thinking. By stating that “Remembering is never clear [because it] makes secondary writing [when] one begin[s] to write something and suddenly remember something. If [that person] continue[s] to remember, [the] writing gets very confused” (130). This shows the difference between pieces and masterpieces and how it requires one to avoid labeling and limiting their possibilities on their creations.

            Overall, I don’t think that Stein’s devices are effective, because even though they were insightful and deep, the purpose got lost in the complex ideas that he wanted to share. However, her way of approaching the readers was unique, one of the qualities of having a masterpiece.

TOW #20- China’s Big Test

             In most Eastern Asia countries, it is a strong belief that elite U.S. education is beneficial when applying for successful jobs in foreign countries. In 2013, “U.S. reached more than 270,000” Chinese students, with a “16.5% increase each year” (Rauhala, 5). During the October SAT test in 2014, however, the College Board administration has found evidences of students in China illegally obtaining and sharing test materials, and told the students that their SAT results would be delayed. This left the Chinese students with devastation as college admission deadlines approached. In the article, “China’s Big Test”, Emily Rauhala reveals anecdotes and juxtaposes two ideas in order to compare and contrast different existing opinions on Chinese students in America.

            In the beginning paragraphs, Rauhala introduces a story of Xu Quing, a Chinese student preparing to study abroad. Her anxious process of studying for the SAT test and the shocking response after receiving an e-mail from the College Board reveals the author’s sympathetic feelings toward the innocent Chinese students who were affected by those who cheated. The writer also includes China’s nature of cheating my mentioning “Gaokao”, an exam that determines the lives of young Chinese, which give them undeniably high pressures, essentially become a leading cause to why they cheat. Not to mention, the Chinese parents have stressed the importance of education since they only have one child due to the “one child policy”. The writer than, juxtaposes the Chinese students and the American students to portray a different side of the situation.

            Showing a different view of the problem, the author mentions how Harvard has admitted only “5.9% of applicants for the class of 2018” (Rauhala, 7), stressing how it has gotten more difficult for Americans to get accepted in colleges. The parents in America are worried that the foreign students will take over the jobs and positions in high authority. They have recently begun to voice the unfairness as the Chinese are taking advantage of the time difference between America and China to allegedly cheat on the exam. This has added more to America’s uneasy relationship with East Asia.

            Overall, Rauhala’s anecdote and juxtaposition of two opinions leaves the readers with a great understanding of the existing conflict between China and America.

TOW #19- “Americans are Moving to Europe for Free College Degrees”

            Lobosco, a reporter in CNN news, states that there has been more than several cases where an American college student dropped out of school to go to Europe, such as Germany, where tuitions are free. Lobosco than continues to state that because “a lot of American students don’t pay full price for tuition, . . . moving to Europe might not be that great a deal” (7). Unfortunately, Lobosco believes that studying abroad does more than allow you to save money, but give you the benefit of learning a new language, travel opportunities, and being prepared to work in a global economy”. Although those factors might seem to outweigh the negative consequences, as those studying abroad seem to save up more money, they are simply unrealistic expectations as more money is actually spent on visa and residency permit.

            Although not an expert in legal matters for immigrants, I have experienced the process of getting visa and residency permit myself, often translating English and writing emails to our lawyers for my Korean parents. Although they might be designed to be an easy process, without cars, fluency in language, and most importantly, money, it is nearly impossible to achieve the dream of living aboard. If lucky, the process can be as long as two years. However, for certain families, the time range can be extended up to more than ten years. This results in spending thousands of dollars on lawyers and green cards, when they could be spent on American education.

            Even when graduated from a foreign college, those opportunities that has given you the “prepa[ration for] work[ing] in a global economy”, can’t give you jobs. Although being bilingual gives you more advantage when competing for jobs, there are so many education systems that are already available for the American students starting in middle schools, that give them the opportunity to not only travel around in Europe, but also experience “student exchange”, programs that allow students to completely submerge into the culture that they study in.

            Although America is known for their expensive education and cheeseburger with fries, it is undeniable that moving to Europe to study abroad is far less beneficial as students will face visa and residency permit, that will leave them if not just as much, but more money in debt compared to those who stick to receiving the American education.

TOW #18- Visual Text

            From Kanye West's to President Obama's speech, student loan is something that affects everyone from students to parents. The rapidly increasing college tuitions are slowly killing the people's desire for education as students are choosing their careers based off of how much scholarship they receive. This political cartoon that i came across on social media, went viral as students with accounts such as twitter and facebook could deeply relate to it. The artist, Adam's use of juxtaposition and appeal to pathos not only portray the life of many students, but also helps to spread the their voices on media in hopes that it will be heard to the public.
            Looking at the political cartoon, it is evident that the student's hand, if not the boy itself is much smaller compared to the lender's hand that is shown on the right. This is to portray the small and helpless students and their small voices that fights for lowered tuition. Not only that, but the big, gripped hand looks aggressive and scary, almost drawing the emotion of fear from the viewers. In order to deeply appeal to pathos, the artist draws arched eyebrows, frowned face, and chains around the wrists to show the indescribable feeling that students in debts feel. Instead of holding a diploma, the person is holding a paper that says "debt" to show that colleges give you more debt than education itself.
            There are many reasons why this picture became popular on social media, and that is because the artist successfully drew the emotion of fear, sadness, and stress that students go through to receive college education. This was an opportunity for all students to let their voice to hopefully be reached to a person with a solution in their hand rather than a chain that tie them down.