TOW #3- How It Feels to Be Colored Me

            As an African American living in the 1900s, Zora Hurston recalls back to when she was little, living in a Negro town in Eatonville. Growing up in society where she felt belonged, Hurston mentions how she felt no different from the white people because they generously respected her existence in the South. However, when she left to Jacksonville to receive education, she felt as if she was oil floating in water, feeling the undeniably strong distinction between her and the white people. Through her use of metaphor, she depicts her positive view of her background despite living in a culture where a strong contrast between the black and whites existed. For example, Hurston says. “Among the thousand white persons, I am a dark rock surged upon, over swept by a creamy sea. I am surged upon and over swept, but through it all, I remain myself. When covered by the waters, I am; and the ebb but reveals me again” (Hurston, 10). By using this figurative language, Hurston is able to describe how she was never felt sorrow or defeated by her differences and also shows her strength as an African American woman.

            Throughout this personal anecdote, it is evident that her purpose is for all people of all races to feel pride for their culture despite the sorrows it can bring them under certain circumstances. She does this by describing the positives of being an African American. For example, Hurston writes, “It constricts the thorax and splits the heart with tempo and narcotic harmonies. This orchestra grows rambunctious, rears on its hind legs and attacks the tonal veil with primitive fury, rending it, clawing it until it breaks through the jungle beyond.” (Hurston, 11). Again, with the use of personification, she shows how she appreciates the beauty of music more compared to her white friends and shows her love for being an African American. Hurston’s strangely strong optimism leaves the readers with pride for their background and through her use of figurative language, she is able to effectively portray her message of self- worth.

TOW #2- In Search of Refuge

       Opening the eyes of those who are uninformed around the world, the columnist Simon Shuster and the photographer Yuri Kozyrev, both civilians in Leros, Greece, describes the mass migration of people from the Middle East such as Syria to Greece and Western Europe. The audiences are people in the European countries who are negatively impacted by the exodus from Syria and might be against the migration. They also include the governments of the influenced countries in convincing them to continue keeping their doors open for the Syrian escapees. This is evident through the writer’s emphasis on how desperate these Syrians are in need of help and how hopeful and excited they look when they finally arrive in a foreign land after traveling for days and possibly weeks in an overcrowded, inflatable boats. Through Shuster’s appeal to pathos, it is heart rendering for the audience to read about the poor living conditions that the immigrants live in. The descriptions of squalid places and tarps in the European Countries that provide little protection arouse the sympathetic views of the readers. 
       Through pictures that show horrified and exhausted faces of the Syrians and moms carrying their sick and dirty babies that could not be taken care of on the boat describes the emotions of these people more than words are capable of. The writer also achieves his purpose by proving his credibility. Providing quotes that are from the refugees explain the hardships they felt during the process of separating from family and escaping from the terrorist group ISIS, Shuster dramatizes the event as well as supporting his purpose. In my thoughts, the writer was effective in achieving his purpose by appealing to pathos and ethos by using not only words but pictures as well, evoking the values and beliefs of the audience.

IRB Intro Post #1

The Soloist by Steve Lopez is about a journalist who finds a mentally ill musician on the second street and his attempt in writing a column about the musician on the Los Angeles Times. I chose this book because I am a musician myself, playing the violin. I was also intrigued to hear a story of a musical genius with a mental disorder and his relationship with a man that is the polar opposite. I hope to learn to enjoy reading non-fictions through reading this memoir and be able to write one as well.

TOW #1- …And Don’t help Your Kids With Their Homework

  

            Releasing a groundbreaking story to parents across the world, the author Dana Goldstein, on behalf of the researchers Keith Robinson and Angel Harris, stated in the magazine Atlantic the effect of parental involvement in school on the improvement of their children’s education. Using the data that Robinson and Harris published in the article The Broken Compass: Parental Involvement With Children’s Education, Goldstein stated that although parental participation often serves for the purpose of increasing the student’s academic wellness, it actually doesn’t affect it and that their involvement sometimes even backfires due to the burdensome pressures that the students feel from their parents.

            Using ethos and logos to appeal to all parents, the author refers to sociologist Annette Lareau’s observation on how the socioeconomic status of the student and the choice of teacher effects the improvement in students’ grades more effectively than the parental involvement does. She continues to support her reliability through using the statistics made by the University of Texas and gives an example for her argument saying that Asian Americans, even with uninvolved parents can perform well in school.

            The author’s purpose is to let the working parents know that they shouldn’t feel guilty of not being able to make time to participate in their children’s’ school events, because it will not affect their children’s grades. She also informs the parents who endlessly put their effort into school thinking that it will influence their children, because their children’s well being in school is dependent on their children’s performance and not theirs’. However, she states that parents should engage in school activities not for the beneficiaries of their children but to have a good citizenship. In the article, the audience was evidently shown in the title being said, “don’t help your kids with their homework” and when the author asked several questions directed to parents during the article. Overall, the author successfully portrayed her purpose to her targeted audience through using the effective rhetorical devices of ethos and logos.