The Glass Castle

       I chose to read the book titled The Glass Castle  for my third marking period independent reading book. This astonishing story is told from the perspective of Jeanette Walls, the daughter of Rose Mary and Rex Walls. Jeanette and her three siblings lived an unusual childhood where they learned to take care of themselves at a young age. Her mother did not want the responsibility of raising a family, despite the fact that she had four children, and her father was a dishonest and destructive drunk. Her childhood was less than ideal dysfunctional parents and a poverty stricken upbringing.
     The purpose of Jeannette Walls writing this memoir is simply because, as she described it in her book, "it is time to tell my story." However, I think the purpose of the beginning of her novel is to engage the reader enough to get them "hooked" and wanting to keep reading. The exigence of Jeannette Walls writing this book is her husband, whom she says pulled this story out of her and convinced her to put it on paper. The audience targeted to read The Glass Castle is older teens or adults, as some of the content and language written in the book is not suitable for young kids.
      Thus far, Jeannette Walls has used a variety of rhetorical devices to grab her readers attention and draw them in. If the reader is not captivated within the first ten two chapters or so, then they will not want to read on. One rhetorical devices she uses really well is imagery. For example, she writes "Mom had grown up in the desert. She loved the dry, crackling heat, the way the sky at sunset looked like a sheet of fire, and the overwhelming emptiness and severity of all that open land that had once been a huge ocean bed," (Walls 21). Through the use of descriptive language, she draws the reader in by making the desert sound like a beautiful place, contrary to the dry and deserted picture most people have in their minds. Another place where descriptive language is seen is through her use of personification. For example, “The flames leaped up, reaching my face” (page 9). Through this, she engages the reader and makes them want to keep turning the page. She also has used symbolism thus far in her writing. One symbol I have noticed is her blanket. "I watched the fire, expecting that at any moment my blanket would burst into flames. Dad wrapped the blanket around me and picked me up, then ran down the stairs, leading Lori and Brian with one arm and holding me in the other" (Walls 33). Although only a short way into the novel, I can already tell Jeannette's blanket is very important to her. Because Rex and Rose were not the most comforting parents, Jeanette seeks comfort in her blanket instead. By referencing the blanket, Jeannette shows her readers, that although she was so young, she knew she would have to seek comfort somewhere other than in her parents.
      I think Jeannette Walls has achieved her purpose thus far in her memoir. Through her use of descriptive language and irony, she captivates the readers attention and makes them think deeply. This strategy further leads to the reader wanting more. Also while reading, I was astonished that this actually happened to little kids while they were growing up. So astonished in fact that at some points I did not believe it. This astonishment factor led me, and I probably other readers, to continue to read her memoir. 

In China, Families Bet It All on College for Their Children

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/17/business/in-china-families-bet-it-all-on-a-child-in-college.html?hpw&_r=0

       In the United States today, college has gotten to be extremely competitive. The same thing is to be said for the country China. Families in China bet it all on college for their children. This article, by Keith Bradsher, describes the troubles Chinese parents go through to send their children to higher education.
      The purpose of this article is to inform Americans about how college in China has become a strain on parents, but is their one main goal for their children. The audience is Americans who read the New York Times and are interested in learning about the college process in China. The exigence of this article is the heavy financial burden that millions of lower-income Chinese parents now endure as they push their children to obtain as much education as possible.
      Keith Bradsher uses many rhetorical devices to get his point across. For example he uses pathos to appeal to the readers emotions. Throughout the story he describes a family who has put it all on the line to send their daughter to college. The dad works in coal shafts everyday of his work life and only makes $500 dollars a month for "choking dust in claustrophobic tunnels". The mom " toils from dawn to sunset in orchards every day during apple season in May and June. She earns $12 a day tying little plastic bags on at a time... the rest of the year she works as a store clerk, earning several dollars a day." By describing this heart-breaking story of a struggling family, he creates a sense of sadness that makes readers not only feel bad for this one family but also all the struggling families in China. Keith Bradsher also uses logos to get his point across. For example, he writes "Yet a college degree no longer ensures a well-paying job, because the number of graduates in China has quadrupled in the last decade." This allows the reader to fully grasp the idea that the number of college graduates is increasing in a drastic amount of time. He also describes "For a rural parent in China, each year of higher education costs six to 15 months' of labor..." This not only appeals to a readers emotions, but the use of statistics, allows them to understand the time and effort a rural Chinese parent has to put in in order for their children to got to college. Lastly, he uses description and imagery to get his point across. He immensely describes the living conditions of the rural Chinese parents. Understanding these poor living conditions allows the reader to imagine what it would be like to live their and thus allows them to understand what the parents have to go through.
    I think that the author, Keith Bradsher, does get his point across. Through the rhetorical devices he uses, the reader is able to fully imagine, understand, and relate to the troubles that the Chinese parents go through to send their children to college. After reading the article, it becomes clear that many Chinese parents do put it all on the line to send their children to college and that they take it very seriously.

Orville Redenbacher's 100 calorie popcorn

   
     As we all know, movie theater popcorn, with all its butter, salt, and fatty content, is not the best for you. However, Orville Redenbacher's 100 calorie popcorn may be a solution to enjoying this movie snack. In this ad, there is a picture of the amount of popcorn Orville Redenbacher gives you for only 100 calories. This pile of popcorn has formed a mouth that is eating another hundred calorie snack.
    The purpose of this ad is to show viewers how much more food you can eat with Orville Redenbacher's 100 calorie popcorn than other 100 calorie snacks. The targeted audience is adults who are able to buy this brand of popcorn at the grocery store. The exigence of this article is the want of more people to buy Orville Redenbacher's 100 calorie popcorn.
   This ad contains many rhetorical devices that allow the reader to understand and enjoy the ad. One main rhetorical device is logos. The ad appeals to the readers logos with the statement "Our 100 calories makes their 100 calories feel small." It is only logical for the reader to then assume that because you get more food for 100 calories with Orville Redenbacher's popcorn, it is better to buy it. They also back up this statement by showing six small pretzels next to a large portion of popcorn. When a reader sees these two things back to back in their brains, they again see how much more food the popcorn is, and thus is convinced to buy it. Another rhetorical device shown in this ad is the use of color. The color red, which is the backdrop to the entire ad, is appealing to the eye and grabs the readers attention. It is not a bland color that the eye will just pass over. Also, the yellow popcorn against the dark red backdrop makes the popcorn stand out, which then draws the readers attention to the ad, forcing them to look at it. Lastly, the proportion of pictures in the ad really enhances the reader ability to understand the ad. The popcorn and pretzels are the biggest pictures and are set right in the middle of the ad. The picture of the actual Orville Redenbacher and the box of popcorn is small and in the corner of the ad, along with the saying previously stated. Although one may think this is not smart because a visual reader should be able to see the brand of popcorn to make a connection between the brand and the ad, the picture is not too small where they will miss it, but small enough where it does not take over the entire ad. Instead, the readers are left with pictures of pretzels and popcorn to look at first, and then as they make their way down the ad are greeted with a punch line and a picture of the box. This is the best way to organize the ad because it chronologically makes sense, and the last thing the reader sees is the punch line and actual box of popcorn, which will both leave a lasting impression.
    I do think the ad achieved its purpose in convincing readers to buy Orville Redenbacher's 100 calorie popcorn. Through the rhetorical devices used, the reader is easily able to distinguish what the ad is portraying. To me, and other readers of this ad, it logically makes sense that you should buy the product that offers the most food for the same amount of calories. This ad makes it clear that your choice should be Orville Redenbacher's popcorn. Lastly, through the images and color used, the readers visual senses are enhanced, which allows them to focus in on the ad and truly understand it.

U.S. Adds 157,000 Jobs; Jobless Rate Edges Up to 7.9%

        Since the decline of the economy in the beginning of December 2007, the unemployment rate in the United States has risen. Unfortunately for many, despite the recession being officially over, they still remain unemployed. Catherine Rampell describes in her article, titled "U.S. Adds 157,000 Jobs; Jobless Rate Edges Up to 7.9%", the struggles that Americans are still facing today, even four years after the start of the recession.
       The purpose of Catherine Rampell writing this article is to inform Americans about the new unemployment rate in January and, most importantly, to show them that this issue has not gone away; it might not be awhile until it finally disappears. The audiences targeted for this article are adults who are either currently unemployed or are interested in learning about the most recent unemployment statistics. The exigence of Catherine Rampell writing this article is that, when it was published, it was the end of January and, therefore, the employment statistics for the first month of the year were released.
       In her article, Catherine Rampell uses a variety of rhetorical devices to get her point across. One of the most prevalent rhetorical devices is logos. She appeals to the readers logos by incorporating statistics, graphs, and direct quotes. For example, she says "...sending the Dow Jones industrial average over 14,000 for the first time since 2007." The use of statistics throughout the article allows the reader to really see the numbers of the economy. Without these numbers, it is possible that the reader may doubt what the writer is saying or may not fully understand what she is putting across. She also uses a graph which outlines the unemployment rate from October 2010 to present day. This allows visual readers to see the unemployment rate by month easier than it being explained in writing. Lastly, she uses first hand sources, like Mary Livingston, who give their experience on the difficulty of finding a job. These sources allows reader to empathize and also understand that the struggle is still happening today and that many people are still without jobs. The use of first hand sources is also an example of the writer appealing to the readers ethos. Catherine Rampell chose to include a story of the sixty-three year old women, Mary Livingston, who has not been able to find a job for two years. Factoring in her age and the reluctancy of the employer to hire anyone, she has been unable to find a job. Also, the story of Karen Duckett is another example. She has been without a job for a year and has just received a letter in the mail threatening her benefits if she does not seek a job soon. Both these first hand stories allow the reader to again empathize with the victims of job loss. Without the inclusion of these accounts, readers may be left to only imagine, or not even believe, that unemployment is still affecting citizens across the nation.
     I do believe that Catherine Rampell got her point across in this article. Although I believe that the article could have been shorter and still achieved the same purpose, over all the reader understands what she is portraying after reading the article. Through the use of statistics, graphs, first-hand sources, and appeals to ethos, Catherine Rampell teaches the reader about the unemployment rate and its effectiveness on our growing nation. All of the rhetorical devices enhances the readers ability to grasp the content in the article and, therefore, fully understand the purpose.