Food, Inc 2

        After watching the documentary Food Inc, I have come to the conclusion that I agree with Robert Kenner's claim that the meat industry is not only economically but also environmentally unacceptable. To start with what is convincing in the movie, he makes it clear to the readers that animals raised in these environments are subjected to pain, discomfort, and hormones to make them more profitable. Not only this, but the fact that he mentions a story about a woman's son who died of E. Coli in the 21st century is even more reason to believe that the meat industry is going down hill. With all of the technology and equipment we have today, these food borne illnesses really should not be occurring let alone killing a child. Again, the images are very powerful and the picture of cows lined up next to each other just makes it more obvious that these animals are not being treated humanely. Also, he shows the cartoon of a chicken in 1950 at day 68 and a picture of a chicken in 2008 at day 47 and the size of the 2008 chicken is by far double the size of the 1950 chicken. This just further proves that the animals are being pumped full of hormones and steroids to make themselves bigger.  He also uses straight up facts (logos) that convinces me of his claim. This one fact really stuck out at me as shocking: "In 1972, the FDA conducted 50,000 food safety inspections. In 2006, the FDA conducted only 9,164."This basically shows that as years go by, the FDA is spending less and less time and energy investigating inspections that could be extremely important to the safety of the public. Another fact is "70% of processed foods have some genetically modified ingredient" which shows that the average American is putting harmful products into their bodies. 

    

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Food, Inc

Food, Inc. Dir. Robert Kenner. Prod. Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein. Perf. Eric Schlosser and  Michael Pollan. Movie One, 2008. DVD.

This            This ninety-four minute documentary, Food Inc., seeks to address the problems with the food and consumer industry in America and the inhumane actions taken to handle animals on farms and less than favorable working conditions. Robert Kenner, the producer and director, uses reports from Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation and Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's to further back up his claim. This documentary clearly focuses on convincing viewers to buy naturally or organically grown food by attacking food that is in the regular grocery store and telling viewers where it really comes from. It also focuses on making consumers aware of where their food actually comes from and lets them know that they can take steps to make proper food choices. He makes readers question the future of their health and processed foods. He does not only focus on the health issues of the food industry but also how corporations exploit laws to create powerful monopolies. 

          

Ro              Robert Kenner uses multiple rhetorical devices to get his point across to his viewers. To start, he appeals to all three ethos, pathos, and logos. He appeals to ethos by narrating and giving the reader a sense of trust and intelligence. He also interviews first hand sources, such as the farmers, who can testify how the animals are really kept and treated. This allows Robert Kenner to facilitate confidence in his readers and makes them believe what he is saying. Through the first hand stories, he appeals to the readers pathos. For example, he describes a story of a lower class family who cannot afford to eat anything else other than fast food. The mother describes how they do not have time to cook home made meals and the only thing the can resort to is food on the go. He also follows them to the grocery store where she explains the fresh fruit is too expensive to buy. When the viewer sees this story their heart breaks because it is hard to imagine that someone cannot afford something so simple as fresh fruit. Lastly, he appeals to logos by citing many hard facts like "the average American eats two hundred pounds of meat per year". These facts make his argument more believable and credible. Viewers see facts as more credible than opinions so the numerous facts in this documentary make his argument more logical.

R                 Robert Kenner also uses imagery to get the readers to understand his purpose. These shocking images, like the chickens being crammed in their coup or the cows carcass's lined up, stick in the readers minds. It is hard to forget something so shocking and powerful. I got disgusted when seeing these pictures and they stuck in my mind throughout the whole movie and resonated even in the end. These eye-opening pictures allow Robert Kenner to further prove his point because he is now not only speaking it but is proving it with the images. 

     

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Reflection

As I have looked through my TOWS, I have noticed that I have increased my use of rhetorical devices. In the beginning, I only used easy ones like logos, pathos, and ethos. Now after doing many, I realize I am using a more broad range of devices. I think I mastered being able to tell the purpose of the author and its effect on the audience. I also think I am able to easily pick up rhetorical devices and then incorporate them into my TOWSs. I could still strive to improve not making my TOW a template but rather incorporate the contents of a TOW into a synthesized post. I realize by looking at all of my TOWS that I do the same thing. Summary, purpose/audience, devices, effect on audience. Instead, I could try to mix it up. Doing a TOW every single Sunday was definitely tedious, but its purpose was to 1) help us improve identifying rhetorical devices for the essays on the exam and 2) help us broaden our knowledge on diverse topics that we could also use on the exam. I did benefit from these TOWs because I found myself using them in essays and also in everyday conversation. 

Glass castle

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Taylor Swift Got Milk Ad

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         In this ad Taylor Swift is holding a guitar in regular performing fashion except for one odd thing out of the ordinary; she has a milk mustache on her face! Like all celebrity's who advertise for Got Milk, Swift had to rock the white mustache in order to endorse this campaign.
         The purpose of this advertisement is to convince visual readers to buy and drink milk. The exigence of this ad is the need to get the word out about drinking milk. The audience is anyone who happens to glance at the ad because it is not that hard to understand however teens and young adults have the power to be able to actually choose to buy and drink the milk.
         This creator of this ad uses many rhetorical devices in order to get the point across. One rhetorical device that jumps out is ethos. Taylor Swift creates credibility and trustworthiness by simply being on the front of the advertisement. By using a celebrity as the face of the campaign, readers are convinced that they can be famous if they drink milk, like Taylor Swift. It also conveys the message that drinking milk can make you thin and rich as well as famous. This advertisement also appeals to logos. In the upper right hand corner it says"...I [Taylor Swift] choose milk. Some studies suggest that teens who drink milk tend to be leaner, and the protein helps build muscle." It suggests that milk is one of the main ways to stay thing while building muscle and convinces the reader that if they do drink milk they will be all of those things.
          I do believe that the ad creator achieved their purpose in convincing the reader that drinking milk is in their best interest; however with the ever popularity of the Got Milk? campaign I do not think it is that hard to convince the audience anymore. The milk ads are recognized at first glance and thus the visualizer is able to connect instantly with the message. With this specific ad, the use of ethos, celebrity endorsement, and logos, caption of study in the upper right hand corner, convinces the reader that drinking milk is the right decision to male

The Incredible Shrinking Ad

     In this article for The Atlantic, Derek Thompson describes the ever changing role of advertisements in modern day society.  With more than half of Americans owning smartphones, ads now need to shrink in size to be able to fit the small screen, and companies are suffering due to the gap in money revenue. Companies like Facebook and Google, who rely on advertisements for up to 90% of its revenue, need to find a way to compensate for this difference. A difference that Derek Thompson explains is not going away
     The purpose of this article to inform readers about the gap in advertisement revenue and the need for a change. The exigence of the article is that smartphone ads are not going to disappear any time soon and realities need to be faced. Lastly, the audience intended for this article are adults who are able to understand the information and facts being put forth by the author.
     In this article, the Derek Thompson uses many rhetorical devices in order to intrigue the reader. One device he specifically uses in the beginning of his article is anachronism. To introduce his topic and begin the article, he tells a story of the first advertisement and how people watching the Brooklyn Dodgers witnessed the first ever ad. Next, he describes the evolution of advertisements through using the radio, television, and now smartphones as tools of delivery. One effect of this anachronism on the reader is it introduces the topic in a "non-boring" way. More specifically the reader wants to continue to read the article. At the same time, it provides the reader with background context and information necessary to be able to fully understand the text. Also, he uses a didactic tone throughout the article in order to get his point across.  By using a didactic tone, the reader is invited to read the article in the hopes that they will be able to gather new information. Also, readers know, only by the tone of the passage, that the he is really there just to help them. Not to harm them.
    I think the reader achieved his purpose of informing readers about the gap in advertisements in todays society. Through his use of anachronism and didactic tone, he intrigues the reader to continue reading and flipping the page.

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." 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.
      So far in the book, she has used a multitude of rhetorical devices. One device that I have seen repeatedly used is understatement. For example, she writes her dad saying "Good thing we raised you young 'uns to be tough." Obviously, the parents have raised their children in a corrupt and unsafe environment which is far from raising them to be tough and strong. However, she uses understatement to get her point across. It makes the reader realize the severity of her message and helps them further understand what she is trying to portray. Jeanette Walls also uses similes and metaphors throughout her memoir to further describe what she is portraying. An example of simile is "“The cheetah licked my palm, his tongue warm and rough, like sandpaper dipped in hot water” This descriptive language helps the reader envision what Jeanette Walls was thinking and feeling in the moment these actions were occurring. 
    I do think Jeanette Walls has accomplished her goal of telling her story to her readers in an interesting and "page turning" way. The story in its self makes the read want to continue to read however the rhetorical devices used also enhance the readers ability to understand what she is portraying. Understatement, simile, and metaphor all help engage the reader into her writing but also helps them understand the message and purpose of the text on the page.