TOW#3-IRB rhetorical analysis (Chua)

Source: The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother  by Amy Chua (IRB)

       This book was a point of controversy upon it's release, igniting national, and even global, debate. Some people criticized and expressed disbelief at some of the parenting methods illustrated in Ms. Chua's book, opposing her extreme methods and her teachings. Yet others applaud her parenting skills, pointing toward the many accomplishments of her daughters. These two differing viewpoints could be boiled down to: do the methods used to achieve results matter, if the results are positive? 

      Amy Chua herself speaks to an audience of thousands of readers in her book, writing it in narration form. Her family members can also be considered speakers, as she includes many of their conversations, actions, and reactions within the text in the form of numerous anecdotes. She wrote the book to mark a significant occasion that she herself states: "...in a moment of crisis, when my younger daughter seemed to turn against everything I stood for and it felt like I was losing her and everything was falling apart." (http://amychua.com/) Her audience includes not only the thousands of readers who have read her book, but also her family, who helped her to compose it. They receive an insight into her thoughts during the times portrayed in the text, thoughts that she may not have expressed to them at home.

      Ms. Chua states the purpose of her book as "an attempt to put the pieces back together and work things out for myself." (http://amychua.com/) Her purpose could also be seen as showing the world a different, effective, kind of parenting that may be culturally shocking to them. The subject(s) of her book are: her family (including her dogs), her parents, and her parenting style. She exposes parts of each of them to the world in a funny yet at the same time serious tone, dealing with the various emotions of herself and her family, and portraying them sarcastically, humorously, and emotionally. 

      Her book is very effective in it's public purpose of introducing the world to an inside look of a form of parenting they may not have been fully aware of. As to the personal purpose, she herself has said it was therapeutic and helpful in aiding her in reconnecting with her daughters and husband. I found the book thoroughly interesting and enjoyable to read, perhaps because I, like so many others, found myself opposed to many of her methods and teachings.

TOW #2-Parent-Children clash over marriage

Source: Time- http://healthland.time.com/2013/09/20/why-your-parents-dont-approve-of-your-husband-or-wife/?hpt=hp_t3

      In this article from Time magazine, Francine Russo, a journalist and an author of several other writings on families and psychological themes, gives us some insight as to why parents so often disapprove of their child's choice of spouse. She writes this article for both parents and teens/young-adults in relationships to help answer the long-time question of why parents and their children clash over the child's love life. This puzzle goes back as far as the Greek myth of Pyramus and Thisbe, and includes other examples such as Romeo and Juliet.
      Russo's explanation of this issue is that it is "all in the genes." She raises the question of why parents and children never learn from this struggle, and avoid it. In a study published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, researchers at the university of Bristol and the University of Groningen propose that genes are a large part of the equation. Evolutionary theory suggests that both parents and their children should want a caring, supportive mate, but parents want that more their sons/daughters. The parents prioritize family background, social class, and ability to support for their children. The sons/daughters, in the meantime, search for mates/spouses that they find physically and emotionally attractive. This is what leads to many of the clashes between in-laws. If a daughter marries someone unable to support her adequately, her parents will most likely step in to help. This means that the daughter is not as motivated/pressured to find a spouse that her parents approve of. It is also possible that the daughter is able, through genetics, to sense which mate will give her the most children, his ability to support her notwithstanding. 
      The main rhetorical strategy that Russo uses here, making up over half of the article, is exemplification. To help provide the answer, and fit it into a scenario, she, and researchers at the Bristol university create an example/situation to defend their findings. I believe she accomplished her purpose of providing an answer to the parent-child-love-conflict problem because she clearly shows how her answer, genes, applies o and is a reason for the conflict. 
      

TOW #1-Fear of Friday the 13th

Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/09/130912-friday-13th-thirteenth-superstitions-phobias-nation-culture/

      This article from National Geographic, by John Roach, explains some of the reasons why Western culture contains the fear of Friday the 13th. It came out a day before this month's Friday the 13th, giving readers something to think about as they waited for the feared date. One of the reasons stems back to biblical times. Judas was the 13th death, and his betrayal of Jesus led to Jesus' death on what people believe to have been a Friday. Because there were 13 people gathered at the Last Supper, that added to the taboo on the number. Some also people believe that Eve gave Adam the forbidden fruit on a Friday, leading to the downfall of man, or that Cain slew Abel on Friday the 13th.
      Another reason given in the article is that 13 is considered "incomplete" due to it's place after the "complete" number 12 in the counting system. 12 months, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 zodiac signs, 12 gods of olympus, etc... These fears, along with some people having triskadekaphobia (fear of the number 13), has left many people too afraid to leave their home or do regular business when Friday the 13th rolls around. Roach wanted to give people something to think about before the climactic date came around. Perhaps Roach wanted to try and encourage some of his audience, those who sustain the phobia, to leave it behind and go about their regular business free of fear.
      I believe that Roach accomplished his purpose of trying to get readers to think, and maybe even change their approach toward Friday the 13th. He effectively explained why the phobia is ingrained in Western culture, and offered other sources that supported him. I found the article extremely interesting due to it's relevance to current events.

Intro to IRB #1-Amy Chua

For my first IRB I have selected Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua. The book describes Mrs. Chua's approach and methods used to raise her children in a "traditional Chinese upbringing." Many of the methods she describes would be considered too harsh/strict by many Western standards. Mrs. Chua herself has said that the book is not so much a how-to as a self-memoir on her experiences in raising her children, and the results.