Source: http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2013/12/06/114023
This cartoon is alluding to the suspected fact that the NSA has begun monitoring personal electronic communications, which is seen by most as a breach of privacy. In her cartoon, Lisa Benson uses satire and a cultural connection with her audience to criticize the NSA for its invasive procedures.
The words in the quote bubble, "The NSA has a jingle?" are used by Benson as a form of satirical humor to criticize the NSA. The words have a rather sarcastic ring to them, and are clearly used to mock/ridicule the NSA. The use of satirical humor tells the audience in no uncertain terms that Benson does not condone the NSA's methods, and in fact is opposed to them.
Benson uses the holiday of Christmas, and namely, the classic song Santa Clause is Coming to Town to establish a cultural connection with her audience and make her cartoon both humorous and effective. The Christmas theme of the cartoon fits in with the time of its publication/the time of year it was released on the Townhall website. Benson creates a parody of a short section of the song Santa Clause is Coming to Town to tie it into her mockery of the NSA's breach of personal privacy via electronic communications. The parody itself lists some of the things the NSA is able to know about one's personal life, namely, "when you're texting...when you're online...if you've been bad or good." Paired with the satirical thought bubble, the words Benson uses in her cartoon create a humorous, mocking text.
Benson's cartoon gain an immediate appeal to the ethos of its audience due to the fact that it is published on a renowned, well-respected website, Townhall.com, that is known for its political theme. Her immediate audience is the people of the United States and their government, while her extended audience is anyone in the world who can read English, has an internet, and has access to the website. The fact that her cartoon is published on a public website and not in a newspaper means that it is accessible/view-able to anyone.
I believe Benson did an excellent job in creating a striking, thought-provoking cartoon that criticizes the methods of the NSA/its violation of the privacy of the people of the United States. Her use of a holiday theme and a parody of a well-known song enables her to connect more with her audience, and elicit a laugh or agreement with her.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Monday, December 9, 2013
TOW #12: IRB rhetorical analysis-Moran
How To Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran is a fresh, 20th century, down-to-earth tutorial on being a feminist, and being a woman. The book is filled with anecdotes from Moran's personal experiences, as well as things she has observed in the world with regards to how women are treated compared to men. She discusses topics ranging from puberty to sexism in the workplace to pornography to abortion. The entire text is written in a humorous, direct, no-nonsense, albeit raunchy manner. Moran uses language and references that may not be considered "appropriate" in polite company or for regular discussion, but her use of such language makes her book more believable/true. She captures the true essence of feminism and sexism, not dressing it up in the slightest; she shows the reader the bare-boned, naked truth. The book provides viewpoints and advice on most of the key points of being a woman and being a "strident feminist" (one of Moran's favorite terms) boldly, provocatively, and humorously.
Throughout the text, Moran offers continuous anecdotes and references that firmly establish her ethos on the subject. She tells of her time working at a music paper, interviewing stars such as Lady Gaga, encountering sexism in the workplace, and raising children. These all represent her as fully qualified to be speaking as a woman and a feminist on important matters as well as trivial ones (fashion or abortion). Moran's appeal to logos is her fresh, raunchy, provocative attitude which translates into the words she writes. She wastes no time "classing up" what she says, choosing instead to tell the simple, bare truth, no matter how inappropriate or shocking it may seem. Her appeal to pathos is mainly her appeal to all women reading her book. She discusses the issues/problems facing almost every woman, almost always accompanying each one with a story of her own personal experience with the subject. This allows her to become more relate-able, and, at the end of each discussion of an issue, the advice she provides is more likely to be followed.
Caitlan Moran uses her book to urge women to "...stand on a chair and shout 'I AM A FEMINIST'" (p. 68). Her goal is for women to become less obsessed with society's view of them, for society to not place such an emphasis on the looks of women, and for women to establish themselves as the equals of men. According to Moran, a woman's independence and freedom ranges from being able to wear whatever she wants without fear of being criticized, to having an abortion without being stigmatized by the rest of society. One the controversial subject of abortion, she says, "...ending a pregnancy 12 weeks into gestation is incalculably more moral than bringing an unwanted child into this world" (p. 269). Her view on the abortion issue is quite clear, and she is resolved to stand by all her beliefs, on every subject, no matter the social repercussions.
I believe Moran did a superb job on crafting the equivalent of a tutorial on how to be a woman/feminist in the 21st century. I found myself relating to some of the problems she describes that women are facing, and agreeing with many of her ideas/points. The book was entertaining as well as interesting, providing new viewpoints on some issues and strengthening my beliefs on others. I would highly recommend this book for any young woman who is not sensitive to coarse language, and who believes herself to be a feminist. According to Moran...you are a feminist if you "a. have a [female-specific body part] and b. want to be in charge of it."
*Apologies for any inappropriateness of that last quote, however, I believed it relevant to my analysis of this text*
Throughout the text, Moran offers continuous anecdotes and references that firmly establish her ethos on the subject. She tells of her time working at a music paper, interviewing stars such as Lady Gaga, encountering sexism in the workplace, and raising children. These all represent her as fully qualified to be speaking as a woman and a feminist on important matters as well as trivial ones (fashion or abortion). Moran's appeal to logos is her fresh, raunchy, provocative attitude which translates into the words she writes. She wastes no time "classing up" what she says, choosing instead to tell the simple, bare truth, no matter how inappropriate or shocking it may seem. Her appeal to pathos is mainly her appeal to all women reading her book. She discusses the issues/problems facing almost every woman, almost always accompanying each one with a story of her own personal experience with the subject. This allows her to become more relate-able, and, at the end of each discussion of an issue, the advice she provides is more likely to be followed.
Caitlan Moran uses her book to urge women to "...stand on a chair and shout 'I AM A FEMINIST'" (p. 68). Her goal is for women to become less obsessed with society's view of them, for society to not place such an emphasis on the looks of women, and for women to establish themselves as the equals of men. According to Moran, a woman's independence and freedom ranges from being able to wear whatever she wants without fear of being criticized, to having an abortion without being stigmatized by the rest of society. One the controversial subject of abortion, she says, "...ending a pregnancy 12 weeks into gestation is incalculably more moral than bringing an unwanted child into this world" (p. 269). Her view on the abortion issue is quite clear, and she is resolved to stand by all her beliefs, on every subject, no matter the social repercussions.
I believe Moran did a superb job on crafting the equivalent of a tutorial on how to be a woman/feminist in the 21st century. I found myself relating to some of the problems she describes that women are facing, and agreeing with many of her ideas/points. The book was entertaining as well as interesting, providing new viewpoints on some issues and strengthening my beliefs on others. I would highly recommend this book for any young woman who is not sensitive to coarse language, and who believes herself to be a feminist. According to Moran...you are a feminist if you "a. have a [female-specific body part] and b. want to be in charge of it."
*Apologies for any inappropriateness of that last quote, however, I believed it relevant to my analysis of this text*
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
TOW #11-Teen texting
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katie-d-anderson/teen-texting-the-ruin-of-romance_b_3763576.html
This article by Katie D. Anderson describes how the incessant texting between teens has a negative effect upon teenage relationships. Anderson tells of how, since both parties are constantly in communication with one another and knows precisely what the other is doing, there is no excitement, longing, or surprises left in relationships. She says, "This needless incessant phone-to-phone contact is ruining relationships and not just romantic ones." When teens are engrossed in texting their friends/partners, they tend to shut out family members. The relationship between friends also becomes increasingly more remote, carried out exclusively through text, with hardly any more face-to-face conversation and bonding.
In this article, Anderson uses personal anecdotes and direct address to her audience in order to show the negative effects of incessant teen texting, and urge people to put down their phones for a while and initiate human contact/sociality.
Throughtout the text, Anderson uses the anecdote of her own daughter and her daughter's boyfriend to illustrate the perils of endless teen texting. She uses addresses the advice she gives her daughter to the rest of her audience, namely, to stop texting for a while and give the other person space so he/she can begin to miss you and rekindle longing for your company. She tells her daughter, 'Think about it. You're TOO available. He doesn't have time to miss you or wonder what you're doing or wish he could be with you because he already IS with you. You live in his pocket for Pete's sake. This constant texting has burned out the relationship. Killed the allure. Why would he want to come to your house and watch a movie or hang out after school when he feels like he's 'with you' all the time?' This illustrates how the endless texting between the two has left no room for imagination or longing, and it can be inferred that if you put your phone down for a while, your partner will begin to appreciate how much he/she enjoys your company.
Anderson also addresses her audience directly, in attempt to get through to them more. She says, "Wake up, people," to emphasize that she is speaking directly to those reading her article, and encouraging them to "wake up" from the daze of anti-sociality that text-only communication creates. She also addresses the following questions to her audience: "Our children need a break. But what should we do? And how do we convince them of the dangers of something that has become so central to their existence?" These questions are meant to make the audience, especially parents reading this article, realize that something needs to be done about the teen infatuation with text messaging. When all you do is text, you begin to shun direct human contact and interaction in favor of electronic means.
I believe that Anderson effectively accomplished her purpose, and the use of personal anecdotes was a nice touch in making her point(s) relatable to real-life situations.
This article by Katie D. Anderson describes how the incessant texting between teens has a negative effect upon teenage relationships. Anderson tells of how, since both parties are constantly in communication with one another and knows precisely what the other is doing, there is no excitement, longing, or surprises left in relationships. She says, "This needless incessant phone-to-phone contact is ruining relationships and not just romantic ones." When teens are engrossed in texting their friends/partners, they tend to shut out family members. The relationship between friends also becomes increasingly more remote, carried out exclusively through text, with hardly any more face-to-face conversation and bonding.
In this article, Anderson uses personal anecdotes and direct address to her audience in order to show the negative effects of incessant teen texting, and urge people to put down their phones for a while and initiate human contact/sociality.
Throughtout the text, Anderson uses the anecdote of her own daughter and her daughter's boyfriend to illustrate the perils of endless teen texting. She uses addresses the advice she gives her daughter to the rest of her audience, namely, to stop texting for a while and give the other person space so he/she can begin to miss you and rekindle longing for your company. She tells her daughter, 'Think about it. You're TOO available. He doesn't have time to miss you or wonder what you're doing or wish he could be with you because he already IS with you. You live in his pocket for Pete's sake. This constant texting has burned out the relationship. Killed the allure. Why would he want to come to your house and watch a movie or hang out after school when he feels like he's 'with you' all the time?' This illustrates how the endless texting between the two has left no room for imagination or longing, and it can be inferred that if you put your phone down for a while, your partner will begin to appreciate how much he/she enjoys your company.
Anderson also addresses her audience directly, in attempt to get through to them more. She says, "Wake up, people," to emphasize that she is speaking directly to those reading her article, and encouraging them to "wake up" from the daze of anti-sociality that text-only communication creates. She also addresses the following questions to her audience: "Our children need a break. But what should we do? And how do we convince them of the dangers of something that has become so central to their existence?" These questions are meant to make the audience, especially parents reading this article, realize that something needs to be done about the teen infatuation with text messaging. When all you do is text, you begin to shun direct human contact and interaction in favor of electronic means.
I believe that Anderson effectively accomplished her purpose, and the use of personal anecdotes was a nice touch in making her point(s) relatable to real-life situations.
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