TOW #3: "My Daughter's Homework is Killing Me" by Karl Taro Greenfeld (via The Atlantic)

     Karl Taro Greenfeld, a father of two, was alarmed at how late his 13-year-old daughter Esmee was staying up to finish her homework. In an attempt to show the world (excluding students, who already know) the toll that hours upon hours of homework can take on someone, Greenfeld decided to do all of Esmee's homework with her for one week. Greenfeld is not a regular writer for The Atlantic (though he is the author of six books), but to get his story out, he recorded it as a magazine article.
     Organization is a key aspect of Greenfeld's article. He introduces his topic briefly, stating that he decided to try to do his daughter's homework for a week after noticing how little sleep she got. He then organizes the rest of the essay into days: each section begins with a description of the homework, how hard/easy it was, and the total time (usually around three hours). Immediately after that, Greenfeld recounts a story from his childhood or from experiences as a parent, and applies the story to his experiences with Esmee's homework. This use of organization easily shows readers the time commitment of homework and, if they'd like to do a bit more reading, shows them why it creates such a huge time commitment.
     Later on in the essay, Greenfeld uses statistics to appeal to logos. He discusses how America scores lower on testing than countries like Japan or Denmark, which actually give out less homework. (And, incidentally, countries such as Thailand and Greece, which assign more, score lower.) However, American schools haven't learned from this. Greenfeld writes, "According to a University of Michigan study, the average time spent weekly on homework increased from two hours and 38 minutes in 1981 to three hours and 58 minutes in 2004." Greenfeld's use of statistics can convince even a doubtful reader that there's something wrong with the monstrous amounts of homework American students receive.
     To show the world that middle and high school students have too much homework, Greenfeld appeals to logos. He uses a chronological organization with prominent headers to quickly show readers the amount of time he and his daughter spent on homework each day and why. To further convince any doubtful readers, Greenfeld uses statistics from reputable sources that show the increase in American homework and how it may not actually be beneficial.

Too Much Homework:

This is far too much homework for any student to have, especially a 13-year-old.

(Incidentally, the day after you (Mr. Yost) recommended my class to read this article, I actually had five and a half hours of homework.)

(Source: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/my-daughters-homework-is-killing-me/309514/?single_page=true)

TOW #2: Mr. Hood's String Class (Visual Text)

     Mr. Hood's strings class has an unusual classroom dynamic. The students are usually the speakers, and as they speak through their music, Mr. Hood becomes the audience. He also, however, is a speaker at times when he directs or critiques the musicians, and as a musician and a music teacher, he certainly is qualified to be giving his class instruction on how to play. The purpose of the strings class is to prepare the students for their winter concert, and the most effective way to do this is to place the musicians in an environment in which they can practice and therefore improve. From there, they can become skilled enough to perform at the winter concert where, by extension, their audience will also include concertgoers.
     As a certified music teacher, Mr. Hood appeals to ethos. Since he is their teacher, his students already look up to him and trust his opinion. They also know that he is in several bands and has a great amount of experience with performing. The students know he is skilled in what he is teaching, and they are therefore more likely to trust his views as their conductor. It is very important for an orchestra to trust a conductor's decisions in order for the music they're learning to eventually become performance-ready.
     Mr. Hood is able to further his purpose by setting a specific tone in the classroom. He engages students by making jokes and altogether not being very serious or formal. The class mirrors this light-hearted tone by responding to his jokes or engaging him in conversation. This allows the student-teacher (and musician-conductor) relationship to develop and become stronger, which helps the class run smoothly. However, it's not all fun and games – there is a sense of urgency in that there is a deadline before which the music has to be prepared. This sense of urgency is produced by the continual practicing in the class; the short breaks are often filled with Mr. Hood giving critique or instruction.
     The strings class successfully achieves its purpose through Mr. Hood's appeal to ethos and the informal but determined tone shared by both the musicians and conductor. The use of these devices will lead to a performance-ready strings group by the winter concert in December.

Mr. Hood:

Mr. Hood's experience as a musician (in this picture, he is playing bass, but he is skilled at many other instruments) allows him to effectively prepare his strings class for their winter concert.

(Source: http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2013/07/06/ambler_gazette/news/doc51d3108fac68f880283111.txt)

TOW #1: "Across the Red Line" by Michael Crowley (via TIME Magazine)

     Michael Crowley is one of TIME's senior correspondents; he has been a reporter for the New York Times and The New Republic, often covering articles about domestic politics and foreign policy. He writes "Across the Red Line" to an adult audience that wishes to be up-to-date on world happenings. The article is an informational report that serves to educate readers of the current situation in Syria and how it creates problems for President Barack Obama. Crowley begins the article by discussing Obama's "foreign policy vision" of a peaceful world achieved through "mutual respect". Throughout the rest of the article, Crowley explores Syria's recent history and how the crisis may affect Obama's presidency.
     The second page of "Across the Red Line" is dominated by a map of Syria that details recent events. This uses logical appeal by presenting statistics about the problems in Syria. Chemical weapons, Crowley writes, have killed "about 30" in the March attack on Khan al-Asal and "hundreds" in that large attacks near Damascus on August 21. He also shows that there are nearly two millions in Syria's surrounding countries. These statistics give readers a sense of the great number of lives affected by Syria's civil war. This helps Crowley achieve his purpose by effectively informing his audience of the magnitude of recent Syrian catastrophes.
     Crowley repeatedly uses ethical appeal by citing statements of critics and supporters of President Obama. When discussing the Syrian predicament's effects on Obama's presidency, Crowley shows the critics' view: "...to his critics, Obama does hesitate [to use force to uphold policies], and trouble follows as a result." Crowley also presents the views of Obama's supporters: "Obama's defenders say he has done the best with a poisoned inheritance ... [and] Obama has time to find a path through the current chaos to a successful legacy abroad." By providing the opinions of both sides, Crowley effectively remains unbiased and demonstrates to readers that the situation in Syria could go either way for President Obama.
     To inform readers of the Syrian crisis and the problems it causes for President Obama, Michael Crowley appeals to logos and ethos. He successfully educates his audience of recent events in Syria by using a map with statistics, and he uses outside opinions to gives readers an unbiased view of how Obama could be affected by the situation in Syria.

"Across the Red Line":

This graphic shows the positions of Syria's chemical weapons as well as where recent attacks occurred. It also shows the current US involvement (left: Staging Area) and the refugees who have fled due to the civil war.

(Source: "Across the Red Line": TIME magazine, September 9, 2013, page 32-33)

The Invisible Thread Introduction (IRB)

     The Invisible Thread, by Yoshiko Uchida, is a memoir recounting the author's experiences as a Japanese girl growing up in World War II America. She discusses how she felt at home in America until the US declared war on Japan and her family was sent to an internment camp. (The Japanese internment was America's attempt to discourage Japanese immigrants (or their children) who lived in the US from helping out Japan.) This memoir gives a first-hand account of the struggles of being discriminated against and treated as an enemy, which, unfortunately, has happened often to various groups in America over the years.
     I selected this book because I have very strong opinions toward freedom and human rights, and the Japanese internment camps are an example of a great infringement of those rights. History textbooks often gloss over events like this one, and I can't recall learning about it (though it seems likely we'll cover it in APUSH this year). Overall, I'm interested in reading a personal account of the internment camps in hopes that it will reveal the truth of the situation.