TOW #10: Dreamland by David K. Randall (IRB)

     The first four chapters of Dreamland deal with the general importance of sleep, the affect of artificial light on our sleep habits, couples' sleeping habits, and babies' sleeping habits. Through these, David K. Randall shows the great amount of research he has put into the book. Even just the first chapter of Dreamland reveals Randall's purpose: he wishes to inform the general public about sleep. Through his citation of extremely credible and thought-provoking information, Randall thoroughly informs readers about various aspects of sleep.
     The second chapter of Dreamland discusses the affect of busy modern life on our sleep habits, though it focuses mainly on the affect of artificial light. To teach readers about these effects, Randall cites important sleep experiments. He writes, "Thomas Wehr, who worked for the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland, was struck by the idea that the ubiquitous artificial lights we see every day could have some unknown effect on our sleep habits" (Randall 34). This automatically piques readers' interest because it makes them think about the artificial lights that they are likely using to read Randall's book. Randall goes on to discuss the results of Wehr's experiment, which turn out to be, essentially, that if a person isn't exposed to artificial light, they sleep better and are far more rested. By citing relevant (and therefore interesting) information, Randall captures his audience's attention. Being interested in something makes it far easier to learn, so captivating his readers allows Randall to effective inform them about, in this case, the effect of artificial light on sleep habits.
     Randall appeals to his audience's sense of logos by discussing definitive scientific experiments in Dreamland. Through this, he is able to successfully interest them and inform them about things such as the effect of artificial light on sleep patterns or if it is better to place one's baby in a separate crib on on one's on bed. It is likely that Randall will continue to effectively inform readers for the remainder of his book, which appears to include segments on dreams and disorders such as sleep apnea.

Babies' Sleeping Habits:

In his fourth chapter, "And Baby Makes Three", Randall discusses the pros and cons of parents placing their baby in a crib versus co-sleeping (parents and baby sleeping all in the same bed).

(Source: http://www.bhmpics.com/baby_sleeping_with_teddy-wallpapers.html)

TOW #9: "Obsessive Thoughts: A Darker Side of OCD" by Olivia Loving (via The Atlantic)

     In the informative article "Obsessive Thoughts: A Dark Side of OCD", Olivia Loving, who suffers from OCD herself, discusses the lesser-known side of OCD – the obsessive part of the disorder, rather than the compulsive side. Loving writes to, she hopes, the entire world, because she believes (rightly so) that the compulsive side of OCD is what most people know, rather than the obsessive side. Loving's purpose is to simply inform her readers about how serious obsessive thoughts from OCD can be in hopes that it will help readers better understand their family members and friends with OCD. To achieve this, Loving uses a lot of personal stories to support her statements.
     By presenting her points and then backing them up with personal experiences, Loving helps readers to better understand obsession from OCD. Laving states that people without OCD can understand compulsive habits because they can see them, but that it's hard for them to understand the potential violent obsessive thoughts that can be caused by OCD. She then writes, "But the worry that 'something bad will happen' is not an ephemeral, occasional threat for OCD sufferers. I avoided knives for years, because in their vicinity I feared I would lose control and stab my mother." By presenting a personal experience, readers can visualize Loving shying away from knives from the fear of stabbing her mother. By articulating examples of obsessive thoughts – things many OCD sufferers may not wish to share with friends and family – Loving helps readers to understand what their loved ones may be going through.
     Through her use of strong facts about OCD that are well-supported by Loving's own personal experiences, Loving is able to  give readers insight into the mind of a person with obsessive thoughts. This insight then allows readers to understand the problems that can stem from these thoughts, which include living in constant fear of, for example, hurting one's mother. Loving hopes that through this article, she will be able to make people able to understand and be supportive of their loved ones who may be tormented by OCD.

OCD:

If over 100 million people suffer from OCD, it seems very likely that most people know at least one person who has it. Loving's article may be able to help these people understand some of the 100 million that suffer.

(Source: http://www.complexatbest.com/ocd/how-many-people-have-ocd/)

Dreamland Introduction (IRB)

     Dreamland, by David K. Randall, is a book about sleep. Randall is not a scientist (he is actually a senior reporter at Reuters), but he has experienced odd sleeping habits (including excessive movement and sleepwalking) through his life. In Dreamland, Randall includes explanations of why we sleep, how we sleep, and how it effects us. However, he also raises many questions about sleep, because he has found throughout his research that there is so much that humans don't understand about something we do for about a third of our lives.
     I selected this book because I love science, and neuroscience in particular. Sleep is something I've always found interesting, and I've always wondered why we have dreams or why some people sleepwalk. Hopefully this book will serve to be interesting as well as informative, and I hope that at the end of it, I will understand sleep much more.

TOW #8: The Invisible Thread by Yoshiko Uchida (IRB)

     For the beginning half of The Invisible Thread, Yoshiko Uchida appears to simply be telling her own story of internment during World War II. However, during the second half of the memoir, she begins to build a greater purpose. Ultimately, through The Invisible Thread, Uchida wishes for the new generation to treat others (and specifically Japanese Americans) as "fellow human beings" (132). She also wants most of all for the young people of this time to make sure nothing as terrible as the Japanese internment happens again in America. To get across these messages, Uchida continues to use imagery to show consequences, and she also explicitly states her purpose to strengthen it.
      Uchida (and many others) believes that the main cause of the Japanese internment was racial prejudice. She hopes that the young Americans of this time period can learn to treat each other equally so that racial prejudice can eventually disappear. Uchida's extensive use of imagery demonstrates to her readers the true effects of racial prejudice. Furthermore, it appeals to pathos, as it effectively shows that pain and suffering that Japanese Americans experienced during WWII. This ultimately works to show the consequences of racial prejudice in hopes that it will convince young people not to treat people of different races in bad ways.
     Since Uchida's purpose is clearly very important not only to her but also to anyone treated poorly because of their race, she states it directly to leave a lasting impression on her audience. She writes, "I hope the young people who read these books will ... learn to see Japanese Americans not in the usual stereotypic way, but as fellow human beings" (132). By explicitly stating her purpose, Uchida ensures that readers will understand it and its importance. She also writes, "Most of all, I ask them [the new generation of Americans] to be vigilant, so that such a tragedy [Japanese internment] will never happen to any group of people in America ever again" (133). This is Uchida's final sentence, and it leaves a very strong message in readers' minds as they close the book.
     By demonstrating the consequences of racial prejudice through imagery and explicitly stating her purposes to show readers its importance, Uchida effectively gets across her messages. She shows her audience that if the new generation treats others equally, with any prejudice, they will be able to make sure that nothing like the Japanese internment ever happens in America again.

Yoshiko Uchida:

Yoshiko Uchida wrote many other books about the Japanese internment and Japanese Americans in general, and hoped through all of them to show the new generations of Americans that race should not effect the way people are treated.

(Source: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/38539.Yoshiko_Uchida)