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.

"Rediscovering Central Asia" by S. Frederick Starr

     In "Rediscovering Central Asia", S. Frederick Starr, chairman of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute at Johns Hopkins University, seeks to inform readers. He writes to an audience with at least a basic knowledge of Central Asian geography, which is likely high school or above. Starr's purpose is to teach readers some of the history of Central Asia, which he believes is understood by far too few people. Throughout the essay he focuses on South Asia's golden age, and specifically the region's rise to it and fall from it.
Starr presents readers with the common view of Central Asia to establish the problem. He states that most people "[dismiss Central Asia] as an inconvenient territory to be crossed while getting somewhere else." By stating the majority's opinion, Starr gives readers the chance to connect to what he writes. He then presents readers with facts from Central Asia's past (around 1000 AD): "it was Central Asians who first accepted irrational numbers ... invented trigonometry ... estimated the earth's diameter to a degree of precision unmatched until recent centuries ... In chemistry ... first to reverse reactions." He lists many more of these facts to show readers the stark difference between what they think they know about Central Asia (that it is unimportant) and what they need to know (that Central Asia was in fact a great hub of scientific and mathematical discovery). In this way, Starr appeals to both pathos and logos.
By contrasting the common perception of Central Asia with the truth, Starr shocks his audience, and through this pathetic appeal they realize how little they know about the region. He then lists a significant number of facts about the development of science and math in Central Asia, and through this logical appeal, he successfully teaches readers the importance of Central Asia. At the end of the essay, Starr combines his logical and pathetic appeals to teach readers a message: the public needs to learn about Central Asia's past in order to respect the region today and promote this kind of scientific growth again.

Important Central Asian Scholars/Scientists/Mathematicians:

Left: Abu Nasr al-Farabi (c. 872-961), from what is now Kazakhstan, analyzed the ethics of Aristotle and, according to Starr, these analyses "surpassed all those of Western thinkers except Thomas Aquinas".

Center: Abu al-Rayhan al-Biruni (973-1048), who lived near the Aral Sea, "[distinguished] himself in geography, mathematics, trigonometry, comparative religion, astronomy, physics, geology, psychology, mineralogy, and pharmacology."

Right: Abu Ali Sina (c. 980-1037), from Bukhara in now-Uzbekistan, focused on medicine, philosophy, physics, chemistry, astronomy, theology, clinical pharmacology, physiology, ethics, and music.

(Source: http://muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?ArticleID=1058)

"Gyromancy" by Ron Rindo

"Gyromancy" was written as an informative piece about Ménière's disease. The author, Ron Rindo, has the disease and can therefore accurately describe what it's like. He uses few complicated medical terms, and can appeal to anyone high school age or older. The essay explores his experience during an attack, the causes of Ménière's, and how Rindo deals with the disease. Through these topics, Rindo presents his purpose of informing readers about Ménière's disease.
Rindo uses logical appeal to show the severity of vertigo, the main symptom of a Ménière's attack. He states, "on the severity scale of human suffering, uncontrolled rotary vertigo ... is listed second behind chronic, excruciating pain." Explaining that vertigo is nearly on the same level as the worst pain imaginable puts into perspective how terrible chronic vertigo (and therefore Ménière's disease) must be. Rindo then uses statistics to show readers the prevalence of experiencing vertigo: "40 percent of American adults ... will, at least once, experience the spins. ... about 5 percent will endure chronic vertigo." The use of statistics shows readers that Rindo has significant knowledge of Ménière's disease.
Since severe vertigo is something not everyone has experienced, Rindo uses a lot of imagery to help readers understand. He writes, "...instantly the world around me began to spin wildly. ...I lurched back toward the door, listed to the right, then bumped into a chair, the bookshelf, the wall. Because the floor seemed to be moving, walking became almost impossible." The imagery of spinning and the quick pace of the writing show readers the utter disorientation that Rindo feels during an attack. Also, by sharing a personal experience, he connects with his audience, which allows them to further grasp the concept.
To effectively inform his audience about Ménière's disease, Rindo employs both logical and pathetic appeal. Using statistics puts information in perspective for readers, and his use of imagery, quick writing pace, and personal experiences allow readers to connect with him. They can then imagine Rindo's discomfort during an attack, which successfully achieves his purpose.

Vertigo:

Ménière's disease includes severe vertigo, which is a sensation of often disorienting, seemingly never-ending spinning.

(Source: http://thewondersofdoing.blogspot.com/2012/09/my-vertigo-came-back.html)

"My Genome, My Self" by Steven Pinker

Steven Pinker, a psychology researcher and Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, writes "My Genome, My Self" to discuss discovering oneself. As a psychologist, he states that he has had "access to tools that allow you to carry out the injunction to know thyself." He focuses this essay on one of those tools – genome sequencing. Throughout the piece, Pinker explores what genome sequencing can and can't tell him about himself. "My Genome, My Self" was written as an informative piece directed towards a college-age and above audience who can understand some scientific language.
Much of the beginning of the essay discusses how one's genes can affect personality traits. Pinker writes, "[Genes] affect the wiring and workings of the brain, and the brain is the seat of our drives, temperaments, and patterns of thought." Since he is a psychologist, readers know that Pinker states valid information, and through this appeal to ethos, he gets closer to achieving his purpose.
When discussing the results of his genome sequencing, Pinker adopts a more casual form of diction to connect with readers. He asks, "Who wouldn't be flattered to learn that he has two genes associated with higher IQ and one linked to a taste for novelty?" Casual diction makes Pinker's discussion of his positive traits unpretentious and makes his audience more comfortable reading about his genes. Towards the end of the essay, Pinker introduces his opinions on knowing oneself. He writes, "So if you are bitten by scientific or personal curiosity... by all means enjoy the fruits of personal genomics. But ... if you want to know whether you are good at math, take a math test." By directly addressing his audience, Pinker creates a stronger connection between himself and his readers and, as a result, successfully shares his opinion.
Through ethical appeal, Pinker effectively informs his audience about genome sequencing and how it can be used to learn about oneself. He then wraps up his essay by using pathetic appeal to show readers that to truly know oneself, one must figure it out – there is no foolproof scientific way to do so.

Personal Genomics:

Our genomes are made of unique (except in identical twins) combinations of G's, C's, A's, and T's, and they determine our appearances and (possibly, as Pinker discusses) our personalities.

(Source: http://www.jenometech.com/product.php)