TOW #18 (Visual Text)- Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate

            This being one of the snowiest winters in recorded history for Eastern Pennsylvania, I found it logical to analyze the rhetorical devices used by Swiss Miss to advertise their hot chocolate, which is surely in high demand this winter. As much of country is pounded by storm after storm and bitter cold weather, many adults and children frequently sip on Swiss Miss hot chocolate to warm up after shoveling the driveway or playing in the snow with friends.

            The goal of every company’s marketing team, including that of Swiss Miss hot chocolate, is to show that their product is superior to the competitor’s and worth the consumers’ money. Swiss Miss’ label effectively achieves this goal with its appealing image of the finished product and an elaborate background.

            Though Swiss Miss only sells packages of the hot chocolate mix that consumers have to mix in hot water in order to make their hot chocolate, the label displays a large image of the hot chocolate on the center of the package. Using an image of the final product was a wise decision by Swiss Miss because it looks a lot more enticing than a package of cocoa powder. Also, the hot chocolate is steaming, giving the allusion that hot chocolate made with Swiss Miss is always warm and delicious.

            The brand name “Swiss Miss” is named after the European country Switzerland, which lies on top of the Alps and is a hotspot for winter action sports like skiing and snowboarding. Throughout the background of the label, the hot chocolate is shown floating high above the Alp mountain range. This image of the mountains effectively appeals to Swiss Miss’ main target group, which consists of people that enjoy participating in outdoors activities and would likely need a hot, refreshing drink to sip on while warming up. Therefore, Swiss Miss’ label is certainly an effective marketing ploy as it displays the hot chocolate in an enticing manner and specifically appeals to its main group of prospective costumers.

TOW #17 (written text)- "Good Enough? That's Great" by Daniel Jones

As Valentines Day approaches, many men are desperately thinking of ways to surprise their wives with something special and romantic. Although, nowadays men find is harder and harder to do so as they slowly lose interest in their marriage. According to Daniel Jones from the NY Times, couples often lose interest in each other over time due to a lack of excitement and passion. Men become irritated with their relationship that is “punctuated with deadening routines, cyclical arguments and repetitive conversations.” So, in order to find an outlet for their relationship struggles, men are more likely to cheat on their wives, leading to even greater marriage struggles.

            In the article “Good Enough? That’s Great,” Jones effectively informs adults of these increasingly common relationship struggles and offers ways to improve them by offering ultimatums and using specific diction.

            Jones’ primary rhetorical device, cause and effect, is evident throughout the article. In the beginning of the text, he lays out common and realistic relationship troubles that almost all couples can relate to. Then, he almost puts himself in the shoes of the husband, and offers ways to improve a marriage. He states that if steps are not taken to resolve such problems, men are certainly more likely to cheat or look for a divorce and fresh start in the “love life.” In order to get readers to listen to this ultimatum, Jones carefully uses diction that effectively appeals to pathos. Using words such as “marital malaise” and “deadening routines,” Jones almost makes husbands and wives feel bad about themselves. By creating this tone, readers are more willing to seek change in their marriage. The powerful diction used by Jones acts almost as a threat to married men and women, helping them convince that the ultimatum may very likely become a reality and destroy their family.

IRB Intro Post #3- "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

With the AP exam is quickly approaching, I plan to read "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell as it both a challenging read and a genre that I am not familiar with. In this nonfiction book about psychology, Gladwell explores the world of outliers and analyzes how one achieves success in society. I have never read a book about psychology nor been very interested by the topic, but I know on the AP exam in May, CollegeBoard can choose from a wide variety of texts to assess APELC students. So, by reading this book, which was recommended to me by a friend who read it earlier this year, I hope to not only learn about what sets those who have achieved success apart from everyone else, but also to become better prepared for the AP exam.

TOW #16 (IRB)- "Moneyball" by Michael Lewis

            After finishing Moneyball by Michael Lewis, I am further convinced that Billy Beane, the former general manager of the Oakland Athletics, was like no other manager that came before him. As the 2002 baseball season progressed, the Athletics had a lot of success, including one of the longest winning streaks in MLB history, which surprised baseball fans and analysts across the league. In order to inform readers of Beane’s surprising success despite vast economic restrictions, Lewis provides an analytic summary of the Athletics run to the playoffs in 2002 using narration and anecdotes.

            Ever since Beane became general manager of the Athletics in 1997, the organization saw large decreases in revenue and significant budget cuts. As a result, Beane was forced to trade away many of their top players because they could not afford and compete with teams offering much higher contracts. This led Beane to follow a less traditional route in order to fill the shoes of star players like Jason Giambi. Beane ended up signing Scott Hatterburg, a former catcher who had been previously cut by both the Red Sox and Rockies. Hatterburg had nerve damage in his arm and could no longer throw, which is vital for catchers, so Beane thought that he and his coaching staff could convert him into a first basemen. Even though Hatterburg struggled defensively at first base, Beane felt he could make up for Giambi’s absence because of his demeanor at the plate. According to Beane, he taught Hatterburg to analyze every pitch thrown by the opposing team and use his observations to predict which pitch to swing at in order to maximize on-base percentage. This odd approach to managing and narration told by Lewis has a large impact on readers, most of which are baseball fans, as they become convinced that to be the best in baseball you do not have to spend the most money on top rated players.

            Despite Michael Lewis’ use of fairly little rhetorical devices beside narration of Billy Beane’s managerial career, his writing effectively achieves its purpose because of the strong appeal to ethos. Readers buy into his purpose as they are intrigued by Beane’s many narrative stories that are thoroughly analyzed by Lewis. In terms of pathos, readers are simply amazed by Beane’s ability to go on such a improbable run to the playoffs despite having on of the smallest payrolls in the MLB.

TOW #15 (Written Text)- "We Know it Can Kill Us: Why People Still Smoke"

In January 1964, American culture was forever changed by a single Surgeon General health report. For the first time, doctors published a report that linked smoking cigarettes with bad health. Ever since that day in 1964, a major social movement has been going on to get people to quit smoking. The US government has spent billions of dollars on advertisements used to create awareness about the many bad health effects of smoking. This major movement may seem successful as only 19% of Americans smoke today, in comparison to 42% in 1965. Although, this means that about 43.8 million Americans still smoke today. In addition, smoking is still the top cause of preventable deaths in America, with about 443,000 deaths annually.

Since, the nicotine found in cigarettes is so addictive, the author, Jen Christensen, directs this article towards young adults and teens, because once you become addicted through adulthood, it is very hard to quit smoking. To emphasize the negative effects of smoking on ones health and convince young people to not smoke, Christensen bombards readers with many statistics and multiple narrative and anecdotal accounts told by lifelong smokers.

In order to create an effective appeal to ethos and logos, Christensen backs her article with multiple statistics from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The primary usage of such statistics is to show people that smoking does kill and that the longer you continue to smoke, the greater the chance that you will become part of that statistic.

To further support her argument, Christensen incorporates narration and anecdotes accounts into her article to provide real, first-hand accounts of the dangers of smoking. Barry Blackwell, a 60 year old man from North Carolina, states that he grew up smoking as a young kid in the 1950’s, a time when it was more socially acceptable to smoke. Some time ago, Blackwell witnessed his mother die from smoking related disease and, as a result, became more inclined to quit, but after many failed attempts, he gave up because smoking was a way of life for him. Blackwell even admitted that it was easier for him to quit cocaine than it was to stop smoking cigarettes. Not only are cigarettes addicting because of the nicotine, but also because of the sensation it gives smokers while they inhale and exhale smoke. Therefore, I believe Christensen has affectively achieved her purpose, by wonderfully combining statistics with personal stories told by smokers.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/11/health/still-smoking/index.html?hpt=he_c2

TOW 14 (Visual Text)- "Are These Bags Real or Fake?" CNBC Video

In the United States alone, the black market is a hundred billion dollar market. Among the most popular and profitable items sold in the black market, are women’s handbags. Each year thousands of counterfeit bags are illegally brought into the United States and sold in major cities, with New York at the center of the counterfeit world. Many people are attracted to buying counterfeit bags for their low prices, or are unaware that what they bought is not real. Usually designer bags many by Louis Vuitton and Gucci cost upwards of $1000, but in the black market similar bags can be found for as low as $300. This growing problem of counterfeit products has a major effect on the economy and the well being of people around the world. As a result, designer companies lose millions of dollars annually, which causes their stock to plummet. Also, it has been found that counterfeit products sold in the black market have been used to fund global terrorist organizations.

The overall purpose of this video is clear, to teach people how to recognize counterfeit products and to persuade buys to refrain from buying such products on the black market. The primary audience is not only consumers, but also the makers of counterfeit products because designer companies are funding heightened investigations in order to minimize the affect of the black market. CNBC effectively communicates this purpose to the intended audience by using statistics and undercover video.

By first citing multiple statistics, CNBC is able to really show the audience how large and profitable the counterfeit handbag market has become compared to that of designer companies such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci. In addition, CNBC effectively convince buyers of counterfeit products to think twice by including statistics that prove the black market supports child labor and terrorist activities across the world.

Finally, the video effectively convinces the audience because it includes anecdotes and visual evidence given to CNBC by a private investigator that went undercover into stores selling counterfeit products. Using a hidden camera, the investigator who was hired by designer companies, goes inside a women’s apartment located in New York City, where he found rooms packed full of counterfeit bags. Along the way, he noted the intricate and secretive process used by gangs and organizations to get their products to consumers and avoid any confrontations with law enforcements. Overall, it gave real world evidence and information that proved the black market is a major threat to the United States, countries across the world, and legitimate designer companies that now have to compete with counterfeit goods.

http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000185807