TOW #13: Ebola

 This cartoon depicts the irony of the panic due to the Ebola scare. It shows a man who represents the USA, and shows all the things that are more harmful while they are stressing out about Ebola coming to America. He is over weight and holding fast food, the cartoon then shows a statistic of how much obesity kills a year. He is also shown smoking, and a statistic is provided with the deaths due to tobacco. Finally, he is shown drinking, and a statistic is shown for that as well. 

      The use of statistics provided logos for the cartoon. It gives the viewers absence of where the cartoon is going and the purpose behind what is going on. It also provides an appeal to pathos in that everyone was in the position where Ebola was a concern. It introduces a sense of irony due to the idea that we are partaking in much more harmful activities, which pose more of a threat than Ebola would have. This picture is effective in getting across how irrational the Ebola craze was. It addresses how we should deal with more immediate issues than worry about a disease that hasn't even affected many people yet and will potentially not even be a threat. This cartoon is an accurate depiction of Anerican's because we tend to worry due to our lack of knowledge and don't realize the problems that are right infront of us. I feel the audience of the cartoon was all Anmricans to say that we need to be more concious of the problems that are already in America and not a bigger issue in other parts of the world.

TOW #12: IRB They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky

     They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky depicts the life of three boys who are fleeing from the civil war in Sudan. It describes the terror brought on from the war and illustrates the couple thousand mile journey for these boys. The book is split into four sections, I finished The Village of Juol and Like Ants Spewing from the Nest. In the beginning they discuss how their village used to be, peaceful and happy for them. Then a good portion of the book was dedicated to describing the bombings and other attacks on the village. The first section keys in on their escape and encounters with the Sudanese People's Liberation Army. In an encounter with the SPLA one soldier told them, “That is a skulls tree where you can see all types of bones from a lot of people who went to rest in the cool shade and never got up to continue on their journey” (80). Throughout the entire first half of the book the author appeals to pathos. This is because since the entire story is so heart-wrenching and intense, the reader is left with sympathy and sorrow for what the three boys, and many others had to endure. The stories progress when they start to describe their horrific encounters with hyenas, lions and lice that could eat them alive. Also, they faced malnourishment and heat exhaustion which made it often unbearable to continue. The three boys constantly are moving from camp to camp to stay safe. The sickness and hardships they face create a wonderful storyline in which it is difficult to stop reading. Th authors conveyed the story in such a way that was completely effective. The ultimate pathos created from the story was enough to make this story known and get a reaction of true sympathy. 

TOW #11: Why We Crave Horror Movies

        Stephen King's short essay, Why We Crave Horror Movies, is about how everyone is a little psychotic, and how we watch horror movies to "show that we can, that we are not afraid, that we can ride this roller coaster." He uses multiple metaphors to show how a horror movie is similar to a roller coaster, and how people enjoy the ride. King directly shows the relationship between humans being mentally ill, and enjoying horror movies. He explains how, "One critic has suggested that if pro football has become the voyeur’s version of combat, then the horror film has become the modern version of the public lynching," and then continues on to say, "The potential lyncher is in almost all of us." This comparison proves to explain how we watch horror movies to embrace the crazy person inside of us. Stephen King also uses juxtaposition in comparing fears and exercise, "Our emotions and our fears form their own body, and we recognize that it demands its own exercise to maintain proper muscle tone." He stresses on the idea that people crave horror because we share a common insanity, some just hide it better than others. The format of King's essay is generally informal with his use of side notes and rhetorical questions and allusions. Towards the end, King ties the point of his essay all together by saying, "If we share a brotherhood of man, then we also share an insanity of man," he goes on to show how this explains why horror movies, "manage to be reactionary, anarchistic, and revolutionary all at the same time." King's entire essay is a new view on why so many people crave horror movies, using many rational explanations and comparisons. Although the mood is probably meant to be more satirical than scientific-based, King definitely gets his point across.

TOW #10: I Nearly Died. So What?

        This article was about a woman who suffered from a severe case of flea-borne typhus, which should have either killed her or left her brain damaged. The whole article is written in an anecdotal form explaining her "miracle," and how her way of life after didn't meet the standards of what her friends and family expected her to live and approach her new life. 
        Meghan Daum explains how she herself was faced with death, and watched her mother be faced with a similar fate, but from a different disease. She elaborates on how her friends and family claimed she was blessed and given a "miracle," and that her old way of life should change and she should forever be grateful. Although, she had a completely different outlook. She came out from the crisis with the mindset that, "I’m not a better person. I’m the same person. Which is actually kind of a miracle." Daum believed that the fact that she didn't change was more of a miracle than her having an epiphany and changing personalities completely. Meghan Daum uses pathos in her article to explain how she approached her own situation and her mothers. She also utilizes certain aspects of satire that contribute to her outlook and explanation of how her perspective didn't change. 
        Meghan Daum's article is successful in communicating her counter viewpoint in which people believe that one's perspective should change after a crisis. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/16/opinion/sunday/i-nearly-died-so-what.html?ref=opinion&_r=0

IRB Intro Post #2: They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky

      This book, written by Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng, Benjamin Ajak, and Judy A. Bernstein, is about three Lost Boys from Sudan. It is based around three young boys, among thousands who in the midst of the Sudan Civil war, fled into the darkness. The book is a memoir of their journeys traveling the vast land of Sudan, keeping track of each other, and the refugee camps they went into. It recounts everything they experienced throughout their journey.
      I chose this book because Ms. Pronko suggested it and it looks very interesting to hear the first person stories of being on the run in an African country. I hope this book will be interesting and include a lot of suspense. I feel that the culture and courage within the story will keep me reading and interested.

TOW #9: Powerful

(Mike Wells)

           This powerful picture creates a change in perspective and speaks to all without the use of words. The picture depicts a starving boy, and a missionary to emphasize the struggle that other countries and human beings are dealing with. It was taken to show how underdeveloped countries are struggling and there are young children that are malnourished, and fighting to stay alive.
          The photographer, Mike Wells, took this picture to ultimately juxtapose the hands of a small malnourished boy, and a healthy missionary. Capturing the picture of the boys hand within the missionaries hand helps contrast the distinct differences between the hands of two living completely different lifestyles. The way the picture was taken is also helpful in showing the size comparison or a healthy bones in the hand to the weak and fragile bones of one living without food for a number of days at a time. The appeal to pathos is amplified through the use of juxtaposition in that those viewing the picture is able to see and truly notice the hand of the boys, and see how truly emaciated the child is. Pathos is completely applied to this image due to the idea that it is depicting the lifestyle of a young child, and how different this boys life is to many of ours. This picture, along with apparent appeals to pathos, indirectly applies to logos. The picture is able to show how those in underdeveloped countries are suffering and without food, and clothing, while others in America have more than enough. It brings attention to the problem of children who have been forced to go days, weeks and even months without a sufficient amount of food or water. Overall, the picture creates a depressing tone, which leads to an eye-opening perspective in those who see this photograph because it exemplifies social issues that are consistently over looked.
         Mike Wells was successful in portraying the lifestyle of a child in an underdeveloped country by appealing to logos and pathos through strong juxtaposition and utilizing a depressing tone. I feel that this image was very eye-catching in that it is something I saw and felt the need to look into and also analyze. It is a true perspective changer picture.

TOW #8: IRB How To Win Friends & Influence People

            In the second half of the book, How To Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie splits the rules into the last two parts of the book, How To Win People To Your Way of Thinking and Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment. In the third part, he addresses how avoiding arguments, respecting others opinions and admitting your wrongs are all essential in winning people into your way of thinking. Carnegie also emphasizes how presenting one's stance in a friendly way is crucial, because if you start in a hostile manner, the other individual or group of people will resent your ideas from the beginning. He also provides simpler ways to win others over, such as getting them to say 'yes,' letting them talk and think it was their idea, and challenging them. In part four Carnegie stresses the idea to appreciatively approach the others way of thinking, while slowly luring them into your way of thinking. Simple steps such as appreciating their point, asking questions, using encouragement, and praising their improvements are effective in getting people to change their perspective. 

            Dale Carnegie utilizes anecdotes and enumeration to successfully apply his rules to everyday life situations. Carnegie also addresses certain rules with claiming when presented with a situation ask, "How would I feel? How would I react if I were in his shoes?" (Carnegie 161). This built off his idea to think before presenting your argument and challenging the others point of view.  His simple rules and application presents them in a manner so that they are applicable to any person and/or situation, making the audience of the book broad. Throughout the book, Dale Carnegie is effective in underlining the effortless guidelines in influencing people through everyday approaches. By giving the real principles at the end of each anecdote and explanation, the reader is able to build an understanding and then connect it to the actual rule. Carnegie's essential rules to change peoples way of thinking and get them to agree with you are straightforward and appropriate for a widespread audience, and relevant to any time period, making his book completely effective. 

TOW #7: Zombie Smoker

           This ad caught my eye because it creates a comparison of a person who smokes and a zombie. It portrays the repercussions of smoking and how it can affect a persons appearance. The ad uses boxes to emphasize all the defects that smoking may cause in ones face, all of which are particularly bad. The comparison of the rest of the girls skin and body, juxtaposes the harsh features presented by the effects of smoking. The creator of this ad also uses the orange color and "warning" banner to underline the idea that this is generally a negative concept. It presents a short informative sentence about cigarettes in white so that it stands out in contrast to the orange background. It also puts emphasis on the idea that "When you smoke it shows," which for some people, regardless of how much they enjoy smoking, is not ideal. The ad then continues to provide a simple number and website to visit to provide more information on how to stop smoking. This allows the viewer to see the initial ad, and continue to get more information based on what they see.
          This ad applies to ethos and pathos because the evident effects of cigarettes is shown through the picture and text, while they also appeal to the viewers emotions by providing the hideous outcomes. When a person looks at this it would definitely create a moment of hesitation when picking up their next cigarette. The use of the website and phone number also provides a outlet for the viewers to turn to to generate more information regarding the topic, ultimately establishing ethos. The creator of the ad is trying to generate a feeling of repulse toward cigarettes, so that people will make an effort to quit, both for their appearance and health. This ad is successful due to the use of juxtaposition and appeals to both ethos and pathos. The message is clearly stated and the tone of the advertisement is well transpired.

TOW #6: Shopping Therapy

      Attention all shoppers! In all attempts to convince others that "retail therapy" is a real thing, Healthy Living Magazine has now proved it! The article Shopping Therapy is all about how shopping can actually improve your health. It presents the reasons why a shopping break is so enjoyable and relaxing. They explain shopping as a "mini mental vacation," therefore being good for your health, in essence.
     The author appeals to ethos and logos by presenting statistics and facts from scientists and psychologists who did studies on the effect of shopping on peoples health. From all the shoppers at the mall, "62% purchased something to cheer themselves up and 28% as celebration," so they were all there for themselves, to feel better. They also emphasized how shopping supports your mental health through recreating a quotes from psychologist, Sara Levin, “Retail purchases can be helpful if the product inspires self confidence and a sense of mastery.” The article also had enumeration, emphasizing the effects that shopping has on mental health. Headings are also used to present information and discuss different components. Ultimately, the article also appealed to pathos because although small, it is a scientific discovery that overall makes others happy. The audience was most likely targeted to women because generally women are the ones who often find themselves shopping and often need the excuse that they need "retail therapy." Also the fact that this article is in Healthy Living Magazine, it establishes ethos and gives a sense of who the audience would be. Even though this article was on the shorter side it was still very effective in achieving its purpose. It appealed to me and caught my eye because although it is a smaller scientific discovery, it is still helpful to many girls/women. 

TOW #5: Relax It's Only A Test

        This article, written by Annie Murphy Paul, is a presentation of the general anxieties students face when taking standardized tests. Annie Murphy Paul explains how students are put at a high standard which eventually causes anxiety to take over their brain and ultimately clouds their judgement and ability to answer the questions on a test. Paul presents trials in which teachers provided techniques for the students to relieve their anxiety. Some teachers found it productive to "hand out pencils with motivational messages on big exam days" (2). Other teachers used techniques which appeared to be extremely successful where students would "spend 10 minutes writing about their thoughts and feelings immediately before taking a test" (2), and when receiving the scores back from the exams, the students who did this grades increasing drastically. She also elaborates on how different groups of people, such as females or Latinas, stress more about tests as to not have a "poor performance [that] will not prove negative assumptions about the group to which the belong" (3). Although she explains many techniques that have already been used, she explains that many students find their own way to relieve anxiety and stress before a standardized test.
       Throughout the article, Annie Murphy Paul establishes logos and ethos by presenting statistics, facts and quotes from other teachers and those who have ran these trials. The article provides a multitude of statistics on test results and the results of the trials themselves and their effectiveness. Many teachers and psychologists are directly quoted by providing the techniques they used and the how effective they were. The article also presents a metaphor by comparing the tests to a "play, with the preparation as a dress rehearsal" (3), in regards to how students also prepare for these standardized tests. The authors intended audience was parents and teachers of students who are with the students before their tests and aware of their anxieties. But the secondary audience could also be the students themselves in providing productive and useful ways to prevent their anxiety from determining their test scores.
      Overall, I feel this article was effective because it provides many different approaches to dealing with general test anxiety. Also, shows the results of multiple trials to show the variety of ways to approach test anxiety so those who have it can try a multitude of different strategies. I also found a lot of these techniques could be helpful to me and ways to settle down about the stresses that come with SATs etc. The purpose was to exemplify the ways in which to approach and prevent test anxiety and it was presented well, as long with providing effective solutions.

TOW #4: IRB How To Win Friends & Influence People

        How To Win Friends & Influence People, written by Dale Carnegie, underlines the fundamentals in complete success in almost every scenario presented in a persons life. The book is split up into four parts, of which I have finished two. Carnegie sets up the sections of the book by providing evidence to support his "principle," which is presented at the end of each section. Ultimately, the book consists of general rules that one should abide by and apply to their lives in order to be successful when working with others.
       In the beginning of the book, Dale Carnegie's ethos is established by the preface and explanation of the concepts and purpose of the book. Early on in the book, Carnegie also establishes that this book is interactive, and there are rules to it such as; stop and think how you can apply the principles, take notes, read with a highlighter, and read each chapter multiple times. Through each chapter, Carnegie produces a multitude of historical examples from which the principles are derived from. He constantly refers to Abraham Lincoln and utilizes quotes such as, "Don't criticize them; they are just as we would be under similar circumstances" (Carnegie 9), in an attempt to allude to his overall purpose of that specific chapter. Carnegie also uses allusions to other writers, philosophers, and scholars, including "one of the classics of American journalism, 'Father Forgets'" (Carnegie 14). Among the abundance of allusions and historical examples, Dale Carnegie also presents some personal anecdotes from his life and childhood. He also draws on concepts and results he has acquired through his classes and students. Although some examples and concepts may appear dated, they are all directly relatable to the current generation. Metaphors and other rhetoric devices are slipped into the text by Carnegie such as, "your smile is like the sun breaking the clouds" (Carnegie 69).
       Dale Carnegie is addressing a general audience. He discusses how the concepts are helpful in both business, and economics, yet also very helpful in general social situations. His examples also appeal to many different groups of people. His overall purpose, from what I can see so far, is to lay out the basics of success in influencing and talking to others. He touches on points such as, smiling and how one sincere smile can change someones day and cause them to simply have a different view of you. So far, he has covered the topics of handling people, and the ways in which to make someone like you. There is little depth in the actual concepts themselves, and he stresses more on the ways in which to apply the techniques and principles to your own life. From the point in the book I am at currently, I find the whole book and psychology behind it very interesting. Dale Carnegie has been very successful in these first few chapters in explaining and providing examples as to how to truly be successful in life when dealing with others.

Robindickinson.com

TOW #3: Gun Sense

(http://momsdemandaction.org)

     This advertisement is from an organization called Moms Demand Action. This organization is a group started by Shannon Watts, directly following the shootings at Sandy Hook elementary school. Moms Demand Action fights gun sense laws in America, with a strong emphasis on the safety of children. This advertisement is one of many depicting a little girl with ice-cream and a man with a firearm in a grocery store with the name of Krogers, one of the biggest grocery store chains in America. The difference is, the little girls ice-cream is prohibited in the store, while the giant firearm the man is holding, is not.
    The advertisements produced by Moms Demand Action, including this one, strongly appeal to pathos. The innocent little girl would be kicked out because there is no outside food allowed, but the firearm that is putting the little girl in danger, would be completely allowed. The juxtaposition of the two completely different characters adds value to the issue this organization is trying to fight. This campaign also portrays ethos and logos because at the bottom, a rule at Krogers is addressed to support the organizations position on gun sense. This shows the viewers that this organization knows what they are fighting and believe in the safety of children and other in America.
   The audience of this campaign are the parents, who don't feel safe with open firearms being allowed in public facilities where their children can also be. The picture touches the viewers emotions by the idea that their child could be in a similar position. Also, the advertisement serves to show other businesses how this absurd rule can effect how people feel about using their services. This organization has reached out and done campaigns against other public organizations with similar gun usage rules such as Panera and Target. It stresses that the gun sense laws are immoral and create animosity between the company and consumer or customer. This campaigns gives a final message that families should be able to get their groceries without feelings fear rushing through them when seeing other shoppers carrying large firearms.

TOW #2: My Illness Isn't Glamorous

 This article, written by Lillie Lainoff, addresses how Hollywood inaccurately depicts the lives of teenagers with fatal diseases. This college student discusses how television shows and movies, such as Red Band Society on Fox, present a faux representation of how kids suffering life-threatening illness live their lives. Lillie Lainoff establishes her credibility and ethos through this article with presenting her education, a college student at Yale University, and her own personal experience on the topic. Lainoff suffers with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, an automatic nervous system disorder. Her personal anecdote on being in the hospital and constantly living with a terrible disease creates a juxtaposition of the portrayal television networks produce versus the real life struggle of living with a disease. Lainoff presents an antithesis to the quote by one of the characters in the show Red Band Society, about how life starts when you arrive at the hospital and they aren’t able to cut into your soul. To many, these words would be empowering coming from a suffering patient, but to Lillie Lainoff these words evoke feelings of pain and anger. She continues on to show how these statements are completely inaccurate to the true life of a sick teenager. Her intended audience is the viewers of these shows and movies, to thoroughly explain how although these shows may receive five stars, they are completely glamorized ideas of brutal situations to make money. Lainoff suggests that sugarcoating terminally ill patients lives is the new obsession of Hollywood, just like past fazes of shows about vampires and normal high school drama. I fully support Lillie Lainoff and her stance on the corruption of Hollywood on specific topics. I think she provided perfect evidence through life experience to disprove the presentation of popular television shows and movies.

Tony Maglio

Link to article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/hollywood-has-it-wrong-im-a-teenager-with-an-illness-and-its-not-glamorous-at-all/2014/09/12/b9154a7e-38f9-11e4-8601-97ba88884ffd_story.html

IRB Intro #1 -How To Win Friends and Influence People

This book was written by Dale Carnegie and has been changed multiple times over the years he was alive to pertain to the time period. I picked this book because the topic looks interesting and I think it would be interesting to learn ways to influence people, become a better conversationalist, and much more. I hope to get new ways to approach situations and how to confront people throughout life.

TOW #1: How to Say Nothing in 500 Words

How to Say Nothing in 500 Words by Paul Roberts, discusses how to successfully construct a paper of 500 words without it being a larger pain than it already is. Paul Roberts establishes his ethos in the paragraph in the beginning, which is specifically about his credibility. He wrote many writing textbooks including, English Syntax (1954), and English Sentences (1962) and is very well versed on the English language. Roberts addresses multiple areas in most papers which can be revised to make the 500 words stand out over the other students exact words and stances on the same topics. The intended audience was clearly to college school students, as he addresses the topics of college football, college classes, and professors. Paul Roberts builds his text off of example pieces of essays from students performing this assignment. He displays through these examples how a majority of the students will approach the task, and how to stand out and refrain from receiving a low grade. Throughout the piece, Roberts utilizes personification and metaphors to show readers how a boring, generic essay comes across to the professor reading it. Also, how the use of colored and colorful words evoke “emotion,” which establishes pathos through the text. Roberts discusses how “such round phrases thudding against the readers brain are unlikely to convince him” (59), this puts an emphasis to think out of the box and present new, unusual topics in your paper in order to stand out in the professors mind and receive that higher grade. Also, Roberts connects the common thoughts of students to “floating in the community soup” (64), putting stress on the concept that all the ideas that come to the mind first, come to all minds first and to branch off the original, basic ideas. I feel that Roberts wrote this in order to show students that the dreaded 500-word essay isn’t so scary if they just “put a little meat on the bones” (55).  Paul Roberts was definitely successful in getting his purpose across to his audience. He provided solid evidence and examples to remind students to think out of the box and elaborate on their chosen topics.

The Figure a Poem Makes

           In the essay, The Figure a Poem Makes, Robert Frost addresses his interpretation of how he feels poetry should be written and perceived. Frost examines poetry as a revelation. His perspective is that all poems should sound different. Robert Frost views poetry similarly to a book or movie plot, where there would be an exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution. Although in poetry it starts with “delight, it inclines to the impulse, it assumes direction with the first line laid down, it runs a course of lucky events, and ends in a clarification of life” (Frost 177). Robert Frost was one of the most popular and famous poets in the 20^th century. Frost wrote innumerable amounts of well-known plays, poems and letters. Robert Frost wrote this essay to elucidate how he believes poetry should be conformed and how each good poem should lead to a clarification in the reader.

            Frost directly writes about different forms of rhetorical devices throughout poetry and how well they are utilized. Several times, he identifies certain aspects of poetry and how they should be formed using metaphors. The intended audience of this piece would most likely be poetry writers or readers, to clarify the characteristics a well-written poem should contain and be comprehended. Frost’s ideas were effective in this piece, due to the clear stance he presents on the presentation of poetry. His purpose was completely established and accomplished through the short three pages of this essay.

This depicts how Frost feels that all poems should be different and that they should be constantly changed and approached in different ways.

The Crack-Up

This essay was primarily about the mental breakdowns that occur in adults when they reach a certain breaking point. The author, F. Scott Fitzgerald is considered one of the greatest American writers of the 20^th century. Fitzgerald has composed many novels and short stories including the novel The Great Gatsby. In this essay Fitzgerald addresses his own personal mental “crack” experiences, using a several different personal anecdotes, he expresses the events that led to and followed his breaking points in life.  Throughout the essay, Fitzgerald utilizes several metaphors to express the severity of the repercussions of cracking. He presents how drinking and depression were two outcomes of his breakdown and explores how one’s conception of the world plays a big part. His “list making phase” is presented and he uses several different categories of “cracks” to show the possible outcomes.

            The Crack-Up was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald to express how when the Great Depression hit it was the end of an era and all the good parts of his life came to an end. Directly following his wife’s series of mental breakdowns, Fitzgerald began breaking down himself. The essay is essentially complaints about how his life went down hill and he couldn’t turn it around for the better. The intended audience of this piece would most likely be F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel readers. This would be his way to explain how he fell from grace and stopped his writing, to give a reason for his sudden halt to his writing. Fitzgerald did a well thought out portrayal of how life can be lavish one day, and full of depression the next. He successfully produces an array of examples as to how one cracks and what to expect fully through his own life experience.

This cartoon is a representation of how the mental breakdowns Fitzgerald addresses in the essay can pull you away from life and the realities of it.

(Cartoon by Leigh Tauss)

Life with Daughters: Watching the Miss America Pageant

The essay, Life with Daughters: Watching the Miss America Pageant, addresses many aspects of black culture and racism through a general topic of the Miss America Pageant. Gerald Early is an essayist and critic, and is currently a professor at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Early has won multiple awards including the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1994 for a collection of his essays. Primarily using anecdotes about his own family, Gerald Early shows how there is a constant struggle with race pride that has been going on since he and his wife were younger. His wife and daughters both religiously watch the Miss America Pageant every year, and he describes how the program used to be all white, and now his daughters have gotten the chance to see several African American women win.

In the essay, Early addresses how the pageants have a different meaning to his daughters. He examines how they find the women in the pageant “funny,” and it doesn’t faze them to now see an African American woman win, like it does for their parents. The purpose of this essay was to discuss and show how African American women are now a presence in society and how learning to have race pride and live with it as a moral is key to overlooking degradation. This essay is most likely directed to other young African American women considering much of the essay is about them finding their identity in today’s society. Along with many personal anecdotes, Early utilizes other pieces of literature and allusions to prove his point. Overall, at the end of the essay I felt that the purpose of the essay was clear and accurate. The approach Gerald Early took on this essay was very successful with showing how African American women should take pride in their race in today’s society because originality is the root to overall success.

This picture shows the irony of a previous African American pageant winner happily crowning a white winner looking equally as happy.

(Photo By Scott E. Stetzer / The Press of Atlantic City/)