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.