TOW 14: The Kiss

This painting is called The Kiss by Austrian artist, Gustav Klimt.

It portrays a man and a woman embracing and engaging in a passionate kiss. The color scheme utilized in this painting portrays a happy ambiance around the couple. The large use of yellow, a bright and cheery color, brings attention to the main focal point of the painting. Although the bodies of the couple are not explicitly shown, their closeness to each other symbolizes how a kiss has the power to unify two people into one. The isolation of this couple with no other visible environment represents an ideal world, in which love has the power to overpower all other distractions.

Klimt's rhetorical device of color scheme was very unique. After further research, it was discovered that Klimt had used fresco, mosaic techniques, and oil painting in this work. The different colors utilized in this painting portray the diversity of love. Love is not something that can be easily summed up in one word, and the complexity of the colors used goes to show that love is a complicated yet beautiful idea.

The painting is for the general public.

The painter's purpose was accomplished. Klimt managed to create a beautiful painting displaying the idea of love through a kiss, without explicitly doing so. His use of different colors and textures added unto the complicated idea of love, while maintaining a neat and concise painting.

TOW 13: "Magic Mushroom" Drug Shows Promise in Treating Addictions and Cancer Anxiety

Psilocybin, an active ingredient in over 100 species of mushrooms, has been a hot topic in the field of research. After it was banned in the 1960s because of its misuse, psilocybin has been brought back again to research its effect on behavior. After this drug was distributed to twelve cancer patients ranging in age from 18 to 70, over a six month span, the participants reported that they no longer considered themselves overly anxious or worried as they were before. However, psilocybin is unlikely to be used to treat addictions because it can have several mental side effects, such as psychosis or psychological distress. However, further studies on psilocybin may be useful in developing similar drugs, but without the dangerous side effects.

The author of this article is Maia Szalavitz, a neuroscience journalist from TIME Magazine. Both Szalavitz and TIME are credible sources.

This article is important in context because it tells of a potentially breakthrough medicine that could revolutionize the lives of those suffering from anxiety. Although the undergoing research does not promise anything, the results of psilocybin have the potential to eradicate anxiety.

The purpose of this article was to tell of psilocybin, a drug that is currently being tested to determine its effects on those suffering from anxiety.

The text was written for the general public.

Ethos was used in this article. In order to get the readers to believe that this article was credible, Szalavitz included direct quotes from Charles Grob, a chief child psychiatrist at UCLA and Paul Kenny, an associate professor of neuroscience at Scripps Research Institute in Florida.

The author's purpose of revealing the current research on psilocybin was accomplished. It can have revolutionary effects on people suffering from anxiety, as studies have shown that this drug minimizes the effects of anxiety. Hopefully, the research may be progressed and positive outcomes may be put forth from this drug.

TOW 12: Freakonomics

The first half of the novel, Freakonomics, was very interesting. Levitt and Dubner opened my eyes to the reasoning behind past and current issues. For example, what do teachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Cheating. Teachers cheat in order to raise test scores for a raise or promotion, whereas sumo wrestlers cheat in order to gain prestige and wealth in sumo competitions. The novel often brought up the topic of incentives, that people work, coerce, or do whatever it takes because of that incentive. Is it true that real state agents really do what's best for the clients? Research and evidence shows that even if the price of the house could go up, agents rarely go through that extra work and advertising because their additional commission would be very small.

The authors were Steven Levitt, an economics professor at the University of Chicago, and Stephen Dubner, an author for the New York Times. The collaboration of these two prestigious scholars makes for a reliable, truthful, and intelligent novel.

This book is very important in context, because it acts as a myth buster. The novel utilizes actual data and research to back up its truthful claims, which are about current issues.

The purpose of this book was to manifest the unknown and hidden side of issues and events from the past and today. The book had a purpose of making known the real reasons behind happenings and issues.

The text was written for the general public.

The novel contains ethos. In order to make known to the readers that the authors are credible, it included multiple articles published about Levitt. Levitt and Dubner also made sure to insert actual evidence to make their points more substantiated and reliable, such as actual results from the Chicago public school system testing, and evidence from the houses that real estate agents sell. In addition, snippets of articles about Levitt were included, which were published in the prestigious New York Times. All of these factors played an important role in establishing credibility and reliability in this novel.

The author's purpose of revealing the unknown reasoning behind certain issues was certainly accomplished. The reasons were not something that any layperson could have predicted, but was meticulously established with much evidence and reasoning by Levitt and Dubner. My mind was blown when I read about cheating teachers and dishonest real estate agents. The overall topics of this novel were very interesting, which made for a very enjoyable read.