TOW 17: The Kiss (edited)

This painting is called The Kiss by Austrian artist, Gustav Klimt. He was an Austrian symbolist painter, with most of his works revolving around the female body. One of his most prominent paintings is the one above, The Kiss. Canadian artist Charles Moffat claims that The Kiss is "widely considered to be the greatest painting ever, better than even the Mona Lisa” (Gaylord para 8). The fact that a professional artist considers this painting to surpass the world phenomena, the Mona Lisa, is an amazing feat that goes to show the talent and aesthetics that Klimt was capable of.

The Kiss was a breath of fresh air after Klimt’s previous paintings were initially negatively received by the public for their “perverted excess.” The Kiss was different in that it was able to portray the passionate love between a man and woman without explicit images, but rather doing so subtly and discreetly. This painting displays 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 with the widespread use of yellow, a bright and cheery color, clearly capturing 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 as one. The isolation of this couple with no other visible people represents an ideal world, in which love has the power to overpower all other distractions. The placement of the couple on a colorful meadow filled with flowers again contributes to the gay and joyful emotions that love evokes.

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. Several different methods were used to create this painting, symbolizing the different schemes necessary for the different interpretations and evocations of love. The varying 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 and techniques used goes to show that love is a complicated yet beautiful idea.

The painting is for the general public. However, it mainly appealed to the specific group interested in Klimt’s art because of his unique style. A large portion of his paintings contained erotic images that were referred to as “pornography”, which was not a concept that many accepted. In addition, many in the art industry gained their inspiration from this specific painting and his other works. The Kiss served as inspiration for other painters, such as Rudolf Fila and Egon Schiele. It has also been the source of inspiration for Christian Dior’s 2008 spring-summer collection and a Japanese band’s album cover. Klimt’s widespread influence of his paintings reveal the large network that the painting impacted, far beyond his intended audience.

The painter's purpose was accomplished. Klimt managed to create a beautiful painting displaying the idea of love through a kiss, without using graphic images. His use of different colors and textures added unto the complicated idea of love, while maintaining a neat and concise painting that was able to appeal to the mass audience.

TOW 16: Aaron Swartz, Tech Prodigy and Internet Activist, Is Dead at 26

Aaron Swarth, a brilliant computer programmer and Internet activist, was found dead in his apartment on Friday. He was going through a difficult time as he had publicly exposed 4.8 million documents from the MIT database, as he believed they would be beneficial for the public to know. He could have faced a fine of $1 million, as well as 35 years in prison. His trials were to begin in April. Police had determined that he had committed suicide by hanging in his Brooklyn apartment. Swarth was a brilliant young man who had developed Reddit, the Internet sensation in Internet politics, as well as Demand Progress, the Internet activist group.

The article was written by Sam Gustin, a reporter from TIME that writes on business, technology, and public policy. TIME Magazine is a credible source.

This article is important in context. It displays the far-reaching effects of a not-perfect American judicial system that has the ability to make people do extreme things. Swarth's family believed that the decisions from the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney and MIT contributed to Swarth's suicide. This article will hopefully be a stepping stone towards a more reliable and fair judicial system.

The purpose of this article was to tell of the recent death of Aaron Swarth, his successes, and the possible implications behind his suicide.

The text was written for the general public, however, it would probably gain the most interest from Internet activists and supporters of Swarth's works.

Parallelism of words and clauses was used in the article. Gustin writes, "'Aaron’s insatiable curiosity, creativity and brilliance; his reflexive empathy and capacity for selfless, boundless love; his refusal to accept injustice as inevitable...'" (para 4). Beginning each clause in a similar way brings more attention to the words that describe Swarth. Using such complimentary and praising words to describe Swarth make the reader feel more sympathy for his death, and how a valuable life has just disappeared.

The author's purpose of telling the incredible successes of Swarth, along with the possible reasoning behind his death was accomplished. After reading, it was evident that Swarth was a highly intelligent young man with much potential to grow as a leading Internet activist. However, he was suffering from depression as well as a looming trial case, which could have heavily contributed to his death.

TOW 15: Ohio sheriff confronts protesters in football rape case

An Ohio officer was put under much fire after it was discovered that he had seen a picture of a young woman tied by her ankles and wrists, and watched a footage of several teenagers joking about an assault. In order to protect the local football team which the two teenagers responsible for the assault participated in, the officer brushed the footage away and simply said that the young boys were being "stupid." The protest of about 1,000 people urged the officer, Fred Abdalla to be taken off the force. They also passed around the microphone and shared their stories of rape. The two teenage boys will be tried under juvenile terms.

The author of this article is Drew Singers, and it is from Reuters, an international news agency. It is a credible source.

This article is not necessarily important in context, as it simply tells of a group of peoples' unhappiness with the way a sheriff handled a case. However, it can be a large warning for other officers and sheriffs on how they should handle similar cases in the future, to take footage and evidence more seriously and not brush them off so easily.

The purpose of this article was to tell of a sheriff's attempt to approach the protesters and try to tell his side of the story. 

The text was for the general public.

Pathos was used. "The protest's masked leader ... invited up to the makeshift stage anyone who was a victim of sexual assault. Protesters immediately flooded the platform, which was slightly smaller than a boxing ring" (Singers para 11). Having the protesters come up and share their difficult stories is an example of pathos. In addition, those willing to share was a large number, as described by its size as "slightly smaller than a boxing ring. Although this may have been a tactic used to make Abdalla feel guilty, it is still a strong use of pathos to include this small detail in the article. It gives the readers something on an emotional level to connect with, and it may even persuade the readers into supporting the protesters on their rally against Abdalla.

The author's purpose of telling the sheriff's attempt to exonerate himself, as well as the protesters' rally, was achieved. Although more background information was told, it still included a good amount of what the protesters were doing and saying.