TOW 11: Black Friday Shopping Hits a New Record

Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, Sears, and Target opening on Thanksgiving day for Black Friday has definitely paid off. A whopping 247 million people went shopping on Black Friday, a 9% increase from last year's 226 million. Shoppers were also willing to buy more, spending an average of $423, also an increase from last year's $398. In addition, online sales soared over 17% on Thanksgiving day, and an additional 21% increase from last year's Black Friday.

Emily Jane Fox is the author of this article, and this article is from CNN, a reliable source.

This article was important in context because it takes into consideration our own economy. This mass Black Friday shopping could have been a small step to the recovery of our economy, as stores make up to nearly 40% of their annual sales on Black Friday. With the statistics of the shoppers and money spent rising, this could be a sign of our economy recuperating from its recent recession.

The purpose of this article was to tell shocking statistics about Black Friday, and possible implications of the rise in both shoppers and the money they spend.

The text was written for the general public.

Ethos was used in order to further support the claim of the busiest Black Friday this year. Specific statistics and percentages were used to back up the article's ideas and ensure the author's credibility. Quotes from reputable and reliable people were also included.

The author's purpose of telling about the busiest Black Friday ever was accomplished. I actually worked on Black Friday, and the author's claims and statistics are no understatement. Fox's purpose of informing readers about the incredible statistics was accomplished, as they were very surprising and unexpected.

TOW 10: Las Meninas

This painting is called Las Meninas by Diego Valezquez.

The little girl in the center is Infanta Marguerita, the daughter of King Philip IV. Her placement as the central figure along with her very white attire centralizes her importance in this painting. In addition, the environment behind and around Infanta is relatively dark, compared to her bright clothing. Although she is extremely young, she has many aids at her side, tending to her needs. An interesting point about this painting is that the man on the very left is actually Diego Valezquez; he included himself as painting in this picture. In the mirror next to Valezquez, there are two people's reflections, which are the reflections of Infanta's parents. Thus, it can be inferred that Valezquez was actually painting portraits of the royal couple, yet the center of attention in this painting is the young girl.

This painting used a rhetorical device of placement. Specific placement for each person was especially crucial. Infanta's location in the middle signifies her importance in this painting, as well as in the royal house as many aids are seen tending to her needs. Valezquez's placement of himself is significant, as although he is not in the center, he is still a visible figure off to the side.

This painting was initially not for the public eyes, but for the King's private office.

The painter's purpose was accomplished. As he was hired to paint the royal family, the beautiful young girl is displayed as the focal point, and his purpose of doing so was accomplished. The young girl is portrayed as pure and innocent, yet is aware about royal life she lives.

TOW 9: Did Climate Change Kill the Mayans?

This article was about one of the biggest mysteries that surrounds us today, the end of the Mayan civilization. Anthropologist Douglas Kennett and his team of researches from the U.S. decided to figure out the Mayan enigma by looking at places where not many had looked before, in caves. By studying caves in the jungles of Belize, they were able to deduce some valuable information. The Mayan civilization was plagued with many, severe droughts which led to warfare and the break-up of political leadership. The Mayans thrived from 450 to 660, but then they were hit with droughts which led to a sharp decline in agricultural productivity. Researchers believe that these sporadic climate changes were a result of El Nino. 

Jeffrey Kluger is the senior editor at TIME Magazine, and oversees reports and articles on science and technology.

This article is important in context because it showed what could happen to us, the whole world. Although we have more resources to predict the weather, these natural phenomena cannot be escaped. It is possible that we could face similar circumstances in the near future, so it is important that we take some sort of action.

Although the fall of the great Mayan civilization is known, the reasons behind the fall are not. This article was written in order to clarify the most likely reasons for the disappearance of this thriving civilization. The purpose was to list and explain strong hypotheses that researches derived.

The text was written for the general public.

The article contained pathos. It appealed to the readers' emotions by instilling a sense of fear; that what happened to the Mayans could potentially happen to us. "If you want a look at what we could face in the decades and  centuries ahead, look at what one of the world’s greatest cultures suffered a millennium ago" (Kluger para 1). Although this may not necessarily have been the author's intention, his diction made me feel scared for our future.

The author's purpose was accomplished. He told the possible reasons for the Mayans' downfall in brevity and understandable terms. He added just enough information to make the article interesting, rather than bombarding us with scientific jargon. 

TOW 8: Eat, Pray, Love

The last half of this wonderful book wrapped up Liz's yearlong vacation, which took place in India and Indonesia. After leaving Italy in a happy mood, she goes to India to learn to meditate and collect her thoughts. At first, she struggles as all of her thoughts are cluttered and she cannot get herself to properly meditate. However, after much practice at her Guru's Ashram, she learns to silently meditate and find peace, and that the God she recently encountered is within her own self. After her vacation in India where she establishes inner harmony, she moves on to Indonesia. She lives with Ketut, a medicine man whom she met two years earlier and promised to meet again. She teaches him English, and he teaches her everything he knows. She meets Felipe, a Brazilian man whom she falls in true love with.

Elizabeth Gilbert is an author, essayist, short story writer, and novelist. Eat, Pray, Love is a credible nonfiction text because it describes her own experiences through travelling.

This book is not necessarily important in context because it is simply Gilbert's learned lessons and experiences through her recuperation through travels. It is read by anyone who wants to read an enjoyable book on a woman's journey through different countries and the lessons she learns.

The purpose of this book was to tell her experiences while travelling. The many lessons she learned and her more intimate knowledge of her own self are described.

The text was written for the general public.

This novel contains pathos. When a character falls in love, or Liz remembers her tragic memories with David or her ex-husband, the happiness and the pain that each character personally felt is palpable. Gilbert was able to transcend words with her storytelling, and make the intended emotions easily understood by the readers. "'Beautiful woman, good woman. Always sweet for me. Never once we argue, have always harmony in household, always she smiling. Even when no money at home, always she smiling and saying how happy she is to see me'" (Gilbert 279). This simple, yet amazingly sweet statement from Ketut was able to evoke much emotion. The love that Ketut regards his deceased wife with was able to be felt by the reader due to Gilbert's beautiful reiteration of Ketut's statement. 

The author's purpose of telling the lessons she learned through her spontaneous vacations, as well as her search for inner equilibrium in an enjoyable way was achieved. Through her journey in each country, she learned a little more about herself, and she was able to escape the negativity and unhappiness she encountered daily in America. She was able to liberate herself from the bonds she forced on herself and was able to find pleasure and true happiness in simple ways. 

TOW 7: Behavior Therapy Normalizes Brains of Autistic Children

Recently, the Early Start Denver Model, a behavioral intervention program, was put into use on autistic children. Results from this intervention showed that children at 18 months that went through this program for about two years, had a 17.6 point raise in their IQs. In addition, 24 toddlers diagnosed with ASD received the Denver Intervention, while another 24 toddlers went through community intervention programs, such as special education classes at school. Before the intervention, children with ASD showed that their brains were more activated when viewing an inanimate object such as a toy, but after this program, the brains of those same 24 children became more active when viewing an animate object, such as someone's face. The brain activity of the children that received the Denver Intervention was no different than the brains of normal children. 

This article was written by Alice Park, a staff writer that covers stories on health, fitness, medicine, and nutrition. The article is also from Time Magazine, which is a credible source.

I think this article was important in context. It tells about a revolutionary method of mitigating the effects of autism. This article gives parents with autistic children great hope, as Dr. Geraldin Dawson says that there is no certain time when this intervention would expire and no longer be beneficial.

The purpose of this article was to tell of a recent behavioral therapy in which the symptoms of autism could be lessened. The actual results of this intervention were described.

The text was written for the general public. 

Ethos is used in this article. "...those who provide the therapy need to be certified by a program Dawson and her co-developer, Sally Rogers, have created at University of California, Davis. About 1,000 people have been trained in the technique…” (Park para 8). The credibility of Dr. Dawson is established as shown through the description of the legitimacy of this behavioral program. In our whole country, only 1,000 people are certified, which infers that the training is not easy. In addition, those who want to provide the therapy must be certified under the direction of Dr. Dawson and Sally Rogers, which shows that these two women are knowledgeable in this topic. 

The author's purpose of writing about a revolutionary therapy was accomplished. When I read this, I was shocked, especially when I read of the actual experiment and its results. This Dawson Intervention is legitimate, as it has been proven to lessen the effects of autism. 

TOW 6: North Korean Propaganda

The painter of this piece is unknown, but it is a propaganda poster issued from North Korea.

This gruesome painting depicts a North Korean man getting painfully tortured. This picture shows the cruel American soldiers torturing a man, most likely an innocent man. This man looks to be about middle aged. A middle aged man is more effective for this painting because it hints at a possible wife and children he has back home that he must take care of and watch after, which makes the viewers feel even more sympathetic for him. His shirt is covered in blood and his head is getting sawed with a knife. He is tied down, and one American soldier is even cruelly laughing at this scene. There is blood all over the North Korean man, most likely to show the extreme, arduous torture he has been put through. They are in a dark, dingy room to portray the painful torture more explicitly.

This painting utilized a lot of pathos. This poor, innocent man getting tortured by cruel American soldiers really appeals to the viewers' emotions. It clearly gets across the message that American soldiers are evil, inhumanely torturing a helpless, North Korean man.

This painting was for the North Korean civilians.

The propaganda artist's purpose of painting this picture was definitely accomplished. After viewing this, North Korean civilians were probably strongly influenced and brainwashed to believe that American soldiers are cruel and evil.

TOW 5: Christian Group Finds Gay Agenda in Anti-Bullying Day

Mix It Up at Lunch Day is a day when students are encouraged to interact and socialize with students that they would normally not speak to. Thousands of schools have adopted this idea, in order to prevent bullying and create a welcoming atmosphere. However, the American Family Association, a conservative evangelical group has accused this day of teaching students to accept homosexuals, and to believe that homosexuality is okay. Whether it is because of this accusation, hundreds of schools have already cancelled the Mix It Up at Lunch Day.

This article was written by Kim Severson from the New York Times. The New York Times is a widely read and credible source for articles of a variety of genres. Severson is a widely acclaimed writer, having won several awards for her writing.

I don’t think this article was necessarily important in context. It just told of a recent controversial event on the effects of homosexuality and its strong opposers.

The purpose of this article was to tell a current event that was rather surprising. The idea that the American Family Association would go so far as to assume that Mix It Up at Lunch Day was to promote homosexuality was very shocking. This article is another story on the contentious topic of homosexuality today.

The text was written for the general public.

Ethos was used in this article. “’…we [American Family Association] are not a hate group. We are a truth group …we tell the truth about homosexual behavior’” (Severson para 9). The American Family Association emphasizes themselves as a truth group in order to prove to the readers that they are reliable, an example of ethos. Although there are people that do accept homosexuality, the American Family Association wants to prove that they are credible and honest, so they state that they are a “truth group,” thus they tell the truth.

The author’s purpose of telling a surprising recent event was accomplished. How a sensitive topic like homosexuality can be blown out of proportion was shown through this article. Strong minded groups like the American Family Association accused a day dedicated to anti-bullying and equality to encouraging homosexuality, which was rather far-fetched and shocking.