TOW #10 - Bulbs

On November 17th, 2016, Apple, the global technological giant, released a short promotional video for their new 2016 MacBook Pro. The video titled “Bulbs” displays various major technological advancements that have occurred throughout history set to a piece of classical music. Throughout the video, Apple exemplifies symbolism and organizes events in chronological order as a means to display just how advanced they believe their newest MacBook to be. Throughout the entirety of the video, lines of hundreds of a light-bulbs throughout an empty city are seen bursting. These light bulbs are displayed in between various technological advancements in history which aids in conveying their purpose. (Apple). The bulbs symbolize that as ideas come together and collide with one another, there is a chance for an explosion of a world of new ideas. Since these bulbs explode one after another, it is clear that Apple is attempting to show the audience that these new ideas work off of one another and are never stopping. These new ideas are then shown in the various chronologically arranged video clips. As soon as the video begins, a figure is seen creating a spark by hitting flint and metal together. This is then followed by an image of a man pushing a stone wheel, which is then followed by images of the first bicycle and steam trains and so on. (Apple). These images show how ideas are based off of one another. With the invention of the wheel shown early on, the bicycle and the steam train were able to be created. On top of that, with the invention of typewriters, keyboards would eventually be made for computers. The video concludes by showing off the new 2016 MacBook Pro, ultimately showing that this new computer is the product of centuries of innovations and new ideas. After watching this video, I do believe that Apple effectively showed off their latest computer. As a person that finds themselves interested in film-making, I believe that this was an outrageously effective presentation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROEIKn8OsGU

IRB Introduction #2 The Gilded Razor (Sam Lansky)

For my second independent reading book of the school year, I have decided to read The Gilded Razor, a memoir that was written by Sam Lansky. I have chosen to read this book net because it was recommended to my by a classmate who had showed me sections of the book that I found quite interesting. It follows Lansky throughout his life full of physical abuse and severe drug abuse. I believe that it will be very moving to hear the story of someone who had struggled so much throughout so much of their life. I am very excited to begin!

TOW #9 - America Elects a Bigot

On November 10th, 2016, NY Times political writer Charles M. Blow posted an article titled, “America Elects a Bigot”. This strongly-titled article was published in response to the events of the American election in which Donald J. Trump was chosen to be the President-Elect of the United States. Writing to the people of America, Blow aims to show that if America is to remain successful, then this man must be under constant pressure from the people. Blow is able to prove this purpose through his use of strong diction and repetition of phrases. Early in the article, he writes, “It is hard to know specifically how to position yourself in a country that can elect a man with such staggering ineptitude and open animus.” (Blow Par. 5). Through the use of words like ineptitude and animus, Blow attempts to show the people just how unfavorable of a President Mr. Trump is. These words, which most would consider to be quite sophisticated, are more likely to grab the attention of the reader and they highlight his lack of skill and his open disliking of many different types of people who he has spoken out against. This is all in effort to show that Americans cannot morally let him do whatever he wants. To drive his point home, Blow tells that, “Also, let me be clear: Businessman Donald Trump was a bigot. Candidate Donald Trump was a bigot. Republican nominee Donald Trump was a bigot. And I can only assume that President Donald Trump will be a bigot.” (Blow Par. 6). By repeating phrases calling Trump a bigot, the idea becomes more likely to be ingrained in the head of the reader. Like his use of diction, this also highlights his horrible treatment of many ethnic groups. Overall, I do believe that Mr. Blow was able to effectively prove his purpose as I do not believe that a man like Trump is deserving of representing the values of our country and that Americans must carefully watch him.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/10/opinion/america-elects-a-bigot.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=span-abc-region&region=span-abc-region&WT.nav=span-abc-region&_r=0

TOW #8 - Sully (Chesley B. Sullenberger III) 2

In Chesley B. Sullenberger III’s autobiography Sully, he writes about the events of life that would eventually lead up to his emergency landing of Flight 1549 in the Hudson River and the effects of the event on his life afterwards. In the first half of the book, Sullenberger explains his lifelong interest in aviation and how he wanted more than anything else to become a pilot. Throughout the first half, it also became abundantly clear that Sully wrote his book, primarily to those that experienced the events of Flight 1549 with him, in order to help people find what really matters to themselves. This idea continues on through the remainder of Sullenberger’s account of his life. He is able to accomplish this by providing personal images and by discussing his values. After what could be considered the climax of the book when the plane is landed, Sullenberger provides a wealth of images. These images include pictures of the plane in the Hudson River, the crew at awards ceremonies, and even pictures of Sully with his wife and his kids. (Sullenberger 228). The inclusion of these pictures helps the reader to connect with Sullenberger on an emotional level as they feature those that he believes to be very important to himself. By displaying what the author finds important, a reader is more likely to begin to think of those that they love and value as well. Sullenberger continues this emotional appeal in the final pages of his book when discussing flying. He writes, “Just as I completely love Lorrie, Kate, and Kelly, I will never shake my love of flying. Never.” (Sullenberger 315). Despite having nearly faced death, Sullenberger’s passion has not faded. This is an attempt to inspire and motivate his readers that no matter what happens, you should never give up on the people and the aspects of your life that you truly value. Never. In the end, I believe that the message the Sully conveys is a very important one and he does so effectively by making his story personal. I would certainly recommend this book to others.

TOW #7 - Consider a Gap Year

On April 15th, 2011, the Huffington Post published an article written by David D. Burstein titled Consider a Gap Year. Burstein, a writer who focuses on young adults and millennials and took a gap year himself, writes to inform readers about the potential benefits that exist for those that take a gap year between high school and college. The article is clearly geared towards high school students who plan to attend college as it was published in the month of April that year, which is when many students across the country could expect to see the results of their college applications. To prove that a gap year could really be beneficial, Burstein uses personal anecdotes as well as statistics on the subject matter. Towards the middle of the text, Burstein writes, “The direction and perspective that my gap year gave me was far beyond anything my traditional educational experiences could ever provide. I made a film and started an organization dedicated to getting young people involved in politics.” (Burstein). Through his own personal example, Burstein is able to appeal to ethos and pathos as this not only displays his credibility, but it also is easy for a high school student to relate to the ideas of ‘not learning much’ from school. He goes on to talk about its profound effects for him, strengthening the emotional value. He also tells that “more than 3,000 students took gap years [in 2010]. This year that number is expected to go even higher.” (Burstein). By providing the reader with this statistic, the author is able to show his audience that taking a gap year is slowly becoming a more regular occurrence. With more and more people taking on this opportunity, the benefits will become even more apparent to the public. Overall, I do believe the author accomplished his purpose. I always thought the idea of a gap year was interesting, but this showed me that it was not simply a year off from schooling, but a year to learn more about who you are and what it really is that you want to pursue.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-d-burstein/consider-a-gap-year_b_849487.html