TOW #10 - Childcare wages (Visual)

Although children are a universal touchstone for empathy and kindness, far too often their well-being is left to fall through the cracks. Common examples would include cuts to education funding and a school to prison pipeline across the U.S. An image released by the National Women's Law Center argues that child care providers should receive higher salaries using statistics and first person pronouns.

Such a battle is an admirable one, and, as such, the National Women's Law Center (NWLC) understands the need for unarguable evidence to support their claim. The statistic included in the image appeals to logos and provides objective justification to their argument. When a viewer, such as a legislator, reads, "Child care providers' salaries are often in the lowest bracket -- less than $22,000 per year," they find concrete evidence of the poor treatment received by child care providers. The shock of seeing such a low amount will compel the audience to ensure child care providers receive fair and just wages.

Although the statistic is vital to the NWLC's message, the most prominent feature is the text and image above. The NWLC uses first person pronouns to appeal to a general and universally understood priority. By saying, "Our children's care is a top priority..." the NWLC creates a mood of companionship and togetherness. This grouping results in a strong desire from the audience to aid the author in their mission. It also helps make the author agreeable and trustworthy to the audience, thereby making them more receptive to the ultimate message: "They [childcare providers] deserve better."

The NWLC helps shed light on an infrequently discussed topic and presents a promising first step toward creating change.

TOW #9 - "Two-Minute Entreaty" (Written)

To my chagrin, our textbook likes to use the phrase "visual text," when I would much prefer the simple "visual." Nevertheless, if we're going to be stretching our definitions and mental boundaries, I see your visual text and raise you a text on a cup.

More specifically, this is a short piece by Anthony Doerr on Chipotle's soft drink cups. For as long as I can remember, Chipotle has printed short essays on their cups. As of now, they have a theme of "Two-Minute [insert your thing here]." As I was happily stuffing myself full of guac and beans, I was touched by Doerr's piece, "Two-Minute Entreaty." Doerr begins with a scientific reference to Earth's history, but he names his ultimate purpose at the end of his essay: to inspire others to make the most out of every moment in life.

Doerr first uses imagery to help his audience conceptualize the briefness of life. He starts, "Tattoo Earth’s 4.5-billion-year timeline onto your arm, shoulder to fingertip, and your upper arm will get nothing but geologic mayhem: meteorites, magma, acid rain. Life won’t begin until your bicep..." Although many of us and can grasp the idea that Earth is very, very, very, very old, we cannot truly understand this period of time in comparison to our own lives. The tangible imagery of a tattoo on one's arm - and the subsequent relation to points on our own bodies - helps his audience realize just how short their lives are in the entirety of Earth's history.

Nevertheless, Doerr does not want his audience to feel their lives are insignificant. Rather, he wants his audience to feel motivated to make their lives significant. He achieves this by using a juxtaposition and personal pronouns. In the conclusion of his piece, he writes:

"People say, “Who wants to feel so small? Let me eat my burrito.”
I say, Be big. Big-hearted, big-witted, big-eyed. See, try, love, read, make, paint, and taste everything you can while you can.
You still have some hours left. Go."

Although Doerr acknowledges that his audience might feel small in comparison to the enormity of Earth, he juxtaposes this idea with the potential to be "big" - big-hearted, big-witted, big-eyed, etc. Finally, he switches from a distant, impersonal "people" to a more direct "you" to address the audience at the end. The "you" makes his directive feel more personal and, at the same time, more imperative. Rather than designating a whole group (i.e. Americans, society, etc.), he is calling on the lone reader to take advantage of their lives. Thus, Doerr effectively convinces his audience to seize every moment they can.

IRB Intro #2 - Stiff

My new IRB is Stiff by Mary Roach. I've read some of Roach's writing before in English and AP Bio, but I've never read her books in their entirety. I'm interested in being a doctor, and I chose Stiff to hone my appreciation for the many cadavers I will meet in the future. Despite medicine's obsession with SAVING LIVES, Mary Roach raises a fascinating question - to both scalpel junkies and the general public - about what happens to the dead. Her book tracks the varying uses and paths that cadavers follow, some of which are expected, some of which are bizarre.

In the past, when I have read Roach's writing, it's been enjoyable for passive reading. Roach uses humor to make light of often dire or disconcerting situations. She has a way with words that I can't quite explain; she manages to describe things in the most peculiar but accurate ways. Nevertheless, some of her writing is hard to decipher in English class. What on Earth could possibly be the deep and inspiring meaning behind writing a book about cadavers? And how exactly does a joke about a dead person's face contribute to that purpose? Although Roach is much easier to read than Friedan, it seems some of her writing will be harder to decipher. My goal is to make some headway on why Roach writes the way she does - and also to learn something, as a future doctor.