TOW #22: "Good Riddance, Fred Phelps" by David Von Drehle

The passing of Fred Phelps, leader of the Westboro Baptist Church, five days ago
  resulted in media and Internet fanfare.

On March 19th, Fred Phelps, one of the most infamous figures in American culture passed away at the age of eighty-four. His death was marked by Internet celebrations, extensive news coverage, and numerous obituaries, all detailing the history and hatefulness of Phelps's congregation, the Westboro Baptist Church. However, in "Good Riddance, Fred Phelps", an opinion piece featured in Time Magazine, David Von Drehle successfully argues that Phelps stood out not just because he was a fanatically religious, homophobic bigot, but because he had a desperate thirst for publicity and was skilled at getting it.
One of the most distinct features of Von Drehle's piece is his hostile tone. The tagline is "He was the kind of person no one wanted to be around", which grabs the reader's attention. Von Drehle opens the article with the words, "Fred Phelps, a colossal jerk, died... after a long life in which even his few admirable achievements... stemmed from a deeply disagreeable personality." He says the Westboro Baptist Church was an example of "dishonesty and shabbiness" and that Phelps' genius for publicity is "the reason not to despair over a life like Fred Phelps's." Von Drehle's tone makes it quite obvious to readers that even though he may be acclaiming Phelps's ability to get attention, he still believes that Phelps was a horrible human being.
In order to prove that Phelps proved himself to be an apt attention-seeker, Von Drehele describes the manner in which he did this. He talks about how using the word "church", making signs that said God, not Phelps, hated homosexuals, and bringing his family to protests made people identify Phelps and his followers with other religious conflicts and "gave the impression of numbers". The intensity of Phelps's beliefs, Von Drehle argues, made him seem all the more shocking and worthy of media coverage. To demonstrate the effectiveness of Phelps's efforts, Von Drehle mentions his own experience in the media: "... I watched as one journalist after another took Phelps's bait." It is clear from all of these examples that Phelps made garnering publicity into an art form, and that this set him apart from all of the other run-of-the-mill bigots that preach hateful messages.


Article link: http://time.com/32564/fred-phelps-westboro-baptist-obituary/

TOW #21: "Paul Ryan's Irish Amnesia" by Timothy Egan

American politician Paul Ryan often talks about the hardship
faced by his impoverished Irish ancestors, but writer Timothy
 Egan says that Ryan neglects and demeans today's lower classes.

St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner, and as usual, everyone is celebrating Irish heritage, even if they don't have a drop of green blood in their veins. One of those proud Irish-Americans is Paul Ryan, a Republican politician who is best known for running for Vice President in the 2012 election. While usually no one would bat an eye at his antics, writer Timothy Egan fiercely condemns him in his New York Times essay "Paul Ryan's Irish Amnesia". Egan claims that Ryan, who does not support programs that help the lower classes, has turned his back on his Irish heritage and now acts like the aristocratic British did during the horrible Irish potato famine. He successfully argues this stance by comparing quotes from Ryan and British officials and by inciting readers' passion with his heated tone.

To prove that Ryan has forgotten the suffering of his ancestors, Egan compares the British refusing to send food to the Irish to Ryan refusing to support programs that benefit the poor and working poor. Egan does this by using quotes. For instance, he quotes Sir Charles Trevelyan, the Englishman in charge of "helping the Irish": "'Dependence on charity is not to be made an agreeable mode of life". Over a century and a half later, Ryan stated, "We have this tailspin of culture... just generations of men not even thinking about working or learning the value and culture of work." Egan argues that the similarity between the two statements is quite clear, as is Ryan's role in this class conflict: he, like nineteenth-century Englanders did, believes that the poor are lazy and that their hardship is their own fault.
Another interesting feature of Egan's piece is how furious he feels about the subject. When criticizing Ryan's views on helping the poor, he describes him as having "a head still stuffed with college-boy mush from Ayn Rand" and called his statements about the poor "heartless remarks". Later, Egan calls an untrue story Ryan told about a boy who wouldn't accept his free school lunch "garbage". Egan's tone makes it quite clear to readers how he feels about both Ryan's political views and his ignoring of his heritage. It also makes readers more interested in the article: it is much more entertaining to read something written by a person who is passionate about the topic, rather than by someone who does not care. 

Article link: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/16/opinion/sunday/paul-ryans-irish-amnesia.html?_r=0

TOW #20: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

These are the members of the Clutter family of Holcomb, Kansas, who were
viciously murdered in 1959. Their tragic story is the subject of Truman 
Capote's famous work, In Cold Blood.

In 1959, the Clutters of Holcomb, Kansas, were viciously killed in their home. Their murders and the six-week search for their killers captivated the nation, including talented screenwriter, playwright, and author Truman Capote. While writing his book In Cold Blood, he faced a challenge different from any he had ever encountered before: he wanted to be a pioneer of what would later be called "non-fiction novel-writing". Such works typically involve a huge amount of factual journalistic research, but the information is retold using methods similar to those used by writers of fiction. By alternating the story of the victims with that of the perpetrators and including an abundance of quotes and other pieces of research, Capote successfully blends fiction and non-fiction to create an innovative and captivating piece of writing.
In Cold Blood can be referred to as two stories in one book, as it switches between its 'characters', the Clutters (and the police), and the murderers, Perry Smith and Richard Hancock. For example, Capote alternates descriptions of the Clutter family's last hours and of the preparations Smith and Hancock made before killing them. Later, details of the police investigation are interrupted with information as to what Smith and Hancock did while on the run. This kind of structure makes In Cold Blood seem more like a work of fiction, as it is similar to the way that many writers alternate the points of view in their novels. It also contrasts the peaceful Clutter family with the unstable murderers, and the seriousness of the Clutters' deaths with the indifference Smith and Hancock felt towards the crimes. 
In order to write as accurate an account as possible, Capote went to the town where the Clutters lived and took thousands of pages of notes, interviewing residents and police officers about the family and the investigation. In Cold Blood compiles all of this factual information, which is the most obvious non-fiction element of the novel. One of the people Capote interviewed was Clutter family friend Andy Erhart, who said of patriarch Herbert Clutter, "Everything Herb had, he earned- with the help of God... He was a modest man but a proud man, as he had a right to be" (Capote 79). One section of the book includes a letter written from the father of one of the murderers to a court, as he tried to explain that his son was not a bad person. Genuine things like these examples are not found in fictional works, and they balance out the features of In Cold Blood that are common in fiction, aiding Capote in his effort to produce a non-fiction novel.
Although In Cold Blood was first published in 1966, it has truly stood the test of time, serving as an excellent example of both non-fiction novel writing and crime writing. It can be appreciated for its journalistic and fictional elements and for its ability to explain the unthinkable: the senseless murders of an innocent family.

TOW #19: "Happiness Is a Warm iPhone" by Charles Yu

"Her", the new Spike Jonze film about a man who falls in love with an operating
system, has prompted many people to reconsider their relationship technology.

Quirky filmmaker Spike Jonze recently released "Her", a movie about a man in the future falling in love with a 'female' operating system. "Her" has been critically acclaimed and is one of the most popular films currently in theaters. People interested in technology have commented on whether, as it advances, human-computer relationships could become common, and one of those people is Charles Yu, writing for The New York Times. In "Happiness is a Warm iPhone" Yu writes about how his once-ardent love of new technology has faded in recent years. He uses his own personal experiences, likens a love of technology with a romantic relationship, and describes current technological trends to argue to they are too similar to the real world and no longer "challenge" people. This results in a piece that may make a reader question their own relationship with technology.

Yu is in this thirties, so he was a child when computers became popular. He explains, "My first real crush was on my family's Commodore 64." Yu says that after giving up one making computer programs he 'fell out of love' with the Commodore 64. However, he continues, "It was my first experience with what I could call a possibility space... in theory, anything could happen." Later in the piece, Yu says that he also became infatuated with email and his first iPhone. However, he says, "... as in too many real relationships, I woke up one morning and found that, for all my affection for and dependence on that phone, I was no longer in love with it." By comparing losing love for a phone to losing love for a person, Yu shows that both changes are caused by the same thing: boredom due to familiarity. This helps him prove that we become dependent, and therefore too used to, technology, so we no longer see how wonderful it is and how much potential it has.
Although personal stories can help establish a writer's ethos, readers cannot always relate to the writer's experiences. Therefore, it was a good decision on Yu's part to generally describe what technology is currently like, which is something that readers can understand and relate to. Yu writes, "Our gadgets are engineered to fit just right, into your hands, our lives. Virtual environments, apps and sites are designed by experts with care, forethought..." It stands to reason that when things are made to be perfect and are made to be an outright improvement in one's life, its marvels are not recognized and it is thought of as just another part of life. Yu appeals to this logic to support his argument that technology is too familiar to be loved and appreciated. 
Charles Yu claims that technology is so integrated into our lives that it becomes just another uninteresting part of our landscape. Those who do not agree with him may argue that it is too advanced and too impressive to ever be thought of in such a way. However, as Yu says, "We're holding magic boxes, boxes that want to serve us and coddle us, instead of challenge us. And how can you love something that doesn't challenge you?"




























Article link: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/opinion/sunday/happiness-is-a-warm-iphone.html?ref=opinion

TOW #18: Super Bowl Coca-Cola Commercial

On February 2nd, 2014, Super Bowl XLVIII was played between the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos. As usual, the game itself received a lot of media attention, but one thing that also did was a simple minute-long Coca-Cola commercial that played during the game. The commercial is made up of short clips of people of all races dancing, eating, bowling, socializing, overlaid with the song "America the Beautiful". However, instead of being sung in English as one might expect, each part of the song is sung in a different language, which matches the race or ethnic background of the person or people in the clip that song section overlays. To the average viewer the Coca-Cola commercial is probably very cute, but to many, its point and the way the point was made were disgraceful.
Historically, racial and ethnic minorities in the United States have not been given fair treatment or representation. Fortunately, Coca-Cola clearly opposes this, as the actors in its Super Bowl commercial come from a variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds; some, like the Jewish men in the yarmulkes and Muslim women in the hijabs, are even wearing traditional outfits. They also sing "America the Beautiful" in languages other than English, including Spanish and Hebrew. Since none of these people are shown doing anything bad or out of the ordinary and are all singing a traditional patriotic song, the message is clear; all people in the United States are equal and all can be patriotic Americans. Coca-Cola used a very simple method of getting their message of equality across, so the point of the commercial was easily conveyed to the audience. The audience members understood exactly what Coca-Cola was conveying, and many were disgusted. They claimed that people like those in the commercial could not possibly be true Americans if they could not or would sing "America the Beautiful" in English, that Arabic was the language of "terrorists" and Spanish the language of "illegals", and that Coca-Cola was "on the road to perdition". Even though all level-headed and open-minded people decried this racist criticism and agreed with the message in the commercial, the criticism still got Coca-Cola more media attention and probably caused more people to see the commercial. The simplicity of the commercial's point made it easy to understand for everyone who saw it, and their views on it, whether positive or negative, got Coca-Cold a spot in the headlines and helped the company to spread their message of equality.







Link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MEsOzzunPQ

IRB Post #3: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

One of beloved author Truman Capote's most celebrated works, In Cold Blood tells the real-life stories of the Clutter family of Holcomb, Kansas, of their brutal murders in 1959, and of their killers, Perry Smith and Richard "Dick" Hickock. The perpetrators seemed to leave no clues behind and there was no apparent motive, so they escaped scrutiny for a few years before being caught and executed. Capote himself interviewed and gathered background information about those involved, before gathering all of his findings into one book. However, the truthfulness of the account was questioned after In Cold Blood was published. Despite any criticism or discrepancies, the Clutter murders are still well-known today, thanks to how horrific they were and to Capote's storytelling talent. 
I have heard about both In Cold Blood and Truman Capote for years, but never knew precisely what the story was about or why it is one of Capote's most famous works. I chose the book almost randomly, and when I found out that it was about a quadruple murder, my interest was macabrely piqued. I am interested in many subjects, and one of them is true crime; I frequently watch crime shows, have taken a psychology class, and am currently enrolled in a forensics class. Of course, I do not want to commit crimes myself, but instead simply enjoy studying them. Having the opportunity to read a book like In Cold Blood for school is very exciting to me. Now that I have begun reading it, I cannot put it down; Capote was right in calling his book a "nonfiction novel" because it is written in a very compelling way, characterizing and describing each person while still reminding the reader that they were all real people. I am very much looking forward to reading the rest of In Cold Blood and perhaps to reading more of Capote's work.

TOW #17: "Are You My Cousin?" by A.J. Jacobs

This old family tree may appear large and complicated to some, but to those
who dream of constructing a family tree of everyone on the planet, it is minuscule.

Services such as Geni, 23andMe, and Ancestry.com have become rather well-known in recent years due to their ability to help people learn about their ancestry and connect with distant relatives. However, it seems that few people think about what these services could possibly accomplish in the future, especially the connection of all human beings, both dead and alive. Editor and author A.J. Jacobs ponders this possibility and its implications in his editorial "Are You My Cousin?", published in The New York Times opinion section. He focuses on the benefits and drawbacks of so-called "quantum genealogy", especially whether it may lead humans to love and understand each other better. It seems that Jacobs presents a convincing argument and presents himself as a very informed person on the subject of genealogy. 

The personal experiences of an author may be limited in terms of the scope of evidence it provides to readers. However, in Jacobs' case, it proves rather valuable. When he writes about finding out, through the website Geni, that he is related to television show host Judge Judy Sheindlin, he says, "I'd always found her grating, but when I discovered our connection, I softened. She's probably a sweetheart underneath the bluster." By writing about his change in opinion after he found out he was related to Judge Judy, Jacobs showed that if humans were to build a complete family tree, they would see each other as family. Family members are more likely to see the good in each other, and Jacobs argues that this could lead to more understanding and peace worldwide. There is also the 'cool' factor in finding out one is related to celebrities, like Jacobs did with Judge Judy and others, including Paul McCartney and Gwyneth Paltrow. Obviously, these are positive consequences, but, to make a complete analysis of the subject, Jacobs does not and cannot end there.

Obviously, something world-changing like the advent of mega family trees have negative consequences, not just positive ones. Jacobs writes, "Critics point out, convincingly, that the shared trees are often poorly sourced and packed with errors that will take years to untangle." When addressing how public many family tree services are, he adds, "... If the general public knew how much of their family information was accessible, they might have a conniption." By addressing the opposition to his opinion that a worldwide family tree would be beneficial, Jacobs makes himself seem a lot more level-headed and informed. It also gives him the opportunity to argue directly against the counterargument, whereas he would not have been able to so effectively without bringing up the fact that people disagreed with him. 

Article link: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/01/opinion/sunday/are-you-my-cousin.html?ref=opinion