TOW #24: Modern Myths

Scientific magazine, Natural History, is well known for chronicling the discoveries made by various science centers, so it is not surprising that paleontologist, science historian, and evolutionary biologist, Stephen Jay Gould had his essay published within its pages. Cleverly disguised as a dissertation to point out the inaccuracies regarding the beginnings of baseball, its true roots deal with humans and our fascination with origins. In his essay, The Creation Myths of Cooperstown, Gould compares the tale of the Cardiff Giant to the Abner Doubleday conception of baseball by citing the similarities in why they were fabricated. As a desire that traces back to our basic inclinations, Gould insists that the abundance of myths about beginnings is not coincidental. He argues that the reason we prefer creation myths to evidence of evolutionary development lies in the fact that “creation myths identify heroes and sacred places” (Gould 530), giving meaning to our otherwise mundane world. This, in fact, is the main purpose of the essay: to explore the human yearning to know how things began and in doing so, broaden the scope of thought for readers. 

Of all the parts of the essay, it is Gould’s tone which is most revealing to this purpose. His colloquial writing makes the article less formal, allowing his satire to leave a lasting impression. Even with this humor though, a distinctly cynical mood is felt, confirming the particular audience for whom the writing is intended -- those who blindly believe the myths they are told. His multiple allusions to differing creation stories are among one of his most successful strategies for this audience. By providing readers with familiar areas of reference, the allusions give specific examples of paradoxical inconsistencies with creation myths. However, the main reason Gould is able to realize his purpose, in my opinion, was not due to what he said, but rather, what he didn’t say. The prime success lies in Gould’s avoidance of any mention of religion, a slippery slope considering the topic. Keeping the writing strictly secular prevented partitioning of the audience and thus a stronger impact on readers.

TOW #23: Why Blood Drives Need Saving

       The simplicity of an unnatural image like blood within a donation box efficiently grabs attention from the public.  Without thinking, people are able to tell that something is “incorrect” about an image like that.  So the fact that something is different also tells them that there is an underlying message.  If the image was a donation box filled with a few coins, the viewers might not stop to “listen” to the message.  Even if the text were more direct and changed to “we also need you to give blood,” the viewer would have turned the magazine page already or turned their eyes to a different billboard.  The fact is that an abnormal image, no matter how simple it may seem, perplexes the viewer and draws their interest to the point where they want to comprehend it.                

         The creators assume that although its audience is concerned with the health of mankind, it is not informed enough on the ways to help and the variety of resources needed by societies like ARCBS.  In other words, people care enough to give money, but they also need to care enough to give blood.  By visually attaching “Money Isn’t Everything” to the image of the collection box, the ARCBS contradicts the assumption made by its audience that money is all that their society needs to make a difference.   

The text contradicts the image of the box and tells viewers that they need to do more than empty the spare change from their pockets.  Yet it does this in an indirect way that is a subtle suggestion.  The word “blood” is barely used in the advertisement as it only appears in the society’s name and their website.  The simple idea of blood being donated to the box, not money, serves the purpose of soliciting action.  It’s important to note that the donation box is not full.  This reinforces the overall theme previously explained of a void and has the connotation of lacking.  The blood implies what the society wants from the viewer and the emptiness of the box implies why they want it.  If the box were filled to the top, the viewer may not have sympathetic emotions that inspire him/her to go out and donate blood.  One might think “they don’t need my blood if the box is full.”  Instead, the pathos aspect of the advertisement invokes concern on the part of the viewer and encourages them to act.

TOW# 22: Ex-convicts Near You

       After spending over three years in prison, James Daniels thought that he had done his time paying for his crime. So when he was released, he was surprised to find that the majority of American society would be unable to see past the previous felony. He spent four years following his release working hard to earn a second chance in this country, only to be rejected in both economic and social aspects. Daniels explained his situation, detailing its roots in misconceptions held by the common citizens of America. "I made dumb mistakes when I was younger that led to my conviction," Daniels tells everyone, "But there's a lot more to me than just that."

       In the four years since his release from prison, Richard Cobbs has applied to over 75 different jobs, each one with no successful result. It is not for dispossessing the proper experience or the proper skills, in fact, at age 52, Cobbs has gained experience in laundry, sanitation, and catering work, as well as training in basic culinary arts. The reason he faces numerous denials is because of a simple little box; a box which many of us check off without a second thought, a box which imprisons a person to certain social standard, a box which determines the content of your character for you, a box which labels you an ex-criminal. Cobbs is just one of the current 70 million people in our country who have felony records and who, because of this record, are automatically disqualified from jobs even before getting an interview. A practice like this does not encourage the path to normal life for ex-convicts, but instead disallows it by hindering the steps necessary to support oneself in the world. Without a job many of these ex-felons are kept from the fundamental requirements for life, causing many to face the difficult choice of looking for different ways to provide themselves with basic food and shelter. It is this sense of hopelessness caused from a denial of necessities that often causes these people to reenter the incarceration system, not a desire to commit crimes again. Attempting to continue a normal life under these conditions is difficult, but living with the social stigma of being an ex-convict is nearly impossible.

TOW 21: Visual Ad

           As a coalition between the two countries during the early 1990s, this advertisement was published in numerous magazines in both Japan and the United States with the short phrase "even our art begins to look less beautiful. End water pollution." With this, the objective of the image is fairly clear -- to convince its viewers to end water pollution before its too late. It's method of presenting this argument, however, is quite interesting indeed. It is obviously  reference to the famous Japanese painting, "The Wave" and so its reference to the damage done to artwork across the world is prevalent. The actual makeup of the image itself, is also what makes it such a powerful piece. Much like the original painting (woodblock) itself, the power is held in the artistic techniques of the author.
         The power of the image comes from first from the use on contrasting colors to break up the image. The deep blue of the background and of the wave itself, contrast deeply with the images of the boats and especially of Mount Fuji in the back. This allows the image to really tell a whole story, describing the setting and the events that take place in the scene. Of course, this would all be amiss if no to mention the obviously misplaced imagery of trash filling the ocean. This causes an emotional appeal to the viewers of this image, causing a powerful call for change regarding the situation. Another similarly important aspect to the image is it perspective. The wave itself seems to be in the foreground do to its forced perspective compared to the mountain, however, it is not merely the wave that appears to be the focal point, but rather, the trash that is within it. Unlike the original picture, the focal point seems to be focused on what is in the water rather than what is beyond it, namely, Mt. Fuji.

TOW #20: The Pursuit of Beauty

      In his article in the New York Time's, author Alec Wilkinson explores the implications of what it means to do what you love -- what makes it beautiful to you. He takes an interesting stance on a topic which has been discussed for years; exploring its implication on a truly different level. For his own article, he explores the idea of "beauty" through mathematics. He reveals to the audience that he had "only passed high school math because he cheated" -- an effective method to bring readers to a closer level to his narration. In doing so, he then explains the significance of  a man he met through his daughter who was nothing short of mathematical genius, successfully solving an equation which had remained unsolved for over 20 years. This transitions him to the idea of number theory, a branch of pure mathematics that truly and completely serves no purpose whatsoever. What it did provide people who were involved, however, was a complete satisfaction in the use of numbers sequences. He ties it back to the the mathematician aforementioned, Ytang Zhang, in how his had particularly felt after solving the equation. He described it as an "exile from this dreary world", something that "he was passionate about, without completely understanding why".
      All of which lead Wilkinson to his ultimate conclusion regarding beauty. It ultimately is in the eye of the beholder and it is ultimately how it makes one feel that indicates its true beauty. The fact that the author utilized the idea of solving math problems to describe the ambiguity of beauty is extremely effective. After all, for many, and obviously for the author himself, the idea of solving math problems is the last thing that would be considered beautiful.

TOW #19: Half the Sky

         Interestingly enough, the main argument in this book is presented early within its pages in a very similar manner to Declaration of Sentiments we read in class. Like this speech, the claim is proven deductively, through the presentation of "known truths" and the consequences of said truth. Then, for the rest of the early chapters, gives evidence to inductively support the claim that was put forth earlier. It begins with an admittedly basic concept; the true and all too often ignored fact that there is a rampant oppression of women and girls in the developing world and that this oppression is indeed a violation of human rights. The book goes on to explain this country's high value in human rights, and how this is the very thing that was seen to give "birth to the United States" (43). With this provided knowledge to the subject -- the major premise -- the book goes on to explain that when human rights are in violation and a group of individuals is being oppressed, it is the duty of the others to rise to the occasion and take action against it. This premise too is supported by a myriad of examples in American history, starting with the initial Declaration of Independence, to the Emancipation Proclamation, and the more recent struggle for civil liberty. Using these examples provides a strong credibility to the general truth they use for the rationale in their argument.
         The earliest chapters (the first five that I read) fulfill the same role as the bulleted points in both the Declaration of Independence and Declaration of Sentiments -- to inductively prove that the minor premise of the general truth applies here and now. To do this the authors must provide evidence of human right violations in the form of women's oppression. In chapter 1, this is explored through the life of a Cambodian girl who was sold into sex slavery and in chapter 2, with an Ethiopian woman who faced devastating injuries for her pregnancy. These (and many more) prove the general truth is in fact applicable, and therefore, action is necessary. This is ultimately the main goal of the book -- to encourage a global call to arms against the oppression of women.

TOW #18: We Need Better Presidential Debates

 

          Written by Robert Donovan and John Rosenkranz for the Wall Street Journal, this article takes a direct stance on the current format of the presidential debates. The authors do this by first identifying and exploring the cons surrounding the style of debate used now. This includes not only personal opinions on the matter, but also numerous data points to explore regarding the topic. This, in fact, is where the true strength of their argument lies -- in the facts. The authors of this article are meticulous with the examples they provide to support their case. They argue that the current method of debating -- which they describe as being nothing more than a "ploy" to ask catch the presidential hopefuls off guard -- is ineffective at its job andpresnts an ill representation of their true ideals. Instead they suggest hosting these debates in an Oxford debating style. This style is unique from the present method in that is more structured and formulaic.  Oxford Style debates follow a formal structure which begins with audience members casting a pre-debate vote on the motion that is either for, against or undecided. Each panelist presents a seven-minute opening statement, after which the moderator takes questions from the audience with inter-panel challenges. Finally, each panelist delivers a two-minute closing argument, and the audience delivers their second (and final) vote for comparison against the first.

          The evidence provided from these two co-authors is quite impressive. To prove their argument, they provide many examples of their point -- a strong appeal to logos. This brings a lot strength to their argument. By including references to numerous debates that have followed the same debate structure and how they too would work for the presidential debates.