TOW #10: Comic by Gary Larson

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“The Far Side” is a comic series by Gary Larson that covers and comments on everything from political issues to people’s everyday grievances. This particular snippet is about the worst scenarios that can happen to an Apple computer user and to a PC computer user. In the comic, the top section is “Hell for Apple users” and there is a man standing naked (censored) in front of the devil, who says to him: “Welcome to Hell. Here’s your PC”. This is understandable considering Apple computer users would not like to have a PC because they chose Apple in the first place. In the bottom section of the comic though, is the same scenario, except it is “Hell for PC users” the kicker is that instead of the devil saying “Welcome to Hell. Here’s your Apple,” he says “Welcome to Hell. Here’s your PC”.

Larson wrote this comic to highlight the fact that even PC users hate PCs, and thus comment on how PCs are far inferior to Apple computer (implying it is because of various functional problems with PCs). Larson is able to do this through the obvious, satirical humor. The main device he uses to get across this humor is juxtaposition. The juxtaposition of the two scenarios works well because visually the pictures of the two different “hells” are right next to each other. Also, the devil is saying the same thing in both of the comics and there is the same caption with it: “Hell for PC/Apple users”. The constants in the comic just make the single difference (or lack of differences) stand out more. Thus, Larson is able to cut right to the point and make his purpose extremely obvious by the clear juxtaposition that helps to build satirical humor.

IRB #2 Into: A Briefer History of Time by: Stephen Hawking

In my quest for a new IRB this marking period, I was hunting through my father's library. Nestled between dusty stacks of books, I found A Briefer History of Time by: Stephen Hawking. And here's where you get to finally meet Julie in her primitive nerd form. Before I even opened to the first page, I saw the words "string theory" and "quantum gravity" and knew this was the book for me.

Like a kid in a candy store, I flipped through the pages excitedly. I saw that the book was exactly what the title says it is, and more. It aims to cover topics like the big bang, Newton's laws, the theory of relativity, curved space, the expanding of the universe, wormholes, and much more! Now, you're probably thinking, "Wow, I really didn't know Julie was such a freak, I'll note that for future reference in class," but really, I am so pumped to read this book. Not only is it by Stephen Hawking, arguably the best scientific mind of the century, but this book will force me to think on an abstract level, and will teach me so much.

I hope to take away simply a lot more knowledge from this book. These are topics that I know the basic premises of, but want to know more about in depth. Also, I believe actively reading books on scientific topics will help me to get ahead in the field that I want to go into. I also just think science is really interesting and hope that this IRB, although a school assignment, can be entertaining as well.

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TOW #9: 96.3 by: Delaney Doran

As I sat down to write this week’s TOW, a neglected copy of the Trojan Times sat staring at me on my desk. Sadly, the average Wiss student does not pay much attention to these monthly papers, so, I felt bad, and picked it up. Interestingly enough, the paper actually has a plethora of article types, humorous and informative alike. On the front page of the November issue is Delaney Doran, a senior this year, with her article “96.3”.

“96.3” highlights how Wissahickon scored a 96.3 on the PA School Performance Profile assessment. Doran first tells the reader what the Performance Profile assessment is, and what it is made up of. Then, she talks about why Wissahickon deserves this honor. Her purpose is to let the average Wiss student know that their school is not the “ratchet” or “ghetto” school that they might hear about in the hallways. She aims to point out that Wissahickon is actually a great place to get an education.

To help her reach the students, Doran begins with a strong introduction, highlighting Wissahickon’s strengths as a school with strong diction. Doran points out Wissahickon’s “stellar visual and musical arts programs” (para. 1). This appeals to those students reading the article who are musical, and get “props”. Not only that, but the word “stellar” has a strong connotation, but types of student can understand this word. If Doran had used a more advanced word, many may not have known the meaning and either been confused, or decide to stop reading. Doran also points out the “outstanding” teachers and sports teams that “continually compete at regional and state levels” (para. 1). The majority of her article then uses facts to illustrate how this recognition was given and what it means. To bring her point full circle, Doran closes her article with a humorous but resounding ending. She says that she wants to congratulate the teachers of Wiss for their “A” (para. 6). Using the play on words, Doran is able to connect to students and teachers alike with this reference to grading. Therefore, Doran proves her point that Wissahickon is in fact a great place to get an education through strong diction, hard facts, and a funny but effective ending.

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TOW #8: Outliers (IRB pt 2) by Malcolm Gladwell

In Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Outliers, his purpose is to analyze factors that make people successful. He does this effectively through not only the facts and anecdotes I have previously pointed out, but he also uses dialogue and rhetorical questions  in the second half of his book.

When Gladwell highlighted why Korean flights crash so much more than any other flights, he pointed to lack of communication. To illustrate this effectively for the reader, he adds dialogue. “Klotz: One-five-zero maintaining two thousand Avianca zero-five-two heavy. The captain is clearly on the edge of panic. Caviedes: Advise him we don’t have fuel...Klotz: Climb and maintain three thousand and, ah, we’re running out of fuel, sir” (199). By using a direct dialogue from the cockpit of a flight that crashed, Gladwell is able to dissect the conversation directly for real-world evidence. This makes his argument stronger by appealing to logos, and when dialogue like this is paired with facts and figures about the number of crashes, there is an irrefutable correlation that the reader can see between lack of communication and plane crashes.

Not only does dialogue strengthen Gladwell’s arguments, but his rhetorical questions relate his purpose to the reader in an engaging way. At the end of the section that explains the link between growing rice in asian culture to how asian kids are much better at math on average than anyone in the world, Gladwell ends the section with a question. “...it’s hard not to wonder how many other cultural legacies have an impact on our twenty-first-century intellectual tasks. What if coming from a culture shaped by the demands of growing rice also makes you better at math? Could the rice paddy make a difference in the classroom?” (232). This use of a rhetorical question engages the reader because it prompts them to think on their own.

Though these rhetorical devices and more, Gladwell achieves his purpose in effectively analyzing the factors that make people successful. However, in doing so Gladwell actually discourages people from success. All the facts and supporting evidence he uses supports his theory that success comes from one’s cultural background, not the hard work of the individual. Only one chapter, “The 10,000 Hours Rule” supports the fact that with hard work comes success. Thus, making Gladwell’s book interesting, but quite upsetting to someone who is not from the cultures highlighted with his data. As for me, I’m Jewish. Does that mean I’ll become a doctor or a lawyer because my great-grandfather wasn’t like the irish farmers and worked in the manufacturing business? No, and Gladwell cannot tell me differently. I’m set to prove him wrong.

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