TOW Post #7 "On Being a Cripple" Article Post

As you're well aware, we had to read one of five essays to do a rhetorical analysis paper on.  I picked "A Plague of Tics" by David Sedaris, but something felt wrong.  All the other essays seemed so sad, so alone, so unread.  Then, I changed that by reading "On Being a Cripple" by Nancy Mairs.  In this essay, Mairs descrbes her life as disabled, stressing the fact that she likes the word "cripple" more.  She says that cripple has "an honorable history" and is "a clean word, straightforward and percise".  This no-holding-back style of writing is shown in the blunt, straightforward title.  From the title, I know that this essay will discuss both the advantages and disadvantages to being crippled in society.  The difference between other authors about disabilities and Mairs is that Mairs views her multiple sclerosis as bad.  Most people will try to convince the reader that their disability has "helped" them through life and how is has made them a "better" person.  As a person with a disability, I can say that disabilities are not fun, nor do they change your life for the better mostly.  BUT, Mairs also describes how her life is normal, which makes her happiest of all.   She has a husband and children, and even with the occasional flare-up of her MS, she trudges on.  She really puts a disability in perspective.

As with most essays about disabilities, her essay relies mostly on her own narratives, such as the bathroom incident to introduce the essay.  This ethos of having dealt with the disability makes the reader trust what she says as truth, rightfully so, because Mairs has experienced MS first-handedly.  Also, the plight of a crippled person trying to survive in a society that seems to get more cut-throat every second definetly pulls at the heart strings.  An effective use of pathos can make the audience simply feel bad for Mairs.  But she establishes early on that simpathy is not what this essay is about.  "On Being a Cripple" is the tale of Mairs coming to grips with MS on her own terms. Instead of feeling bad for her, the audience cheers her on, hoping that she can forget about her MS and live like a normal person.  I mean, isn't that what everyone wants?

TOW Post #6 "Progressive Commercials" Visual TOW

So, let's get something straight.  For some reason, car insurance commercials are the most entertaining commercials out there.  Truck commercials are too stereotypical, shampoo commercials share the same problem, and food commercials are ok, but they are so fake when you know what goes into making the food look that good.  BUT, car insurance companies (Allstate, Geico, E-surance, Progressive, Farmers)  advertise their products in a unique way, only shared on such a scale by cereal companies.  They feature characters that everyone knows and actually likes.  My personal favorite is Flo from the Progressive commercials.  First off, by creating the fun, lovable, positive Flo, the company gets automatic recognition as soon as the advertisement starts and we see the smiling face of Flo.

Now to the specific commercial, names "Choices".  Click the link to view.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7nl2AuG6G0

In the advertisement, Flo is explaining the choices one has under Progressive when one gets in an accident.  An element of humor is used when the middle aged woman pretends to think before choosing the attractive men at the Progressive service center.  Also, Progressive is using logos when saying "Progressive makes it easy, because we give you choices."  The logical assumption is that when a person picks something, they pick what is right for them.  Also, the idea of freedom of choice is one of the fundamental building blocks that our nation is built on.  We as Americans listen as soon as the word "choice" is involved, because it gives us a higher degree of not only freedom, but control in our life.  This commercial tells the audience "choosing the right coverage will improve your car insurance buying experience." It is a very convincing advertisement because of the humor, the lovable Flo, and the solid logical arguments made on freedom of choice.  Thesis.  I'll end on this note: if I had to buy insurance right now, I would probably go Progressive to be honest.

TOW Post #5 "How to Protect Yourself Against Ebola" Article Post

I have always loved reading the Onion for it's witty, satirical, and up-to-date view on American and worldly affairs.  Logically, the Onion would soon weed out and use people's fear of the new plague, Ebola, as a source of one of their humor articles.  In said article, the author discussed some ways that a person can avoid catching ebola.  The main rhetorical device is humor in the form of hyperbole.  In one of the suggested ways to avoid ebola, the article claims you should "regularly examine your DNA under an electron microscope for any indications that Ebola has attached itself to your cell membrane."  By showing the ridiculousness of trying to find out if you have Ebola, the panic of the disease is lessened.  Now some would argue that laughing at a very dangerous disease is blasphemous and just plain rude.  But those people have obviously not close-read anything before.  When looking at the suggested ways to keep safe from ebola, such as "boil all bodily fluids before consumption" or "avoid eating bat soup", one realizes that the Onion is not parodying the disease itself; no, it's parodying peoples reaction to the disease.  Whenever an epidemic breaks out, people tend to panic, even with no logical or factual evidence to constitute worry.  The article is saying "look, Ebola is scary.  We get that. But unless you live in Africa or in Dallas, Texas, you should be fine.  Also, don't eat bats (the means you Ozzy) and avoid drinking blood (that means you Edward).  That's what humor's job is.  To calm the masses when they fall into panic.  Humor makes us reexamine our false ideas and makes them seem ridiculous.  I know I am a lot less scared knowing exactly how to avoid Ebola.  To bad that soup tip didn't come one day earlier though...

http://www.theonion.com/articles/how-to-protect-yourself-against-ebola,37085/