Article of the Week 3

The Onion is an American entertainment news organization that features satirical articles, news audios, and video among other things. I’ve selected two different articles since both are somewhat short; as satire news tends to be.

First-Ever Gay 'Dear John' Letters Begin Reaching U.S. Troops Overseas
See Article Here

This article focuses on the effect the repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy has had on U.S. troops. Apparently there has been hundreds of letters sent to troops overseas this week from their partners informing them that they are starting a new life with someone else. This article was printed in the Onion, which means it is not at all credible. It does however, present new perspectives of the current issue, which is the recent repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t tell policy. Honestly, I’ve no idea what the repercussions may be of the removal of this policy. Apparently though, the onion does. Mostly, I think their purpose is just to poke fun at any current event. The sort of people the onion is focused towards is probably people who also follow normal news stations; with the background knowledge they would actually find the articles humorous. If this article were serious their usage of sentences like “…has left romantically betrayed homosexuals in every branch of the service grappling with feelings of rejection and despair, a momentous milestone in U.S. military history.” Would easily appeal to pathos and ethos, but since the tone of the article is humorous, it just makes the article funny. It is difficult to understand who is being mocked and whose side the author is on. Near the end it makes McCain sound like a jerk, but I don’t know anything about his involvement in gay rights, so I can’t know if they are being serious or sarcastic. Overall though, I think the author did succeed in his goal, he made me laugh.


General Mills Releases New Lucky Charms With 15 Percent Less Leprechaun Meat

See Blurb Here

 This is a very brief blurb about the leprechaun meat used in, the popular cereal, Lucky Charms. "As always, we use only natural colorings and flavorings in our cereals, which is why you may still suometimes find a wee hat in your bowl" I suppose that The Onion is mocking how unhealthy the cereal is… Their ingredients are definitely not natural! Unhealthful foods are always making claims such as having less sugar, or having the power to lower cholesterol, fewer calories. In the case of children’s cereals, which usually have 99% sugar, a claim like having 15% less Leprechaun meat would not be surprising. This blurb makes outrageous claims and uses the same tone that any usual add may have. Just with exaggeration is the satirical aspect fulfilled.

Article of the week 2... or Visual

Mike Luckavich is an award winning political cartoonist who found that the 9/11 terrorist attack was a turning point in his cartoons. The obvious point that he is getting across to his audience is that since 9/11 America has increased its security so much that it is almost ridiculous. His audience would probably be to Americans (his cartoons are very widely published) and his purpose would be to bring their attention to the ridiculous state of their country. 9/11 was a bit of a wakeup call for the United States; security suddenly became a huge priority. The small details such as the “Keep out” Sign and the magnifying glasses make America seem like a very unfriendly and suspicious place. The exaggerated immensity of national growth is shown by having it so large in comparison to the earth and the black expanse of outer space. By referencing the two towers in the speech bubble anyone will instantly understand the context of this cartoon. Without that piece of text and the sign labeled “Natl. security growth” nobody would have any idea what the drawing was supposed to be depicting. It would just look like an earth with two humongous and silly looking buildings popping out of its side. Just with his use of crazy proportions, luckavich is able to get across his point, National Security Growth has grown a great amount since the 9/11 attacks.

IR Choice

A Walk in the Woods

By: Bill Bryson

Section 1: pg. 1-70
Section 2: pg. 71-143
Section 3: pg. 144-200
Section 4: pg. 201-274

Reason for Choice: Mostly I chose this book because it was recommended to me by my sister. At first I was considering a book about clara schumann but I decided not to go with it because alot of it seemed to be lists of music she played and composed, and famous people she met. I was more interested in her life story than a list of facts. So I decided to go with the more humorous choice.

Article of the week 1

In Case You Wondered, a Real Human Wrote This Column

See Article Here

 

In this article, Steve Lohr, technology reporter for the New York Times, offers proof of the progress of artificial intelligence. There are now computers with the ability to write with the same human reasoning as any journalist. A big question now is, “will applications of artificial intelligence assist human workers or replace them?” Steve Lohr suggests that it will not replace humans; instead it will broaden possibilities. These computers would be able to do jobs that were not being done otherwise; Such as taking in reports on more than 350 local housing markets and generating articles with the kind of inferences and “angles” a person might come up with. Only, the computer would do so for much less money, and in much less time. Steve Lohr’s article is meant to show the community how these new developments in technology are not something we need to be wary of; they’re exciting advances that will give us opportunities to improve our ways of thinking. He isn’t directing his article to the well informed on this topic, he is giving new perspective to the ignorant. The article seemed to have very little to do with the authors opinions. Instead Steve Lohr was just the conveyer of facts, leaving us to infer what we will. Perhaps though, the quotes he chose and references to other people were chosen strategically to make us think what we do. If so, than he very effectively gained his audiences trust using both logos and ethos. I think he succeeded in getting the public excited about this new advance in technology the moment he began with an example of the computers writing. The humanness was startling.