AOW 24

Post # 24

Nelson Mandela Inaugural Address

Author:
Famous apartheid protester and later president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela is world renowned for work in building a nation from the bottom up and fighting injustice until the day he died.

Summary:
Mandela was the first democratically elected president of South Africa, and this is his inaugural address. It talks little of what will happen, and focuses on how the nation has pulled itself from being the “universal base of the pernicious ideology and practice of racism and oppression” to a nation liberated from its own path and set on a new one. He thanks the nations who supported them and allowed them to free themselves, and he pledges to the people that the country will never go back to what it was. He refers to it as a “common victory for human justice, for peace, for human dignity”. His basic premise is that it is time to start reconstruction of South Africa.

Analysis: The battle of apartheid was won by international collaboration, when countless other nations decided to end trade with South Africa. In face of this triumph, Mandela bases a lot of his points on the power of unity, both within his international allies and within a nation torn with racism. His purpose is to bring all the people of the country together to rebuild the country, and we know that it will be tough journey but his dream is realized.
Some devices he used to achieve this were –
Ethos: Obvious but powerful. Although he has just been elected president, he maintains a very humble tone with phrases like “all of us”, “to my compatriots”, “we all share” “humbled”. At the beginning of the speech he connects himself with the geography of the nation by talking about the mimosa trees and the summer flowers. The only word he uses to refer to himself is “we”.
Parallelism: There are two places in the speech where he has three parallel phrases used to emphasize a point. For example, the one at the end of the speech is “Let there be justice for all. Let there be peace for all. Let there be work… and salt for all.”
Repetition: He repeats what the country once was multiple times. For example, he lists “bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, and gender” in slight variations several times.
References to foreign allies: He refers particularly to America’s fight for freedom from England so long ago with embedded phrases like “we the people”, “inalienable rights” and “God bless Africa”.
Juxtaposition: It is used in the speech to contrast soft ideas of the future with the harsh reality of the past. In the second paragraph he speaks of blooming flowers and mimosa trees. In the next paragraph, he talks about a nation torn apart, “spurned, outlawed, and isolated”. Later he lists traits of the new nation like “democratic, non-racial” then says they will leave the “valley of darkness”.

AOW #23

The Women We Love to Hate

Rebecca Dana

The Author:
Rebecca Dana is a senior correspondent for The Daily Beast. A former editor and reporter for The Wall Street Journal, she has also written for The New York Times, The New York Observer, Rolling Stone, Newsweek, and Slate, among other publications.

The Article:

In light of the recent uproar about Patriots quarterback Terry Bradshaw’s girlfriend, Gisele’s, cursing fit after the super bowl. Rising as the villain of the incident, she made her husband a laughing stock when she told her friends to “pray for Tommy” then continued to embarrass with her unprecedented tirade.  Fans are furious, but the article illuminates this trend that occurs in professional athletics where the wives of famous athletes, nicknamed WAGS in England, often serve as the “convenient lightning rod” after their spouses take a loss. Clearly sympathetic to Gisele, the author’s purpose was to give crazed fans and everyone that reads Newsweek the other side of the story, and open their minds to how ridiculous they sound.

The tone was satirical and used hyperbole and irony to make fun not of the targeted spouses but rather of the intense culture of the sports fans and their idols. Her descriptions and adjectives were over-the-top such as her description of Gisele as the “Brazilian stunner, worth an estimated $150 million”. She contrasts the tabloids and the fan comically, comparing actions like “gallivanting around-dancing in Rio, mugging in Fashion Week”  with the “burly gladiator culture” which has been interrupted. In case die hard fans disagree with her feminist view, she offers 4 other examples to prove the trend: Jessica Simpon and Tony Romo, David and Victoria Beckham, and more. She also satirizes the WAG stereotype, describing their presence with “there is much smacking of gum and waving of acrylic nails”. She offers refutations, but they are few and far between. They she backs her warrant with  professional opinions that say “strong woman are attracted to these men” and they are only doing their part to help.

AOW 22

Artist: Tom Toles
Winner of the 1990 Pulitzer Prize, Toles is a famed political cartoonist for the Washington Post.

Summary:
In light of the recent elections, the Republican party looks to bury Obama publicly. The guillotine, a form of public execution most known for its prevalence during the French Revolution, is the very kind of humiliating and thorough defeat opponents of the Obama administration would like to see. With greater possibilities of communication due to television, this will attract every kind of public attention. At the bottom, it says there is an olive branch in the basket, a sign of peace. The cartoon makes it clear that the opposing party is not willing to collaborate or compromise. If Obama is gullible enough to believe they will offer the olive branch mentioned at the bottom, he will bring an end to his career.

Analysis:
IN the context of the upcoming elections, this cartoon offers a reason for the political deadlock that has continued during the Obama administration. The purpose is to portray the cause for the president’s hesitation, and the underlying motives for the Republicans who wish to bury him. He looks resigned, significantly smaller than his towering opponent. His is bent over in submission, seemingly resigning to his fate in 2012. Dressed more plainly than his lavishly robed counterpart, he is shown to have very little choice in his fate. Unless he accepts the Republicans and submits to implementing some of their ideas, they will make sure he is brought down brutally and publically. If he does agree to collaborate, the cartoon shows that all their ideas have one goal in mind: not helping the American people, but eliminating their elected head.

Rhetorical Devices:

Contrast: Obama and his president seem polar opposites. Not only are they in very separate positions, one of power dictating the execution and one in the weak position of receiving the sentence, they are not even the same species. Obama is represented as human, dressed modestly, looking indecisive and submissive. The other is a towering elephant with tusks, dressed lavishly and appearing to be anything but human.

Symbolism: Other than the obvious symbolism, such as the olive branch representing and offering of peace or the elephant representing the Republican party, there are other symbols as well. The most prominent of which is the basket. The elephant says it contains work they’d like Obama to fill, but it was only created to hold his head. A system of interwoven ideas, accepting any one predicts the fate of Obama. Relatively old fashioned, the use of a basket may also represent a regressive form of governmental shift.

Irony: Like most political cartoons, this one is satirical. It shows that behind the public face of smooth political transition and protection of the public interest, the goal of the Republican party is personal and powerful. The leader of the nation has no choice but to submit to the losing political party, and the offering of the olive branch in fact results in a violent overthrow and a political suicide.

IRB Choice

Cutting for Stone
Abraham Verghese

Section 1: 1-178
Section 2: 178-356
Section 3: 356-534

I attended a seminar this summer given by a doctor working a rural area in India. She discussed the difficulties that occur when culture, science, and a lack of education clash. Being and avid reader, I distictly remembered her saying, "it's very Cutting for Stone". I made a mental note of it and bought the book before returning home. Since then it has been sitting on my bookshelf. The saga of a surgeon in Ethiopia, it not only seemed to challenge society (not ours but that of an very different nation I would like to learn about) but also appeals to the career path I am interested in.

AOW 20

2012 State of the Union Address
(first 15 minutes)

Barrack Obama
As he is the president, despite any political misgivings the audience may have, Obama’s authority on matters of national policies is indisputable. He was elected by the people to not only be an expert on such policies but also to create them.

Summary:
In an hour, Obama summarizes the accomplishments of 2011 and his plans for the upcoming year of 2012. In the first 15 minutes, he only begins to delve into his plans for controversial topics such as tax breaks and the job market. Primarily, for the entire first ten minutes, he appeals to the audience and gets them riled up.

Analysis:
This is a very critical speech for Obama. His audience, educated future voters who follow and are interested in politics, are also watching the progression of the republican primaries. Obama’s concerns lie not only in national job security, but also in his own in the upcoming election. While this is by no means a campaign speech, it is his chance to show that under his administration the nation has progressed.

The very first thing he does is address his audience, ending with “fellow Americans”. He then embarks on a journey of appeals, beginning with acknowledging the soldiers in and returning from the war. He sings their praises for several minutes and offers them a “proud salute”. He knows these views are most likely shared by all American citizens, for even those that don’t support the war do support those forced to fight it. Obama then, cleverly, incorporates this military into a larger analogy, or hypothetical situation. After mentioning how focused there are on their missions, how they can set aside their differences to work together, he encourages viewers to “imagine” a country that could follow that example. He then supports this with solid evidence, post WWII US. This not only serves to provoke feelings of nationalism but to preserve ethos when he talks about his American grandparents of the time.

We then leap from the flash back to a modern America. Obama utilizes a lot of contrast to show not only how far we’ve come since his administration took office, but also to show how far we can go “As long as I’m president”. He then, very systematically, presents a “blueprint” of his plans for the future, and puts thrusts the fate of America into the voters’ hands.

IRB Final Post

Blink

Malcolm Gladwell

Summary:

Most of the conjectures offered by the book have ended at this point. No new theories, such as the concept of thin slicing, were present in this quarter of section, only support and credibility in the form of anecdotes. Shifting the focus to when these mental processes go wrong, Gladwell begins to offer a new scientific view of a common yet tragic occurrence: when cops kill innocent people. He talks about some famous instances when this occurred, and when it was prevented. Using scientific studies, the results of which have played a crucial role in the development of new police training procedures, he explains how in times of stress the brain begins to focus on one particular threat. As adrenaline pumps time slows down and people become quicker to come to the wrong conclusions. This is yet another real life application which can mean the difference between life and death.

Analysis:

Gladwell offered a lot of fascinating but wild theories backed by solid scientific evidence in the book. By keeping the stories and tone light hearted he was able to prevent it from taking the position of a research paper, but with any such book there is the danger of losing the audience. I believe this portion of the book, serving as a conclusion, was written with the purpose of proving to the audience how much weight the applications of this research carry. The case studies of the police who killed innocent people really served to send the message home. With this new knowledge, people can save lives, not only relationships or the consequences of a bad decision. In the context of this real world example, the science becomes real, and the purpose of the book as a whole is better served. Gladwell very explicitly states that he wants readers to use this knowledge in their lives and careers. I think I will certainly give it a shot.

Rhetorical Devices:

Anecdotes: I said this before, but using this as the chief rhetorical device the author is able to make the book interesting and relatable.
Narration: A good writer, using narration before his stories he draws the reader in and maintains interest throughout the book.
Appeals: Though common, these are what give the science meaning. This is probably what is making his book a best seller.
Dialogue: At the end of the afterward it is almost as if the author is talking with the reader, predicting their responses, and answering them. Though not a straight out dialogue, this makes the reader feel as if they are on a more personal level with the writer.

Unit 3 Reflection

          As we previously grasped in units one and two, society are an integral and prominent part of in individual’s way of life. People tend to gravitate towards a collaborative lifestyle, in which individuals depend on the diverse skills of others to better as a whole. From reading such as The Republic and Allegory of the Cave, we learned that to receive the benefits offered by a society, all people must sacrifice or contribute something. This can be referred to as a social contract, neither binding nor inconsequential. However, the strength of these contracts are directly correlated with the strength of the society which depends on them for support. In this unit, we took this philosophical idea to a world where we may apply it: our world.

          Society is established to benefit the individuals within it, mostly by offering protection and stability. This organization is provided by an institution called a government. However, it is not established to govern the people, rather to serve their interests. By sacrificing some liberties, individuals reap the benefits of such organization. For example, as citizens of America we agree to sacrifice our rights to carry our "illegal" actions, but in return we get the benefits of a safe and stable nation with additional benefits such as public education and health services. As stated in the United States Declaration of Independence, this government should rule by “consent of the governed”.  A democracy is not the only justified system, but it is established “of the people, by the people, for the people” as stated by president Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address. When this contract between the individual citizens and their government fails it becomes time for reform.

          Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence that when it becomes necessary to break the "political bands" than hold a government and the people together, it is our obligation to do so. To maintain a functioning system that benefits not only ourselves but also our society reform is critical. This has been prevalent countless times in  American history. Modeled after this very document, women's activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton's speech in New York clearly demanded reform. The system had failed to serve 50% of the nation's population, and women felt it was their right and their obligation to promote change. Similarly, Martin Luther King Jr. pushed for change during times when the enormous African American population in the US was being oppressed, a sign that the government has begun to fail at its duties. As he said in his famous speech I Have a Dream, "The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges." As part of this society, they deserved to gain and contribute to society. This came with reform.

          As we are privaleged enough to attain this education, it is our obligation to apply it to help others. This was the underlying theme of Allegory of the Cave, which we read earlier in the year, but also became the values upon which this nation was built several centuries after that document. Using our power to improve our society can be done on an national scale, or as implied in John F. Kennedy's inaugural speech, a global scale. This education was given to us by our society, and we in turn must protect our beneficiary by using our knowledge to improve, reform, and develope an ever improving world for ourselves, our neighbors, and the generations to come.