TOW #7 - "How to Become an Adult"

To continue with the theme of my essay choice last week, I decided to read another college essay written by a student accepted to an Ivy League college. The reason for this is simply because I found the last one so intriguing. This week, I read a comical and sarcastic essay written by a student named Michaela. She wrote about what it means to her to become an adult. To her, parenthood is definitely an indication, but not just any kind of parenthood…plant parenthood. "Today, I am the proud parent of not one, but seven beautiful, boisterous, carnivorous plants.” The author uses the sarcastic tone evident in the quote throughout her essay to show how her first plant child, Stanley, opened the doors for her academic and (hopefully) professional career in botany. She realized that taking care of a simple houseplant is much more multi-faceted than one might think. I think the author sharing this realization of her’s with the world is important because it reminds readers to pay attention to the little things; they just might turn out to big, important things! I also thought that it was important the author used sarcasm and a comical tone because inspirational speeches (that aren’t given in speech form and have to be read) can come off as cheesy or won’t get their point across in the right manner. All in all, I was glad I chose to read this essay—it had a great message and a cute background story.

TOW #6 - "More Than Thick Eyebrows"

This essay is actually one written by an undergraduate (Caroline) accepted to Johns Hopkins University. She wrote about her Italian heritage, and how realizing that part of her has brought infinite opportunities for her to learn and expand her knowledge of both language and the world. At first, Caroline appeals to logos by talking about her family tree. She says, "It is the work of the generation that traveled from Istria in the north and Sicilia in the south, meeting through friends in Chicago, and encouraging their children to study hard and make a living for their future families." It seems odd that one would have to prove their heritage when talking about it, but I feel that Caroline saying this is important. It not only shows that she is in fact Italian, but how she is proud to call herself so due to the struggles her family members before her experienced to come to America. Most of the essay is focused on Caroline's deep need to learn the Italian language. Not only because it is a representation of her heritage, but also because in her own words, it feels so right to speak it. She says, "Rarely have I studied a topic that flows from my ears to my brain to my tongue as easily as the Italian language." In learning a new language, Caroline gets excited because she thinks of all the conversations she will get to have with her father and grandmother, all her favorite Italian songs she will be able to sing along to, and all her favorite Italian movies she will watch without the subtitles. I found that Caroline used a technique of focusing on her past (before she was born, to be exact) in Italian, how she is using it now, and how she plans to use it in the future, which really shows how much of an important part of her life it is.

TOW #5 - PSA for Drinking and Driving

I found this striking photo while scrolling through pages of other visual texts, and I don't think it's hard to believe when I say that I think this one is interesting. What made it catch my eye first and foremost, was the abnormality of it. The creator of the text documented a mundane thing made differently. As a way to speak out against drunk driving, I find that this photo is very effective. It uses facts/figures and appeals to pathos to achieve the goal of making a difference in people's minds about their future choices. The facts/figures aspect is used when stating that a drunk driver disables someone 'Every 48 Seconds', and obviously the text as a whole appeals to pathos because it really puts into perspective how drunk driving can destroy lives.

Aside from appealing to pathos, this text also appeals to logos because it forces its viewers to take a step back and really understand the devastating effects of drunk driving. Because so many people are becoming handicapped due to drunk driving-related accidents, the topic cannot (logically) be ignored. This is also very effective in helping the author of the text achieve their purpose of reducing drunk driving accidents because, again, it will make people think twice about their choices and hopefully reduce and/or diminish the number of drunk driving accidents that result in paralyzation there are. Even though the author of this visual text is unknown, I think they were successful in accomplishing their purpose of drawing attention to this matter. The photo really does make you stop and think for a second how big of problem drunk driving is as a whole.

TOW #4 - Animals in Translation

I am really enjoying reading Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin, and I’m happy to say that it is becoming one of my favorite books. Despite the rollercoaster of emotions that it holds, every so often I am left with a very hopeful feeling—that someday we will have the means of being able to communicate with animals without language. That is part of what I found to be most interesting in the story. Grandin’s main argument is that animals have a consciousness just like us. In other words, language is not a requirement for consciousness, so just because animals can’t speak doesn’t mean they can’t feel the same pain, fear, love, anger, friendship, etc. that we do.

Not only is this book expanding my horizons about the minds of animals, but it also did so for autism. Grandin applies her theory of “hyper-specificity” that comes along with certain cases of autism in teh form of pathos and ethos. What I found most interesting is that she both placed this disorder on a pedestal as a great talent for someone to possess, but also a great defecit. She uses this condition of autism to compare how they think to how animals think: with great attention to detail. This theory is also how she invented (a) her contraption called the “Squeeze Machine” or “Hug Machine” to help those with autism calm down during episodes of hyperactivity and (b) a way of direction cows through slaughterhouse yards to make their journey as least stressful as possible.

While I am still ‘iffy’ about how effective her idea for slaughterhouses is, I have faith because I’m pretty much all for the “hyper-specificity” theory. This would make it seem much more humane in my eyes. I can’t wait to finish the story! Temple Grandin is definitely one of the most interesting people I have discovered.