TOW #3: Ronald Reagan’s State of the Union Address

The Challenger space shuttle, meant to carry a schoolteacher to space, had exploded and killed seven of its passengers. President Ronald Reagan had to tell the country what had happened and throughout his speech he spoke directly to many different people. He addresses the public, families of the victims, children, and the NASA employees. He tells the families that the country is thinking about them very much and feel terribly. He addresses the public and tells them what happened to the shuttle. He speaks to the children and tells them sometimes painful things happen. Finally, he says to NASA that their work has always impressed him and the country.

Overall, Reagan’s speech was written to explain to the country that we all face challenges but that doesn’t mean we should stop exploring and we should never falter at the face of hardship. Exploration and discovery are very important and we honor those who go out and do those things for the nation.

Reagan uses a lot of pathos in his speech. He uses terms such as “us”, “we”, “we’re”, and “we’ve” to bring us closer together as a nation during this time of loss. Using such diction, he is able to evoke certain emotions. Reagan expresses his sadness in the very beginning of his speech when he says he is “pained to the core” because of the tragedy that struck America (1). Using diction, he is also able to rally us and give us hope. He says, “ Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue,” to emphasize how we can move forward and our endeavors can never end because there is a major or minor bump in the road (9).

Reagan is able to achieve his purpose by appealing to his audience’s emotions. He is able to connect to the people and make them believe what he says.

TOW #2: The Marcellus Effect

Mark Wilson’s The Marcellus Effect is a visual describing the water we intake every day.
The hydro fracking container is when sand and chemicals mix with water from a gas well. It is meant to form fractures in rock with the help of tiny fractures already present in the rock to allow for better gas flow, but instead it contaminates drinking water wells. Wilson’s picture demonstrates the water being contaminated and takes it a step further by presenting a man who has accepted the water to drink.

Wilson demonstrates to the public how we are too quick to accept the water we drink and attempts to open the eyes of the public in hopes to change their perspective. Using a bottle marked with a skull and crossbones immediately shows his audience how powerful and harmful the chemicals can be. The man drinking the water is dressed nicely and looks like a stereotypical intelligent man. He is wearing a tie, dressed nicely, and has glasses allowing the author to imply he is knowledgeable. Even still the man is willing to drink the water proving to the audience that the water we drink even though very much contaminated is “drinkable” in our minds.

Ultimately, the author wants to change our perspective and open our eyes. To do so, he shows us how it is completely normal and reasonable to believe our water is fine and will not harm us too bad. Wilson allows us to realize that the water we drink can be very harmful from the skull and crossbones and simply painting a picture for us. When people look at the water they drink, all they see is the water. People do not see the chemicals or the sand and therefore are fine and do not normally second guess what they are ingesting. Wilson provides his audience with perspective.

Wilson, Mark. The Marcellus Effect. N.d. EmpireWire, n.p.

TOW #1: Mark Twain's Corn-pone Opinions

Mark Twain, the “father of literature”, addresses the idea of adjusting the socially acceptable norm in his essay Corn-pone Opinions. He writes about how other people influence our opinion of the norm. He says, “The outside influences are always pouring in upon us, and we are always obeying their orders, and accepting their verdicts,” (3). Demonstrating that it is part of human nature, Twain is able to achieve his purpose: a corn-pone opinion is about self-approval. The essay was written to help everyone understand that the opinion of a potential social norm becomes greatly altered during a ‘chain reaction’. The chain reaction of people slowly but surely following the trend making a new socially acceptable norm.

To illustrate his meaning, he uses many examples along with an anecdote to help the audience’s understanding of what a corn-pone opinion is. He begins his essay with an anecdote of a black slave he knew when he was young. Twain describes how the slave had wonderful speech and he loved to listen to him. The quote he remembers most is, “You tell me whar a man gits his corn pone, en I’ll tell you what his ‘pinions is,” (1). The quote not only introduces the topic but acts as a driving force for the rest of the essay. It means everyone’s opinion comes from someone or something else.

Twain also uses examples of where corn pone has already affected our lives. The idea of a piece of clothing, his example: the hoopskirt, starts out ugly but as more and more people begin to buy it, it becomes popular. The popularity enables the hatred for the skirt disintegrate. Twain describes the disintegration in his prose: “a rule of our self-approval has its source... - the approval of other people,” (2). Twain enables his audience to understand how self-approval not only relates to corn pone opinions but how it takes a part in our lives.

IRB Intro MP1

Author: Judy Westwater

Title: Street Kid

Street Kid is a true story about the author’s life. She was cared for by her awful father and beaten by nuns. She ended up living alone on the streets and persevered through the obstacles. One of my close friends recommended the novel for me because she said I would love it. I enjoy reading inspiring novels about the hardships people went through. I learn about how other people get over obstacles and I gain perspective on my own life. Learning new things about the main character allows me to learn new things about myself. I am able to discover more about who I want to be and how I want to approach situations. Reading novels like Street Kid allows me to open my eyes.

Photo Citation: 9780007222018. N.d. Waterstones, n.p.