TOW #7-A Sweet Devouring by Eudora Welty

Eudora Welty writes a colorfully vivid and personable account of her love for literature as a child called "A Sweet Devouring". Welty examines the books and their characters, as they were her source of happiness. She continued to pursue her passion for literature by getting a B.A in English from the University of Wisconsin.The book lover and author won the Pulitzer Price in 1973 and was the first living author to have her works published in the Library of America. Her purpose was to simply express her love and enjoyment of books, as they are more than just cover and paper, but more along the lines of what properties go into a novel that makes it genuine and lasting. During her childhood her family faced financial issue, and books were something she could resort too. Personally, Welty used vibrant images, humor, and especially anecdotes, as most of the essay is an anecdote of her childhood. She is also able to connect with the readers because of her amazing flow and a personality that just pops through the pages. A good example is her use of the simile as she compares the French bread to books stating that no one can just have one slice. This allows her to connect to her audience which is anyone who was is in love with reading, especially as a child, ultimately making it more relatable. Welty flawlessly redefines the meaning of a book in "A Sweet Devouring".

TOW #6- How It Feels to Be Colored Me by Zora Neale Hurston

        Zora Neale Hurston is a known for her short stories, plays, and essays. She went to Columbia University where she was offered a scholarship, and graduated with a B.A in anthropology. In her short story "How It Feels to Be Colored Me", her autobiographical essay, she writes about finding her true identity and the natural self-pride she has. Hurston doesn't consider herself as being "tragically colored", like others around where she lives. Although she doesn't get upset by the discrimination against African-Americans in her town, she does recognize moments where she feels racial tension and differences. She is not only speaking to those who are African-American or white, but everyone to encourage them to have self-pride. She employs strong diction, positive tone, and metaphors to illustrates her purpose. Through her strong diction she displays that she is well educated, which during the time the short story was written (1928) was not considered a norm. She also uses an incredibility positive tone when discusses her life, even with the hardships she faced. Last but not least she ends her essay with a metaphor, referring herself to a "brown bag of miscellany propped against a wall". This is where she gives the audience a better understanding of her emotions of the time. Ultimately, Hurtston goes over the racial boundaries and makes it apparent to her audience that she does not fit in with the social ideologies.

TOW #5- Lego Commercial

A Lego, one of the most popular toys invented; almost every child has owned one at some point. A new Lego commercial probably comes out, at least, every six to eight months. Lego's lastest campaign, labeled as "Inspire Imagination" with the recent placement of "Keep Building", deals with the atypical gender roles. Lego creates a new image of girl empowerment. In the sixty-second clip directed by Brigg Bloomquist, known for creating multiple Nike and Neato commercials, plays on the relationship between moms and young daughters and the empowerment they can use through the imaginative thought process, such as being a doctor and pilot. The targeted group for the commercial is for young girls and basically tells them to "be who they want to be" and "achieve what they want to achieve". There are many commercials that deal with girl, even women, empowerment that are very similar, definitely making it unoriginal. Ultimately, the purpose is to shows young girls they can achieve anything through the use of the Lego's, meaning they need to buy them, because a Lego evokes creativity. Brigg Bloomquist creates a powerful tone through the use of inspiring music. Not only does he set a inspirational tone, and uses the same amount as an other women empowerment commercial. He appeals to his audience through warm memories and a motivational speech, a very common strategy to use when trying to motivate. Overall, I think he achieves his purpose mainly through the inspirational setting, but isn't just another cliche on women empowerment? Hasn't the public seen this already? So, what really makes this stand out? Overall, it's been done before; it doesn't mean it's not good, just it's unoriginal unfortunately.

TOW #4- The Tipping Point

      Malcolm Gladwell is a best-selling author as well as a phenomenal speaker; He is known for books such as Blink and Outliers. A common pattern within his books is the study of the mind, its function, and the ways of psychology, and how it is used in present day society. In The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Male a Big Difference Gladwell basically demonstrates how a "trend" becomes a trend. He quickly starts off with what actually makes society love a trend or not, and the process it goes through; as well as supplies the readers with the three rules of the tipping point. Obviously, since this novel pertains to psychology it would probably be great for anyone in the psychology field per se, but it can also serve the purpose to educate various readers on the simple decisions we make, as well as the power we hold for trending items. That being said, his purpose can really vary and be interpreted many ways. As of right now, Gladwell is illustrating the powers that society holds, and how even the smallest decisions can lead to the largest effect. Essentially, how a social trend takes off, like previously stated. Along with his charming insight he uses a variety of several rhetorical devices that further justify his purpose. Gladwell uses the simple rhetorical strategies of exemplification, incredible amounts of logos, outstanding tone, etc. Gladwell writes "When we say that a handful of East Village kids started the Hush Puppies epidemic, or the scattering of the residents of few housing projects was sufficient to to start Baltimore's syphilis epidemic, what we are really saying is that in a given process or system some people matter more than others." (19) not only can the readers get a sense for his honest tone, but they also see his use of logos. Gladwell constantly refers to historical events or places whether it be Paul Revere or the invention of Sesame Street.