TOW #13-Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers (Part 2) by Mary Roach

Did you know the human head is the same approximate size as a chicken? No? Yeah, neither did I. Mary Roach writes a humorous book about what really happens to our bodies if they are donated to science. Right off the bat, you know what this book is about, but it’s is not all about death, as in dying, which is something I would like to stress upon upfront. As a matter of fact, it’s not as sad as it may appear and has nothing to do with grieving or coping with loss like many think. It’s a very pragmatic and practical book, well at least the first half, that introduces what your physically body, aka cadaver, can contribute to science when your life has ended. For instance, one’s body could be used for scientific research or even as a crash dummy. Roach really tries to justify why it is okay and right to use a dead body. Roach successfully incorporates a very light-hearted tone while discussing such a gruesome topic of the deceased. She has a perfect balance between gruesome and light-heartedness within the first chapters. Along with her light-hearted tone she adds a lot of “Did you knows?” where the readers got a lot of information like  “Did you know that most crashing airplanes don’t hit the ground from thirty thousand feet, the vast majority crash on takeoff or landing either on or near ground.” Where she also notes that eighty to eighty-five percent are survivable. This exuberant book introduces fact you probably never knew and provides reasoning for how a body can be beneficial to science. Stiff is a book with a universal appeal that any non-scientist can read that basically introduces how they have benefited us whether it be a heart transplants or gender reassignment. So far, I would have never thought I would have found a cadaver so interesting, but I do know.

TOW #12- Society's Addiction to Techonology

Liam Francis Walsh is a unique individual as he doesn't own a smartphone. The New Yorker cartoonist work tend to mocks, as well as ridicule, our cultural tendency towards Internet addition. On top of that he considers himself a late bloomer to the advancement of technology, and tries to keep away from it, using his art as a replacement. In this picture above we see a man surrounded by a dog cone-this dog cone serves as a barrier to keep away from his phone, as it ultimately is his addiction.  In today's society we are incredibly reliant on our phones, and are constantly wrapped up in them. Because of this addiction to technology, we lack a lot of face-to-face communication. Why talk in person when you can do it in front of a screen and get the same point across? A New York Times article notes that "the resulting distractions can have deadly consequences, as when cellphone-wielding drivers and train engineers cause wrecks. And for millions of people these urges can inflict nicks and cuts on creativity and deep thought, interrupting work and family life.". Walsh's black-and-white drawing gives off a negative vibe, as most of it is on a gray-scale. Our addiction to technology has become out of hand, and ultimately guides the future generations to participate in the unhealthy addiction. 

TOW #11- "Corn-pone Opinions" by Mark Twain

Mark Twain, known for the books of “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, and “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”, writes the short detailed essay called “Corn-pone Opinion”. In this essay he expresses his perspective on public opinion as he defines what a “corn-pone opinion” is exactly along with display how in society we conform, as it is an inevitable action. If people did not conform they would “suffer damage” in “social standing”. Mark’s philosophy about society is that “we get our notions and habits and opinions from outside influences”, which is incredibly true. Our basic human desire is to achieve self-approval, which we ultimately seek in society’s approval, also known as a corn-pone opinion.

To make his argument effective he uses personification, bringing the opinion to life, as opinions don’t always blend in. An opinion “has been born somewhere, at sometimes or other” and then it “got away before they could catch it and stuff it and put it in a museum”. Through the use of personification he displays that some opinions are exuberant and go against the socially accepted opinion, but also how we like to glorify other’s opinions.

Along with personification, Twain uses exemplification adding emphasis to conformity in society over time. “An empress introduced the hoop skirt, and we know the result. A nobody introduced the bloomer, and we know the result. If Eve should come again, in her ripe renown, and reintroduce her quaint styles—well, we know what would will happen. ” If someone of importance were to introduce something new, it would automatically become a fad. Why? Because that is how society works, it happens time after time. The irony in the situation with conforming is that we are aware of the ridiculous need to conform, but still choose to partake in it. This derives from fear of consequence; that if we conform it allows us to avoid being a social outcast