TOW #24 - "Into the Wild" by John Krakauer IRB #2

"Into the Wild", the retelling of Christopher McCandless' adventures through the Alaskan and American wilderness by John Krakauer, is better names Into the Symbols because of its abundance in symbolism which ultimately provides a better characterization of McCandless as well as a more personal retelling of the plot. The prominent use od deserts is one of the main symbols utilized by Krakauer. The desert presents a challenge to McCandless, and his perseverance to conquer the grounds and complete his journey is exemplification of McCandless' hubris. Similar to the desert, the mountains not only give scenery to the story, it symbolizes another obstacle for McCandless to conquer. When recalling his youth, Krakauer utilizes the mountains to present a test for one's own capability and character. Another prominent symbol in the novel is the "Magic Bus", named after the song by The Who, is symbolic of his luck. He stumbles across the bus as shelter, which is extremely lucky, and then he passes away in the "Magic Bus," which is symbolic of the end of his good fortune. Lastly, the rivers in "Into the Wild" are the final challenge for McCandless to conquer, but unlike the mountain and deserts, he fails to end victorious from his face off with the rivers. It is symbolic of his lack of planning and ultimately his Achilles heel, because he cannot cross the river in summer and fails to survive. "Into the Wild" is the perfect retelling of Christopher McCandless' treck through the Alaskan and American wilderness by John Krakauer, who perfectly captures McCandless' personality and his tough journey through multiple symbols throughout the novel.

TOW #23 - "On the Rainy River" by Tim O'Brien

After winning the National Book Award in 1979 for Going after Cacciato, Tim O'Brien followed the masterpiece with The Things They Carries, a book of his experiences in war that shows him as the protagonist. "On the Rainy River" is an excerpt from the novel. O'Brien utilizes the repetition, alliteration, figurative language, and prose in order to emphasize how simple the emotional horrors of war are. His repetition allows him to draw the focus onto specific aspects of war the prove its overall negative connotation. He speaks of "a crushing sorrow, sorrow like I had never known before" (O'Brien 1077). The repetition of sorrow draws the reader to hopefully focus on the bone crushing despair war brings. His alliteration allows for the same effect when he writes, "a sudden swell of helplessness" (O'Brien 1076). The use of these rhetorical devices allows for O'Brien to simply show the toll war has on an individuals emotions. He also uses similes to compare the feelings of war to a way the reader may have felt before, so they can begin to relate and understand how horrible these experiences were. He feels "as if I had toppled overboard" (O'Brien 1075). The reader may possibly have felt this way at some point in their life, and once they realize that O'Brien and the other soldiers feel like this all the time during war and possibly even after, they open the door to truly comprehend how horrible war and its effects are. Lastly, O'Brien structures his story into long paragraphs, which allows the reader to feel to continuous dragging of that O'Brien felt by his emotions. This detailed retelling of war, "On the Rainy River", that helps O'Brien tell his journey of despair is made possible by his use of repetition, alliteration, figurative language, and prose.

TOW #22 - "The World's Problem With Sex Ed" by Jonathan Zimmerman

In "The World's Problem With Sex Ed", Jonathan Zimmerman, New York Times journalist, educates the public on the world issue of increasing sex ed in the younger grades. He gives information on the issue at hand by advocating for all sides including facts and expert testimonies, and then he proposes his own counterargument. With his opening, he shocks reader's with a startling but maybe progressive situation that sets the scene for the topic at hand. He describes the Unidted States sexual education system's expansion, with "second graders will learn about 'saying no' and 'improper touching'; third graders will be introduced to gender identity and sexual orientation; and seventh graders will learn of the dangers of 'sexting' and of sexually transmitted diseases" (Zimmerman 1). Although some say this is a good idea to make children more aware of the world and the dangers around them, other's globally disagree. He states that Reverend Charles McVety, of the evangelical church, believes that introducing this curriculum to children of such young ages is "'sexually explicit and radical thinking'" (Zimmerman). As Zimmerman points out, others agree with McVety, such as Mr. Marish, a Muslim immigrant from Kuwait, suggesting that "sexual relationships outside of marriage are frowned upon, 'but now all of a sudden it’s being heavily promoted by schools,'" and now the Chinese claim that these new school programs compromise their rights. Interestingly,
Zimmerman suggests that the issue to be focused on is not sexual education, but that these compromises and issues with sexuality actually come from the media, and that this is the true issue to be fought about. After several expert testimonies and advaocating for all sides, Zimmerman is able to create a common understanding and propose his own ideas on the issue of Sexual Education in "The World's Problem With Sex Ed."

Tow # 21- Visual Text Pepsi Advertisement

An advertiser's sole job is to completely sell their product to their audience, and that is precisely what Pepsi does by making it the simple and only focus of this specific advertisement. The first strategy they use is comparison. They put the easily recognizable Pepsi logo and name onto the left can. The can is also the more visually appealing of the two, when compared to the nameless red can on the left (which is easily recognizable as their largest competitor, Coca-Cola). The blandness of the can on the left plays on the five senses of the consumer, specifically taste. A bland can can only mean one thing: flat soda. A consumer would much rather take a refreshing sip from the appealing can on the right rather than the bland and most likely flat can on the left. The advertisement also utilizes the background to center Pepsi as the focal point. Had the background been red, the advertisement would have been directed more towards Coca-Cola. By having their background parallel the color scheme of their logo, the focus is again pointed towards Pepsi. Lastly, their use of personification really drive home their argument that Pepsi is the product for the consumer. They gave the straws minds of their own. The one being submerged in the Pepsi is in content with its situation, while the straw on the left that is attempted to be put in the Coca-Cola can is by any means trying to keep from even touching the soda inside. If the soda is not even good enough for the straw, what makes it possibly good enough for the consumer? Through strong comparisons, paralleling background to the product, and the personification of inanimate objects, the advertising team at Pepsi solidly marks Pepsi products as the focal point and the product of choice for consumers.