TOW #10: Smoking Ad (Visual Text)

      After extensive proven studies of the risks of smoking, people nonetheless continue to smoke cigarettes. Multiple companies are devoted to creating awareness of this lethal product, just like this advertisement.

     Automatically, the ad catches the attention of the viewer because of the naked man and woman being the subject. The eye lingers on the picture for a while longer to create meaning from two naked individuals on a public advertisement. The next thing noticed is the abnormal inferno taking place in the middle organs. Wondering why, the viewer can then infer this is due to smoking, because they both have a cigarette in their hand. This thought process is automatic for most people, and they can quickly gain the message that smoking is damaging to the body. A main effect of smoking is the covering of tar chemicals on the lungs, and the picture of the lungs on fire encapsulates the danger of smoking. Using one man and one women shows the audience that this can happen to anyone. With a bare body and a bare background, the advertisement concentrates on how the image will make the viewer feel. The icon in the bottom left corner lets the viewer know that the advertisement is coming from a credible 

company. The ad is using exaggeration to catch the audiences' eye to the lungs on fire and prove the purpose that smoking does nothing beneficial to the body, it only creates a place of hell for the lungs.

    I believe the ad achieves its purpose that smoking is a horrible thing to expose the body to. It only creates a place of hell for the body, and I think that message is clearly communicated through this ad. 

TOW #9: Air Pollution as a Heart Threat by Deborah Blum

       Air pollution was just declared last month by the World Health Organization to be one of the world's most dangerous environmental carcinogens. In an industrialized world like today, more and more people are becoming conscious of the dangers health wise and environmental wise of air pollution. It is obvious to connect air pollution to the threat of cancer, especially pertaining to the lungs, but does one ever associate air pollution as a threat to the heart?
      A new study has just came out with striking evidence that air pollution can not only worsen heart problems such as cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, and strokes, but it can also cause it. The topic of this article attracts attention of people who are health conscious. On the context of saving your life, Deborah Blum appeals to pathos by talking about what a big problem air pollution is today, and the multiple threats it holds. Blum quotes multiple scientists and their studies to use as evidence. By using this evidence, the author automatically appeals to logos and gives herself credibility by using credible sources. Blum uses statistics and scientific diction to inform the public that air pollution is more than just a threat to the lungs. I believe she achieves her purpose well and uses multiple sources to appeal to the logic of the situation. I am now well informed of all the threats air pollution poses, and not just containing to the ones pertaining to the lungs.

IRB Intro Post #2: The Bling Ring by Nancy Jo Sales

The Bling Ring, by Nancy Jo Sales, follows seven teenagers residing in Calabassas, California who are not your ordinary teenagers looking for trouble. These kids successfully stole more than $3 million from clothing, jewelry, and accessories belonging to celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Orlando Bloom, and Rachel Bilson in 2009. Now a Sofia Coppola film, Nancy Jo Sales writes this book about the famous robberies after being the journalist following around these seven fame-obsessed teens.

After hearing that the movie about to come out was based on a true story, I was very intrigued to learn about how easily these teens got away with the burglaries for over a year and the audacity they had to have to even pull this off. I saw the trailer to the movie, then found out it was a book, and could not wait to read it. I hope to understand all of my questions after hearing about the story. I also hope to gain an appreciation for a new genre: journalism. I have yet to read a book by a journalist so I am very excited to start The Bling Ring. 

TOW #8: Mirroring People by Marco Iacoboni (Part 2)

          Mirroring People, by Marco Iacoboni, was written to easily share the crazy world of the brain and all of its talents. Specifically, Iacoboni concentrates on the wonders mirror neurons. We can thank those little things for making a human, human. They are responsible for the feelings of empathy and having a "warm heart" instead of a "cold, hard heart." Without these, humans would not feel empathy from others.
       Iacoboni writes this to share with the public the intricate and extremely competent aspects of the brain. In doing this, he appeals to logos by giving examples of everyday use of mirror neurons so the reader can understand more easily. He also uses anecdotes to portray an everyday sense of these neurons with his own experience. His audience he writes to is anyone interested in psychology and neurology, even if they are not scientists themselves. Because he uses simple terms in portraying information about mirror neurons, it makes it easy for anyone to pick up the book and have a good informational read. It is apparent throughout his reading that he has a passion for science and neurology. Through his diction, he creates a yearn of interest from the reader, which is what keeps the reader entertained throughout almost 300 pages. Most books about science can be extremely boring, but Iacoboni keeps the reader intrigued by adding things, such as anecdotes, to connect with the reader.
     I believe he achieves his purpose in sharing this discovery, making it interesting and coherent for the public. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in psychology and neuroscience. In a 279 page book, Iacoboni definitely keeps the world of science entertaining and intriguing.