TOW #28: Food, Inc.

   In America, food can be more of a risk than a need today. If one is not aware of the health concerns involving different types of food, that one food choice can quickly be mistaken for fatality instead of nourishment. In the documentary Food, Inc., the food industry behind closed doors was investigated and discussed. In our modern world today, there are thousands of different ways to create a product, most of which can be deemed unhealthy. Many do not know the creation and process of how their food is made, but it is consumed anyway. The documentary brings this issue to the surface and creates awareness for viewers in America. In order to increase awareness in an effective and entertaining way, the filmmakers use verisimilitude, animation, and personal testimony.
  Starting with a verisimilitude at the beginning of the film draws the viewer in and establishes an automatic speaker to audience relationship. The human truth that everyone can connect to allows the viewer to feel connected to the film because right off the bat they can easily relate to it. The narrator films through an average American supermarket, noting all of the products that say "farm fresh." Everyone is familiar with the products shown such as eggs, butter, poultry, and they can relate to buying them and trusting that they are fresh from the farm. Taking the viewer through an average American supermarket connects to their daily life, allowing the audience to relate and be drawn into the start of the film. The commencement of the film is crucial to the decision whether or not an audience will continue watching.
  While describing certain topics in the film, animation is used which betters the understanding of the topics being discussed so the audience can follow along easily. While discussing how chicken has been redefined in the past few years, the film includes an animation for the audience to follow along with. It illustrates the difference between a normal chicken and the chickens that the farmers are raising today, clearly depicting the image of an unhealthy chicken. It shows the sickening process modern day farmers are putting their chickens through, just to get more meat on them and satisfy the consumer in the quickest, most efficient way. Using the animation helps illustrate the major differences that food has gone through, while entertaining and informing the audience of the bad changes happening in the food industry today.
 To also help illustrate the enormous power big food companies have today, the film incorporated personal testimonies of farmers to share their view on the current food industry. Farmers that work for companies such as Purdue, Tyson, and Monsanto were interviewed, and showed the camera their farm and the conditions the companies made them keep. The chickens lived in their own manure with dead chickens around in a dark enclosed shack. One of the farmers who refused to put shutters on her barn was fired from Purdue. A farmer growing his own grains was sued by Monsanto because he was not using their genetically altered grain. Interviewing these farmers for their point of view on the current food industry kept the documentary informative and entertaining, with the sole purpose of informing the public about the activities of the industry behind closed doors. Using verisimilitude and animation also helped illustrate the evolution of food today, which has started to take a negative spiral. Showing this documentary can only make the American public more aware of the food they are buying and what is going into their body.

TOW #27: Reflection

   From my first TOWs written over the summer before the year started, my writing was all over the place. It was unorganized, lacking fluid, style, and deep analysis. My transitions were invisible, as well as argumentative topic sentences and the purpose of my writing. Basically, the components of a great writing piece was no where to be found. In the months around December, it is evident that my writing was being transformed. I started with more interesting introductions, connected my conclusion to my introduction, and started to write with purpose instead of just addressing what the TOW assignment told me I had to. My transitions and argumentative sentences were still a little rocky. By May, the gap between my writing in August and May was noticeably large. I am now writing with fluid, deep analysis, good topic sentences, and purpose, which were all of the things I lacked over the summer. There is always something to work on with my writing, but the improvement is evident.
   I think I mastered interesting introductions and connecting them to the conclusions. I also think I mastered integrating quotes or evidence to support my devices and deepen my analysis. Although my topic sentences are much better than August, I can definitely work on improving them so they are good representations of the point I am trying to prove. I could also work on the "so what?" in my conclusion. My transitions flow a lot better, but those could also use some more work. My writing is constantly evolving so there will always be things to tweak going forward.
  The only time I did not benefit from the TOW assignments when I would write them in a rush on Sunday night to either beat the time, or just because I wanted to go to sleep. When that happened, I did not concentrate on my writing and what I wanted to improve. When I did work on my TOWs, which was often, it was extremely beneficial. I got to practice a mini timed essay every week, and also keep myself up to date with latest news while I was searching for articles to use. It was cool to pick articles I was interested in and enjoy analyzing them. It is obvious from my writing in August to my writing in May that there is beneficial change in my writing.

TOW #26: Image

    Places all over the world are constantly going through hardships, ones that some of us are oblivious to. Most people would never guess that starvation strikes countries all over the world, even smaller countries that do not make it into the news. The problem of starvation in this picture is taken place in Yemen. A poor 9-month old infant diagnosed with acute malnutrition, is laying helpless in its mother's arms in a al-Sabyeen hospital. The photographer uses rule of thirds and color contrast to portray the hardship of starvation.

  Rule of thirds is a photography term to describe a subject that lays on the gridline of a picture. If a grid lied on top of the photograph, it would be divided up into 9 boxes. The infant would line up with one of the lines. This draws the viewer's attention right to the baby, to assess its unhappy face and the situation going on. The effective use of rule of thirds allows the viewer to immediately direct its attention on the baby as the subject, and then realize what the baby is going through and how starvation is affecting it. The mother's hand also lies on one of the grid lines, showing the viewer that the mother is trying to do the best it can to comfort the baby, but it is quite obvious that the damage is already done.

  The mother's hand also acts to create a color contrast with the baby's skin. The infant's skin is so pale and evidently unhealthy, it draws attention to the situation at hand. The black background also contrasts with the baby's light skin, making the subject more dramatic. This picture is very drab, reflecting the gloom tone of the photo. The only pop of color seen is the baby's hat, which is probably the mother's attempt of doing what she can do console her baby. 

   The use of rule of thirds and color contrast not only grabs the reader's attention to the baby, but creates an appeal to pathos, by honing in on the infant and the depth of the situation. The situation of a starving baby is very serious and tragic, and the photographer portrays that to the audience by crafting her photograph the way she did.