TOW #13- Visual Text

   Some countries more than others are still facing inequality among genders.  A current widespread issue being discussed are the women living under Sharia Law, restricted from doing everyday tasks like driving.  In the following UN Women advertisement, strong composition of the visual and relevancy to the modern world contribute to spread awareness of women's oppression that is occurring all around the world.
     A combination of the close-up camera shot and the placement of text come together to create an extremely powerful advertisement.  The effect of the zoomed-in perspective generates a more intimate feeling from the image, in which an appeal to pathos is made.  The viewer can almost sense all of the hurt in the lady's eyes.  If the camera was zoomed-out, revealing the rest of the woman, it would not have as strong of a personal impact.  Another way that the composition of the visual is effective is through the placement of the search box.  Choosing to position this over the woman's mouth sends a larger message that she, along with so many other women in the world, are being robbed of their own voice.  The search bar, representing the dominating majority in society, is literally refraining her from speaking freely which is a basic right that all people deserve.  If this element were to be placed at the bottom of the page instead, not only would the interest level of the advertisement decline, but it would also leave out the main message; it is what is connecting the two opposing sides.
     In addition to the placement of the graphic enhancing the image is also the general choice in using a search box.  By deciding to use a Google search bar to cover her mouth instead of just a list of words, the author is immediately connecting this piece to the modern world, increasing its relevancy to current world issues.  These automatic search suggestions that appear when typing are symbolic of the same automatic assumptions that society continues to make about women's treatment.  In result, these are the same prejudices that are facing women with everyday oppression in some parts of the world.  Since Google and the Internet are so commonly used, the search bar is very recognizable to the viewer, drawing their attention to the ad.  Also leaving a powerful impression is what is left outside of the text box: "women need to be seen as equal".  Intentionally, this phrase was left out of the box because it is not one that is typically representative of what many people think.  By providing this, the UN makes it clear that they are arguing for global women's equality.
     Although women have come a long way from the past, and there are an abundance of organizations still fighting for what they believe is truly equal, the sad reality is that in many parts of the world there are women facing what many would consider to be a nightmare. Through this UN Women advertisement campaigning for an end to the worldwide oppression of women, a strong use of composition and connection to modern technology in today's world create an effective argument. In hopes, advertisements and exposure to such societal imbalance will eventually lead to the final leap for women's equality.

TOW #12- Non Fiction Text 2

     As a child, Eudora Welty went through books fast: faster than the library return policy allowed her to, and faster than she was able to comprehend them.  There are two different ways to "read".  One can simply peruse the text and move on to the next, or form a connection with the book and truly read.  In Welty's narrative essay, "A Sweet Devouring", she makes allusions to literature and uses symbolism of books' physical appearances in order to share how she learned that reading is not a race, and books are not meant to be rushed through. 

    Looking back at her childhood, book-loving self, Welty now realizes that there is an explanation for her speedy reading.  By making constant allusions to the texts she read, she is able to illustrate the amount of "false reading" she was doing.  Memories of Welty's willingness to "read everything just alike" came swarming back when she recalls how she read "Tales from Maria Edgeworth and went right ahead, without feeling the bump" (1).  The bump, in this case, is the larger effect or the deeper meaning that was completely missed because she was not aware that she was reading completely wrong.  Through her allusions, she is able to exemplify specific times in which she made this same mistake from her youth.  These references are essential in elaborating on her issue of going through books to quickly, and without them her narrative would fall flat.  

     Eudora Welty also mentions her likelihood to have judged a book by its cover when she was a kid.   Through the symbolism that she creates between the books' physical appearances and her reaction to them, Welty expresses her shallow viewing of the books prior to her realization that there is more to them then just how they look.  She found disappointment in Tales from Maria Edgeworth, but not because of what the author wrote but instead because "the illustrator fell down on the characters" (2). The contrast between her lack of concern with the actual words and instead with the illustrations symbolize that Welty was not at all reading to comprehend the story.  While she was so caught up in the appearance of the book, she missed the point of the text.  

      Reflecting on her past, Eudora Welty may classify this misunderstanding as a valuable lesson for herself, one that everybody could grow from hearing.  It is through her rapid reading that she realized "the printed page is not absolutely everything", but instead a single component of the reading pastime.  By including allusions to different pieces of literature from her past and creating symbolism of the physical appearance of books, Welty is able to share her story of realization in "A Sweet Devouring" when she learned that there is more to reading than just the literal meaning.  It is through this that one may become aware that in order to read, one must devour the text. 

TOW #11- IRB First Half

   The Christmas season is a time for all to rejoice and surround each other with the warm feeling of the holidays. However, for soldiers in combat, this tradition is merely just a fantasy.  In the notorious memories from World War II, people tend to only give attention to the tragedies, the evil, or the dictators.  But in the book 11 Days In December by Stanley Weintraub, a closer look is taken at the individual lives of American soldiers who were across the Atlantic on the Christmas of 1944.  Throughout his book, Weintraub includes a strong sense of realism and a third person point of view to expose the reader to the circumstances that these WWII soldiers faced during a Christmas season away from home.
     The Battle of the Bulge, an offensive attack launched by Germany, was a major turning point and important event in depleting the German force in the war.  Before going in depth on the personal levels of the soldiers, Weintraub provides a very a realistic overview of the war in its weeks approaching Christmas.  One of the techniques that he uses in order to set an authentic scene for the reader is the inclusion of quotes from men involved in the war, such as when "Colonel William Sylvan, who had come in to warn Hodges, said in puzzlement, 'some of our tanks are a mile down the road firing in this direction'" (Weintraub 5).  The use of this dialogue not only encapsulates the setting, but it also creates a feeling of realism as that is a true quote pertaining to a true event.  For this book especially, it is important for the information to be exact so that the book has historical accuracy.  With his realistic overview, Weintraub is able to draw attention towards the reality of WWII and make his story more valid through the accuracy of his summarization.
     Weintraub also utilizes a strategic device in his point of view, from which he writes in the third person.  Since he is all-knowing about the historical events surrounding the story, his omniscient perspective is very well suited for the Christmas story at the Bulge.  Through this, Weintraub is able to give a full synopsis of the war up until December of 1944, and cover all of the major points without any limitations.  As he was introducing a town near the Ardennes called Spa, he explains it "was bypassed" but then continues to tell of "another Belgian town [where] the expected Germans in halftracks with 88-mm guns had not yet appeared" (Weintraub 7).  From a third person viewpoint, Weintraub is knowledgable of the actions occurring in all of the towns during the war, which increases his credibility and adds more background to the story.  If he were telling the story, for example, as one of the American soldiers, the reader would therefore not know of what else was occurring outside of the occupied town.
     In the Christmas twist on the true war story of WWII, 11 Days of December demonstrates precise historical accuracy through Weintraub's sense of realism, and is able to provide a lot of information through a third person point of view.  By using both of these devices, Weintraub is able to show his audience that while Christmas is a time to come together and celebrate, it was a matter of survival for the soldiers of 1944.