TOW #17: Most People Would Kill 1 Person to Save 5

Most People Would Kill 1 Person to Save 5 Others

Remy Melina: LiveScience Writer

Recently, LiveScience has conducted a study in which humans are put into a 3D world in which they had to pull a switch to determine the fate of 6 individuals. In the 3D world,  the subjects could choose to do nothing and allow the train to kill five hikers, or pull a switch to reroute the boxcar to a different track, where it would kill one hiker. 147 people volunteered to test the experiment: 14 people allowed the train to kill the 5 hikers, while 133 people chose to kill 1 hiker and save the 5 others. The experiment study encapsulates the ideals of what's morally correct/incorrect, by asking the rhetorical question: What would you do? 

The use of the question is effective because it allows the audience to think to themselves whether or not they would kill 1 person or 5 people, and which is more important. In the end, someone is dying. But what if that 1 person was going to be the next president, or scientist? What if those 5 people had nothing going for them, but you still chose to save them over the person with potential? The question is rhetorically effective because it makes the audience think about themselves while reading the article, which allows the audience to put themselves in the position of the hikers or the subjects of the experiment. Overall, the use of the one, simple question stimulates the audience's visualization and thoughts, which is very effective. 

TOW #16: Re-Write

Dove Real Beauty Commercial (TOW #6 Visual Text) Re-Write
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U

        Dove, a personal hygiene and care brand, created a commercial which advertises their company and promotes their campaign. Dove campaigns that all women, no matter what size or color, are beautiful. Dove also campaigns that women do not need to look like the women on TV or in magazines in order to feel good about themselves. The one-minute fifteen-second commercial contains juxtaposition, appeals, and ethos in order to convey their campaign slogan.
         The concept of the commercial is to show how women in the magazines are photo-shopped and manipulated to look the way that they do. The commercial juxtaposes a "real" woman, without makeup and without being airbrushed, and a "fake" woman, a woman wearing loads of makeup. Dove encapsulates the fact that women do not need to look like the "fake" woman in order to be beautiful, which supports their argument that all women are beautiful in their own way.
     The commercial utilizes the self-esteem of women all over the world in order to appeal to their audience. They take a woman with low self esteem, airbrush her, and make her look like a Barbie doll. When Dove shows the amount of time it takes to make a woman look like that, it allows the audience to realize that in reality, no one looks the way the models do in pictures... Not even the models themselves. Appealing to the audience makes the commercial effective because it does not target a certain type of women, it targets women as a whole.
    The commercial also uses ethos in order to show that their arguments and beliefs are both accurate. Dove, a company which sells beauty products, experiences first-hand the women in the beauty/fashion industry. Since they compete with other brands and other companies, they know how other brands sell their products: making women look undeniably and unbelievably beautiful, which makes women strive to look like that instead of being comfortable in their own skin. Dove builds their credibility by showing the audience that no one on TV looks the way they do without all of the makeup, which allows women to increase their level of self esteem and feel comfortable in their bodies. Overall, Dove's use of juxtaposition, appeals, and ethos makes their advertisement and their campaign effective for women all over the world.

TOW #15: School Resumes for Students Haunted by Newtown Tragedy

School Resumes for Students Haunted by Newtown Tragedy

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/18/us/connecticut-school-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Visual Text

The video describes the tragic events that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The video tells the audience that the children who survived the shooting are not returning to school anytime soon, as their school is still a crime scene under investigation. The video uses pathos to appeal to the audience's emotions, although I don't think the video's main purpose is to make the audience emotional. The tragedy effected so many people, regardless of whether or not they lost a friend or family member. The entire country has mourned and prayed for those affected by one of the worst acts of violence our country as experienced. The news anchors tone of voice is flat and sympathetic, allowing the audience to realize how badly this event has effected our country.

I think that the video is extremely effective in displaying the events that took place because it shows that not only did this shooting effect Sandy Hook Elementary school, it effected the entire country. This is a tragic and horribly unimaginable time for those who have lost lives, and the news did a very accurate and heartfelt portrayal of the events that took place.