TOW #7 “Israel’s Duel on The Sun” by Shmuel Rosner

Did you know the government could control time? In “Israel’s Duel on The Sun” by Shmuel Rosner, Rosner takes a stance on the conflict revolving daylights savings time in Israel. He establishes his credibility and provides a counterargument to show his support for the secular ends of politics, through the daylights savings issue.

To prove that he has valid arguments Rosner demonstrates his knowledge and shows how the conflict pertains to his life. As the daylights savings time dispute roots in religion, Rosner describes, “As Yom Kippur was drawing to a close… we were chanting the final verses. I was peeking at my watch. It was 7:25 p.m., I was thirsty and hungry, and it seemed late.” He uses this to prove that he is a passionate Jew even though he disagrees with the orthodox views. He gains acceptance by many facets of Israeli society by explaining this circumstance. By addressing the religious aspect to the conflict Rosner also provides facts against the orthodox views.

Throughout his essay Rosner supplies a counterargument to disprove the importance of disregarding the daylights savings time to help a small percentage of the population, “Because of D.S.T. [daylights savings time], some people might have difficulty completing their prayers and getting to work on time. But few Israelis pray every morning.” Before the he allows the orthodox to find fault in his argument Rosner supports his, with backing against theirs. He writes proactively to help persuade people to want daylights savings time.

In his entire argument Rosner says more than just his opinion on the daylights savings time strife, he creates a commentary against the orthodox power in the Israeli government. “And that the country’s majority — which often bickers about ultra-Orthodox power and influence — can win the battles they choose, and, in this case, unchain themselves from the forces of darkness.” Rosner’s purpose becomes easily read as the essay develops. His use of religion to establish his credibility and counterargument allow him to comment on a greater issue.

TOW #6 IPhone Greetings Commercial

The two new iPhones, the 5s and the 5c, were launched into society September 10^th.  Along with the new phones came new publicity for Apple as they premiered a “greetings” commercial for the 5c. Immediately Apple had sales on their product, as they are already a very popular and reliable company, but as they aimed the phone for a broader audience they tried to get word to out about it. This commercial’s simplicity and universality enables the Apple to introduce new technology to a varied audience.

The simple nature of this commercial makes it perfect. In the advertisement the only words written on the screen appear in the last three seconds. First it flashes, “IPhone 5c” followed by, “For the colorful.” Even though it is very brief, these words make the message very clear. After showing many people holding the phone wearing bright and crazy colors, ending with this statement addresses the audience telling them exactly who this phone was made for, the happy, eccentric, exciting people. This simple way of displaying information makes it comprehensible for people of all ages anywhere in the world.  

The universality of this advertisement allows Apple to address many audiences. The ad is composed of many scenes of people answering their iPhone 5c. It shows old people, young people, English speaking people, German speaking people, Spanish speaking people, and many more types of people saying “hello” dozens of different ways. Even if one did not know all of the languages used it becomes very obvious what they are saying through the patterns presented. This method of advertising shows the audience that anyone can buy this product and it was made for all types of people to enjoy. These greetings create an advertisement that addresses many different people.

The iPhone 5c reaches many audiences because of its simplicity and universality shown in the new greetings commercial. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heV0CNzC9OI

Tow #5 How to End the Gridlock, Richard Parker

As America enters into its the second week of government shutdown, economist Richard Parker writes “How to End the Gridlock” to propose his own ideas. He utilizes an honest although sarcastic tone to suggest a possible but improbable plan to the people who will be affected by the government’s decisions. 

To establish his credibility Parker explains, “I’m an Oxford-trained macroeconomist, who has taught macroeconomics policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government for the past twenty years,” immediately gaining respect from his readers. This single sentence in the article grabs the audience’s attention explaining why they should listen to Parker.

In the piece Parker writes with a very honest tone that develops into a sarcastic one at the end. He proposes an experiment to “do all the cutting in just the 80 or so congressional districts of the most ardent Tea Party Members,” without knowing what the outcome would be like. He continues to explain, “we develop a theory imaginatively” allowing the audience to know that there is no concrete data showing whether or not his theory will work. Parker’s honesty allows the readers to fully understand his concepts to end the gridlock without false advertising or bias. Later in the article he employs a sarcastic tone. He states, again honestly, “As a profession, we’re still very poor at predicting results,” contrasting the Tea Party’s claim “with inerrant certainty--omtells us what Obamacare will mean: in a word, national bankruptcy.” He uses this mockery to juxtapose the how different people address this situation. Parker’s honesty and sarcasm together to propose his solution make his argument reach out to the general public. He allows normal citizens into the discussion of America’s future by coming across straightforward.

In a seamless article Parker utilizes both an honest tone and a sarcastic tone to propose his own experiment to end the government shutdown.   

Tow #4 Mountain of Debt

The political cartoon, Mountain of Debt, describes the crisis that America has been facing over recent days of the debt that has been accumulating over all of its history. The most talked about news stories of the past few days, the government shutdown and America’s debt, is the most recent substantial trouble that momentarily does not even affect normal citizens. However, the decisions that the government officials are making may create monumental changes for the future. The cartoon Mountain of Debt employs juxtaposition and irony to assist Americans in understanding the enormous problems the government is encountering currently.

The immediate eye-catching image in the political cartoon is the mountain captioned, “debt.” Next a movie-like scene is depicted, the parents or grandparents giving the children a special present, and the reader expects a happy moment. These two dramatically different occasions make the message develop clearly. It adds depth to the problem and the sadness of what the future generations are inheriting. Just how the government shutdown has not made a daily impact on the majority of peoples’ lives someday it will have a lasting effect for the leaders to come.

Usually for a political cartoon to grasp the readers’ attention it needs to include humor, sarcasm, or irony, and this cartoon is no exception. This artist uses irony to hold the audience’s attention so they can interpret the impact of this mountain. When one looks at the picture they assume it’s a beautiful moment of a breathtaking mountain being given to the kids. In reality the “gift” is a future of struggle and work to lower America’s debt. The cartoon forces the reader to chuckle at America’s sad position. The Artist achieves in teaching American citizens about the government shutdown and the debt that has accumulated for hundreds of years.