TOW#13: Text "Boy Comes Out On Facebook, Mother Writes Incredible Letter Of Support" James Nichols

Coming Out

Imagine how terrifying it is for a person to "come out of the closet". Will they accept me, or will they kick me out of the house? A boy named Zach wrote on his Facebook that he was gay. His mother happened to see the post and wrote a letter in response to it. She stated that she completely supported him and that his sexual preference did not change who he was. The mother uses humor and supportive words to show that she completely supports and loves Zach no matter what.

Zach's mother uses humor to show that there are more things important than his sexual preference. In her letter she states, "The only thing that concerns me is the number of empty soda cups and tea bottles in your room. Throw them away before ants come inside." The way she mentions the messiness of his room shows that she does not care that he is gay and that there are more important aspects of life than which gender someone prefers. She also writes this to end the situation in a funny note so that her son knows that she is okay with his sexuality, thus showing that his sexuality does not change how she feels about him.

Zach's mother also uses supportive words to show that in any case she is always on his side. In the letter she emphasizes that, "I love you unconditionally. I love you with my actions, not just my words. I’m so proud of you. You are the bravest person I know. I’ll fight for you always." Her encouraging words truly show that she loves her son regardless of his sexual preference and that what he did was very courageous. She is not only accepting of the fact that he is a homosexual, but she is supportive of the way he had the courage to come out. This way she not only showed that she still loves him whether he is heteosexual or not but she showed that no matter what he does in his life, she will love and support him always.

People like Zach's mother are the ones who give people the courage to come out of the closet. Besides the fact that she showed her love for her son regardless of his sexual preference, she showed that the type of people he likes does not define who he is and that anything he does, she will support him. Yet there are others who are not as accepting as Zach's mother. One day, will people accept everyone for who they are?

The letter written to Zach

 (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/04/mom-beautiful-letter-gay-son_n_3867793.html)

TOW#12: IRB "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

This Can Happen

This is an amazing story about a girl named Jeannette Walls who has lived an unsteady lifestyle her entire life. Her dad constantly makes the family move every time he finds a new job and he is an alcoholic. When Jeannette was younger, her dress caught on fire when she tried making her own hotdog. After she was rushed to the hospital, her dad sneaks her out to avoid paying the bill. Imagine living life this way throughout your entire childhood.

The most fascinating part about this story is that it is real. All the events told throughout the story were not made up. They actually happened to a person. Walls in retelling her life in words the way she remembers it. The fact that everything is true allows the reader to sympathize with the author more and also Walls is able to appeal to pathos and ethos. This story makes people think, "Wow! I never thought a person could go through something like this!"

Walls most likely wrote this story to share the world with her unique adventure. Never in a million years would people think of a true situation such as this. She most likely took more than one try in writing this book. She knows that her life was embarrassing and pitiful. Her writing this books seems to be a very courageous move. It isn't easy writing about your entire life when every moment is pretty much a bummer.

Walls seems to understand that there are many children who struggle with the types of parents they have. She probably wanted to relate with those people and to show them that they are not alone. But she also knows that her type of situation is very rare. She probably wanted to encourage those to speak out and to not be afraid to talk about their lives.

Reading this book, I was able to see another viewpoint of another person's life. The things that Walls was able to overcome amazes me and also the fact that she endured this as such a young girl is crazy. The fact that she tells a true story of her life ables her to appeal to pathos and ethos, thus being able to connect with other people who have family struggles just like she does.

Jeannette Walls

(http://www.gradesaver.com/author/jeannette-walls/)

TOW#11: (Visual) "Meet Otis"

Buying Dog Food Saves Dogs

A dog is a man's best friend. Not Otis. Otis is a bulldog that lives in a shelter because he was abandoned by his former owner. He waits everyday behind a fence for his new best friend. Pedigree, a dog food brand, offered to donate money to shelters in order to help dogs like Otis into a new home. To convince people in supporting this cause, Pedigree creates an advertisement, in which Otis is the center of the picture behind a fence looking sorrowful. 

Pedigree appeals to pathos in order to attract people into buying their dog food. Otis's sad facial expression allows the reader to feel guilty for him and makes them want to contribute to the cause. The way Otis is behind the fence gives off the expression of being trapped. This also makes the reader feel extremely guilty, which would convince them to buy Pedigree dog food. 

This is not just an ordinary advertisement that a dog lover decided to make during their spare time; this was the actual Pedigree company itself that created this advertisement. By doing this, they appeal to ethos because the fact that they are a legitimate dog food brand allows the reader to believe the advertisement more and pay attention to it more than if this were just a random picture with words. 

This advertisement may have been made a little while ago, however, there are still abandoned dogs today. Otis should consider himself lucky because some dogs may not even be fortunate enough to be in a shelter. 

The overall feel of this advertisement is depressing and pitiful. The advertisement is able to manipulate the reader into feeling remorse as if they did not help, then something horrible would occur to the dog.

The advertisement brilliantly conveys the "sadness" of the dog and is able to convince the readers into buying their dog food. They appeal to pathos by using a small, hopeless looking dog and by focusing on the unhappy expressions on its face. They are also able to appeal to ethos because they are a huge dog food brand, which gives them trust about this situation and the understanding of how serious this state is. Who knew dog food saved dogs? 

(http://wallstreetjobreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Pedigree_Adoption_Otis.jpg)

The sad and lonely Otis.

TOW#10: "Chinese families still at mercy of officials despite announced easing of one-child policy"(Article) by Simon Denyer

When Will It End?

A woman named Lois, who lives in China, was excited to hear the news about how China was going to ease the "one child only" policy. So she decided to have another child. Little did she know, the policy was not actually at ease yet. If a child was born on a date before the policy was eased, it would be an illegal child and the parents could end up with a $50,000 fine.

Simon Denyer is credible because his profession is to write for foreign affairs in South Asia. He also uses statistics and quotes an actual person who has a dilemma dealing with this situation. He uses statistics by saying, "But China’s overall population level will not be affected much and will still peak below 1.5 billion in about 20 years, from about 1.3 billion now, officials said." (Denyer). This was used to theorize that even if the "one child policy" were at ease, the population wouldn't increase as dramatically as the Chinese government believes it would.

Denyer wrote this to show that this policy is still going on today and it has an impact on many people. As hard it as it may be to believe, many families are having a really hard time dealing with just having one child. Denyer is also trying to show that the fine for having another child is ridiculous. It is crazy to pay $50,000 just for having one extra child. But this also shows how serious the government is taking the policy. 

There was no specific intended audience. The article was to show the entire world the small things that are making life as difficult as they shouldn't. This article could also be used to cry out for help or notice so other countries may help get rid of this policy for good.

Denyer appeals to pathos because of his usage of quoting an actual "victim" of the situation. By quoting an actual person, it allows the audience to feel bad for the mother who is afraid to have another child because of the government's extreme consequences. 

Denyer was able to accomplish his purpose. He was able to use reliable statistics, first person accounts, and emotional attachments in order to show that the "one child policy" in China is ridiculous and it should be eased as soon as possible. 

("Simon Denyer/The Washington Post - Zhang Yufei, 42, left, his son Zhang Enlang, 13 months, his mother-in-law Li Zhihong and his wife Ma Yanyan, 30, pose for a photograph in their family home in Beijing, China on Nov. 20, 2013. After a relaxation in China's one-child policy, Zhang and his wife want a second child, but only after Beijing's heavily polluted air improves." (The Washington Post))

IRB Intro: "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

This book is about a girl named Jeannette Walls who had unconditional love for her family despite its ups and downs. I chose this book because many people have recommended it to me. Every single person who has read this book, as far as I know, loves it. So I decided to give it a shot as well.

I am looking forward to seeing life in another person's point of view. I've never had any major struggles in my life, compared to Jeannette Walls, so it will be interesting to be in another person's shoes, imagining what they saw, feeling what they felt. 

What I hope to gain from this book is another viewpoint of life. I feel that I am unaware of real hardships and struggles. So by reading this book, I feel that I will be able to read another person's life and see how they struggled and fought through it. My hopes are pretty high for this book, I can't wait!

TOW#9: "Ravaged Philippine City Ponders a Grim Road Ahead" by Andrew Jacobs (Article)

How Did This Happen?

Last Week, a typhoon hit Guiuan,Philippines. It has been said that there hasn't been this much activity since World War II. Now people are left with no homes, no food, no clothing, nothing. There were approximately 100 deaths, which may not seem like a lot, but the territory damages are massive. Everything was destroyed. "Not a single roof was left intact..."(Jacobs).

Although, Jacobs did not witness himself the actual typhoon, he quotes many people who saw it and have nothing now. He also uses many statistics like death rates. 

He manages to report the information without making it sound boring. He makes it sound like a story, especially by quoting of people. He also talks about people who are practically helpless like Ms. Bagores. She had neither insurance nor savings to begin with. How was she supposed to send her daughter to school now? 

By using people like Ms. Bagores, Jacobs appeals to pathos. He allows the audience to feel bad and want to contribute in helping them. He says, "Elenita Bagores, an unemployed teacher, put on her best face as she and her 15-year-old daughter, Rica, washed out blankets and school clothes in a pail. Behind them sat a pile of lime-green wood that had been their home" (Jacobs). He makes them appear pitiful, hopeless, and lifeless.

This typhoon was indeed one of largest catastrophes in many years. That is why this situation, in general, is so significant. By writing this article, Jacob is able to show how catastrophic this event truly was and the immense amount of damages that are left behind. 

Although the typhoon has occurred in the Philippines, Jacobs wants to share the situation with the entire world so that they can help people there. Doctors are needed, and supplies,like food and clothing, are needed. Right now the Philippines has nothing. They need all the help that they can get. And by getting this message through the world, Jacobs is able to convince outside countries to help them. 

Andrew Jacobs didn't just re-tell a happening; he told a story. But it wasn't a "once upon a time" type of story. It was a real story and it is still happening today. By using pathos and statistics, Jacobs is able to show the audience that the people in the Philippines are practically ruined and they need help. 

"A family in Guiuan outside a makeshift shelter they constructed after their home was destroyed.  The town bore the full brunt of Typhoon Haiyan." (Bryan Denton for The New York Times)

            

TOW#8: "A Stolen Life" By Jaycee Lee Dugard (IRB)

Who Knew?

At the end of "A Stolen Life", Jaycee Lee Dugard describes her freedom after 18 years of captivity. Oddly enough, it was her kidnapper, Phillip, who admitted that he kidnapped her. One day, his parol officer calls him down to the station and Dugard happens to be with him. The officer asks Jaycee what her name was. She had not said her name in 18 years. Finally, she writes her name down on paper instead. The parol officer did not recognize the name until Philip admitted that she was the girl that he had kidnapped. In that moment, Dugard was free.

How did Dugard write about such a story? Wasn't she afraid? She felt that she was protecting him if she had not told people her story. Throughout this horrifying journey, she remained sane. She said that if she got angry, then Philip would have won. Dugard is one of very few people who survive kidnapping and assault. This allows her to appeal to ethos because it shows that she is a very bold woman. No one can make any comments contradicting what she has to say because she lived through it. People do not know what she truly felt despite her detailed descriptions throughout her book.

Dugard wanted to show other that if she could survive something as horrible as that, then other people should be able to stand up to pretty much, everything. She is reaching out to people who are scared and intimidated of speaking out. She is also trying to show other people who may misunderstand what really happens when someone is kidnapped. People are deceived by hollywood movies because the kidnapping that occurs there isn't AS bad as what people are used to hearing. Now after hearing a real, tragic story, people see a new side of the idea of kidnapping.

Dugard appeals to pathos throughout the entire memoir. Since the story is in first person, readers can understand her feelings throughout the journey. She talks about how she is always lonely, which allows people to pity her. The fact that she was such a little girl when she was kidnapped makes people feel awful for her and saddened by her situation.

Dugard most definitely achieved her purpose. She appealed to ethos, pathos, and logos. Her purpose was to show a real story of a kidnapped person. By using all these strategies, Dugard was able to achieve her purpose.

( http://news.lalate.com/category/jaycee-lee-dugard/)

Jaycee Lee Dugard-Now