ToW #1-3: In Search of the Keys to the Virtual City

     Simon Parkin's article, In Search of the Keys to the Virtual City, he wishes to explain to the reader why the game in the article, Cites: Skylines, was so successful, using examples from the dedicated fan base, showing similarities to other games, and sharing his own experiences in the game. Parkin is an experienced journalist, writing for The New Yorker, BBC, ESPN, and more. This text was very likely written for those who might be considering purchasing Cities: Skylines, especially as a major expansion for the game was being created, which might increase the amount of people looking to buy the game.

     Parkin opens up with his own experiences with the game, written in a humorous fashion that still introduces the readers to the way that Cities: Skylines plays. He also mentions the active community, 'who regularly share their urban-planning woes on online forums.' After describing his attempt at city planning gone wrong, Parkin starts to draw connection to other games of the city building genre, and gives reasons as to why Cities: Skylines as well as the genre itself tends to be so successful, such as using a quote from Bryan Shannon, an ex-member of the SimCity game, who explains, "We all have a rule book inside of ou head for how a city should be made...if you solve a complex problem that you accidentally created yourself, you feel like a genius for a brief moment." Simply put, it's for the satisfaction of solving issues that draws people into city builders, and keeps them there for years to come. 

     While Parkins does a fantastic job of the success of the genre, he fails at explaining the success of Cities: Skylines itself. However, it isn't a large issue, because the game is part of the genre, and was one that redefined the genre of city-builder. Thus, by describing reasons why city building in general is so popular, Parkins explains the appeals of Cities: Skylines as well, making him successful in the end of explaining the popularity of Cities: Skylines.

ToW #1-2: A Toxic Work World

     A Toxic Work World by  Anne-Maire Slaughter examines how difficult working has become. She does this first by examining woman in the workplace, and the struggles they face in balancing work and home life, especially after they get denied leaves and days off. However, Slaughter continues to say that it's not only women facing these difficulties, but men are too. Slaughter is the president of New America, a association dedicated to renewing American politics in the information age. However, the organisation expands beyond just politics, such as new-age occupations.

     The op-ed was written in order to show the issue of both gender roles in the workplace and at home, as well as to show how difficult it is to balance work and home life in our modern world.  Thus, the audience must be the working class, who have experienced what is discussed in the article and would like a change from the 'quantity over quality' expectation in the workplace today, as well as the gender inequalities that are still seen today, even though two out of three households bevel that gender roles in the home are not applicable anymore, according to the article.

     Slaughter appeals to her audience through a combination of ethos and pathos, as she presents many statistics and studies in order to back up her argument, while using pathos through examples to give people for her audience to relate to. Ethos and pathos are very powerful in combination, because readers are drawn in by a relatable topic, then given the facts that they might have not realized before.

ToW #1-1: GoP Canidate Debate Political Cartoon

     This political cartoon by Steve Breen depicts a pair of very large boots with 'RR' on the side of them, standing for Ronald Reagan. Inside are a bunch of very small figures, bickering over who is the most like Ronald Reagan, and the entire image is labeled 'G.O.P. Candidate Debate.' The joke is that even though each candidate is arguing that they are most like R.R., none of them can 'fill his shoes,' a play on the phase 'he has some large shoes to fill.' This is also the purpose of the cartoon, that nobody can fill in and do as great as a job as R.R. has, even though people would like to believe this.
     This cartoon was drawn in the past week, as it is poking fun at the Republican debates, which have been going on over the past few weeks and are continuing to go on. However, even though the cartoon is poking fun at the republican debates, the audience itself is other republicans, who are skeptical about most or all of the candidates.
     Breen himself is a Republican. He has a bachelor's degree in Political Science, and has won two Pulitzer prizes, making his opinions valid, even if others might not agree with him.

IRB Intro Post #1: Band of Brothers

     Band of Brothers is a non-fiction book focusing on the 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, and their struggles through the WWII. It was written by Stephen E. Ambrose, who wrote many books on American History, as well as a professor at the University of New Orleans.

     I chose this book because I've always had a fascination with WWII in general, and have read many different books on it, such as Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac, and Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand. However, both of them took place in the Pacific theater, so by reading Band of Brothers, I'll expect that I'll be able to learn more about the European theater.