ToW #7: Meet a 21st Century Slave

     This op-ed by NYC writer Nicholas Kristof was written in order to raise awareness for the modern-age slave trade. Kristof has been awarded with two Pulitzer Prizes, and has written for the New York Times for 14 years, and works to bring attention to the many human rights issues that are still in the world.

     The article itself uses empathy through a interview with a women who was a victim of human trafficking, as well as cold, hard facts in order to show the tragedy that it is. Kristof's purpose was to argue against Amnesty International's proposal; to decriminalize the the sex trade. He believes that " it’s certainly true that some women (and men) work in the sex trade voluntarily. Yet in practice, approaches similar to Amnesty’s have ended up simply empowering pimps...the police would no longer have a reason to raid brothels to search for girls like Poonam. [sex trafficking victim]"

     I believe that Kristof partially fulfilled his purpose, because while he brought attention to the proposal, he didn't do a lot to fight it, and the op-ed felt a little underwhelming.

ToW 6: Fun Toy Banned Because Of Three Stupid Dead Kids

Robofighter toy described in the article as "an incredibly cool 
device that could shoot both plastic missiles and long jets of water, 
as well as maneuver over the ground on retractable wheels."

     This satirical article by The Onion uses humor and diction in order to bring attention to the fact that far too often, a few people can ruin it for an entire group. The article describes the three incredibly stupid deaths of children playing with a toy called a 'robofighter,' each dumber than the last, as well as testimonies from kids and adults about their thoughts on the situation. The use of strong language as well as an incredibly casual tone helps create the humorous tone in the article. This humorous tone is essential in achieving the purpose, as it highlights the ridiculousness of the situation.

     The reason why this article was so successful in its purpose was because of the real-world problems it made fun of, such as with Buckyballs a few years back, or with slap bracelets before that. This means that people can relate to these types of incidences in real life, empowering the article's purpose.

ToW #5: 'One Last Time'

     In light of race car driver Jeff Gordon approaching the end of his final season of NASCAR racing, NASCAR created a short video commemorating 24 years of racing, with almost 800 starts and almost 100 wins : 

     The ad was both posted onto the many NASCAR social media pages, as well as aired during today's Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It was likely made not as an ad, but rather a way to celebrate Jeff Gordon, who was honored in the NASCAR Hall of Fame with an exhibit displaying nine of Gordon's cars, from his beginnings in open-wheeled racing to a car from his 24th season.

     The 'ad' is simple and effective, using repetition of 'one last...' in order to help make the point that this is Gordon's final season. However, the ad also makes great use of the occasion, as Charlotte was where Gordon won his first NASCAR race, making the emotional appeal of the ad that much greater.

     The ad has gained traction in social media, starting the hashtag '#24ever,' as thousands of people celebrate the life and career of Jeff Gordon, who finished in 8th today at Charlotte. 

ToW #4: Band of Brothers

     Band of Brothers by Stephen E. Ambrose examines WWII from the perspective of 'Easy' Company, of the 506th regiment, 101st airborne division. As I was reading it, I drew many connections to O'Brien's How to Tell a True War Story, particularly when O'Brien discusses how a true war story should be unbelievable. One of these moments is when 2nd Ltn. "Buck" Compton "threw his grenade on a straight line—no arch—and it hit a German in the head as it exploded." (Ambrose, 81) Another 'unbelievable' moment is when Lewis Nixon, an officer in E. Company, is seen "examining his helmet, a big smile on his face. A German machinegun bullet from the first burst had gone through the front of his helmet and exited out the side at such an angle that the bullet simply left a burn mark on his forehead. It did not even break the skin." (Ambrose, 137)

     However, the unbelievable moments are not the only focus of the book, because like O'Brien noted, the book shows the development of the special relationship those who were in E. Company had, having fought through a war together, behind enemy lines. Abrose really drives this point home by interviewing surviving members of E. Company, giving a primary source and account to back nearly everything he says. He not only examines how they lived on the battlefield, but the companionship they had off it, formed through struggling through training and the battlefield together.

     Showing the companionship servers a greater purpose, though, because it also helps the reader to feel empathy when a member of the group is killed or wounded, because they've made a connection to those in the (true) story. And by recalling the story through first person perspective, and seeing how the war went through this perspective, Abrose might be seeking to show the tragedy of war, and the fact that freedom doesn't come free.