AOW #15- "Rules to Stop Teachers and Students From Getting Too Social Online"

"Rules to Stop Teachers and Students From Getting Too Social Online"
by Jennifer Preston for New York Times (Dec. 17, 2011)
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/18/business/media/rules-to-limit-how-teachers-and-students-interact-online.html?_r=1&hpw

This article was about limitations regarding social networking sites and school. It talks about boundaries that are/have been set and their effectiveness. It also brings up cases of abuse and success of social networking sites in schools in order to support both sides of the argument.

The context of this piece is how popular social networking sites are and how controversial the subject of their use in education is.

The purpose of this piece is to give an unbiased explanation of the pros and cons of social networking sites and their use in schools and education.

The audience for whom this is intended is all students, teachers, parents, and faculty members, especially those who are concerned about the use of these sites in schools. It can also appeal to anyone interested in social networking sites and their role in society.

Rhetorical devies of this article include:

• They Say, I say- Rather then disproving the "they say" part, each piece of both sides of the argument is supported with facts, statistics, court cases, etc. 
• Appeal to Logos- This article uses many facts, statistics, court cases, etc. in order to support their argument and create a balance between the pros and cons of the situation.

I think that the author accomplished her purpose because this article gives a very thorough, in depth look at the impact of social networking sites in education and what boundaries work and don't work.

AOW #14- IRB- "Holidays on Ice"

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris

David Sedaris comes from North Carolina, raised in a family with 6 siblings. He began his career in comedy after dropping out of Kent State University to travel around the United States and read excerpts from his diaries at local clubs. He then went on to reading these hilarious stories on the local radio station, eventually publishing these stories into several books.

This section was composed of 3 short stories about the holiday season. He describes events in past holiday seasons that he finds humorous and can effectively describe in order to make his audience laugh. Out of the 3 stories in this section, my favorite was the first, which described his short-lived career as an elf in SantaLand of Macy's in New York. His portrayal of his time working as an elf was funny and entertaining to read about.

The context of this book is David Sedaris' holiday tales as told by him to his fan-base.

The purpose for which this book was written is to tell readers about the hilarious stories of Sedaris' holiday seasons.

The audience for whom this book is intended is those interested in Christmas and the holiday season. Also, it is mainly written for fans of Sedaris and his writing style.

Rhetorical elements of this book include:

• satire- Sedaris consistently creates humor out of every situation he describes. He describes in detail very funny stories that have actually happened in his life.
• syntax- Sedaris uses extreme punctuation such as repetitive exclamation marks (!!!) to express emotion in his writing. He uses them to show excitement and loudness.

So far, I think Sedaris semi-accomplished his purpose. I am not fully satisfied with his sense of humor as I sometimes find him offensive, though that clearly is just his style. I think that certain parts of his stories are funny though and have made me laugh out loud.

AOW #13- "It's their world..."

"It's their world...(We're just keeping up with it)"
by David Keeps for Lucky Magazine (November 2011)

This is a credible source because it is a popular, well-established magazine.

This article was about the Kardashian family, their fame, and their television show. It talks about the author's meeting with the 3 sisters and what they were like. It also discusses their personal opinions on their fame and television show.

The context of this piece is the current immense fame and popularity of the Kardashians and their extensive impact on today's media. Also, their show is currently a huge hit that many people watch.

The purpose for this piece is to tell the readers about the Kardashian family and how they became the phenomenons they are today. Also, it informs fans about their favorite Hollywood family, and what their past, present, and future look like.

The audience for whom this piece was intended is fans of the Kardashians or anyone interested in their life.

Rhetorical devices in this piece include:

• testimony: This article is based on an interview with the Kardashian sisters were they each shared their personal thoughts, and then was formed into an article.
• syntax: The author uses syntax to express how the Karshasians actually talked/acted. For example, "Oh. Meh. Goh." 

I don't think the author accomplished their purpose effectively. The piece was pretty boring and not very informational. The author could have delved deeper into the lives of the Kardashians or focused on more interesting topics in their lives, rather then being so general and boring.