AOW #23- "I Was Carjacked at the Mall!"

"I Was Carjacked at the Mall!"
as told to Claudine Ko for Seventeen Magazine (March 2012)

This article was about a young girl who was carjacked while putting her bags in her car during a shopping trip to the mall. She left her friends to put her shopping bags in the car, at which point a man shoved her into the passenger seat of the car and drove away with her still in the car. They ended up at the top of a dirt road, where there was only a single house. She finally escaped from the car and ran to the house, where luckily an older couple was home and able to help her. Eventually, the police caught the man and had him arrested.

The context of this piece is when it is not uncommon for teenage girls to be alone at their cars, in situations where things like this can happen.

The purpose of this piece is to make readers aware of this situation and that it is possible for things like this to happen to anyone.

The audience of this article is all Seventeen magazine readers, which is mainly teenage girls.

Rhetorical Devices:

• Detail- The story is described in such great detail, so it is easy for the reader to imagine what is happening and visualize the story. It helps the reader feel for the girl and be scared for her.
• Punctuation/Syntax- The story is written with a lot of exclamation marks and quotes. This is used to show the intensity of the situation and emphasize the mood.

I think that the author accomplished her purpose because I never really considered situations like this being able to happen to me. I am now more aware of things like this and will be much more careful, especially when I am out by myself.

AOW #22-M&M Commercial

M&M Commercial-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raidy0ATd3A

This commercial was of a brown m&m at a party. People are laughing at her because she is brown, so she looks like she has no "clothes" on. (clothes meaning her candy coating to cover the chocolate). Another m&m comes into the scene and strips off his "clothes", and the song Sexy and I Know It by LMFAO comes on as he dances.

The context of this piece is during the 2012 Super Bowl, when there is the largest viewing audience of any time.

The purpose of this commercial is to comically advertise m&m candies.

The audience of this article is anyone viewing the Super Bowl. The audience is much larger than normal since it is such a big event. Even the commercial viewing audience is larger because people have began to expect great, funny commercials during the Super Bowl.

Rhetorical Devices:

• Comedy- This commercial is effective because it makes the viewer laugh. It is extremely funny and therefore it sticks in your head. 
• Audio/Music- The use of the song Sexy and I Know It by LMFAO was perfect because it is a very popular, comical song that most people have heard and are amused by. It fits perfectly with the content of the commercial and adds to the effect of the product being stuck in your head due to the song.

This commercial accomplished its purpose because it is very funny and entertaining. I remember this commercial very easily, and have even shared it with others because it is so comical. The point of a commercial is to get the product stuck in the viewer's head and make them want to buy it, which this commercial absolutely does. 

AOW #21- "My 'Pregnancy' Diary"

"My 'Pregnancy' Diary"
by Gaby Rodriguez for Seventeen Magazine (March 2012)

This article was about a 17 year old girl who faked a pregnancy as a social experiment. The only people in on the secret was her mom, boyfriend, best friend, and school principal. After going along with her story for 6 months, in an assembly she reveals to the school that it was fake. She did this in an effort to showcase the stereotypes made at family's with history of teen pregnancy as well as being Hispanic and from a small town.

The context of this piece is at a point in our history when teen pregnancy is something that is seen frequently and showcased in the news as well as television shows, such as 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom.

The purpose of this piece was to get the story of this courageous teen to teenagers. It shows how easily people are judged and stereotyped, regardless of what the one who is judging knows or doesn't know about that person.

The audience of this article is all Seventeen magazine readers, which is mainly teenage girls.

Rhetorical Devices:

• Point of View- This article is written in a diary format with Gaby (the teen carrying out the experiment) as the narrator. It is split into periods of time from the beginning of the experiment to the reveal. This helps the reader to understand exactly how she felt and what she went through.
• Side Article- A great feature of this article was a mini side article written by Gaby's boyfriend, who was in on the experiment and went along with it. He shares how difficult it was for him as well since he was being judged as a teen dad. 

I think that the author accomplished her purpose because this article was so interesting. I greatly respect Gaby for the courage she had to follow through with this experiment. I think that this was so interesting to read about and really made me think about the way I view others. 

3rd Marking Period IRB

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

Section 1: pg.1-111

Section 2: pg. 112-208

Section 3: pg. 208-332

I chose this book primarily because Mr. Gabriele recommended it. I knew I wanted to read fiction because I have always been much more interested in fiction than non-fiction. I had absolutely no idea what type of book I wanted or what to chose, so I asked for help. This is the book that was recommended to me.