Beyond 2012: Why the World Won't End

        There are few who have not heard that this Friday, December 21^st, 2012, the world is supposedly coming to an end. However, NASA argues that December 21, 2012, will not be the end of the world as we know it; instead, it will be another winter solstice. In a question and answer format, NASA explains the origin of the theories behind the end of the world, and proves why it will not end. NASA refutes many of the proposed explanations for the causes of the end of the world. As mentioned, the author of this article is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), an agency of the United States government that is responsible for the civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research. NASA was prompted to write this article in response to the uproar concerning the end of the world as we know it. Therefore, NASA’s purpose in writing this article is to present a scientific approach to explain not only why the world is NOT ending this Friday, but also to answer frequently asked questions to help settle people’s nerves about this upcoming event. Therefore, it is only logical that the audience for this article is anyone concerned about the world ending.

            There are several rhetorical devices used in this article to help achieve the purpose of convincing society that the world is not going to end this Friday. The most prominent device used is logos. In response to every question proposed, NASA used scientific reasoning to fully respond to all questions. This logical appeal pulls people away from the Mayan myth and towards logical and factual science. I personally think it is a lot easier to believe science than it is an ancient calendar. The author also incorporates concrete language to assist the use of logos. Concrete Language is language that describes specific, observable things, people, or places, rather than ideas or qualities. As described above, NASA used specific, observable facts to present their argument that the word is not ending, rather than abstract ideas like those backing up the Mayan Calendar claim. Another subtle rhetorical device that assisted the reader’s understanding, in my opinion, was the minimal use of scientific jargon. If the author were to throw dozens of scientific terms into the article it would have become confusing and distant. However, with the minimal jargon, readers were able to follow along with minimal difficulty.

            Overall, I do believe NASA accomplished their purpose of presenting scientific reasoning to explain why the world is not ending on December 21^st, 2012. By using an argumentative style and the various rhetorical devices listed above, NASA was able to prove their point and convince the public that the world will continue to exist like it has for 4 billion years. Also, I would argue that just because this article is written by NASA, it makes it more reliable and convincing than others. So do not start blowing all of your money quite yet, there is still hope!

Why Apple Got a ‘Made in U.S.A.’ Bug

            The “Made In China” label is one of the most recognizable labels in the world today due to China's rapidly developing, large manufacturing industry. Apple is known for making their infamous products in Chinese factories. However, rising energy prices and a global market for computers are changing the way companies make their machines. Apple has decided to make some of its computers in the United States instead of China. This is not only a positive for American jobs, but it is also a marker of where much of the global computer industry is going.

The author of this text is Quentin Hardy, a Journalist and lecturer at UC Berkeley, where he also attended college. Hardy was prompted to write this article to address the emerging trend in computer manufacturing. Rather than having China manufacture everything in sight, computer companies are beginning to use specialized robots and US manufacturing instead of cheap, Chinese labor. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to offer countless examples to support this trend and prove that manufacturing is truly starting to go in a new direction. The audience of this text is any American adult concerned with the economic status of our country, and wants to bring manufacturing back to America.

            There are several rhetorical elements used in this article; however, the one that is most prominent is comparing and contrasting. Throughout the article, the author compares the manufacturing techniques and experiences of various computer companies including, Hewlett Packard, Dell, Gateway, Intel, and of course Apple. To offer some examples, when talking about Hewlett Packard’s relation to the new manufacturing trend, Hardy writes, “Five years ago, H.P. supplied most of Europe’s desktops from China, but today it manufactures in the Czech Republic, Turkey and Russia instead.” Additionally, “Hewlett-Packard, which turns out over 50 million computers a year through its own plants and subcontractors, makes many of its larger desktop personal computers in such higher-cost areas as Indianapolis and Tokyo to save on fuel costs and to serve business buyers rapidly.” On another side, when discussing Dell, Hardy explains how Dell, “made its mark by developing lean manufacturing techniques in Texas.” As observed, the author uses the rhetorical device of comparing and contrasting to show how individual companies are exhibiting the trend of moving manufacturing away from China, and to robots and US factories. The use of this device allows reader to feel like they are getting a wider field of information and examples, rather than a single view. This allows them to analyze the material in more depth in order to discern patterns, which leaves the reader with a stronger understanding about the subject at hand.

            I do believe the author accomplished his purpose of offering additional examples to support the upcoming manufacturing trend of using robots and US manufacturing rather than Chinese manufacturing to make products. Hardy gives dozens of examples to support his claim, which leaves readers with no room to question or refute Hardy’s claim. At the end of this article, the reader does not just have information on Apple. Instead he or she has information on about five other corporations as well. Overall, the author successfully achieved his purpose by utilizing comparing and contrasting and other strategies to get his message across. 

36 Hours in Lijiang, China

            One cannot deny the increasingly popular, stereotypical view of Chinese cities as crowded, dirty, highly industrial pits with swarms of people hustling every which way.  However, in the article, 36 Hours in Lijiang, China, Jeannie Ralston gives her audience a different view of a Chinese city that differs from the stereotypical one. In this article, the author takes her readers on a 36 hour journey through Lijiang in order to get a taste of the beauty and originality of this breathtaking city. It is considered a fairyland blessed with fresh air, clear streams, breathtaking snow mountains and an undisturbed landscape inhabited by a friendly group of people. The author of this article is again Jeannie Ralston, the author of, The Unlikely Lavender Queen: A Memoir of Unexpected Blossoming. 

The context that prompted Ralston to write this article is the invisibility of Lijiang, China to many foreign travelers. Ralston feels like the beauty is going to waste. Therefore, Ralston’s purpose in writing this article is to give travelers a preview of the unique sites, activities, attractions, restaurants and cultural life of Jijiang. The audience for this text is any traveler interested in broadening their horizons and traveling to a place unheard of by most.

There are several rhetorical devices used in this article; although, the two that are most prominent are imagery and diction. Ralston constantly uses a strong sense of imagery to bring Lijiang to life. Throughout the 36-hour journey, Ralston adds a strong, sensual description to every place visited. To offer an example, in her opening statement, Ralston provides a descriptive setting of Lijiang that says, “The horizon here is Himalayan, and the blue sky above the city’s stone streets, willow-lined canals and black-tiled roofs is reliably visible”. Her illustrative words help to paint a base picture in the reader's mind before diving into the article. Additionally, Ralston use a very informal, conversational diction while writing. By doing so, the readers feel like they are traveling with Ralston rather than listening to her tell a tale. For instance, she writes, “The word “breathtaking” when applied to a Chinese city too often refers to respiratory-attack-inducing smog. But in the case of Lijiang, population 1.2 million, in the southwestern province of Yunnan, the word takes on its slack-jaw-in-awe meaning”. This funny, stereotypical sentence is crafted very nicely to again make the article very informal and conversational. In addition, the informality can be seen when Ralston also says, “So giddy-making are Lijiang’s offerings that the Old Town is filled with such vaguely fortune-cookie-like signs as ‘Mountains and rivers will be your friends and you will be with good reputation as a civilized tourist.’ Rough translation: Behave!’” Again, this informal diction makes the article more humorous, and enjoyable.

Overall, I do believe the author accomplished her purpose of writing an article that gives travelers a preview of the social and cultural life of the unique city of Lijiang. She provides a new place worth visiting every couple hours, leaving readers with a pretty good idea of what to expect from Lijiang. Her informal diction and imagery further help to persuade readers to visit the city. Overall, not only did the content of the article, but the style as well helped to present readers with a new site worth visiting. 

Trapped

            In the novel, Trapped, Marc Aronson tells the unthinkable tale about the 33 Chilean miners who were trapped 2,000 feet below Earth’s surface for 69 days. Not only does Aronson give the scene-by-scene rescue, but he also illustrates the backstory behind this incredible event. By tracing the psychological, physical, and environmental factors surrounding the rescue, Trapped highlights the amazing technology and helping hands that made it all possible. Considering I am still in the beginning of the book, I have only been presented with the history and logistics of the aging mine. The author, Marc Aronson, is a writer, editor, publisher, speaker, and historian who believes that young people, especially pre-teens and teenagers, are smart, passionate, and capable of engaging with interesting ideas in interesting ways.

            The context that prompted the publishing of this novel is obviously the event itself, but also Aronson’s want to show the world that this rescue was not accomplished by solely the workers alongside the mine. The rescue would not have been made possible if the global community did not help. To offer an example, the Argentinean soccer players who helped raise morale, or NASA who volunteered their expertise to come up with a plan, contributed to the rescue mission just as much as the workers themselves. So the purpose of this novel is to provide the audience with a well-paced story detailing not only the heroic efforts of the trapped men, but also how the entire global community came together to rescue these 33 miners. Although this story could be told to anybody around the globe, I believe the target audience is juvenile readers because Aronson writes in a less sophisticated manner so even a younger audience can engage in the tale.

            There are several rhetorical elements used in this novel to create the tense feel present in the actual event. However, one device used frequently that I did not think would be present in a novel of this type was personification. The author frequently uses personification to give human qualities to abstract things. For instance, the author recurrently addresses hope when describing the miners. He says how the loss and gain of hope was a big factor in the rescue. For example, when talking about hope, Aronson writes that hope offers, “no plan, no schedule, just a wish, a prayer, a belief- it flickers on, and then flickers off” (Aronson 26). We all know hope is not capable of having a plan or schedule, but he describes it in this manner to help readers visualize and understand the emotion a little better. It is a lot easier to connect to hope with a description attached, rather than by itself.

            Although I am not very far in the novel, I do believe the author is accomplishing his purpose of providing the audience with a well-paced story detailing not only the heroic efforts of the trapped men, but also how the entire global community came together to rescue these 33 men. He provides many examples of the global community extending their arms to help in any way possible. Aronson includes so many details to the point where sometimes he is moving hour-by-hour. All of these factors compile together to give the audience a heart-wrenching tale of an incredible rescue.

           

The Roy Castle Lung Foundation

         

           This image is one of the many, "Stop Smoking" ads on the market today. This one particularly caught my attention for various reasons. To offer a brief overview, this ad is an image of a little girl with a woman’s hand that is holding a cigarette. This advertisement is using the minor premise of second-hand smoking to assist their claim of the popular ad focus, Stop Smoking. This advertisement was made by the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation. This foundation is a British medical research charity dedicated to the prevention and cure of lung cancer. It is the only charity in the UK wholly dedicated to the defeat of lung cancer. The charity funds lung cancer research, provides support, helps people to quit smoking, and gives a voice to all those affected by lung cancer through its campaigning work.

            The context of this ad that prompts the author to develop it is the inevitable societal problem of smoking. Regardless of all the advertisements, there were still 46.6 million smokers last year and the number is growing daily. So, this advertisement was another ad made to stop this monstrous number from multiplying yet again. However, the ad is targeting the audience through a different approach. As straightforwardly seen, the purpose of this advertisement is to give smokers a reason, other than their personal health, to stop smoking. The audience of this text is any smoking individual, but specifically one with children or family members that are being affected by their unhealthy addiction. The author writes, “Second hand smoke in the home hospitalizes 17,000 UK children a year". The author addresses the audience in a unique way by focusing on the effects of second hand smoke on others rather than on the smoker themselves. By doing this, the audience is now forced to focus on the effects it is having on their family and friends rather than just their health. 

            There are several rhetorical elements used in this advertisement including appeals to logos, pathos, a syllogism, and cause and effect. The two worth expanding on are cause and effect, which in turn aids the appeal to pathos. The rhetorical device of cause and effect is used in this ad when the author is saying that smoking (the cause) has the effect of hospitalizing thousands of children every year. By setting up this emotionally haunting cause and effect, the audience understands that they are not only hurting themselves, but others as well. This in turn appeals to pathos because it taps into the audience’s emotions in a way that other ads have failed to do. The smokers realize that this is not just about them anymore.

            Overall, I do believe the author accomplished their purpose through this image. By using several rhetorical devices, the author gives smokers another reason, other than their personal health, to stop smoking. The ad makes smokers think beyond themselves and look at how their addiction is affecting the people around them. This new concept directly helps the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation to spread their popular idea of stopping smoking around the globe.