TOW #23- The Whistle By Benjamin Franklin

Goals:

1.     Find an essay that has a purpose that isn’t obvious

2.     Be able to find the purpose of that essay

3.     Don’t over-analyze anything

            Benjamin Franklin is one of the most well renowned men in American History, known all over the country for his astounding accomplishments. In a letter to Madame Brillon, Franklin tries to give some of his wisdom to a woman, who he is presumably acquainted to. With the use of a personal anecdote and a combination of hypothetical and real situations, Franklin attempts to caution his friend not to value something too highly, and pay an unnecessary high price to get it.

            Franklin implements a personal anecdote in order to enlighten his friend on a time that he personally “paid too much for his whistle”. Franklin describes a time in which he bargained for a whistle, an object in which he found much joy at the time. As he blew it around the house and bothered his family, Franklin describes, that, “[his] brothers… understanding the bargain [he] had made, told [him he] had given four times as much for it as it was worth.” By describing a personal situation, he is able to express to Madame Brillon the negative connotation implied by paying too much for one’s whistle and imply why doing so can be a negative action that she should not repeat.

            Following his anecdote, Franklin uses a combination of hypothetical and real situations to exemplify what “paying too much for one’s whistle” actually involves. A real example Franklin chooses to include describes a man, fond of popularity, constantly employing himself in political bustles, neglecting his own affairs, and ruining them by that neglect.” In this example, Franklin is successfully able to show what this man is overvaluing, and what that same man is consequently sacrificing. As a hypothetical example, Franklin describes a person, “fond of appearance, or fine clothes, fine houses, fine furniture, fine equipages, all above his fortune, for which he contracts debts, and ends his career in a prison.” Here, a person again overvalued one thing, and paid an unnecessary price. By showing his point through different situations, Franklin is able to make sure Brillon understands what “paying to much for a whistle” really entails, and to make sure his acquaintance heeds his caution.

            By using an anecdote and a combination of types of situations, Franklin is successfully caution his friend not to value something too highly, and pay an unnecessary high price to get it, and be sure that she indeed takes his advice.

Benjamin Franklin
Image: http://www.learning-living.com/2013/04/ben-franklin-whistle.html
Essay: http://grammar.about.com/od/60essays/a/whistlessay.htm

TOW #22- 21 Reasons Why Student Athletes Are Employees and Should Be Allowed to Unionize

On going debates revolving around college athletics have recently gone to a new level: the issue of unionizing. Marc Edelman, with the use of a list and statistics, argues that college athletes should indeed be allowed to get paid and unionize.

            Edelman utilizes a list in order to make his argument clear, concise, and logical. To the reader, whom would be an ordinary sports fan or participant, an extensive essay wouldn’t be worth sitting down to read. In an ordinarily formatted essay, one can only make so many arguments without convoluting the purpose, making the essay too long, or losing the interest of sports fans simply searching for quick information. A list effectively is able to concisely make its points in a logical manner that, in this case, effectively communicates to the audience.

            Within this list, Edelman utilizes statistics in order to make a logical argument. For example, Edelman states that, “The typical Division I college football player devotes 43.3 hours per week to his sport- 3.3 more hours than the typical American work week.” With the use of specific facts and statistics, Edelman is able to prove to his audience that logically, a college athlete should be treated as employees by their respective schools. Edelman not only implements statistics about the physical labor, but about the revenue as well.  For example, he tells his readers that, “The NCAA currently produces nearly $11 Billion in annual revenue from college sport— more than…total league revenues of both the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League.” By using a variety of specific statistics, Edelman is able to successfully create a logical argument.

            With the use of a list and statistics, Marc Edelman is successfully able to prove his argument that college athletes should indeed be able to unionize and receive pay.

TOW #21- The Cover of Fiske Guide To Colleges by Edward B. Fisk

Finding the right college or university can be a difficult task for students to navigate. Due to that fact, many knowledgeable people publish informational books for students to reference throughout their college search.  Edward B. Fisk is one of those individuals, and he designed his cover to grab the attention of all college searchers and students.  With the use of bright and aesthetically pleasing colors and accolades, Fisk is able to attract students to use his book and encourage them to purchase it for reference.

            Fisk uses bright colors in order to attract the eyes of the consumer to his college guide. The colors Fisk selected include royal blue, white, black, and bright green. With these colors, Fisk is able to make his guide more aesthetically appealing then more “boring” covers generated by competitors. By using colors that are brighter then the competition, Fisk makes students more likely to be attracted to and thus pick up his book then those of competitors.

            Once a student has picked up his college guide, Fisk must encourage consumers to proceed to purchase the book. Consequently, he includes accolades that have been awarded to his guide that distinguish it from competitors’ college guides. These accolades are often bolded in order to draw the eye to them, and immediately create the idea that Fiske’s guide to colleges is superior to anyone else’s college guide. Examples of such accolades include that Fiske is, “The top-rated guide to the best colleges”, “The best college guide you can buy. –USA today”, and “most trusted by guidance counselors, students, and parents.” By including such information, other guides seem worthless to consider, and inferior to the information presumably provided by Fiske’s guide.

            Due to the stress and struggle of both locating and deciding upon the right college, students may search for information to make a more informed decision as to where to look or choose to go to school. By using bright, aesthetically pleasing colors, and impressive accolades, Edward B. Fisk is better able to attract student to choose his guide to colleges, rather then those made by others.

Fiske Guide to Colleges
http://www.fiskeguide.com

TOW #20- Lost Girls by Robert Kolker 1

Detailing a serial killer with an unknown identity, Lost Girls by Robert Kolker is the true story behind an unsolved murder mystery in Long Island. By organizing the beginning chapters into names of victims and implementing maps, Kolker is able to fully introduce his audience the mystery and suspense of the murder cases.

Kolker organizes the first chapters into the names of victims in order to aid the audience in drawing parallels between each of the victims. Each chapter goes into depth as to each woman’s backstory. These chapters are presented as stories, and thus draw in interest from the audience. However, as the audience reading this mystery would presumably be inquisitive, Kolker adds specific details that remain fairly constant between the victims. For example, details as to how each woman came from humble backgrounds, struggled to make ends meet, and had children at young ages were included. By keying into the inquisitive nature of his audience, Kolker is able to aid his audience to draw parallels and see why the perpetrator may have selected these victims.

By implementing maps in the beginning of each chapter, the audience is able to see the geographical distance between each victim and see why this may have been such a mystery. At the start of each chapter, the audience receives the geographic location of that given victim. As the chapters progress, the locations of each girl is mapped out and eventually other locations significant to investigations are as well. For example, one victim named Melissa is labeled as being from Buffalo, New York, and Amber from North Carolina. By giving readers this map of the investigation, Kolker is able to visually show his readers where different things took place. As all these things happen to be extremely distant from each other, the reader can infer why this case is such a mystery while also building suspense.

As Kolker sets the stage for a very real murder mystery by organizing the beginning chapters into names of victims and implementing maps, he is able to introduce his audience to the mystery and create a sense of suspense.

Lost Girls by Robert Kolker
http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Girls-Unsolved-American-Mystery-ebook/dp/B009NF6ZJI