TOW #3: "Dreamland" by David K. Randall (Part 1)

     Dreamland by David K. Randall is a non-fiction book about the science of sleep, and it was written in order to shed light on the ambiguity of that particular topic. The author immediately establishes ethos when he begins writing the book; he enlightens the reader by recounting his previous issues with sleep. He states that he had sleepwalking issues, and when he went to the doctor, he found himself very unsatisfied with the amount of information he got back about his predicament. Randall also appeals to pathos and logos in the book by informing his readers about the history of sleep. This appeals to logos because he includes factual anecdotes about what different cultures thought of sleep, he goes into detail about what benefits or non-benefits come out of sleeping in certain ways, and so on. He appeals to pathos by constantly tying in that sleeping in a certain way is special to humans; he takes his wide range of an audience and brings them together with this simple idea.
     David K. Randall is a senior reporter for Reuters as well as a professor at New York University. He has also written for the New York Times, New York magazine, Forbes, and the Associated Press. Dreamland is his first published book. Randall seems to have written his book for any science enthusiasts. He brings up that sleep is a science many people do not know much about, so it makes the topic even more intriguing for curious people. His book may also help those involved with the science of sleep better understand issues like his because he brings a personal touch to the information. Randall achieves his purpose of introducing the science of sleep to his readers because he establishes how he himself became interested, he includes factual information, and he involves his audience by choosing a topic that everyone can relate to.

TOW #2: "It Can Wait" Commercial (Visual Text)

   With the introduction of new technologies, texting and driving has recently become a more prominent issue in society. Whenever I watch TV, I always come across very serious commercials regarding the issue. The commercials' goals are to keep their audience from making the same mistakes that others did and to tell them to never text and drive. AT&T, a popular telephone service provider, is the sponsor of these videos, establishing ethos because the company is so well-known. Also, since AT&T is the speaker of these commercials, the people who work in the company know how to appeal to their audience—anyone watching TV—because they know a ton about something everyone values: technology. The particular ad that I want to highlight is one with a man named Chandler speaking about how he was once texting and driving and ended up getting in an accident and killing three children. To make matters worse, the ad states that Chandler's text read, "i love you."
   AT&T's anti-texting and driving commercials are effective because they appeal to their audience's emotions and logic. The fact that the commercial stated that Chandler killed three children makes the audience feel a little of what Chandler was feeling when he did it. Also, they included that he was texting "i love you" to illustrate that he is just a normal person, like everyone else watching the commercial. Another aspect of the commercial that appealed to the audience is that Chandler was talking about the event and giving his own perspective: at the end of the ad he says, "There's never a day that I wake up and I don't think about it."

It Can Wait

Watch the commercial here: http://www.itcanwait.com/videos/wrong-turn/

TOW #1: "Overpopulation Is Not the Problem" by Erle C. Ellis

     “Overpopulation Is Not the Problem” by Erle C. Ellis is a piece of op-ed writing featured in The New York Times. This editorial is about the common mentality that the earth will someday be unable to support all life on it. However, instead of backing up this argument, Ellis uses logos by validating the counterpoint that earth will be able to sustain all life with the help of technologies created by humans. Ellis, an associate professor of geography and environmental systems in Baltimore County and a visiting associate professor at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, uses ethos to demonstrate his credibility. He mentions in the article that he is trained as a biologist, so he knows the mathematics of population growth. In addition, he has gotten lots of information from his research on the ecology of agriculture in China.

   This op-ed was created in response to the anxiety many scientists have about the future; it takes a frequent worry-causing prediction and fully refutes it. Ellis’s purpose, to give his readers a new perspective on the fate of the future, was achieved because he used rhetorical devices associated with logos and ethos. Logos was used to back up his points and disprove others’ points, and ethos was used in order to establish a sense of shared values between the author and the audience. In this case, the shared values are the destiny of the earth and the life it supports. In addition, ethos was also utilized to show Ellis’s credibility on the subject. This article is meant for any audience interested in the science of the earth. Furthermore, Ellis intended for his audience to be anyone reading The New York Times and wrote his article based on the aforementioned values that are shared between most of the people living on earth.

IRB Post MP1

     Dreamland: Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep by David K. Randall is an informational book that delves deep into an area of study many do not know much about—sleep! Randall, a senior reporter at Reuters and an assistant professor at New York University, started researching the science when he realized he had a huge sleepwalking problem. Since there was not much on the subject, he decided to do some fact-finding himself. The book consists of information on the connections made between sleeping and diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and obesity. Dreamland also includes the history, myths, and the answers to questions many might have about the nightly activity of sleeping.
     I chose this book to be my Independent Reading Book because I, like Randall, am very interested in the science of sleep. I would like to learn how past civilizations had treated sleep and if it was as valuable (or invaluable) as it is to people today. In addition, I have wondered many times if I myself have a sleeping issue, since I tend to wake up multiple times in the middle of the night for no reason. I hope to get lots of new information through this book as well as some answers for the questions I have about sleep.