TOW #24: IRB Post

In the second half of Blood Will Out: The True Story of a Murder, a Mystery, and a Masquerade, we witness Walter Kirn, the critically acclaimed author of this book, unravel more of the true identity of Clark Rockefeller.  While the first half of the book discussed mainly how Clark Rockefeller cloaked his past well, the second half of the book mainly focuses on his flaws.  One example of this would be how earlier in the book Kirn described Rockefeller's house as modern and very well decorated with expensive art, while in the second half of the book he discusses how the art was found later to simply be reproductions.  The second half of the book also goes deeper into Rockefeller’s intentions as a serial imposter, going into why he manipulated his wife to stick around with him as well as why he went about kidnapping his “daughter”.  This later goes into Kirns first time communicating with Rockefeller in custody as someone other than his aliases.  This brings the reader deeper into the mind of the serial imposter as Kirn witnesses Rockefellers responses to his questions.  While this is an interesting approach as to how to pull the reader in, the book still poorly displays the true mystery to Rockefeller.  While the book was an interesting read being that it was from the point of view of someone who personally knew the criminal, the book is mainly an account of Kirn’s memories as opposed to the mystery Kirn paints the book to be.  Because of this, it is hard for the book to live up to its standards.  Yes, audiences will be willing to read it to get the experience it provides, but the presentation of the book was misleading from many aspects, including the title itself which displayed a book much more dramatic and eerie than it actually was.  Because of this, the book did not live up to the standards I would have liked it to.

TOW #23: Nonfiction Text

In the article entitled “Why Trump Are Angry- and Loyal” by the New York Times Editorial Board, we go into exactly why so many people who are supportive of Trump more often than not defend him for his actions despite the lack of morality they may behold.  The article is introduced by introducing Cruz supporter reactions to that of the people who support Trump.  By doing so, the Editorial Board realizes that the majority of the people reading the article are Republican supporters who oppose Trump.  This not only gives the reader more of an insight into the viewpoints of Cruz and Trump supporters, but it also plays a role in pathos.  By quoting Cruz supporters within the article, such as Erick Erickson who goes as far as to say that Trump supporters are “are white supremacists, neo-Nazis, a white victim class of mostly blue-collar workers, a group of white folks who have failed at life and blame everyone else for their own bad decisions” (para. 4), the audience is able to be eased into the Editorial Board’s view on Trump Supporters.  This article goes on to explain how the reason why Trump supporters are so defensive is because Trump promises safety for those who have experienced trouble during the times of the recession.  This is achieved by playing the blame game, which was often used against the Bush administration when Jeb Bush was still in the presidential race, as well as promising many radical ideas such as a wall.  As one Trump supporter by the name of Kraig Moss sees it, whose son died of a heroin abuse in New York City, Trump is trying to keep drugs out of the country; the same drugs that killed his son a year prior to Trump's candidacy.  While Trump in many cases is simply using his supporters weaknesses for his benefits, it is very plausible to understand why Trump supporters are defensive of him.  I believe that The Editorial Board did a great job introducing its ideas and I believe that it did a very good job at introducing its ideas to an audience consisting of very opposite viewpoints of Trump supporters.

TOW#22: Nonfiction Text

In the article entitled “How Virtual Reality Will Change Our Lives” by The Onion, we witness a satirical take on the over exemplified image that modern day technology is given, specifically virtual reality.  Through the development of technology such as the Oculus Rift and Samsung's development of virtual reality headsets, the possibilities that this technology can bring us are often emphasized entirely.  While the technology has the potential to be revolutionary, it is merely a gadget that will be used by the public as a toy rather than a tool.  By listing satirical examples as seen within the article, The Onion utterly solidifies its argument by presenting to its audience what virtually reality is really bound to be.  By saying that tourism “Could very well grind to screeching halt once travelers realize they can experience Liberty Bell from comfort of own living room,” (The Onion 6) the audience sees just how pointless the idea of virtual reality is as a consumer good.  Virtual reality cannot replace our evergoing reality and can merely serve as a source of entertainment.  The assumption that people would rather witness a virtual representation of something as opposed to the real thing is invalid and will never become a reality.  Yes, virtual reality may be useful, however, it cannot replace what we already have and is simply a piece of technology that is being overhyped within the moment due to its uniqueness compared to other consumer goods.  I believe that the Onion does a great job presenting this argument to consumers, representing just exactly what virtual reality and other new forms of technology have to present.