TOW #13 - Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense

Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense in America is an organization that promotes gun safety.  Rather than being against the 2^nd Amendment, they support it but strongly advise the public to consider the safety of their children when guns are in the household and in general.  The group was created four years ago after the founder was devastated by the Sandy Hook shooting.  Deaths caused by gun violence had always been a problem, with more teens and children being affected by these crimes, this organization finds it important to inform the public about gun “sense” and being aware of ways to stop gun violence.

            The ad featured is an image of two children, each holding something that is banned in America.  One is holding Little Red Riding Hood, a children’s book, while the other holds an intimidating gun.  Underneath the two children are the words, “We keep ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ out of schools because of the bottle of wine in her basket.  Why not assault weapons?”  Using the two young children is an essential part to their argument.  By including innocent children, viewers are forced to consider the fact that kids have some type of access to a gun.  Although not all households hold them, anyone around the viewers’ children could be around guns.  By expressing innocence with the kids, moms in this organization can make gun violence a more serious and relatable problem.  Appealing to viewers’ emotion and logic, none of them want to their children to be face with gun violence.

            Not only does a child’s innocence play into the effectiveness of this advertisement, but the sheer shock factor is important as well.  By including the fact about Little Red Riding Hood, viewers are appalled by the fact that it is banned to “protect” kids while guns are not.  In addition, encouraging their audience to guess which one is banned questions their morals.  This allows the organization to point a finger at those who want their children around guns.  By playing with the emotions and morals of viewer, Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense encourage readers to rethink how guns are monitored in society.

             In the advertisement created by the organization, Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense, the groups is able to show readers how appalling gun laws are in America.  By playing into the viewers’ shock, logic, and morals, they are encouraged to rethink their views on the laws of the United States and see the absurdity of the contrast between what is and isn’t banned in America.

TOW #12 - IRB The Glass Castle

Jeannette Walls’ memoir, The Glass Castle consists of many stories of her childhood.  Her low income family bounced around many destinations to live in order to stay alive.  Her father, a booze-addicted man who couldn’t keep a job, and her mother, a free spirited and wild woman, created an unpredictable environment for their children.  Despite the family’s oddities, they still found happiness in every situation.

An important aspect of Walls’ book is the way she tells the story.  Her book is structured in anecdotes.  Each one typically has a surprising or crazy event, but most of them end happily.  In one particular story, Wall’s falls out of their car while on the road.  When they “took a sharp turn over some railroad tracks, the door flew open, and I tumbled out of the car” (30).  Walls had the wind knocked out of her, had her hands and elbows scraped raw, and blood and dirt coated her body.  As she waited for her father to turn around and pick her up, it felt like a significant amount of time had passed.  Walls almost went back to the town they came from, but thankfully her car could be seen approaching her.  Despite her pain, her father took her into the car casually and said, “you busted your snot locker pretty good” (31).  This created laughter from her entire family, and they never mentioned anything about what had happened. 

                From this anecdote, it is clear that Walls’ family could find happiness in a bad situation.  More importantly though, is the underlying problem in their ways.  Her parents did not notice that Walls had fallen out of the car for some time.  Her brother had tried telling them, but her parents did not understand what he was saying.  This event labels her parents as more careless and almost deems them as unfit for parenting.  Walls was left on the road for a while and could have been injured further is she wasn’t so lucky.  Walls’ father making jokes about the situation definitely gives their kids a more carefree and go with the flow attitude, but soon, Walls starts to see through that.

                Another story Walls includes is when her father comes home drunk looking for her mother.  Her mom is hiding from him with a knife.  When Walls’ dad finds his wife, he wrestles her until she is trapped.  Despite Walls and her sibling trying to stop them, they continue to argue.  Finally, Walls mother admits that she loves Rex and they rejoice over the fact and “were so happy they hadn’t killed each other that they had fallen in love all over again” (122).  As her parents celebrated Walls “didn’t feel like celebrating.  After all he’d put himself through, [she] couldn’t believe Dad had gone back to the booze” (123). At this point in her life, she is starting to see through the happiness her parents fell after horrifying situations.  This shift in tone starts to set Walls apart from her family.  Rather than finding happiness in many situations, is become more apparent that they are just covering up what had just happened.  The progression of these revelations make The Glass Castle more of memoir about seeing the good and bad, and knowing when something is right or wrong.  

TOW #11 - Chapter 1 - The American Crisis

Thomas Paine was a well-known author in the 18^th century.  He was widely known for his work Common Sense and his involvement in the Revolutionary War.  His work Common Sense urged colonists to unite and break America away from Britain.  Written before the climax of the American Revolution Paine’s piece Chapter 1 – The American Crisis parallels Common Sense and was written to inspire the American people.  Paine uses figurative language and inspiring diction to urge the American people to fight for freedom from Britain.  Ultimately, this contributes to the inspiration for America to become an independent nation.

Paine includes comparisons in his piece to bring light to the evil the British rule of the United States has become.  The American people suffered during their rime under British rule.  Harsh tariffs crippled family incomes and inhibited access to goods and services.  Paine takes advantage of the British’s decisions to hurt American people to exploit the British in his piece.  He says, “Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered” (1).  Paine is using tyranny to describe the British’s rule.  However, he wants to inspire people to fight against it.  Comparing British rule to hell allows American citizens to see that the British’s effect on America is negative, not positive.  Although he says it cannot be conquered easily, he finishes the sentence with “the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph” (1).  Mentioning the triumph after breaking away from “hell” ignites a flame in Americans to fight British tyranny.  Paine’s use of metaphor successfully unites the people by promising triumph after breaking away from the British and creating a happy America (9).

Paine’s idea of making America happy through freedom is carried on throughout the essay with his use of diction.  During the revolutionary war, thousands had to be gathered in order to create a militia strong enough to fight the British.  Paine unites his people with the fact that, “It matters not where you live, or what rank of life you hold, the evil or the blessing will reach you all. The far and the near, the home counties and the back, the rich and the poor, will suffer or rejoice alike” (11).  Paine addresses the entirety of America to unite them.  By mentioning multiple demographics Paine is able to relate to almost all citizens and make them listen.  By mentioning downfall and success, Paine recognizes that even though there will be troubles and victories, as a nation they are united.  Additionally, Paine singles out those who beg for mercy rather than fighting.  He calls mercy “only a trick of war” (13) in order to show his people that fighting and revolution is the only answer.  He even tells his people that he is going to “hold truth up to your eyes” (13).  Paine uses these inspiring words to bring together the colonists and push them towards the fight for freedom. 

In Chapter 1 – The American Crisis, Paine inspires the American people to unite and encourage them to resist British rule.  His use of metaphors and inspirational diction points out the flaws in the British rule, single out those who are weak, and in turn opens the eyes of the Americans.  By uniting them, the people of the United States are encouraged to start a revolution.  Paine’s eye-opening piece aides Americans in seeing how they have been wronged by the British and allows the people to become more educated about their freedom.  Freedom, valued so highly, must not be taken for granted, and those who have been taken advantage of must realize the problem before it’s too late.