TOW #10-Friends Are Waiting

                Budweiser is known for their emotion-provoking ads and never fail to appeal to their audience. In one particular ad titled “Friend Are Waiting,” the company uses the relationship between a man and a dog to appeal to pathos in order to convince those who can drive to be responsible. The commercial starts by including short clips of video that shows the progression in the relationship between the dog and its owner. Starting as a puppy, you get to see countless examples of the enjoyable times the two creatures had together. Nearing the end, the owner meets friends at his house and the video shows the group leave with a case of Budweiser being put into the car they soon drive away in. As the night goes on it shows the dog waiting for his friend to return home, but he never does. The night passes and soon morning arrives and the animal is still whimpering and worried. After a while, the man returns home and encounters the dog with much excitement.

                The video uses the relationship that is universally known to appeal to the audience. Many people can relate to this relationship, and can also relate to the topic of drinking and driving. This video combines the two and truly appeals to pathos in order to convince the audience to avoid drinking and driving at all costs, because your “friends are waiting.”

TOW #9-Terror in Paris-Social Media Reacts

Over the past few days, there have been multiple acts of terrorism in France. ISIS claimed responsibility for the 129 people who have been killed, and the many more who are hurt and seriously injured. There was suicide bombings at the Stade de France, and shootouts at four 5 other locations: Le Petit Camboge, Rue de la Fontaine au Roi, Avenue de la Republique, Concert Venue (Balaclan) and La belle Equipe. CNN shared the news with American’s and other people from around the world with the use of images and quotes.

CNN was giving live updates on the terrorist attacks that unfolded on Friday and early Saturday (Paris time) in France. The news was shared and coming in by the minute, as CNN tweeted videos and interviews and clips of their reporters sharing the current news. Social media exploded; ‘sometimes in support, sometimes in fear. Sometimes in hope, other times with pride” (Payne). Ed Payne posted an article on CNN about how social media reacted to the terrorist attacks. Payne shows his audience how people reacted with the use of real examples and screenshots, such as the hashtag “prayforparis” (Payne), which was the top trend during the events that people used to show that the people in Paris were in their thoughts and prayers. This hashtag united countries and people and provided support for families and friends of those who had been murdered.

He included screenshots of what other accounts had tweeted during these events, and also explains how newspapers in Paris recounted the events “with words such as ‘carnage’, ‘horror,’ ‘massacre’ and ‘war.’ Another way that he explains how people provided support for these inhumane acts of terrorism was by including the hashtag “PorteOuverte,” which translates to ‘OpenDoor.’ People in Paris who were without a place to stay used this hashtag. He included a screenshot of a man’s tweet, as he was offering his home to those who couldn’t travel back to their place. He also included videos and tweets that showed the pride people had in their country as they all united to fight and stay strong during a time of threat and danger. He included a video of people traveling home after the soccer match on a train, singing the French national anthem.

Altogether, Payne’s use of videos, pictures, quotes and interviews combined to show the international support that was given to the victims and families who got caught in the terrorist attacks. He successfully shared information and rallied the world as we all united to control a terrible group of terrorists. 

Non-fiction introduction #2-Girl in the Woods

I found this book from an add on an app one day, so I decided to look more into it as I found it intriguing. The book is written by Aspin Matis and it follows her adventures and thoughts as she hiked from Mexico to Canada.

TOW #8-The Other Wes Moore

This non-fiction book tells the story of two people living in the same city, with the same name: one who is in jail for life on the account of attempt to murder, and one who lives an incredibly successful life with a long list of accomplishments. The book was written by the successful Wes Moore and narrates how two people can grow up to be so different even if they are from similar backgrounds. The author attended Johns Hopkins University and later University of Oxford. Throughout the book, Moore appeals to the young readers who have the chance to turn their life around, or those who have turned their life around. The Other Wes Moore appeals to his audience by narrating the outcomes of two people from parallel backgrounds with the use of life lessons and irony.

The central point of this book is extremely ironic; how two people could grow up so close to each other, with the same name, similar family situations, and alike situations without knowing about each other. The author exemplifies the irony by including points in the author’s life when his life was ironic, foreshadowing how ironic the entire situation is as well. At one point, “Years earlier, I had run through these same woods with all of my might, looking for safety, trying to get away from campus. Tonight, I ran through the same woods looking for safety, but in the other direction” (Moore). In addition, the author recalls a time when his mother called him on the phone and said that “Everything is fine, but I have something crazy to tell you. Did you know the cops are looking for another guy from your neighborhood with your name for killing a cop?” (Moore) In addition to the irony, he includes multiple life lessons that appeal to the audience, one being that “it’s not the process you should focus on; it’s the joy you will feel after you go through the process” (Moore). He also says that “When it is time for you to leave this school, leave your job, or even leave this earth, you make sure you have worked hard to make sure it mattered you were ever here” (Moore), which is something that many people can relate to because everyone comes to the realization at some point in their life when the contemplate what they want their purpose on Earth to be. Wes Moore successfully used life lessons and irony to explain the craziness in the people he learned about, and the craziness in the experiences he dealt with along the way.