TOW #14

The author of this article eloquently uses personal anecdotes when speaking of the White Resentment on the Night Shift at Walmart. Author Tracie McMillan shares with her audience how rapidly the world is changing. She shares that in 2008, her small county in Michigan was all for Barack Obama being the next President of the United States. She mentioned that the whole state of Michigan was in fact a democratic state. Later in the next election, she told the audience that her incredibly small county in northern Michigan was still democratic but only by a small margin.

McMillan then mentions that in the most recent election, the whole state was red. Even more so, the whole county was red. That puzzled her because the people in Trump's cabinet are fighting to lower the minimum wage. She was very confused because the minimum wage was what she and all of her other co workers worked for everyday. Members of the Trump administration proclaimed that 10 dollars an hour was way to high, but Walmart workers barely make nine dollars an hour. But then, the realization hit her. Donald Trump's presidency was focused around appealing to the uneducated, poor, white man. The people who work at Walmart fit the standard because she mentioned that most of her colleagues only had high school diplomas and a few of them did not even graduate high school.

This was very eye opening to me because it made me wonder why so many people voted for Barack Obama. I mean he did have a strong base from the African American community, but why did the white people vote for him? He was not appealing to the poor man, yet he was not appealing to the rich man either. This shows that rhetoric in the way that leader's speak really can impact the way people respond; because with President Obama, he is very charismatic and warm hearted, but President Elect Trump is very blunt and sarcastic. Tracie McMillan shows the audience how the poor white men felt throughout this election.

TOW #12 - Violence Can Mark Children Forever, Featuring David Beckham

World renowned soccer player, David Beckham, has never been shy about his many tattoos. I was never interested in what they meant or how many he had, but when UNICEF released a commercial starring David Beckham's body as a canvass, I became interested.

The commercial advocates for children that receive abuse; whether is physical or verbal, the commercial's slogan was,

"Violence Can Mark Children Forever." In this, they use the analogy that violence and abuse will stick with the child forever, just like a tattoo does. In this advertisement, they also use dark imagery to show the audience that abuse can engrave horrible things into children's minds. Because UNICEF is using David Beckham's body as a sketchpad, you can see live drawings of various images. For example, one that was especially scary to me was a young girl that had been messaging a boy via a dating application. Then the audience is taken to a scene where the same girl is standing waiting for someone. In the distance, you see a young boy waiting but that same young boy turns into a man, that takes the girl away. That was really eye opening to me because in today's society, social media and social networking is extremely prevalent. That scares me because you never truly know who is hiding behind the computer screen.

I think the producer did achieve his purpose because he made his audience feel sympathy for the children. Without a doubt, this may have struck a nerve for many that might have suffered child abuse and for those who have seen others go through child abuse. I also really liked this commercial because they weren't asking for donations, but they have asked for awareness. At the end of the commercial David Beckham repeats for the second time, "Violence Can Mark Children Forever," which will stick in the back of my mind forever.

TOW #11 - Patrick Henry

The infamous Patrick Henry; one of the most revolutionary orators in the history of the world. His most famous speech was presented to the members of the House of Representatives on March 23, 1775. Although his primary audience was his fellow house members, I believe that he was directly addressing King George. During 1775 the American colonists were enraged with how the British oppressed them. From paying unnecessary and outrageous taxes during the sugar act, the tea act, and the Townshend acts to housing soldiers in their own homes, one can understand how upset the colonists must have felt.

Patrick Henry was a patriot who was not known to bridle his tongue, which makes his tone so important and influential. Within the first paragraph, Henry states, “… I shall not speak forth my sentiments freely and without reserve.” He is saying to his audience that he is restraining himself so he doesn’t offend anyone in the house that is a loyalist. He continues to say, “Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear or giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly things.” In this Patrick Henry is saying that he feels as though that his is betraying his country and God because he is holding back on what he truly wants to say. He goes on to use metaphoric language when he tells his audience of who or what guides him, “I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. This helps him prove his purpose that the colonists need to speak up, and that they need to unite instead of fighting for different causes. Throughout the hole speech, Henry tries to refrain from unleashing his true thoughts, but I find it ironic that his last line was, “but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” By the end of his speech, he has let his words flow off of his tongue freely. This speech was not just an informative one, but a battle cry. A battle cry to his fellow patriots and some loyalist, to help show them that the colonist would rather die than be in bondage by the British.