TOW #10- Nonfiction:Girls in California Are Latest to Seek to Become Boy Scouts

America today has taken huge leaps and bounds toward becoming more liberal. In a nation where the Supreme court has recently redefined marriage by accepting same-sex couples and has commenced a shift toward unisex bathrooms to accommodate for transgender individuals, it is clear that gender barriers and traditional roles are finally starting to fall. One of the most recent debates over this subject occurred in Saint Rosa, California with a small group of girls, a large dose of courage and a demand to be accepted into the exclusive, male, club, the Boy Scouts. Julie Turkewitz, journalist at the world famous newspaper company, the New York Times, explores this pressing argument highlighting one group of many girls who would simply prefer to spend their time tying knots and camping, than selling cookies as a Girl Scout. Speaking to anyone interested in the fierce debate toward the survival of gender roles in this country, she uses the direct opinions toward concerned parents and legal proof of obstruction to represent the struggles these girls are facing in a journey toward acceptance in this timeless club. While Turkewitz does not represent her own opinion on the topic, she does provide that of a few parents who worry that admitting girls into the Boy Scouts of America is a mistake. One mother of Boy Scouts members claims that the addition of coed camping and concerns her the most. She states "Would I want a girl sleeping in my son's tent? No." While many may have ideas to solve these concerns, the truth is, many share similar concerns and confusion about why these girls can't just focus on changing the Girl Scouts into what they would prefer, rather than becoming a boy scout. By including direct quotes from parents showing their concerns, Turkewitz proves that this is not simply a matter of a group of men keeping girls away from their aspirations, but rather, a legitimate conflict which parents, including mothers are worried about as well. On top of having to fight the power of concerned parents everywhere, these girls demanding acceptance also face legal hurdles. Turkewitz includes a small excerpt of a federal law which "prohibits discrimination by sex", but "carves out an exception for Boy Scouts, allowing them to exclude members based on gender." The Boy Scouts have built a powerful legacy making them one of the nations most prominent values-based organizations, with that, comes advantages and rules which are applied to advance their membership and success. This group of girls is facing such a huge problem that they must not on knock down the barriers placed by common society, but also by the federal law itself. There is no telling whether girls will be able to join the Boy Scouts in the future, but what is certain is the overwhelming hardships females face today when facing as powerful an organization as the Boy Scouts of America.

IRB Intro #2: The Seven Good Years- Etgar Keret

For my next independent reading book, I've chosen the critically acclaimed memoir, 'The Seven Good Years' by the hilarious Etgar Keret. This book was recommended to me by my older sister as she has enjoyed the authors' podcast series. Keret is one of the best known writers in Israel primarily for his brilliant and colorful storytelling, filmwriting and novels. In this text, Keret writes about what he refers to as "the good years", or the years between the birth of his son and the death of his father. His son was born in the middle on a deadly war and a series of terrorists attacks in Tel Aviv. Around the same time his father becomes very ill. In the midst of all of the death and destruction, Keret is still able to tale an inspiring and witty story of a father raising his son, fighting to keep "the good years" alive living in a country driven by disastrous war.

TOW #9: Visual- Pepsi Advertisement

            The infamous Pepsi versus Coke rivalry has existed since the beginning of soda time. Pepsi is a soft drink produced and manufactured by the world renowned, extremely successful company, PepsiCo.  While Pepsi was first created and developed in 1893, it has made huge leaps and bounds since then. In fact, in Pepsi’s road to the top, the beverage has made a number of powerful enemies, specifically the legendary company, Coca-Cola, another leading manufacturer in soda. Though this battle over which beverage reigns superior started ages ago, this ad is an excellent reminder that Pepsi has in no way given in on their claims that Coca Cola is really no competition when it comes to “the joy of Pepsi”.

In one of their famous “Straws” ad, Pepsi attempts to prove to customers that their cola beverage is more desirable than that of other companies. This message is clearly shown through the use of personification, bold logo representation and the presence of their competitions cola can.

 Pepsi wants the consumer to focus on the straws in this advertisement, something fairly easy to do as the straw close to entering the soda that is not Pepsi’s depicts a frightened face and hands

struck out as if it is trying to keep itself from entering the drink. In contrast, the Pepsi can just to that soda’s right is shown with a normal straw, peacefully placed in the beverage. This use of personification is very valuable to the ad as it helps the viewer connect to the image. As a person having to choose between one soda and a Pepsi, one can now see that Pepsi wants them to believe that they are the obvious choice. It draws the viewer toward Pepsi, and away from other colas to avoid the same freight the image suggests one will endure from another soda. Pepsi next uses their logo to draw the consumer in. While they leave the other can without any advertisement at all, it makes it seem bleak and bland, especially compared to the details and astounding colors represented by Pepsi. The simple use of their logo is eye candy to the consumer and makes it appear much more appealing. Finally, Pepsi wants to specifically hone the viewer in on how much they triumph over their immediate enemies. The can with the straw eager to stay away from the drink inside matches the same profile as that of a Coca-Cola can. It is shown with the same colors and pattern as Coca-Cola, only missing a logo. This is to help Pepsi specifically show the viewer that their product is better than Coca-Cola, without blatantly saying it. Now, the customer can see the two most common products, see which is represented with a greater appeal, and translate that choice into a real life selection for cola.

Pepsi’s use of straw representation with human-like qualities, excellent logos and representation of their “enemy” all contribute to their clear and successful advertisement. Their attempt to prove they are the superior soda is successful and attractive to soda consumers everywhere.

TOW #8 - IRB: "A.D. New Orleans After the Deluge" (pt. 2)

What if your entire world was wiped away in less than a day? Precious memories, loved ones, irreplaceable knick knacks, photos and cherished antiques that all piece together who you are. What if all of that was simply washed cleared from existence like a minuscule computer file moved to the trash bin. These are only a few questions Josh Neufeld answers toward the end of his chilling graphic nonfiction, A.D. New Orleans After the Deluge.

The lives of millions were touched as a result of the devastating storm, hurricane Katrina. However, Neufeld eloquently hones in on the lives of a handful of diverse people and groups who reported to him their actual experiences before, during, and after the havoc. While the first half of the book focused on the preceding events of the storm, the second half centers around the storm itself and the shocking aftermath. The ability of the reader to connect to the traumatizing experiences of the characters is most clearly due to Neufeld’s use of distressing diction and accurate facial expressions to match the severity and suffering in the situation at hand.

One of the most catastrophic things about hurricane Katrina was the aftermath and the toll it took on Americans still trapped in New Orleans. For many, it was a long time before rescue ever came, during that waiting period, people were trapped in a disease, death and crime ridden city. Josh Neufeld is able to accurately depict this tragic situation through both visualization and text. When one of the main characters, Denise, is shown at the extremely crowded New Orleans convention center after the storm, the reader is able to connect to her pain and suffering. In a flood of stressed, underfed, seemingly abandoned people, Denise screams out, “They bring us here with no power. No sanitation, no food, no medicine – and they can’t even give us water? It’s like some kinda sick joke!” It is here that Neufeld shows Denise embodying the minds and bodies of so many others is distress after hurricane Katrina. He represents her face is a jagged mix of horror and anger, astonished at how any government, any country, especially America, could leave its citizens stranded in such a way. Sweat is shown beating down her brow, Her mouth is wide open to yell, eyes narrow, nose scrunched, and hands raised in the air as if she if speaking boldly directly to her government. Neufeld does an excellent job, not just by reporting the actually events, but also by letting the reader put themselves in the characters shoes. He adds so much emotion to the story through this that the reader can’t help but feel a certain degree of the pain and loathing that Denise does herself.

Josh Neufeld’s ability to connect the reader to the lives of people who actually experienced hurricane Katrina makes this novel an absolute hit with a clearly achieved purpose of representing the accounts of others during this event. His reoccurring use of distress highlighting anguish and visual representation of the same emotions accurately represent the horrendous events and make for a story readers are forced to relate to in some way.