TOW #6— “Fit as a Jockey: How the Men and Women in the Saddle Stay in Shape” by Eoghan Macquire

             The life of a rider is a busy one, full of shows and lessons every day. Riders mount a horse multiple times a day, sometimes over 10 times, getting home around midnight and waking up at 5am to ride again, according to Eoghan Macquire. Macquire wrote “Fit as a Jockey: How the Men and Women in the Saddle Stay in Shape” on Friday, October 21. During the off season, riders have to stay in shape. It helps them to control the horse, aide in decision making, and allows them to pass the required fitness test for all jockeys. Macquire informs his audience of how these athletes keep up with these demands and how they stay fit without becoming too muscular and too heavy for their horse. He highlights even the smallest things the jockeys do for the fans of horse races, such as skipping out on alcohol. He writes a well put together essay and refers many times to the experts in the field.

                There are many schools for jockeys and, at one point in their lives, every jockey has gone to one. Macquire quotes well known jockeys as well as the owners of these schools in his article. He refers often to Hayley Turner, a successful retired jockey, and Yariv Kam, a fitness coach at one of the jockey schools. This allows Macquire to build credibility. Macquire never mentions whether or not he is a rider or even if he has any knowledge about horses. The quotes and sources he utilizes are from well-known jockeys who have automatic ethos. His audience, almost directed towards the British fans of horse races, already know the names and places he mentions, giving himself credibility. Without this key factor, utilized throughout the entire essay, Macquire’s article would not be successful. 

TOW #5 – Visual Text: “Zoo Gorilla Shot” by Dave Granlund

“Zoo Gorilla Shot” by Dave Granund is a political cartoon concerning the issue of the gorilla Harambe. Harambe was shot and killed when a young boy fell into the exhibit. An outrage followed the killing of Harambe with many saying that the gorilla was unrightfully put down. Granlund cartoon depicts a family of gorillas (an adult with two children) who are surrounding a sign that says “RIP Harambe” and seem to be very scared. One gorilla is saying “Need to redesign zoos… not to keep us in… but to keep humans out!!” By doing this, Granlund tries to show that Harambe’s killing was unjust and that it is the humans’ fault that he died, not his own.

                Granlund uses only black and white colors in his cartoon. These colors often symbolize fear or the past to many people. Scary movies or very old movies are often black and white. By using these colors, Granlund simulates fear in the audience. The audience then gains perspective as to how and why a situation like this can be fearful to the animals. This helps inspire emotion in the readers and, thus, sympathize with the gorillas. These colors also represent older times. Harambe, and possibly this family of gorillas in the future, has been left in the past when he was killed. These colors not only stimulate fear, but nostalgia as well. As nostalgia often does, it makes the audience rather sad and aids to understanding the grief this family of gorillas may be feeling. Simply by using the colors black and white, Granlund appeals to pathos in order to further his purpose.

                Garnlund’s cartoon is very simplistic, yet it sends out a powerful message. As it is mainly the younger generations that fought against the wrongdoings that fell upon Harambe, it is plausible that Granlund was reaching out to those younger people. By appealing to pathos, Granlund accomplishes just that.

http://www.politicalcartoons.com/cartoon/672D475E-9285-40CE-B17B-2B23AF427C0A.html

TOW #4—Smoke Gets in your Eyes by Caitlyn Doughty

Lindsay Klenk

TOW #4—Smoke Gets in your Eyes by Caitlyn Doughty

                Smoke Gets in your Eyes by Caitlyn Doughty is a memoir depicting Doughty’s time as a mortician in America. She shares how she found out about the job, the experiences she had, and what it taught her as a person. Now, Doughty is a licensed mortician who utilizes youtube and her novel to modernize and update the public’s view of death and the dead.

                In her memoir, Doughty talks about many heavy and dark events that took place during her time as a mortician. Much of these events are incomprehensible for the people who didn’t experience it; her audience. She helps to bridge this gap of understanding by utilizing metaphors. Doughty compares the crematory to the depths of hell (Doughty 13) while completing her first cremation. She also uses metaphors often when explaining her corpses appearance, helping the public understand the emptiness in their eyes or the lifelessness of their lips. This figurative language allows the audience to gain insight into the challenges of Doughty’s work and the seriousness of what she had to do. It also relates the corpses to familiar things, allowing the public to realize how important a mortician’s work is, aiding in Doughty’s purpose.

                Though it is imperative for Doughty to demonstrate the importance of her job, it is equally important for her to comfort and support her audience as they discover the horrors of death. She admits that her topic is often feared and shown in the wrong light. In her book, she utilizes personification as a way to redefine death. She often states that death brought her something or warns her of what she may see. As is the definition of personification, death is given human attributes and qualities, allowing her audience to view death in a more familiar, and thus comfortable, way. This allows their view to change from the horrors they had previously been taught to a natural comfort that awaits everyone when their time comes. Although this book may not seem important, Doughty uses smooth figurative language to redefine what death means.