TOW #20 "Certainty vs. Doubt" (written)

In the sample essay I found using the same prompt we are, the author describes their view on the relationship between certainty and doubt. It takes a fairly interesting and developed stance that certainty does not exist at all and uses evidence drawn from philosophy and psychology in order to support it. The structure of the essay is organized; it does not feel forced into paragraphs but rather flows naturally. I noticed that the transitions are not obvious words, but rather ideas that clearly lead into each other. He or she does not use the typical transition words and phrases to move from one topic to the next. The author’s command of language is impressive as well adding a more sophisticated or knowledgeable air to the essay. I also noted that the use of second person in the beginning helps to pique the interest of anyone reading this essay as they ask you to “abandon your concept of reality; you must lose the certainty that binds you to your convictions and knowledge, for certainty is but a delusion, and doubt is the beginning of overcoming it,” which also doubles as his or her thesis.

TOW #19 "Greek Religion" (IRB- 1st half)

                In this book, the author explores different stories and tales that have influenced and expanded the Greek religion. Rather than sticking to the ones everyone seems to already know about, they used ones many haven’t even heard of very often to give more to the topic.  I have always been interested in Greek mythology and this seems like a great way to find out and hear stories I cannot find on Wikipedia. This book may also expand my horizon of topics within Greek mythology and religion. I only have a general knowledge of certain gods, goddesses, and events, and I would love to know more. There are going to be many topics in this book that I have never even heard of -- I can tell just from looking in the table of contents-- so I am looking forward to that. It helps achieve his purpose since he is proving that there is more to Greek religion than most know, because he is using stories that many average readers may not be familiar with even if they thought they were someone that knew a lot about the Greek religion beforehand. So far, this has remained effective and should continue throughout the novel.

TOW #18 "Fiber Castell: True Colours" (ad)

In this ad, Fiber Castell is advertising just how true the colors of their colored pencils are. They displayed this in an interesting and very creative way, having the back end of a dachshund being morphed into the point of a colored pencil that matches the coloring of the dog itself. This is used to show that when you draw and/or color with Fiber Castell pencils, you had might as well be drawing with the real this that is that color. The plain and simplistic background helps keep the audience focused on the strange spectacle in the center. It could also be a slight representation of the blank page an artist could be using their colored pencils on to create a masterpiece with their “true colours.” The ad itself is fairly eye catching even though the colors are muted and dull, but the thing that is eye catching about it is the morphing of the dog and the colored pencil. At first when I saw it I had no idea what it was supposed to be, but when I looked again, I could tell that it was a dog and a colored pencil and I thought it was really clever and innovative of Fiber Castell to have that for an advertisement. All in all, I feel as though it is something that you may start to scroll past, but before it can disappear, you will look at it again and it will be hard to look away.

IRB Intro #3 "Greek Religion"

In Walter Burkert’s book on Greek Religion, he sets out to prove that even though it has always seemed familiar, it is a historical phenomenon. I have always been interested in Greek mythology and this seems like a great way to find out and hear stories I cannot find on Wikipedia. This book may also expand my horizon of topics within Greek mythology and religion. I only have a general knowledge of certain gods, goddesses, and events, and I would love to know more. There are going to be many topics in this book that I have never even heard of (I can tell just from looking in the table of contents), so I am looking forward to that.

TOW #17 "Let's Die Together" (written)

In David Samuel’s essay, Let’s Die Together, he addresses the topic of the rising popularity of group suicides in Japan during the early 2000s. Samuel uses specific dates, statistics, and instances in which these events have taken place. The narrator even noticed a pattern in the reports. “The victims meet online, using anonymous screen names, and then take sleeping pills and use briquettes, charcoal burners, and tape to turn a car or van into a mobile gas chamber.” The narrator does keep the tone fairly neutral and stays informative. He doesn’t use much expressively emotion-driven language throughout the essay, giving it a rather objective feel and mood. The text seems almost like a report of the events to superior rather than an essay written for a general audience due to the author’s diction and phrasing patterns. Though, something that benefits average readers would be that he does give background information, an example being the mention of seppuku, the Japanese ritualistic suicide practice, as a possible explanation for why this group suicide trend has been so popular in Japan. He also talks about how difficult it is to pursue these situations since suicide is not a crime. Many of these group suicides have only been noted through minor reports due to them not being against any laws. All in all, the essay is mainly formally written and informative about the topic.