The Alienist by Caleb Carr

          The Alienist is a nonfiction crime novel by Caleb Carr, published in 1994. Carr is an American novelist and military historian. He has received the Anthony Award for Best First Novel and the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière in the International category. The Alienist focuses on the criminal atmosphere of New York City in 1896 and delves into the mob scene, corruptions within the New York City Police Department, and unsolved murders. Prominent historical figures such as Theodore Roosevelt and J.P. Morgan are mentioned to highlight the era and provide some historical context for the period Carr is discussing. Thus far in my reading these elements of the story have each been introduced, but not sufficiently flesh out. I will write again on this book in a few weeks with more specific information.

          This novel is geared towards an intelligent audience interested in nonfiction crime stories and the intricate history of New York City. Its purpose lies along the same lines: to inform the aforementioned audience about the complex social schemes and mysterious happenings in Ney York during the 1890’s.

          Carr has begun to accomplish his purpose, but it remains unclear (a quarter of the way through the book) whether or not he will adequately explain all of these topics. When he is being particularly effective, he often uses the rhetorical device of anecdote. In order to relate things like life back then in the mob scene to modern society, Carr relies on personal stories and things he has learned during his time as a student of history and literature. In doing this, he explains topics that seem outdated from a 21^st century culturally-minded perspective.

10-Year-Old Accidentally Creates New Molecule in Science Class

          The article titled "10-Year-Old Accidentally Creates New Molecule in Science Class" by Dan Nosowitz was published in Popular Science in February of 2012. Nosowitz is PopSci.com's Associate Editor. He has previously written for Fast Company, SmartPlanet, the Billfold, and Splitsider, and got his start at the gadget blog Gizmodo.

          This piece focuses on ten-year-old Clara Lazen, a fifth grade student in Kansas City. Clara was given the old “ball and stick” model by her science teacher in class, and amazingly ended up constructing what seems to be a viable chemical. The chemical is tetranitratoxycarbon, composed of nitrogen, oxygen and carbon. At first her teacher, Kenneth Boehr, couldn’t be sure. He sent a photograph of the complexly structured molecule to a friend at Humboldt State University and its status as a legitimate molecule was confirmed. They are not sure of any applied purpose for the molecule yet, although it does have some potential to be used for energy storage or as an explosive. Boehr’s friend, Robert Zoeline, published a paper titled Computational and Theoretical Chemistry in which Clara is listed as a co-author.

          The purpose of this article is to inform an audience interested in science and the general scientific community in a discovery both interesting for its content and discoverer. Nosowitz accomplishes this purpose by employing the rhetorical device of asides. He often stops to talk to his reader in order to further explain complicated scientific topics or just to expand upon an idea.


Source: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-02/10-year-old-accidentally-creates-new-explosive-molecule-science-class

A Mirrored Memory

          A Mirrored Memory is the name of a collection of photographs by photographer Tom Hussey. Hussey’s compelling photography was featured in Communication Arts 2010 Photography Annual. This collection stems from Hussey’s recent collaboration with a pharmaceutical company launching a new drug that aids Alzheimer sufferers. It consists of eight images, each containing an older individual and a reflection of their mirrored youthful selves. Students, firemen, nurses and more transcend through the mirror opposite each photograph’s subject. Due to the collection being published on the internet, the general public can be considered its audience as well as those specifically interested in photography or fans of Tom Hussey. The purpose of these photos is to evoke the emotions associated with the disease in order to promote the new drug. Hussey has obviously accomplished this through the universal medium of photography. The most important rhetorical device used in the composition of these photos is the expressions they contain. The severe or subtle difference in each subject’s facial expression as compared to his or her “reflection” speaks volumes of the person they used to be. This acts as a sort of visual pathos, easily evoking emotion from a large base of viewers. Evoking this emotion accomplishes Hussey's purpose and provides an intimate view of the effects of the Alzheimer disease.

 

Source: http://pdnphotooftheday.com/2010/07/5725

Let the Kids Rule the School

          An article titled “Let the Kids Rule the School”, by Susan Engel, appeared in the New York Times’ Opinion Pages in March of 2011. Engel is a frequent op-ed contributor as well as a developmental psychologist. She is also the author of Red Flags or Red Herrings: Predicting Who Your Child Will Become. This article mainly focused on an educational experiment that took place in New Marlborough, MA. A high school there had allowed a small group of their students to participate in what the students soon fondly called the Independence Project. Essentially they were given the freedom to create their own curriculum and they ended up doing a pretty amazing job. They read more books than the AP English classes at their school while also covering more topics in math and science. They taught each other topics that interested them and showcased new talents to the entire faculty and student body, such as having had learned to cook or play the piano. Most importantly, they made learning worthwhile. Engel’s wrote this article to discuss a very interesting social experiment in education and its results. Her purpose is fairly clear as the article comes to a close and she says, “We have tried making the school day longer and blanketing students with standardized tests. But perhaps children don’t need another reform imposed on them. Instead, they need to be the authors of their own education.” This article is written to an audience interested in psychology, social experimentation, education, or possibly even education reform. Engel’s most common form of rhetoric used is syllogism. She presents an inarguable fact about education and logically lays out why experiments like the Independence Project are beneficial in a way that is difficult to argue with. In doing this she weaves a very interesting argument and provides insight into a not commonly heard of reform movement.

 

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/opinion/15engel.html?_r=0

"The Youth in Asia" By David Sedaris

I came across David Sedaris's short story, "The Youth in Asia", and decided to read it since I had enjoyed a work of his assigned in class, "Me Talk Pretty One Day". Sedaris writes humorous short stories and makes frequent appearances on talk shows and radio stations. He was nominated for three Grammy Awards for Best Spoken Word and Best Comedy Album.

This specific short story chronicled the Sedaris family’s interesting history with household pets. He’s describes about a dozen or so being put to sleep before the story comes to a close. His parents’ Great Dane, Melina, received much of the focus. Once all of the Sedaris children had “left the nest” so to speak, David’s parents had felt a sense of emptiness. They choose to fill this void with a giant dog. Sedaris includes a myriad of asides in his writing, mainly for the purpose of entertaining an audience with a humorous story. The purpose of this piece was also to communicate that life goes on and it will continue to do so whether we choose to keep up with it or not. Sedaris describes learning this difficult lesson in “The Youth in Asia” when he says, “The cat's death struck me as the end of an era. The end of my safe college life, the last of my thirty-inch waist, my faltering relationship with my first real boyfriend--I cried for it all and spent the next several months wondering why so few songs were written about cats.” Having a pet provides an opportunity to learn what it is like to be responsible for another living thing. Sometimes the weight of that fact is not valued. Sedaris strives to explain that his cat was not just a cat, just as Melina was not just any dog. Melina brought his parents together in their old age and lived through the last 10 years of their married life.

This story was written to an audience of basically anyone who wanted to read it. It was posted online so the body of people with access to it is large and varied. I’m sure there is a more specific sect of those people, like me, that are fans of Sedaris or comedic writing in general and sought out a piece aligned with those interests.  

A rhetorical device most effectively utilized in this story is the previously mentioned asides. Even the title goes back to an aside. To make a connection to the difficult act of deciding a pet should be put down, Sedaris reminisced of an old cartoon he used to enjoy about two Japanese school boys. The show was titled Fat and Skinny. One boy, Komatsu, urged his exaggeratedly plump peer to climb a flag pole. When “Fat” explained that he couldn’t, for it was too hard, Komatsu simply replied, “Oh but you can do it. You must. It is required.” Sedaris repeatedly refers to the “Youth in Asia” thereafter, and continues to include how they would feel about the deaths of his various pets.

The short story accomplishes its purpose of providing a humorous tale and entertains readers to the very end. Sedaris provides many anecdotes throughout about specific pets that didn’t last very long and family events that keep a difficult subject (pet death) very lighthearted.

 

 

 

Source: http://www.esquire.com/features/three-stories-sedaris-0300

The Subconscious Brain

              Benedict Carey, a journalist for the New York Times, wrote an article in 2007 titled Who’s Minding the Mind? He’s worked at The Times since 2004, and from 2007-2010, Carey was the mind columnist for Science Times.  Prior to this he’d worked at The Los Angeles Times writing about health, medicine and brain science.

                In Who’s Minding the Mind? Carey discusses various psychological studies carried out having to do with the behavioral nature of the subconscious. He explains, through studies by professors at Yale, Stanford, Florida State and more, that the brain acts based on cues it receives from the subconscious. Sometimes those cues line up with what the conscious brain thinks it should be doing and sometimes they do not. These studies attempt to explain why a person can begin doing one task and, halfway through, quit and begin doing something totally different without fully understanding why.

                Carey writes to the audience of readers at the New York Times and other individuals interested in medicine, science, and psychology. He is an effective writer to this audience because he explains complicated scientific terms and reasoning in a way that any reader could understand. For example, he briefly discusses the role the prefrontal cortex plays in memory and deliberate vs. subconscious actions. By first explaining that the prefrontal cortex was one of the first evolved traits in early humans, he provides added detail and context that allows readers to understand how this particular piece of the brain became so complicated and important in the role it plays.

                A rhetorical device used often in this article is the inclusion of multiple ‘asides’. Through these asides, Carey is able to explain various studies. For example, he explains an interesting study in which students were asked to sit in a room and eat a biscuit. When the faint smell of cleaning product was present, the students cleaned up their biscuit crumbs three times more than when it was not. These asides provide many examples that help to flesh out his overall purpose; however, they are not wholly beneficial. In my opinion, Carey didn’t always explain these studies enough and it made the article a tad difficult to follow at times.

 

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/31/health/psychology/31subl.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

World's Highest Standard of Living

 

 

          This picture appeared in an issue of LIFE magazine in February of 1937. It was taken by Margaret Bourke-White, a prominent photographer of that era. She was the first foreign photographer permitted to take pictures of the Soviet Industry, the first female war correspondent, the first female permitted to work in war zones, and the first female photographer for LIFE magazine (her photo being featured on the cover of the first-ever issue). What is known about the photograph above is that its subjects were supposedly flood victims. Other details have been lost with time and this makes discerning Bourke-White's purpose difficult. Many analysts speculate that she was trying to highlight the irony of the "American Way". As a nation, we've promoted this country to be "hope for the hopeless" and full of infinite opportunity. In reality, things aren't always so peachy. The Great Depression serves as the perfect example for a time that the "American Way" failed those relying on it. The 1930s also failed to recognize non-whites as part of the "American Way". Middle-class families were always depicted as white and well off, while any other demographic was pushed aside. Publishing this photo would have been very controversial because it drudged up the economic and racial issues that government was trying to minimize in the eyes of the public. This mural could even be deemed a form of propaganda. Its message is a blatant contradiction to the suffering taking place around it (i.e. the Great Depression). This photograph was meant for readers of LIFE magazine, but I believe Bourke-White's intended audience was larger than that. I believe she hoped this photo would become popular among an intellectual body that saw flaws in the system and would try to fix them. She predominantly used the rhetorical device of irony to get her message across. I feel as though she achieved her purpose because even 70 years later photography analysts still look to this picture as an effective example of political commentary on a very controversial issue. 

 

Source: http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2008/05/31/worlds-highest-standard-of-living-if-youre-white-and-not-poor/