Hail to the Chief

This article, written by S.L. Price of Sports Illustrated, is directed to the world of athletics, as the information in the article could potentially change the way an entire city functions. Price writes about Robert Griffin III, a former Baylor quarterback drafted with the second pick in the NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins, and what his presence has meant for Washington D.C. and its hopes to win a title. One would need to understand the horrible play of the Redskins in the past years, only making the playoffs once in the past 10 years. Price intends for the reader to become informed on the bright new future in D.C. that is possible from this special player joining the team's roster, showing the ability and impact Griffin has had thus far in the season. This purpose is clear, as the consequential articles follow similar themes of rejuvenating the passion for sports in a town desperate for athletic success, examples being the Washington Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles. With some of the direct quotes from Redskins' fans, I feel that Price is able to portray his message, as he shows the change in tone of the capital's people as they are faced with absolute failure and now potential glory.

Obama Foreign Policy Cartoon

This cartoon, created by Rick McKee of the Augusta Chronicle, keys in on the belief that President Obama has yet to fully address the issue of foreign policy. Directed at the American people aware of Obama's presidency and especially those voting this November, McKee attempts to satire not only the President's neglecting of the rest of the world, but also the fact that the American people are too distracted to notice. He accomplishes this by deleting every nation except the US from the globe. The Americans are too distracted by Obama's appearance on Letterman to even notice the difference in the planet. An awareness of the recent uprising in the Middle East adds to the purpose of this cartoon, as well as the conflicts facing Obama's campaign. Obviously, as with all political cartoons, satire is used to over-exaggerate a situation like Obama's inability to sufficiently address foreign policy and transform it into a comical scenario. I feel that Rick McKee has achieved his desired intention from the cartoon, as he is able to displays arguably Obama's worst enemy heading into election season and jokes about the circumstances facing the US internationally today. In this way, McKee puts his desired spin on Barack Obama's international policies, though this could be one of the most important and serious problems facing the world in the near future.

U.S. Is Preparing for a Long Siege of Arab Unrest

Link to Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/16/world/middleeast/us-is-preparing-for-a-long-siege-of-arab-unrest.html?pagewanted=all

This New York Times article delves into the recent development in Middle Eastern countries, destroying all symbols of American nationalism after a Anti-Muslim film insulting Mohammed was released. We can assume that the viewpoint of this article is slightly influenced by the US since both authors of this article are White House correspondents. The importance of this article is clear, given that many people do not envision that changes will occur not only in the Middle East, but also in our own nation, as this foreign policy issue battles President Obama heading into the upcoming election. We must also consider that these authors are writing in what has been shortly after the climax of the attacks, helping us readers to predict a somewhat panicked and unsure tone for this article. Obviously, the New York Times is directed to the general public, more specifically trying to inform the common American about the recent events in the world. In a way, though, the article does show a subtle type of persuasion, attempting to instill a sense of concern about this issue, illustrating the use of rhetoric. I feel that both authors were able to use their writing effectively to inform the people of the United States about the rioting in the Middle East. As someone who had very little awareness of this issue prior to reading this article, I can now feel confident telling about the situation to others and considering the effects this issue will have on the impending election.