Pope Election Cartoon

The world shook with discomfort and intrigue when Pope Benedict announced his retirement from the position as the Catholic leader. Who would be the next leader of the largest single religious denomination of the world? After much deliberation, the Cardinals came to their decision: Pope Francis I would be the next Pope. However, could there be underlying interests riddled in the election, or is speculation simply the conflicted world's welcome message? Cartoonist Christopher Weyant plays with this idea in the drawing above as a way of linking religious movements with the progression of politics. He does so with the comment at the bottom of the page, which portrays the image of the Pope's election being directly related to the US presidential election of 2012 and the failures of Mitt Romney. Weyant plays on the stereotype of Catholics, one that chains the Catholic church with the Republican party, and continues the perception that these two bodies are intertwined. Other ways Weyant is able to convey his message to his audience of New Yorker readers is through his characters, similar to a writer's stylistic formatting. Instead of looking like heavenly and pure angels, Weyant poses his angels with clipboards and with faces of Americans and businessmen, making the work of God look more like a matter of formulaic terms, not one geared towards the greater good. Through these points and the unique ability of the cartoonist, the image is able to capture the attention of readers and create a humorous satire on the recent Catholic developments for readers to enjoy.

The Book of Basketball (IRB #6)

Most championship-caliber teams are rightful victors, the teams you can predict for the crown months or even years before the season finale. However, not all teams have statistics to compliment their trophy, leaving a burning question in minds of sports analysts and fans: how do teams win championships without the numbers? Bill Simmons answers this question for his audience of basketball fans by explaining "The Secret", the formula he claims can win championships consistently for multiple consecutive seasons. The trick? Simmons says that teams that recognize and utilize the Secret are those that are willing to discard all regard for personal statistics and focus completely on the success of the team as a whole. As Simmons asserts, a team ready to win a championship is one ready to give 110% effort to getting his teammates a win. Simmons substantiates this claim mainly through his unique, one-of-a-kind tone and evidence from NBA history. The former is established primarily by Simmons's use of conversational language supported by insightful footnotes, both tendencies from which Simmons has received great appraise. These footnotes highlight various stories from the earliest NBA stories to those that were being recorded just three years ago. These peeks into the past champions exposed to the Secret create solid grounds for Simmons to base his argument off while writing his book. Because of the notable impression these techniques have had on me from reading this portion of the book, I would agree with the statement that Simmons's writing style is able to convey his purpose consistently throughout his revised version of The Book of Basketball.

A Tale of Two Internets

When considering censorship in today's world, a major example that comes to mind is China, where videos and Internet information must be cleared by the government or else the act of creating such a site is seen as a crime. However, we do not even think about the United States as a nation that has censorship, most likely since it comes in a different form than that of China. In his article, Michael Fertik of the Scientific American magazine delves into how American websites like Google and Facebook sneakily control the information and opportunities Americans are exposed to. An effective strategy Fertik uses involves his syntax, since most of sentences in his explanation of how sites do this are quite short. When reading these sentences, it makes a concept that millions of Americans fail to realize simpler and easier to comprehend. Fertik also uses imagery, saying that "99 percent of [Americans] live on the wrong side of a one-way mirror," This comparison was especially creative and powerful in my mind, since it reminded me Plato's "The Cave", with almost all people fixed on the shadow figures on the walls and completely missing the secrets and freedoms hidden in the light. So many people seem content with what is easily available to them that Americans lose sight of a human consciousness and miss the important facts and information. As a result of all of these creative paths the article can take the well-educated American audience the Scientific American is written for, Fertik achieves his purpose and makes the country's people more aware of the world and the filters the Internet creates and we neglect.