Summarization of my Issues Paper in the Voice of Neal Shusterman

Fuel Cells

Fuel cells. Is this how it’s gonna be? In the U.S., there are a few people, who would be reasonably regarded as smart people, and they think that we aren’t anywhere near ready for fuel cells. Why? With millions of Americans scooting around in their brand-spanking new fuel cell cars, a vast quantity of hydrogen will be needed to be readily available for purchase, and we are not prepared to take on that challenge. Not to mention how dangerous it is. And how much more efficient another type of fuel could be. There are just too many factors floating around. Here’s a question: Why should vehicles only have one source of power? What if people want to choose for themselves? That would definitely prevent the vehicle fuel monopolization that we see today. We will get more choices besides hydrogen like biofuel, electricity, ammonia, or a hybrid of some sort, so there will be more competition between supplying companies. Get it?

Explanation:

This whole thing is in the voice of author of the book UNWIND, Neal Shusterman. He writes about a group of teenagers and uses a unique form of third person limited point of view. Instead of a normal third person limited in which the whole book follows the main character, each of his chapters follow a different character or group of people in a way that makes almost all characters main characters. Each of these chapters is named after the person or group of people it follows, as I wrote "Fuel Cells" above my IP explanation. I attempted to refrain from the word "I" because it identifies the narrator, which is not Shusterman's style. He uses colloquial language interwoven with "train of thought" writing. This is evident by his many incomplete sentences, which you can also see in my paragraph. But despite the slang-ish nature of his writing style, he uses many medical terms and alludes to many present issues. I'm not sure if my allusion to fuel cells counts as an imitation of that, but I would like to believe so.

The Essence of Taylor in Retrospect

From a distance, I may not seem like a very remarkable American teenager, being Caucasian, of average height, normally dressed, and sporting a short haircut. But with a closer look, one may see an individual well worth noting and knowing. If it is true that one’s character is defined by one’s actions, I have a much more varied personality than I might appear to have.
Even since elementary school I have had a very diverse set of friends. I had a few friends who were athletes, some from different countries like Japan or the Philippines, and some who were just complete nerds. I was surprised at myself that I was able to relate to all of them so well. This experience with so many different people at such a young age has blessed me the capability to carry on conversation with almost anyone. This truly enriched my high school experience especially. The population of Laguna Creek High School was even more diverse than I ever would have been able to imagine as a young boy, but I made many friends in many places. Sometimes I would hang out with my fellow Mathletes, or with the rest of my Leadership council, or with the Metalheads that lurked in the corners. This association with so many types of people has really widened my perspective and enabled me to see a social situation from many different points of view. This has conditioned me to love meeting people.
Having grown up in a suburb of Sacramento, California, in the quiet of my parents’ home, I learned to love country music at a very early age. My first favorite song, as a matter of fact, was “Achy Breaky Heart” by Billy Ray Sirus. But as I grew older I began to expand my musical preferences (much to my parents’ musically closed-minded disconcertment). By now I enjoy Classic Rock, Punk, Metal, Indie Rock, international R&B, Pop including French Pop, and of course, Country.
Something else that I have enjoyed since early childhood is drawing. Even as a baby, who would be expected to scribble all over a sheet of paper with a crayon, my parents tell me that I preferred a sharpened pencil and I would only draw straight lines. At that point that my parents began to enthusiastically encourage any artistic abilities I might have. They bought me several pastel, water color, and oil paint art sets so that I could get a feel for a medium that I preferred, but I still stuck to a sharpened pencil. My freshmen year of high school I took a mechanical drawing class in an engineering specialized academy and I loved it. With a simple lead holder between my fingers, and several rulers guiding my strokes, I worked wonders. I passed every mechanical drawing and computer-aided drafting class I took with the highest grade. I loved it so much and found it so easy that I graduated with the highest honor that the academy offers. But there were other artistic activities that the academy offered, for example, the wood fabrication and design class. This course requires us to learn how to build functional art from wood. By the end of my high school years I was able to build full-on wooden furniture from raw materials, and the process was, without exaggeration, so blissful, that it was almost therapeutic.
Another thing that I enjoy immensely is just to discuss. Put me in a room with a sociable, intelligent person, and I could be entertained for hours and hours. There are so many interesting topics to hear commentary on, and that is why I like smart people so much. To discuss is to open one’s mind to either correct or strengthen one’s opinions, which can do nothing but build me up. This is a big reason why my girlfriend and I enjoy each other so much. She is a very intelligent individual, and we love to discuss interesting topics for hours on end. I lose most friendly arguments, but even failing to prove a point results in a desire to study the subject and learn more about why I was wrong, and by changing my view, how I can strengthen my opinion of something.

Rhetorical Analysis of Toy Commercial--"New Adventures of He-Man: You can be a Hero"

This 1980’s TV commercial by Mattel appeals conventionally, but accurately, to all the little American boys who "gotta have that toy!" While the commercial’s technique is conventionally designed to draw young eyes to the television screen, it also appeals to the parents of the children who want the toys by calling attention to the fact that He-Man is not only admired by so many young boys, but is also a potent symbol of all that is good and heroic.
He-Man has not earned the respect of so many Earthlings easily. His heroic nature is the product of many years of leading the planet Eternia as Prince. He is given an array of powers by a sorceress, and uses them only to prevent the evil Skeletor from finding the secrets of the Castle of Grayskull. By showing this nobility as he combats with his cringing fiendish enemies, He-Man’s character is obviously portrayed as righteous, protecting, and trustworthy. Mattel therefore channels He-Man’s power and authority to sell its own toys.
This commercial quotes, “YOU can be a hero with He-Man! YOU can be a hero with the action packed Astro-Sub! YOU can be a hero at the controls of the incredible Starship Eternia!” Everyone knows that all little boys want to be heroes. So by syllogism this commercial appeals to the viewers’ desire to become superheroes by suggesting that you must have these toys in order to become a hero. This directs us to the conclusion that if you want to be a hero, you must buy these toys, and a deduction like this would definitely be expected from a starry-eyed little boy.
The live action clip at the beginning of the commercial depicts a caped, skull-headed Skeletor shooting laser beams from his eyes and laughing menacingly. A man then growls, “The war between good and evil continues! And you can be a hero with He-Man!” This image of evil provokes a sense of uneasiness and urgency to combat. The announcer man then quickly reassures his viewers that they can defeat this horrible creature, but only they buy these action figures and toys. According to this commercial, it is only with these molded plastic weapons that you can “overcome the forces of Skeletor!”
Kids who look up to He-Man will want to stand for all that is good just like him But it is not only the child who hears of this hot new toy. When advertising, attention must also be directed toward an indirect audience, which is in this case the source of money—parents. Mattel designed this commercial to represent He-Man conquering all evil and standing for all that is good. When a mother thinks about toys, she thinks about how that toy will influence her child, and in the case of He-Man, the scales seem to tip significantly in his favor. Parents desire to teach their children to always stand up for what is right, even when confronted with adversity. In this short commercial, He-Man is being confronted from every direction by Skeletor and his minions, but he struggles to fight for the cause that he has dedicated himself to.
This advertisement portrays exactly the kind of character that parents want as a role model for their young boys, as well as the type of hero that children want to become, and therefore pushes the product even closer to another sale.

Review of Amy Vicker's "Putting a Cap on the Bottled Water Industry"

Nestle Waters: “Bottle Chugging Out-of-staters”
In her article, “Putting a Cap on the Bottled Water Industry,” Amy Vickers pleads her case that the water of Massachusetts should be reserved for its citizens, and not for the resource-draining bottled water companies, such as Nestle Waters. She argues her point with strong diction, allusions, and reliable statistics—using ethical, logical, and emotional appeals.
At the outset of the article, Vickers creates ethos by establishing her credentials as a water conservation consultant, demonstrating that her opinion is reliable as the reader can believe she is knowledgeable about the issues with the bottled water companies, and what she asserts is inefficient use of water. Additionally, she employs terminology associated with her field, such as “aquifer,” which refers to any type of geological source of water—to convey her expertise, and therefore, reliability.
Vickers uses diction and allusions in varying emotional appeals throughout her article. She conjures anger against Nestle Waters with allusions to the company’s “cheap” baby formula which was promoted as “better than mother’s milk.” She uses diction that elicits sympathy with the citizens when she describes Nestle’s actions as “selling the water beneath their feet.” She uses specific diction in another instance which degrades and distances those who drink bottled water by calling them “bottle-chugging out-of-staters.”
Several statistics and facts are presented in this article which reaches its audience through the Aristotelian appeal, logos. She states that “70% of Sterling residents rely on Wekepeke ground water,” which shows how the people of this area need the ground water much more than Nestle does. And with this appeal, she brings up another argument, “…this is an era in which we face unprecedented global warming, increased agricultural irrigation needs, and worsening water pollution, which requires skyrocketing treatment costs…” She focuses attention on the costs of bottling water, not only monetarily, but also its “indefensible environmental costs.”
She wraps up her article with an urgent call to action: “There is no time to waste in stopping the bottled water industry from draining our most prized and irreplaceable sources of clean drinking water.” And by doing so, attempts to involve her audience in her own battle to preserve natural sources of water.

(This is not important, this is just a sample)

Testing, testing, 1,2,4...i mean 3...