AOW 28 Political Cartoon

With the price of gas growing at an exponential rate, US citizens are livid about the fact that one-gallon of gas is almost four dollars. In this political cartoon, the author focuses on the concern of the price of gas and incorporates a leprechaun symbolizing the celebration of this years past St. Patrick’s Day.           

The man in the cartoon was lucky enough to come across a leprechaun with an over sized pot of gold. Instead of wanting to take the pot and all of its riches, the man questions if he is able to receive a full tank of gas instead.

The author of this piece uses the appeal logos. Clearly he is aware of the current increase in gas prices and how it is affecting people. He also focuses on size of his key elements. The pot of gold is overly sized meaning that there is a large amount of gold coins.  What makes this cartoon so appealing is a man is willing to trade his pot of gold just for a full tank of gas.

The exigence of this piece is a reflection on the reactions of the people towards the increase in gas. There anger toward this situation able people to want to make a erratic decision and to trade in a giant pot of gold for a full tank of gas.

This piece reflects the views of everyone in some way. People who own and are able to operate a car must fill their gas tank in order for their car to take them from place to place.  Having to go to the gas station biweekly becomes very costly and accumulates over time. As for those who are not able to drive, in the future when they are ready to, the price of gas may be double what it is now. Essentially, this current concern does affect a majority of people.

The author of this piece I think successfully accomplished his purpose. By incorporating the luck of St. Patrick’s Day theme into a controversial topic right now, people are able to connect and relate to what the author is portraying. Although the subject in the piece may be making a drastic decision to trade something so valuable for gas, I believe that many people would agree with him considering the circumstances. 

AOW 26 IRB POST

The main character Amir remembers an event that occurred 26 years ago when he was just a boy living in Afghanistan. Amir claims that his life their made him the person he is. Living with his father Baba, Amir spends much of his time with their servants son, Hassan. In winter, there is a kite fighting tournament. The boys cover their kite strings with glass and fight to see whose kite can slice the opposing players. When the kite is cut, the boys must run and retrieve the kite. Amir won the tournament while Hassan went running for his broken kite. After a while, Amir goes to look for Hassan when he finds him trapped at the end of an alley pinned with his pants down. Two boys older then him held him while the other rapes Hassan. Amir quickly runs away and waits for Hassan to return. When Hassan returned with the kite, Amir pretends that he does not know what happened. Not wanting to associate with Hassan, Amir hides money and a watch under Hassan’s pillow and tells his father that Hassan had stolen them. When Baba addresses Hassan, he told Baba that he did try to steal them and shortly after him and his father when forced to leave.

This story takes place in Afghanistan and focuses on the lives of Amir, Baba, Hassan, and Ali. From the reading so far, I think one theme is the search for redemption. Amir aims to redeem himself in the eyes of his father Baba. Amir’s mother died while she was giving birth to him and Amir now feels responsible. Amir feels that he has to win the kite tournament to redeem himself to his father. Also, Amir feels guilty as to what he did to Hassan. The guilt he experiences leads to many other events in the story. Baba reminds him that “a boy who doesn’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything.” 

AOW 24 Coca-Cola Ad

This ad is by Coca-Cola which is can be classified as one of the most popular soft drink companies in the US. The ad contains a green scenery symbolizing a greener future. By drinking bottles of Coke, not only does the consumer enjoy the beverage, they too can give back to their environment by recycling their empty bottles. If the millions of people who drink Coca-Cola recycle their bottle properly, together they can help make a change. The purpose of this piece to spread more awareness about the environment and ways people can help protect it. The exigence of this piece is global warming on the rise and humans must play their role by protecting the environment in every way possible. 

The two most prominent colors are green to symbolize recycling as well as the environment and Coca-Cola’s trademark colors red and white. The ad uses the appeal logos as seen by the caption below the words recycle as well as the awareness of the severity of environmental protection. The ad uses a good range of placement. There are recycle symbols in the shape of a coke bottle to help make the ad more effective and creative. 

This ad reflects the views of everyone. Recycling plastic bottles is something so small and basic that a child could help protect the environment. This ad was distributed by Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola is a credible and well known company that can effectively inform its consumers about this simple yet essential task. The creators of this ad successfully accomplished their purpose.