TOW #27 - How I Got Converted to G.M.O. Food (Written)

This article is from the New York Times on the topic of genetically modified foods, which is a controversial topic in modern society. The article details the benefits using genetically modified foods can have for farmers and consumers and why they should be more widely accepted as safe and something that should be used in order to solve some problems agriculture faces today. The author uses examples of ways that GMO foods have been beneficial, such as the example with the farmer and the eggplants, and how it has removed the need to use chemical pesticides, which can be harmful to humans, while these new organisms are generally considered to be safe and the new chemical this eggplant would produce would be toxic only to the pests that are destroying the crops. This helped in appealing to logos as well as pathos, with the mention of the children and how they appeared to be suffering from malnutrition and poverty and how the introduction of these new crops could help the impoverished farmers in developing countries. The article uses many statistics, including the number of times farmers spray their natural crop with pesticides in a single season (140) or how most scientists believe these crops are safe for consumption while a much smaller part of the general population believes this. The author also compares the controversy surrounding this topic to the reaction to global warming, and how scientific evidence should be the most important determining factor in these sorts of issues. The author used a lot of information such as the status of GMO foods in many countries in order to address the scale of the problem. The author also attempts to establish his own ethos throughout the article. I personally think it could have been improved by addressing the counter argument more, mentioning some of the reasons that certain people believe these organisms are not safe and should not be used, as there is still much we don't know about their effect on the environment or the effect lowering the populations of pests will have in the future, and these are definitely problems that need to be considered.

TOW #26 - Celebrating 21st Century Feminism (Written)

I really enjoyed this article I read, and I found it interesting because it talks about the issues in a very modern context, in fact it was posted the day before I read it. I found it interesting because it addresses many feminist issues that I don't see mentioned often, such as rights for trans people and the reasons that we still need feminism today, even though some people insist it is unnecessary. People like to think society has achieved gender equality but there are still many problems that exist like the wage gap between men and women as well as the harmful stereotypes that have been projected upon both men and women. The article also brought up a major problem facing feminists, the facts that we have to struggle against already existing power structures and some ideas that are deeply ingrained in society, like some beliefs about women (for example, how women feel uncomfortable celebrating their own achievements). It described the progress women have made since the beginning of feminism, such as gaining the right to vote and more freedoms later. My favorite thing about the article was how it listed achievements that have been made by women recently, which may inspire readers to do more research on the topics, and other progress that has been made in gaining more equality for women. I liked how the article began with reservations about the things that have been changed, and the fact that there is still much more to be done. However, the article then shifts to the things that have been done. The author also uses specific examples of things that have been done in order to prove the point that feminism can make a difference. She also uses examples of things that have happened, such as Hillary Clinton's role in politics and the announcement that the Pope made in order to emphasize how progress is happening but there is still much to be done, because this is an ongoing fight and change doesn't happen overnight.

TOW #25 - McDonalds Ad - Visual

This is an advertisement for McDonalds. I found this ad particularly interesting because McDonalds is often portrayed by most people as serving primarily unhealthy and fattening foods. However, in more recent times, McDonalds has been trying to promote the good qualities of their food, including reintroducing chicken tenders, which are proudly heralded as containing all real white meat as well as offering healthier options in kids meals, like milk and apple slices. This campaign has become necessary as people are becoming more aware of their health and the negative effects fast food can have. The company The advertisement itself features the easily recognizable McDonalds French fry box, except carved out of an actual potato. This emphasizes that McDonalds fries are naturally cut from the potatoes, and that the food is natural and tastes good because of that. The caption at the bottom right of the image reads "Real. Good." This emphasizes that the fries, and therefore the rest of the food as well, is made from real natural ingredients like the potato and taste good, as well as being made of good ingredients. The image uses a minimalistic design in order to emphasize only the main focus of the image, the French fries. This is effective because the advertisement would not have been as effective had there been a lot of other material in the image - it would have distracted from the purpose. Also, I thought the color scheme was interesting - the colors weren't too bright and was easy for the viewer to look at. The actual idea of the advertisement was interesting as well, I found it clever and an interesting way of conveying the message that they were intending without having too many words - the image mainly speaks for itself. The advertisement relies on the basic assumption that foods made from natural and good ingredients taste better and are better for health.