ToW #3 - Article by George Johnson: "Glowing Tumors, Cyclopean Eyes, and a Cancer Called Medulloblastoma"

        Fittingly found under the "Health & Medicine" section of Discover Magazine online, this article reports the cause of, treatments for, and stories behind the childhood brain cancer medulloblastoma. In this article, George Johnson establishes himself as a seasoned science writer by explaining various concepts with an authoritative tone. He also quotes a section of his own book, The Cancer Chronicles, appealing to ethos by proving to the reader that he is an authority in oncology. However, Johnson brings a very relaxed and even uncontrolled tone to this article, prompting the reader to question his experience in professional writing.
        This article was published by the online Discover Magazine, the slogan of which is "Science for the Curious". Thus, the explicit audience for this article is quite simply people who are scientifically inquisitive. However, the article discusses more sophisticated ideas than all can understand. All of its concepts are complex enough to only be understood by readers with the equivalent of a rigorous high school biology education. Besides being written on 9/15/13 for Discover Magazine by a science journalist, this text does not have any visible context. It does not speak about any recent developments in the study of medulloblastoma or give any reason for its being written. There is a small hint at Johnson's motive for writing this article: he speaks about being particularly moved by a number of medulloblastoma-related stories.
        Being a scientific article published by a purely scientific magazine, the almost predetermined purpose of this text is to educate on and spark interest in its subject. We see that Johnson primarily educates on the cause and treatments of medulloblastoma while interspersing emotional stories and moving statistics to ensure his readers' curiosity of the brain cancer. These stories are also Johnson’s main appeals to pathos, as they all focus on children being mentally disabled or even killed by brain cancers. The science magazine article is often very successful in its purpose; its scientifically curious audience is already interested in and wants to learn about its subject, so little persuasion is required. Johnson’s article is clearly no exception from this rule.

A dyed sample of medulloblastoma-infected brain matter. 

Article found at:

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/fire-in-the-mind/?p=789#.UkjLSGSUMio

ToW #2 - Visual Text from xkcd: "Bee Orchid"

Comic from http://xkcd.com/1259/

        XKCD is a long-running webcomic that is focused on scientific and often nerdy topics. Its posts can vary in tone from the most sarcastic and modern to entirely sentimental and sincere. The artist behind xkcd is Randall Munroe, an American programmer, former NASA roboticist, and lecturer. Given the facts of Munroe's qualifications and his eight years' experience running xkcd (with over 1,200 comics produced), it is clear that Munroe's credibility has been long established. XKCD.com, being the 784th most-visited website in the United States, has a rather large and dedicated audience. I, for one, frequent it because of my love of both science and humor.

        This comic is no exception from xkcd's norm: it presents a scientific topic, the bee-courting Ophrys apifera, in a completely sentimental light (see: panel five, a watercolor painting). It also features recurring characters in the webcomic: Megan, the stick figure with long hair; and Beret Guy, the guy wearing the beret. Beret Guy is so consistently sincere in his comics that he has become a sort of indicator for which comics Munroe intends to be sincere and which he does not. As Munroe has established this text as being sincere, his purpose is clearly not to point out the humor or quirkiness in this comic's subject. He implies through his use of the poetic Beret Guy that his purpose is to plainly and humanly show the reader the sad state that the Ophrys apifera is in.
        It is notable that the two characters that Munroe depicts in this comic each fulfill a different aspect of his purpose. Megan explains the scientific value of the orchid, stating its proper name and evolutionary strategy while Beret Guy creates the sentimental tone of the piece, using artistic and emotional language to describe the flower's saddening predicament. Each character could then be considered, more or less, a rhetorical device that Munroe uses to ensure that his comic follows one of xkcd's established patterns: having a scientific topic and a sentimental, sincere tone. In using these devices, Munroe is fairly successful. His comic did not personally touch me very much, but this is almost definitely because I often visit xkcd.com in order to laugh, not to cry. If this text is provided with its intended audience of more emotional science nerds, then it will very likely be effective in its purpose.

ToW #1 - Article by Edward Lifson: "James Turrell Experiments With The 'Thingness Of Light Itself'"

        James Turrell, a contemporary artist who aims to concretize light in his works, is currently having an exhibition in the New York Guggenheim museum. This NPR article is written in light of Turrell's three big shows in the last year: one in Houston, LA, and most recently, New York City.
        Written by Edward Lifson, this story focuses on the why and what of Turrell's installations, noting the religious significance of light that Turrell investigates and the strangely solid way that light materializes in his works. Lifson is a long-time journalist for NPR, architecture critic, and once ran a Chicago-based radio program on the arts and culture. As the smooth, sleek shapes of light that Turrell creates are reminiscent of architectural forms used by Frank Lloyd Wright and I. M. Pei, there seems to be no one better to write about his works than art- and architecture-interested journalist Edward Lifson.
        As this story was written for a listening radio audience, Lifson included many quotes from art critics and Turrell himself to add a variety of voices to the report. However, when read, it is obvious that quotations do more than add variety; they act as rhetorical devices, aiding the ethos of the composition by providing more credibility to Lifson's argument that Turrell's works are unique.
        Given that Lifson includes many references to seeing Turrell's Guggenheim exhibition in his piece (he writes about long lines, walking into exhibits, and finally leaving feeling affected), it seems that his major purpose is to get his educated and art-aware NPR audience to see Turrell's works for themselves. The article, even neglecting the praise that Lifson gives to Turrell, encourages the surreal experience that Turrell offers. While I do not intend to make the trek to the Guggenheim to catch a glimpse of Turrell's light installations, I have to say that Lifson was very effective in making me want to. His generous inclusion of pictures of Turrell’s works is what did it for me. After looking at them for even a second, how could you not want to stare into those rich, pure colors in person?

In case you are interested:
Article Source
An excellent recollection of an experience with one of Turrell's works

IRB #1 Introduction: "The Botany of Desire"

        During this new and so-far wonderful marking period, I plan on enjoying The Botany of Desire, a book examining the symbiotic relationship between humans and their domestic plants. Written by Michael Pollan, this book specifically focuses on how the apple, the tulip, marijuana, and the potato respectively satisfy the human desires of sweetness, beauty, intoxication, and control.
        After noticing this Pollan book on Mr. Yost's 100 Great Nonfiction Books source, I decided to read it when it mentioned domestic plants evolving to satisfy human desires. I had always heard about animals evolving as they became domesticated – wolves teamed up with humans and eventually evolved into the modern dog – but never thought about plants becoming modified over time. So, intrigued about how dynamic plants really are, I picked up The Botany of Desire at my local B&N. I expect to learn all about how wild grasses 100,000 years ago became modern-day wheats, corns, and potatoes.
        Should be an entertaining historical read!