Close Readings

Dec.11th

Animal McMansion: Students Trade Dorm for Suburban Luxury
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/13/us/homework-and-jacuzzis-as-dorms-move-to-mcmansions-in-california.html

This article makes a reader say "What?! No!" It's just so wrong, teenagers that get to live in mcmansions for a fraction of the cost they should be paying due to the over sized homes being foreclosed. This feeling is exactly what author Patricia Leigh Brown wants from you.
Certain images come to your mind when you read "This was supposed to be an edge-of-town, Desperate Housewifey community." You picture a beautiful, affluent, picture perfect neighborhood. In a way you feel bad for this man because he has to pay so much more a month ("$3,000 a month, while student neighbors pay one-tenth of that", a detail that would frighten the average reader) than college students that use the homes to recreate a modern day "Animal House"; a visual most of us don't even want to visualize.
Another incredibly specific detail that makes you feel like you're not getting enough for your money is "the university estimates yearly on-campus room and board at $13,720 a year, compared with roughly $7,000 off-campus. Sprawl rats sharing a McMansion — with each getting a bedroom and often a private bath — pay $200 to $350 a month each", which makes you as a reader really rationalize this situation in your head. The amenities these college kids get from these overdone homes include "three-car garages, wall-to-wall carpeting, whirlpool baths, granite kitchen countertops, walk-in closets and inviting gas fireplaces", things no college student needs, let alone should be easily accessible and in this case more affordable than an average dorm.
By describing the normal college dorm room as "shoe-box size" and the contrasting mcmansions as "luxurious" it makes the reader feel as though these students are not only lucky, but almost over privileged by their good fortune.
It makes you feel a little sick in a "what is wrong with the world?" kind of way. This article really brings to light how much some people in America have that is excessive, while others are very clearly still in need.


Nov. 20th

Marijuana In Drug Tunnel: 17 Tons Seized Between San Diego And Tijuana
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/16/marijuana-drug-tunnel_n_1097804.html

You often hear of drug bust in large cities and local towns, but do you ever think about where the drugs actually come from? This article answers that question with astounding numbers and examples of different busts that explain how literally tons of drugs get into American's hands.
By use of detail author Elliot Spagat shocks the reader with astounding facts the average reader might feel are hard to believe. When details are stated such as "Raids last November on two tunnels linking San Diego and Tijuana netted a combined 50 tons of marijuana on both sides of the border" and "More than 70 tunnels have been found on the border since October 2008" it gives the reader a feeling of just how real this situation is, even from an outsiders perspective.
Spagat also uses great imagery to enhance the readers thoughts. By saying things like "The tunnel was about four feet high and three feet wide. It dropped about 20 feet on the U.S. side." and "California is popular because its clay-like soil is easy to dig with shovels. In Nogales, smugglers tap into vast underground drainage canals." it's incredibly easy for the reader to picture these tunnels being made, and start to think more seriously about how something like this could occur under the noses of governmental officials.
Lastly, by using words like "seized", "allegedly", "conspiracy", and "raids" Elliot Spagat portrays the situation very clearly to the reader; finding seventeen tons of Marijuana between San Diego and Tijuana is good in that we found it, but very bad that the tunnel and drugs were there to begin with. He uses such words as these to depict a strong feeling of negativity to all those involved in the drug cartels.
For a news report that was supposed to be informative to the reader, Spagat did a great job of slipping in images, details, and a strong voice. By doing so the readers thoughts on these drug raids is made to be very negative, and feelings of safety at the drugs found is ensured.

Oct. 21st

Sticky Fingers, Male and Female
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/opinion/sunday/equal-opportunity-crime-shoplifting-men-do-it-too.html?ref=opinion

What image do you get in your mind when you think of a shoplifter? You probably see a young female between the ages of 18-24, but Rachel Shteir informs the reader in the article "Sticky Fingers, Male and Female" that over half of people that steal are male. Through Shteir's use of diction, detail, and imagery the overall message the reader gets upon reading this article is a very strong one; stealing is a problem no matter what age, no matter what gender.
When explaining the act of stealing words such as "petty, indulged, heist, and smuggle" are thrown around generously. In general, those words tend to gravitate towards a more negative feeling, giving the reader a feel towards Shteir's thoughts on stealing. Though she doesn't say straight up "stealings an awful crime" you get the message through her choice of words that this author is more than a little opinionated on the subject.
The attention to detail the author used was very important. By saying things like "Men also saw shoplifting as a transitional crime, a pit stop to more profitable criminal pursuits, whereas women sometimes shoplifted for years — though many stopped after marriage." the reader feels like they have been greatly informed of a fact they didn't know before, and therefor gain insight on shoplifting. Another example of detail is "One housewife, who had shoplifted for over three decades, told me she took “almost anything,” including Advil and steak — which happen to be two of the most commonly stolen items." Shteir obviously didn't have to include the last part about the two most commonly stolen items, but that little snippet of information makes the reader go "really?". If people are stealing items like that, it makes you wonder, what else are they going for?
Lastly, the author uses imagery that that greatly enhance the readers interest. Such examples include "While women took clothes, groceries and perfume, men grabbed TVs, household appliances and power tools. According to Mr. Bamfield, men tended to hide their power tools in backpacks, while women were more likely to smuggle the perfume out in strollers. " Can you picture a woman trying to get out of a store with a stroller in tow just for some perfume? That image just enhances the ridiculousness of how far these people go in order to get ordinary things. Another example of this almost comical situation is when the author says "The men sounded as if they saw themselves as heroes in video games; one described the excitement of racing through the aisles of Target, outwitting the sales staff, security people and cameras." The reader gets this image in their head, one of a fully grown man racing through a department store. This imagery overall makes the reader feel as though people that steal have something wrong with them, and are very much in the wrong.
Through the use of diction, detail, and imagery Rachel Shteir enhances the meaning of this article about shoplifting. Without these techniques her opinion would not be shared with the reader about the topic of shoplifting.


Oct. 6th

Meth Abuse: Easy Cheap Deadly
http://www.drug-addiction-support.org/Easy-Cheap-Deadly.html

Everybody knows it; drugs are bad. There's no getting around that fact. But are there some drugs that are worse to get addicted to than others? Let's be realistic- the answer's yes. Methamphetamine is one of the most joked about drugs out there, people say things like "man that's the lowest drug, you'd have to be dirt to try that" and the like. But Author of "Meth Abuse: Easy Cheap Deadly" Ned Wicker gives us a little different account; one of a middle class suburban boy who was an "upright and valuable citizen" but who fell into a scary dependency for something incredibly lethal.
Ned Wicker did something interesting in this piece of writing that very much enhanced its effect on the reader; instead of using great detail to describe the progression of an addict, he used very little. By doing this it left the readers mind to wander, so maybe instead of this "Josh" in the reflection, they get a picture in their mind of someone they know with the same behavior. The sort of awkward thing in this piece of writing is that it goes from areas being so vague with the story, to having great detail about the drug itself such as "According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), “The drug has limited medical uses for the treatment of narcolepsy, attention deficit disorders, and obesity.”" along with a lengthy list of street names you may have heard Meth being called.
Along with detail, the author also uses words that could possibly be deemed as sketchy when talking about Methamphetamine. These words include "smuggled", "illicit", and "havoc", which present to the reader an extremely negative view of the production and use of this drug.
Another choice of diction that really stands out is Wicker's use of slang terms such as "smoking grass" which was in complete contrast and almost made the reader feel the term was inappropriate in contrast with the above paragraph which properly stated "smoked marijuana or drank alcohol".
Lastly, the use of language in this writing draws the reader into the subject. To want to learn more, and to truly hope for an end to these people's addictions. In the last paragraph Wicker states "meth addicts are not skid row bums as much as they are suburban professionals, or promising athletes, or otherwise upright and valuable citizens". Most people reading the paper consider themselves to be "upright and valuable citizens" I'm sure, which causes the reader to relate more to someone that in the beginning of the paper they might not have thought they could relate to-namely, a Meth addict.
I thought this piece of writing had some good qualities. There were things that made the average reader think just a little bit more about the life of someone addicted, and how that addict could have just as easily been you.


Sept. 9th

A Reflective Essay On My Weight Loss Journey
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/jhendricks123/view/a-reflective-essay-on-my-weight-loss-journey-142160

DIDLS: Diction. Imagery. Details. Language. Syntax.

I would first like to show the authors use of imagery in his weight loss essay. He says many things throughout the essay that give me a great visual as to just how large he was when he started his journey. By saying "The chirping of a cricket near the fence paused briefly as I stepped outside my apartment in a snug grey 2XL t-shirt" i got the image of the t-shirts on the rack that I would swim in, one's that should only ever fit football players. He also said "When my weight exceeded the capacity of the scale and it read “ERROR” instead, I changed nothing." which made me think very quickly to a Homer Simpson like person, standing on the scale not being able to see over their fat and yelling D'OH! There's also extensive talk of his eating habits, ordering out multiple times a week, and eating fast food the rest of the time. Oh my goodness, can you even visualize a person like that? I feel like he'd probably just be sitting there, eating 2-3 servings of high calorie food all by himself (he referred to himself being in a relationship only after his weight loss).
The author also used many details; this aids the reader in just how serious the writers weight loss journey was. By going in depth and saying things like "For the most part everything tasted pretty good, but the texture left something to be desired. The scrambled eggs, for example, had the consistency of a rubber ball if you microwaved them for too long. On the other hand the meatloaf and the BBQ beef, beans and rice were to die for!" the reader really gets a feel as to what the author had to do and just how into doing it he was. I for one wouldn't want to eat anything with the consistency of a rubber ball! He also details the conversation between him and his friend Nathan, writing about it as if it had just happened. In the text it also shows courtesy to the reader by explaining different components of the weigh loss program NutriSystem, an arrangement of planned meals and online support some readers have never heard of in their life.
Lastly, I'd like to respond on the language the author used for this reflective essay. In one paragraph alone he used such words as "purpose, despair, drastic, and desperate" to help strengthen the readers thoughts towards how he felt towards himself and his weight when it was at its highest point. In the last paragraph he states "I haven’t felt sadness, despair, or self-pity in a very long time." This helps the reader go full circle in thought; from reading about a man that was by all means lame, to one who loves who himself. Another example of language used in this text is the harsh words his friend Nathan says to him, and how much more able that made the author not only in his weight loss, but in his way of life. Apparently sometimes being blunt to people really gets the point across, and can change their life.