TOW 30

Dear future APELC student,

Welcome to your first AP english course. If you're in this course you've probably gotten an easy A in your past english courses. I am here to tell you that is no the case in this course. This course is hard and challenging in ways I did not expect. With some papers, you will be extremely pleased with your work and hand it in expecting an 8 or 9 back. For the first couple of papers you may even receive a 5. But DO NOT lose hope. This course is rough but it DOES get better. Throughout the year, my writing has improved dramatically and I have Mr Yost and Mrs Pronko to thank for that. My biggest piece of advice: Talk to them. Conference with them before and during your writing process for take-home essays. It's the only way to know how they think you can improve your writing. Once I started doing this, I found my writing getting better as well as my essay scores improving.
Do the reading Yost assigns. One day you might now read an essay he has assigned and he could give you a quiz on it. Don't worry - the reading are not particularly difficult but they do require attention. So read the material he gives you because if you don't, it will hurt your grade.
Finally, just relax. accepting a B in this class is NOT a failure. This is a college-level english class and Yost and Pronko treat it as such. They are tough graders- do not take it personally is they give you your first C on a paper. Just accept it and try to improve.
Have an amazing year with the best teachers.

Sincerely,
Shayna.

TOW #28- Documentary Analysis: GasLand

Debuting in 2010, the critically acclaimed documentary GasLand follows the growing shale gas industry. The film begins in the filmmaker, Fox's, home in northeastern Pennsylvania. He is offered $100,000 for drilling rights to his property. Fox deeply explores the method used by these drillers called "hydrofracking" - which is potentially harming and polluting near by water supplies. The documentary - shot through vivid and almost frightening filters - is a clear and passionate attack on the shale gas industry. Fox suggests these companies are working with federal and state regulators to hide the true environmental damage their trade causes. The movie, appearing on HBO, is a source of controversy among everyone from critics to shale executives. Throughout the film (from an ignorant viewer's perspective), it appears that Fox is exaggerating the process and effects of hydrofracking. In fact, after the movie premiered Fox was hit with the claim that he took liberties with the true facts of the fracking industry.
Fox uses the "shock" method to expose fracking companies. In a town called Dimock, GasLand shows how the tap water can actually catch fire. This, he claims, is a result of the drilling going on near by.Fox profiles different people in Dimock as well as other places to see their reactions and how drilling has affected their lives. One Dimock resident is clearly amused by the fire-water and enjoys holding a lighter up to the faucet. Another cowboy-like man growls at the thoughts of the gas company because they do not stay true to their word.
While Fox's view of the gas companies portrayed in GasLand is somewhat apocalyptic and the gas companies are described heroes, the truth lies somewhere in between. Gas companies are not completely bad. They provide jobs and money to hardworking people. However, this comes at a cost and GasLand shows that it is up to the individual to create their own idea of the gas companies. Despite Fox's complete contempt.

TOW #27 - TOW Reflection

         Throughout my past TOWs, particularly one from each marking period I notice a significant change in style of writing between them. In the first TOW, I am very disorganized and the entire essay is just one paragraph. It is obvious that I didn't know how to effectively organize and split up the points I wanted to make. However, in the second and especially third TOW the organizational skills steadily increase. I started to create a solid thesis statement and then create paragraphs based on it. By the last TOW, my organizational skills had greatly improved.
        This TOW experience has helped me master thesis statements and the ability to write about the effect of rhetorical devices. Prior to writing TOWs, my thesis statements were flimsy and did not provide enough structure to help develop solid paragraphs. However, as I wrote more TOWs I realized the importance of a strong thesis statement and I worked to ensure I had one in every TOW. I also mastered the art of analyzing rhetorical devices (not completely but I started out totally lost). Before writing TOWs this year, I found it extremely difficult to write about the effect of rhetorical devices because the concept seemed very foreign. However, as the year progressed, I became more comfortable and even confident in writing my TOWs.
         I still strive to improve my knowledge of rhetorical devices and ability to stay focused throughout an entire TOW. I only know of names of rhetorical devices and find it difficult to phrase the device or strategy an author uses to achieve his purpose. Also, I have a tendency to write my TOWs without prewriting and this affects my ability to remain on topic throughout a TOW.
         I greatly benefitted from these assignments because it helped me write analysis essays with great confidence and ease. These TOWs are a really great practice for the analysis essay. However, TOWs would be more helpful (to me) if instead of only analysis every other cycle or so we did a mini-synthesis and argument, just to keep all three essay styles fresh in the students minds and make them more comfortable with these styles.

TOW #26- Article "Happiness is a Glass Half Empty" by Oliver Burkeman

Goals: My writing and reading goals for this TOW are to successfully identify rhetorical strategies and devices that the author uses to achieve his purpose. Also, I want to choose a particularly challenging, possibly lengthy, piece of text to construct my TOW from.

In a world in which success is equated to happiness, author Oliver Burkeman hypothesizes that happiness is a result of learning to be content with losing: " Failure is everywhere. It's just that most of the time we'd rather avoid confronting that fact." In Ann Arbor, Michigan lays a museum of failed products. Products that met the market and almost immediately went under like: caffeinated beer, self-heating soup cans, and microwavable scrambled eggs. The museum was started by a man who wanted to accumulate all the products that recently went on the market starting in 1960. However, years later he realized that most of the products he had purchased had gone under. "According to some estimates, the failure rate is as high as 90%. Simply by collecting new products indiscriminately, McMath had ensured that his hoard would come to consist overwhelmingly of unsuccessful ones." Burkeman begins to cite modern philosophy's belief that success is the act of something going right. However, he acknowledges that Greek and Roman philosophy believed in the opposite: Our relentless struggle to achieve success, or the perpetuated idea of happiness, is exactly what is making us unhappy. Burkeman brings up Greek and Roman philosophers to bring other theories to light and suggest another path to happiness. "This involves learning to enjoy uncertainty, embracing insecurity and becoming familiar with failure. In order to be truly happy, it turns out, we might actually need to be willing to experience more negative emotions – or, at the very least, to stop running quite so hard from them." Burkeman uses the pronoun "we" to draw his audience in and involve them in the conversation. Unhappiness is guaranteed at some point in life and Burkeman is drawing on this shared experience. He's rallying the audience to accept failure as opposed to dreading it; learning instead of running. Burkeman simply wanted to change the way his audience thinks of failure through different theories of success.

IRB Intro #4: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

For the fourth marking period Independent Reading Book I will be reading Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling. This is an autobiographical book about Kaling's journey from the obedient child of Indian immigrants to the hilarious star of the Fox sitcom The Mindy Project.

TOW #25 -Visual Text: Serena Willams Tampax Ad

This advertisement is about Serena Williams "shutting out" mother nature when it comes to her menstrual cycle. This, of course, if a reference to the Tennis term a "shut-out" or a win. The ad appeared in Cosmopolitan magazine; A magazine catered to women and designed to show women how to be beautiful. This ad shows a famous athlete in an accomplished success in "shut(t

ing) out mother nature's monthly gift." The bottom right hand corner shows you the product and obviously refers to a woman's menstrual cycle. The athlete, Serena Williams, is wearing white to show how there are no leaks (as depicted next to the image of the product). She's also wearing jewelry to show that women can still feel beautiful. The tennis court setting is in a sense Serena's daily lifestyle. With that being the set, it also portrays that women can go about their normal routines and tasks they come across day by day. In the background, it show's a woman being carried out by two security officers. The words "Serena shuts out mother nature's monthly gift" are purposely placed across mother nature so the reader implies that the woman is "mother nature", the pink present is the menstrual cycle, and the "shutting out" with the officers is the tampon. It's nothing but similes in this ad! The three people in the background are not in focus, so the reader's focus is on Serena and her accomplishment. The fact that they're not in focus also implies that a woman's period is in a way, no longer important (in the background) and if they buy the product, they no longer have to worry about it anymore (hence the security). They place some words in pink because females are associated with that color. the words "Outsmart Mother Nature" are in a different font so as to bring attention to it. The other text tells the reader that so-and-so trusts this products and like it, so you should to! It also give a minor illustration and bolded text as to WHY the product is better.

TOW #24 - Article: "Now We are Five" by David Sedaris (New York Times)

Reading Goal: Read a text outside of current news and politics that is still challenging and thought provoking. 

David Sedaris’s sister, Tiffany, committed suicide when she was 49 years old.  While this was not the first time Sedaris had to deal with death, Sedaris chose to write about his sister because it was the first time he realized his group of six siblings was no longer.  No matter how distant in geography or in their relationship he had become with his siblings, to him they were always the group of six, and with the death of his sister, he realized he had lost the identity he had worn for most of his life.  The use of an anecdote as the formation of the essay helps to keep the reader engaged along the path of Sedaris's coping.  Sedaris retells the events that went from first learning of his sister's death to eventually accepting it, which acts as the perfect guide for displaying and transitioning from each stage. By using a personal anecdote he is able to show how these stages play a role and exemplify how effective they are in helping a person heal.

 Sedaris uses humor to explain a specific stage when he dealt with a loss. Sedaris describes his sister as she, “Laughed and rolled over onto her stomach.  He implies that although they all knew their sister had fallen out and distanced herself from the family past years before, the family spoke of their sister only in a humorous, uplifting way to remember the good times instead of the bad. Sedaris displays the five different stages of coping and shows that eventually was able to accept his sister’s death.  He states that this acceptance at the end of the essay when he talks with a rental agent and she remarks at the enormity of his family.  “’Then you’ve got your brother,’ she observed. ‘That makes five—wow! Now, that’s a big family.’ I looked at the sunbaked cars we would soon be climbing into, furnaces every one of them, and said, ‘Yes. It certainly is.’ David Sedaris uses personal anecdotes and humorous diction to show that although coping with a death can be hard for some, it is possible to find closure.

TOW #23- Visual Text: Political Cartoon

This political cartoon came from townhall.com. The cartoon was created by Lisa Benson, who is well known for drawing many other political cartoons. This specific cartoon was created after the 2012 presidential debate. It depicts a boxing rink. Within the rink, Mitt Romney is dressed in boxing gloves, boxing shorts and boxing shoes. Over Romney’s right shoulder is a sign that says “Round 1”. Besides him is an official with a stunned look on his face. In my opinion this symbolizes many of the American peoples reaction after the debate. Across from Romney is a knocked over stool which looks as if he easily knocked it over in one punch. The stool is meant to represent President Obama and how in many people’s opinions he was easily taken down in the first debate. This cartoon targets any U.S. citizen who can vote and also those people who watched the debate. Rhetorical devices such as pathos, ethos, logos, symbolism, and mood are used by Benson to convey this cartoon. In my opinion she accomplishes her purpose of showing the audience of how many people reacted to the presidential debate. They felt as if Mitt Romney knocked President Obama out of his chair as the audience looked on in awe.

TOW #22 - Article: "Turn Out the Light! It May Be Making You Moody" by Alexandra Sifferlin

Alexandra Sifferlin, a writer for TIME Healthland, wrote the article: “Turn Out the Light!” under the topic of depression and health. The exigence was to inform a random audience of the consequences of excessive light exposure so others can live healthier lives. This article described an experiment with rats that were exposed to light for longer periods of time. Researchers found that the rats exposed to more light had depression-like symptoms hence the same would apply to humans. Humans have cells in the eye activating the brain's limbic system when exposed to light. The system is responsible for memory and emotion and is functioned to slow down at night and speed up in the morning. Sifferlin provided solutions to this problem by providing tips on limiting light which were given by Samar Hattar, a biology professor at John Hopkins University. Hattar worked with his team to study light exposure problems which allowed this article to appeal to ethos because credible sources were provided to support Sifferlin’s claim which was to make others limit excessive light exposure. 
The article also consisted of jargon, but only to refer to medical concepts such as “limbic system,” “intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells,” and “cortisol.” The use of such rhetorical devices allowed Sifferlin to accomplish her purpose which was to encourage readers to limit using light at night. She did this by describing the rat experiment in a way that was very easy to understand with jargon that was clearly explained and defined.

TOW #21- Visual Text: Political Cartoon (Security Blanket)

In this political cartoon, created by Eugene Payne, aimed at the second amendment, the man in the center is reclining against a tree and sucking his thumb. He is wearing a shirt that reads "National Rifle Association", which is an organization in favor of the right to own weapons and has much political leverage in Washington. He hold tightly to a blanket that reads "The right to bear arms", a direct allusion to the second amendment. His posture and stance creates a child-like appearance about the hunter. This slogan on the hunter's blanket shows that this is his "security" blanket, like a child would have. The blanket is something that protects the hunter. Leaning against the tree, is a gun with a flag on it that states: "Assault Hunting Weapon," implying that the hunter justifies his use of guns to "hunt," ever though the man is sitting idly by and apparently, napping. The hunter is in favor of gun control and against the NRA’s belief in owning weapons because the hunter is portrayed as childish and needing a “security blanket.” This particular political cartoon appeals mostly to those who are for gun control laws. On the other hand, this sketch specifically does not appeal to those who hunt or want less strict gun control laws. Due to this audience, this cartoon may appear in liberal media such as The New York Times, and NBC based networking because the pressure for more gun control laws and legislation is largely associated with the Democratic party. Payne uses exaggeration and ironic juxtaposition to achieve his purpose of portraying the NRA and anti-gun control enthusiasts in a humbling light.

TOW #20- Book: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Persepolis is about a girl growing up in war-torn Iran. This auto-biographical memoir begins with a short history of Iran, first occupied with Indo-European nomads. Satrapi's main point in the begining of the book is to highlight and show that Iran is not a nation of fundamentalists and terrorist, like many Americans and other nation believe. Satrapi notes that since 1979, Iran has largely been discussed “in connection with fundamentalism, fanaticism, and terrorism.” She says that as a person who has lived half her life in Iran, she knows that this characterization is not true. This, she says, is why she wrote Persepolis. She believes “that an entire nation should not be judged by the wrongdoings of a few extremists.” Persepolis begins with a school picture of Marjane in 1980. She is ten years old and wearing a veil. In the picture, she is with a group of other girls, all with dour faces. She is on the far left of the picture and is partly left out of the frame so that she is only partially visible. She says that in 1980, it becomes obligatory for girls to wear the veil at school. The girls do not like this and do not understand why they have to wear it. They complain that it is too hot and some take them off and play with them, jumping rope and throwing them away. Other children playfully mimic scenes from the Revolution. This vivid imagery is used to depict an idea of what Iran was like through Satrapi's eyes. Not the Iran that is talked about today in politics and on the news. She uses her age as a guideline for Iran. As she grows older, Iran becomes more extremist and religious. This allows her to juxtapose her child-like innocence with the harsh regime that later takes place in the book.

TOW #19 - Article: "Getting In" by Malcolm Gladwell

1. My writing and reading goals for this TOW are to successfully identify rhetorical strategies and devices that the author uses to achieve his purpose. Also, I want to choose a particularly challenging, possibly lengthy, piece of text to construct my TOW from.

The process of college applications and admissions looms over the shoulders of juniors in high school like a dark, stormy, stress-filled cloud. However, Malcolm Gladwell recalls a time when his young, Canadian self applied to college in ten minutes. By simply filling out a sheet, selecting his top three choices, and sending it off, his college admissions process was done. He got into the University of Toronto, his number one choice. Gladwell acknowledges the simplicity of the Ontario educational system.
However, the emphasis of this article is not the author's breezy transition to college, instead the selection process of Ivy-League schools in America. Gladwell states that sociologists have separated the selection process into two types: treatment and selection effects. He gives a real-life example of both to provide his audience with deeper understanding: "The Marine Corps, for instance, is largely a treatment-effect institution. It doesn’t have an enormous admissions office grading applicants along four separate dimensions of toughness and intelligence. It’s confident that the experience of undergoing Marine Corps basic training will turn you into a formidable soldier. A modeling agency, by contrast, is a selection-effect institution. You don’t become beautiful by signing up with an agency. You get signed up by an agency because you’re beautiful." Gladwell gives these examples to ensure that his audience is provided with certain background knowledge that will become essential to his argument later in the essay. By utilizing this information, the author will go on to create an analogy: "At the heart of the American obsession with the Ivy League is the belief that schools like Harvard provide the social and intellectual equivalent of Marine Corps basic training... The extraordinary emphasis the Ivy League places on admissions policies, though, makes it seem more like a modeling agency than like the Marine Corps." Gladwell, through extending his analogy of the admissions process, brings to light the proposal that Ivy League school may be more like a modeling agency in theory. Gladwell is arguing that one gets into an Ivy League school because he is already smart. The fact that one attended such school does not make him smarter than a person that did not attend an Ivy League, Gladwell argues.
Through his effective use of analogy, Gladwell conveys his strong discontent with the Ivy League schools admissions process and makes a call to action to society to create a system where schools provide the best education possible, not extract out high school prodigies.

TOW #18 - Article: "10 Ways Your Awkward Teenage Years Prepared You To Kick Ass In The Real World" by Amanda Scherker

The "10 Ways Your Awkward Teenage Years Prepared You To Kick Ass In The Real World" is an insightful, and humorous take on the positive consequences of the infamous "awkward stage" that everyone is bound to endure, most likely in their "tween" years. Accompanied by comical GIFs with each reason, one though ten, author, Amanda Scherker, connects to her audience, who are familiar with the clips presented in the GIFs; these include everything from Winnie the Pooh, to Spongebob, to RuPaul's drag race, to Napoleon Dynamite's notorious dance scene. 

Scherker uses enumeration of these reasons to provide a sense of order and concreteness to her argument. This strategy also allows the reader to move quickly enough through each point without getting bored. Enumeration lets Scherker present her argument in an orderly fashion, without wasting space, and keeping her audience interested. By putting the summary of the reason, an image, and then deeper analysis Scherker gives her audience the option of how much they wish to get out of her article. A reader may choose to watch only the GIFs, or read every word. This is an extremely important strategy for Scherker because she writes for The Huffington Post, an internet-based news site. Many people who use The Huffington Post use it for its convenience. Scherker makes her post attractive becuase it is fun and Interactive. The way she has organized it allows the audience to decide how much information they wish to take in. 

Although Scherker's article is extremely humorous and relatable, she backs up her reasons with solid evidence, provided through studies. Her reason #6: "Your geekiness might have helped you avoid juvenile delinquency," Is supported by stating: "A 2009 publication from Sweden's Orebro University found that the same shyness that made you a high school wallflower also made you less likely to to engage in risky behavior, like alcohol use and "one-night stands." Her material is not only valid, but hysterical. Not to mention this assertion is followed by a GIF of McLovin attempting to buy alcohol for Michael Cera and Jonah Hill. 

IRB Intro #3: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi is an autobiographical tale of a young girl growing up in Iran during the Islamic revolution. This book is about her life from ages six to fourteen, while rebels were overthrowing the Iranian government. Satrapi incorporates strong black-and-white images to provide visuals on her life in Iran. Persepolis is a coming of age novel for Satrapi, but more importantly, the book provides insight on her life that became entwined with Iran's history.

TOW #17 - Visual Text: The Onion; "Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard"

In this investigative news story reported directly from The Onion. The Onion is a satire-based news source. In this particular video, The Onion satirizes the company Apple and their constant strand of new products.
The product introduced in this video is the "Macbook Wheel". Basically, this product is the same as a Macbook Pro. However, the Macbook wheel lacks something very essential to the laptop: a keyboard. This product pokes fun at the Apple's notorious obsession with touchscreen appliances; the iPod touch, the iPhone, and the iPad are all exclusively touch screen. The Onion over-exaggerates Apple's love for buttonless technology by removing the keyboard from a computer. In the video, a Macbook Wheel "expert" appears on screen and walks the audience through the "easy" steps to type something. It is obviously extremely tedious to use the wheel to type. However, the man instructing the audience on how to use the wheel insists that the process "couldn't be simpler." He then goes on to state "Everything is only a few hundred clicks away." The Onion has successfully satirized Apple's obsession with touchscreen technology. The expert insisting the wheel makes using a laptop easier is clearly delusional and adapts the persona of an apple-fanatic, willing to look past obvious flaws committed by Apple and insist everything they do is great and almighty.
This same persona is adapted by testimonial-givers. Specifically, one who states: "I'll buy almost anything if it's shiny and made by Apple." Apple has an extremely strong fan base and here, The Onion is satirizing the wide-eyed innocence and gullibility that these fanatics portray, by their willingness to buy anything made by Apple.
The Onion is not only mocking Apple for their touchscreen obsession, but also fans of Apple who buy their products without thinking about the functionality.

TOW #16- Visual Text: Huggies Advertisement

Huggies is one of the world's most recognized diaper brand. Huggies' parent company Kimberly Clark has been around since the 19th century and have a strong consumer market due to their use from generation to generation. Huggies is already established as a credible diaper company. This leaves room for their advertisements to play with emotion and reasoning to attract consumers. 

In this particular advertisement Huggies toys with humor as a rhetorical device, specifically satire. The ad reads: "Don't irritate your new boss." Joining the quote is a picture of a baby, meticulously groomed to resemble the typical wall-street type of man: Big collar, slicked back hair, rolled up sleeves - think Tom Cruise as Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder. The image is extremely satirical. It's strongest attribute is the humor of the baby. Obviously, the baby is not a corporate boss. However, babies, have a notorious tendency to become the boss of the house due to their infantile needs, even though it is unintended. Also, the term "irritate" can make mothers cringe. This phrase is a double entendre. "Irritate" can also indicate a rash or irritation of the baby's skin. This would cause even more crying and attention focused on their "new boss." 

The Huggies brand does a fabulous job of appealing to their wide demographic of mothers through this advertisement. Because Huggies has established credibility through years of successful diaper sales and satisfied mothers and baby bottoms, the advertisement (rightfully) lacks an appeal to ethos. Nevertheless, the humorous baby steals the show. The hilarious image successfully appeals both to pathos and logos. A baby should not be irritated by diapers, therefore buy huggies and your "boss" will not be irritated, making the mother's life easier. 

TOW #15- Article: "Anchor Management" by Jonah Weiner

Ron Burgundy and the Channel 4 News Team have already changed nightly network news forever - what does Burgundy have in store for this hilarious sequel? Jonah Weiner shadows Will Ferrell for a day on the set of Anchorman 2 in this article for Rolling Stone. Ron Burgundy, Will Ferrel's self-described favorite character is - or rather was - the anchor of the Channel 4 News team in San Diego until his girlfriend, Veronica Corningstone stole his spotlight. Many members of his team, including stars such as Steve Carrel and Paul Rudd's characters have gone in directions other than news. That's where the second movie picks up and that's where the author of this article, Jonah Weiner, joins the cast and crew in filming. 

Weiner moves chronologically through his day, starting with different takes on the set. The entire article is less of an investigation and more of an appraisal of ingenious director Adam McKay and Will Ferrel's improvisational and writing skills. "In Ferrell’s hands, Ron is as indelible a portrait of puffed-up American masculinity as our culture has mustered: “At first glance, you think he’s really self-confident, but he’s such an insecure guy,” says Ferrell. “His confidence supplants knowledge.” Anchorman’s director, Adam McKay, who wrote both movies (and runs a production company, Gary Sanchez) with Ferrell, says, “That’s stuff we both love: guys who project great authority and competence, but behind it there’s just f***ing chaos, incompetence, derangement or pure self-interest.” " Weiner's use of humor and quotes from people on and off the screen provide his audience with varying perspectives that are usually unattainable to the average movie-goer. It's safe to say that Anchorman 2 will be a huge success. Weiner has showed his readers a behind-the-scenes look at the key figures involved in making this hilarious movie possible. 

TOW #14 - Article: "Encouraging Economic Report Reveals More Americans Delusional Enough To Start Their Own Business" - The Onion

The Onion proudly refers to itself as: "America's Finest News Source." Readers of The Onion quickly realize the entire news source is drowning in satire; almost nothing factual or newsworthy is every written on The Onion. In a period of Economic rebuilding, America is coming out of a recession and many "real" newspapers report on the country's economy. The Onion has written a completely satirical article about Americans "delusional" enough to open a new business in this economy. The article is bluntly titled: "Encouraging Economic Report Reveals More Americans Delusional Enough To Start Their Own Business." This news source relies entirely on sarcasm and satire to reach their readers in this article. Throughout the article facts are sprinkled in between long satirical rants in attempt to make the article appear credible. For example: "The report, which described its findings as “highly encouraging for near-term economic growth,” confirmed that over 200,000 small businesses were founded in 2013 by entrepreneurial Americans who have completely and utterly lost their grip on reality, and noted that the number of bold and frankly insane Americans applying for new business permits had risen markedly over the past year." While the onion provides laughs to its readers, it is not a credible source. The article also exemplifies extreme bias towards its arguments: “Every day, we’re seeing more entrepreneurs who are deluded to such a degree that they are confidently investing their entire life savings in new and unquestionably ill-fated restaurants, storefronts, and online businesses.” The author of this article simply does not provide enough evidence to support his harsh claim. It is obvious that The Onion does not want to be a credible news source. Their satire and sarcasm work hand in hand to create a news article that has some - if very little - relevance in life.