IRB Intro #3: Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir)

As a change from the history-related books I've been reading, I have chosen to read Let's Pretend  This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson. It's supposed to be a rather comical account of Lawson's life. Lawson is a journalist, author, and blogger from a small town in Texas. I chose this book because it will hopefully be an easier read than my previous IRBs and something that I will enjoy picking up.

TOW #16: The American Patriot's Handbook (IRB #2, Part 2)

For the second half of this marking period, I finished The American Patriot’s Handbook, a compilation of important American historical documents by George Grant. After reading the first half, I discussed Grant’s purpose, to inspire American patriotism, and how he achieved that through the book. For the second half, as it covers America’s history from Columbus to September 11, 2001, I will discuss the evolution of American rhetoric as it relates to God.

It is interesting to note the constant presence of “God” in American rhetoric. It would be natural to assume God would be a common topic in early America, where communities were often based around a church, particularly in New England, and in other colonies based on their specific religious tolerations. However, the use of “God” persists throughout all of American history covered in the book, showing America’s largely Christian history, particularly in positions of power. The role of the “God” card, however, has changed greatly from the early days, when He was a symbol of ethos, to the present day, where He serves largely the purpose of pathos. Beginning with Columbus, God was the ultimate source of credibility and justification. The Italian explorer noted in his “Apologia” that “[God] unlocked within me the determination to execute the idea [of navigating to the Indies]” (4). God’s Will is thus the justification for his voyage, and later the subjugation of the native peoples. Backed by this divine destiny, his rhetoric pleads that he can do no wrong. Another such early document in which God is used for credibility is John Winthrop’s “A Model of Charity” sermon. Winthrop, a Puritan preacher, opens with the statement that “God Almighty in His most holy and wide providence hath disposed of the condition of mankind, as in all times some must be rich and some poor, some high and eminent in power and dignity; others mean and in subjection” (9). In other words, the function of God in the statement is to give authority to the claim that some must be socially, politically, and economically in higher positions than others. For his Puritan audience, the use of God served to build the trust of the lowly in their superiors. However, at some point in the book, which is quite difficult to pinpoint not having finished studying US history, God transitioned from a credibility trigger word to an emotional one. The results, however, are clear in George W. Bush’s address of the nation on September 11, 2001: “We cannot know what lies ahead. Yet, we do know that God had placed us together, to serve each other and our country” (394). God, here, is no longer a symbol from which credibility is derived – Bush does not use God to justify himself or any condition of the nation, but rather uses Him to give the people hope stemming from the deity in which most Americans believe.

Though I do not yet know enough to mark this transition on a timeline, I plan to continue to explore it through my study of US history this year.

TOW #15: AP Chemistry Prep Book (Visual Text)

An AP chemistry prep book is just about the last place I would think to look for a visual text, except that there was one on my desk. Sure enough, this class has made me more aware of the subtle advertising strategies around me. The creator of the cover I do not know, as it is not listed, but it is clearly someone aimed at the promotion of a the book, targeting the obvious audience of AP students and their parents by making the book, if not visually appealing, at least attention-grabbing, clearly displaying the book’s credibility, and giving logical reasons why an AP chemistry student should choose that book.

To make a good cover, there must be something that attracts one’s eye to that particular book. For this aspect, the bright yellow color plays a role. Many of the other books are white with blue or red, so the brilliant highlighter color certainly sets this prep book apart from the crowd. Though not at all related to chemistry, there is also a pretty, smiling student that adds to visual appeal. It leads a viewer to believe that he, too, will be as happy as that girl if he purchases the prep book (and perhaps he will, but only if he gets a 5 – not while studying, as is implied). Now that the potential buyer is attracted to the book, he must know what exactly makes it credible and what it has to offer.

The cover is clearly divided into sections: the region above and below the title, Cracking the AP Chemistry exam. The top portion is taken up by the words “From America’s MOST POPULAR college prep company” and next to that “The Princeton Review.” Thus, the first thing a potential buyer sees when picking up the book is that it is the most popular in the country (highlighted in blue), making it a choice preferred over other prep books that surely line the Barnes and Noble shelves. The name “Princeton” is another strategy for automatic ethos. The Ivy League name immediately brings to mind intelligence, and perhaps even prompts one to make the connection that if he does well on the AP exam, he might be able to make it into an Ivy.

The bottom portion of the book focuses on the logical reasons why one might buy it, with the words “If it’s on the test, it’s in this book!” and “Revised and updated for the NEW EXAM,” which both share the same blue highlighting or font color as was used at the top, creating a visual balance and drawing the eyes from the top to the bottom so that a viewer notices both its credibility and the most logical reasons to buy it without needed to read the entire cover. In large font, it also brags two practice exams, but other than this, it resorts to small, out of the way, font for the details of what the book contains in terms of exam preparation, showing that the marketing strategies of appealing to authorities on the subject (Princeton) and being eye-catching over the actual value of content, which is likely to be shared with every other AP prep book. I bought it, so it must have achieved its purpose.