TOW #3 - A Cartoon Drawn by Dr. Seuss

Before and during World War II, Theodor Seuss Geisel, or Dr. Seuss, created an array of racially charged political cartoons. At the time, there was widespread suspicion that Japanese citizens were disloyal to the U.S. and were spies for Japan. Because of this, many, including Seuss, held a prejudice against and a fear of Japanese citizens.  Though he was not as popular at the time as he is now, he had been creating and publishing cartoons since he attended Dartmouth College in 1925. Before his children’s books, Seuss composed cartoons like this mainly for adult audiences, specifically Americans. In this cartoon, Dr. Seuss aims to depict all Japanese citizens as dangerous and traitorous. Seuss shows a long line of Japanese citizens along the states of the west coast (where the Japanese population was the highest). His depiction of them standing in line waiting for explosives, stereotypes the Japanese citizens as dangerous and a threat to the safety and security of all Americans. With this depiction, Seuss appeals to pathos by playing on the fear of the Americans. In addition to the explosives, at the top of the booth, Seuss writes, “Honorable 5th Column,” which is defined as an organization that aims to undermine the larger group that it is in, often for the larger group’s enemy. This, including the words “Waiting for the Signal From Home…” along the top appeals to logos because it was not uncommon for first generation of Japanese citizens to have loyalties to Japan. These loyalties made it plausible that there were Japanese spies. Also, the man on top of the booth seemingly looking towards Japan, reiterates the idea that the Japanese citizens were loyal to Japan and awaiting its orders. For the time period, Dr. Seuss was effectively spread the idea that Japanese citizens were dangerous spies. His appeals to pathos and logos were very effective and made it very plausible that what he was portraying was true. However, Seuss failed to recognize all of the facts surrounding the subject. There were many reports and investigations that conveyed how Japanese citizens were not threats to American security and were loyal to the U.S. While, Dr. Seuss did accomplish his purpose during WWII, he fails to now.

TOW #2 - The Lives of a Cell by Lewis Thomas

Lewis Thomas was a physician and essayist who studied at Princeton University and Harvard Medical School. In The Lives of Cell he compares the earth to a single biological cell and describes humans as being part of that cell. In light of the belief that Man is trying to detach himself from a fragile Earth, Thomas wants modern-day humans, that understand the basic components of biological cells, to understand that they are not overseers of the Earth, but rather smaller parts of a complex system with the Earth. Thompson achieves his purpose through the use of a metaphor, an allegory, and personification. To contradict the common belief that Man has power over the Earth, Thomas writes, “... [the earth] is the toughest membrane … we are the delicate part, transient and vulnerable as cilia.” Comparing people to cilia on the outside of a cell membrane gives the reader an image of how insignificant and powerless people are in relation to the Earth. Also, this metaphor exhibits the mutual dependence of people and the Earth for cilia cannot function independently of the cell, and on the cell, they serve a specific purpose for it. Additionally, Thomas shares the story of how the modern-day mitochondria became a part of the eukaryotic cell. He described the mitochondrion, the organelles that makes energy, as “separate creatures” that have “maintained themselves” and possess their “own special genome.” This allegory presents the idea that people are not in total control of themselves and that there are smaller forces that control us; which magnifies our insignificance as individuals. After Thomas describes the mitochondrion, he questions what else governs his body. He wonders that “perhaps it is they who walk through the local park in the early morning, sensing my senses, listening to my music, thinking my thoughts.” The personification of the components of our cells emphasizes the idea that people are not in control of themselves and that their is another force carrying out actions for us.

TOW #1 - The Front Line Against Birthright Citizenship

U.S. born children of undocumented Mexican immigrants are having their citizenship tested in Texas. Thousands of natural-born children are being deprived of their full rights because of their immigrant parents. Parents cannot receive birth certificates for their children born in the U.S. because they do not possess an acceptable form of I.D. The only accessible form of I.D. that many immigrants have, the matrícula consular, was no longer accepted after 2008 because it wasn’t secure enough. Families filed a lawsuit against the state of Texas in order to get a form of identification that is both acceptable and accessible. The author of this article, Jonathan Blitzer, is an editor for The New Yorker that often writes about American politics. He studied English and philosophy at Columbia University. Blitzer writes for the American public in effort to bring light to Texas’s alleged discrimination against Mexican immigrants. Blitzer achieves his purpose well with his tone and irony. Blitzer’s use of phrases like  “stripped away the rights” and “another mother had to fight” lets the reader see the situation as unconstitutional and unfair to the immigrants. Additionally, after he questions Texas’s intentions for fighting the lawsuit, Blitzer includes a quote from the Dallas County Commissioner, who says, “I am aware of the concerns about the reliability of the consular identification document. However, I am hard pressed to imagine how its use in this context poses any threat of identity theft, fraud, or other abuse.” The irony of the Dallas County Commissioner saying this makes the reader question Texas’s motives. Finally, the reader makes the connection when Blitzer includes a thought from a congressman who believes that “the state’s response to the lawsuit coincides with a broader effort to create a federal court case around birthright citizenship.” Since birthright citizenship, in Texas, primarily affects Mexican immigrants, Blitzer conveys to the reader that Texas’s actions are discriminatory.

The Front Line Against Birthright Citizenship - The New Yorker

IRB Intro #1

Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote award-winning Between the World and Me as a letter to his son about the reality of being a black citizen in America.  With influence from James Baldwin, Coates uses history as well as personal experience to convey his message. In addition to writing Between the World and Me, Coates often writes about cultural, political, and social issues within America. I chose this book because it was recommended to me by former teachers and friends, and because it will enhance my knowledge. I am eager to learn Coates’s perspective and outlook on the reality of being a black citizen in America.