The Onion: A Personal Statement Analysis

In Sven Birkerts writing, “The Owl Has Flown,” Birkerts puts forth something to think about for any modern day reader. Birkerts believes that over the years the methodology of reading has changed as the technology has advanced. In the older days, people had small amounts of texts to choose from, but read them more thoroughly, and gained in depth knowledge about each book. In this day and age, the scope of reading has broadened but at the same time become shallower. He believes that we now read large amounts of materials, divulging ourselves into all sorts of different subject matter, but that we merely skim across its surface gaining no knowledge. In his opinion we have gone from vertical to horizontal depth. He deems an increase in the

People Magazine’s audience comprises of mostly women, and the articles and advertisements within the magazine prove this. Such types of passages consist primarily of gossip, however, there are some informational reads in the magazine. One advertisement in the September 18 issue of this year is a safety message from Tide. While the advertisement is a safety message, it is obviously still trying to sell the product: Tide PODS. The target audience of this advertisement is more specific than People Magazine; instead of only targeting women, Tide narrows its audience down to parents. Tide's advertisement uses some pathos, but it heavily draws its appeals from ethos.

Schools often require reading materials containing unfamiliar subjects to students. Recognizing that there is significance for critical understanding of the text itself as well as the act of reading, this explains why many students today struggle with reading material that is not relevant to their lifestyle. Freire portrays that by the statement, "reading the world precedes reading the word, and reading the word implies continually reading the world" (Freire 286). A person should read their world, and then interpret it. They can then use their existential experience of the world to connect to what they are reading in print, and better understand it.

Many students who struggle with reading ask why should we read, what is the point? The point is that being able to read opens you up a whole new world of knowledge and imagination. But to have that new world opened up you need to be able to comprehend what you are reading. The primary goal of reading is to determine the meaning of

Do you have sore feet and feel like there is nothing that can stop or prevent your foot pain? MagnaSoles are new shoe inserts for people just like you who have sore feet! Did you fall for these tactics? Companies use these marketing tactics everyday to convince people just like you to buy their product. In The Onion’s press release, the author demonstrates the use of the rhetorical triangle, bold diction and syntax, and vivid imagery to explain how Americans fall for marketing tactics companies use.

The moment we open our laptops or unlock our phones to look for answers for a worksheet we were given, or read a brief chapter summary instead of reading the novel, we automatically minimize the amount of information we could gain from the assignment and block out our own ideas. We live in a generation where ‘googling’ a difficult question is more common than legitimately trying to find a solution. Of course it is easier to not do the work, but when we don’t do it, we miss out on so much material. As stated in Source A, “…Weaver said she felt strangely drawn into the plot overview and continued on.” This source explains a situation about a student in college who show her appreciation for John Steinbeck literature, which would not have occurred if she would have merely read Spark Notes. Connecting an emotional bond to the pieces of literature we are assigned to read is one of the most beautiful experiences in the world. Unfortunately, a large proportion student will ever know that feeling. Instead, they will know Cliff Notes and Spark Notes. They will know websites that leave out vital details that help construct a book into its unique form. Source E shows an accurate example of this, as it demonstrates a web page featuring Cliff Notes, with a header at the top reading “READ LESS.” Consequently, however, we don’t just read less. We learn less

As Joe said we going to discuss the readings upload on the course webside. In order to have a intersting discusion we will send you a sheet with question every week. They will be a guideline, so the answers have to be main ideas/facts or anothers question that you may have during the readings. Please write them and share it during the discussion.

I was intrigued to note the statement “women must not apply their minds to curious questions of theology and the secret matters

A student engages with the details of text in order to respond critically and personally.

In the article, written by the Onion, it drastically exaggerated the products towards customers with sarcasm, unrealistic data, and humor to elaborate the consistency of advertisers assuming low intelligence of the customers. Marketing is known for its broad way of advertising their products with realistic positive statistics. Bright ways to emphasize the item will be stereotypical motives to draw towards a specific crowd if needed to. Marketing categories is known for trying to bring in all kinds of relevance to their product. However, there is such a thing as crossing the line by subtly implying to the audience to buy this product. The Onion does this by showing bluntly satire motives as a fake company trying to sell the product of a shoe sole to the point it has been established as a joke in a series way. They throw in a shade of puns to draw the corney lovers. Sarcasm to remind the article is fake. As well the fact of hoaxed evidence.

In this article released from The Onion the writer uses satirical strategies such as sarcasm, humor, and mockery to show how easily customers fall into the outrageous claims made by marketers.

The article released from The Onion, establishes satire through the use of humor and mockery in order to reveal the reality of the process of products being marketed to consumers. The Onion achieves this satire by demonstrating how products such as MagnaSoles can lure in gullible consumers through the outrageous claims that their product is described to do.

How To Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster has definitely made me look back at how I analyzed all the books and other types of literature I’ve read and made me think how less-than-mediocre my analyzing skills were. I never thought that a boy running an errand for his mother could be a quest. When I started reading How to Read Literature Like a Professor, it vaguely reminded me of something I would find on the English tag of Tumblr.

     Another weakness that I had coming into English 101 was my way of reading. I remember having to read an essay or book 3 or 4 times before I could ever sit down and write about it. I was looking and at the words all wrong. However, my professor introduced a technique of reading critically. “A critical analysis, on the other hand, takes a viewpoint and attempts to its validity;” (Trimble, 95) In Trimble’s quote he is trying say that a critical analysis helps a reader understand what the author is really trying to point out. This was the same approach that was taught to me by my professor. This type of analysis helped me understand better what the author was trying to convey and it also helped me explain it better in my essays.

Many people have never considered, in-depth, the idea of what makes a good reader. Surface level first idea that pops into many people's’ heads is someone who can read fast and understand the text. In reality, the definition is debatable and much more complex. Being able to define a good reader allows for us to have a goal or guideline of what we, as individual readers, should be doing or striving to do. Some view a good reader as someone who can analyze and really dig into the text, while others argue that the reader should really have a passion for reading and enjoy the text.