Blog Post #6: “A Brief History of the N.B.A. All-Star Game’s Slide into Competitive Farce”2/26/2018 Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors) avoids playing defense against Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) during the 2017 N.B.A. All-Star Game. Author: David Gendelman
Date of Publication: February 15, 2018 Category: Sports David Gendelman discusses the history of one of the N.B.A.’s biggest events: the All-Star Game. The All-Star Game is an annual event which gathers the most talented N.B.A. players in the league. The All-Star weekend comprises of various activities and competitions, such as the Dunk Contest or the Celebrity Game, which lead up to the anticipated main event. The once competitive game, initiated by N.B.A. legends, Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson, has turned into an entertainment-infested event. This year, however, a new game format has been implemented (including higher pay for the winning team and team captains) to encourage the comeback of the competitive nature of the game. Gendelman explains the transition of the structure of the All-Star Game to show the significance of this year’s new game format- one that has been exciting for N.B.A. fans from all over the world. Gendelman uses informal and a mixture of both generic and elegant diction to maintain an informative and casual tone. Gendelman utilizes contractions such as “he’d” and “it’s” throughout the piece, which reflects the casual tone of the piece. The generic diction found in the article, such as using “great” and “putting” also helps create a conversational feel to the article. The elegant diction, such as using “ensuing” or “orchestrate” reflects the informative, more sophisticated tone of the passage. The author evidently feels that the All-Star Game has negatively changed over time in terms of the style of play. He specifically shares his feelings towards this subject by saying that “the best the N.B.A. All-Star Game has to offer nowadays: broad, physical comedy.” He shows further criticism of the modern All-Star Game by saying that it “has completely devolved over the last decade into a revolving door of defenseless alley-oops and dunks.” Like most critics of the All-Star Game, Gendelman expresses the lack of effort and competitiveness of the game. Gendelman appeals to logos and incorporates complex syntax to carry out his message. Gendelman uses information about the new All-Star Game format and many quotes from past, notorious N.B.A. players, such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Isaiah Thomas, to appeal to logos. For example, Jabbar states, “I know there’s always griping that players in All-Star Games deliberately don’t play defense, but that wasn’t true for us.” The author chooses to include this account to indicate that even veterans recognize the deterioration of the original All-Star Game format. Compound sentences and the use of commas is the most apparent syntactical technique. For instance, Gendelman states, “Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was selected to play in 19 All-Star Games from 1970 to 1989..” He uses the commas to note that Jabbar has been in multiple All-Star Games throughout the years to mirror the credibility and value of this source. The purpose of this article is to explain the change of the structure of the N.B.A. All-Star Game overtime and to suggest the significance of this year’s new format. This is clearly stated in the title: “A Brief History of the N.B.A. All-Star Game’s Slide into Competitive Farce.” Gendelman also specifically reveals his purpose by expressing, “Once the most electric of pro sports’ midseason classics, the All-Star Game has turned more toward entertainment in recent years.” The goal of this piece is to not only inform N.B.A fans about the history of the All-Star Game. but it is to propose ideas on how the new format will either fail or succeed in reviving the original, competitive yet still entertaining game format. Gendelman explains that one of the main reasons older generations of N.B.A. players had the drive to put on a competitive and entertaining game was to facilitate the growth of the league. Since the league no longer needs this help due to their profound amount of success, Gendelman suggests that “The question that remains is not so much if the players can tap into what the game signified in the past. It’s if they can find any meaning for it in the present.” This position is valuable because these questions can be answered by how the players play in this year’s All-Star Game, which includes incentives that may encourage effort from the selected players. Because the game is globally watched (reaching over 200 countries), the success of this year’s new format- depending on whether the players find value in playing a legit game- is incredibly important.
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Hillary Clinton during a campaign event, May 25, 2016 in Salinas, California. Author: Tina Nguyen
Date of Publication: January 31, 2018 Category: Politics Tina Nguyen, reporter for The Hive- focusing on politics and the media- covers the recent controversy surrounding former U.S. President Candidate, Hillary Clinton. With the recent popularity of the #MeToo movement, more and more people are now being confronted and called out for any act of or association with sexual harassment- including Hillary Clinton. Nguyen explains the fallacies in Clinton’s attempts to justify her decision to not fire her senior advisor from her 2008 presidential campaign, Burns Strider, who was accused of sexual harassment. Nguyen utilizes formal and elegant diction throughout her piece to compliment the political and social topics at hand. No contractions are used in the article and very few generic words are used in replace of its more sophisticated alternative. For example, Nguyen uses the word, “throes,” instead of a more generic word, like “struggles,” to describe the issues that the Democratic Party currently faces with members dealing with allegations of sexual allegations. Keeping consistent formal and elegant diction throughout the article ensures that the seriousness of the subjects discussed- Clinton and the #Metoo Movement- is not undermined by a more informal, ‘relaxed form’ of diction. The tone of this article is very accusatory, since Nguyen clearly believes that Clinton is wrong for how she addressed the reports about her past campaign team.The tone can be reflected by Nguyen’s feelings towards Clinton and the scandal, which are both obvious and inconspicuous in the piece. For example, Nguyen blatantly calls out Clinton by stating, “Clinton had the chance to apologize for failing to protect her staffers from a sexual harasser. Instead, she buried her mea culpa in a late-night news dump.” Adding “had the chance” and later adding “instead” shows that the author believes that Clinton was wrong and did not handle the situation as she should have. The part that says “she buried her mea culpa in a late-night news dump” comes off as a bit harsh, but is a telling demonstration of Nguyen’s distaste for Clinton and the situation. Nguyen also shows her dislike for Clinton towards the end of the article, calling Clinton’s book, which was published post-election, as “ferocious.” The less revealing evidence of Nguyen’s feelings toward Clinton and the case is shown through her bias. Although her bias is not exactly shown, Nguyen uses accounts primarily from sources that bash Clinton’s recent tweets addressing the reports. The main rhetorical devices used in this passage are appeals to pathos and complex syntax. Nguyen incorporates a great deal of quotes and facts within the article. She presents information about the story at hand, uses quotes and tweets from Clinton and her team in regards to the controversy, includes commentary from people who have addressed the case, and includes other key information that is associated with the reports. For example, Nguyen uses the account of Anna North, who was a longtime supporter of Clinton: “I respect Clinton’s personal religious faith and the depth of her belief in forgiveness. What I can’t accept is the idea that forgiving Strider means minimizing the consequences he faced for his behavior, especially when doing so put him in a position to offend again.” Nguyen uses many sources like this to not only add insight on what is being said about the recent controversy but to also hint at her bias (as mentioned before). Nguyen incorporates many dashes in her passage to attach key details to the point that is being made. For instance, Nguyen begins presenting the story saying, “When news broke last week that Hillary Clinton failed to fire a senior adviser from her 2008 presidential campaign after he was accused of sexual harassment—and that he continued to harass women in subsequent jobs…” Adding the dash allows the author to include vital details about the results of Clinton not firing Strider, which is the fact that he continued his inappropriate behavior. Nguyen writes this article to not only inform and add personal views about the recent reports surrounding Clinton, but to also connect this controversy with another controversial topic - the #MeToo movement. Nguyen specifically informs her audience by simply reporting on the reports made, the statements made by Clinton and her team, and the reactions induced by these reports and statements. She adds her own opinion in the piece, such as saying, “But if Clinton was truly angling for a comeback, the Strider fumble might have snuffed out that possibility for good.” She connects Clinton’s scandal with the #MeToo movement by expressing, “On a broader level, too, the timing was terrible—in the throes of the #MeToo movement, a misstep on the issue of sexual harassment cuts deeper than ever before.” Nguyen writes this piece because it deals with two factors that have become increasingly influential in our society- politics and movements- especially, as of recent. The presidential election between Trump and Clinton was one of the most contentious elections thus far, and the #MeToo has garnered much support and acceptance but has been proven to be incredibly controversial as well. Lady Gaga at the 2016 Golden Globe Awards Author: Erika Harwood
Date of Publication: December 11, 2017 Category: Fashion Lady Gaga, American singer-songwriter, has been known for her controversial, headline-making style. In recent years, however, Gaga has taken on a different persona reflected by her choices in clothing. Erika Harwood explores the factors relating to Gaga’s style evolution and describes a recent holiday costume, which mirrors the fashion that many people recognize her for. This brief article is primarily tailored to Lady Gaga’s fans (Little Monsters), since terms such as “Haus of Gaga,” would only likely be familiar to them. Harwood utilizes informal and neutral diction to create a colloquial, slightly mocking tone. Contractions, such as “she’s” or “can’t,” were often chosen over the formal wording of these phrases. Generic words, such as “made” or “help,” were also more present than elegant words. Harwood’s use of contractions and generic words creates the conversational/casual tone because people can relate to the more familiar, everyday language. The wording and structuring of some of the sentences displays the hints of ridiculing in this piece. For example, under the title of the article,“Lady Gaga Went Back to Being Full Gaga for Her Holiday Party,” the author wrote, “Elf ears and all.”Adding the “and all” part generates a sense of mocking towards Gaga’s choice in clothing for this holiday party. Both the diction and the tone of this article would imply that Harwood does not have a strong emotional attachment to the topic. There was never a sense of excitement or enthusiasm to suggest that she was passionate about Gaga’s recent holiday costume. On the other hand, there was also never a sense of disappointment or disapproval, which could have also shown her emotional devotion to this news. Although there was not a distinct level of emotional attachment to the topic, it was evident that Harwood was not shocked or surprised by this news. For example, after describing Gaga’s more “straightforward Hollywood glamour” look in recent years, Harwood states “Gaga still can’t seem to help herself when it comes to dressing for a holiday party.” By adding the “can’t seem to help herself,” the author implies that Gaga’s revert back to her notorious fashion was bound to happen. Harwood appeals to logos and uses complex syntactical techniques to help carry out her message. Appeals logos are constantly placed to provide information necessary in explaining the background behind this particular news. For instance, Harwood describes the off-the-shoulder black Atelier Versace gown Gaga wore at the 2016 Golden Globes to exemplify her recent choice in adopting a more classical style. The most common syntactical technique was the use of commas and dashes, which help add depth to the points being made. For example, Harwood explains Gaga’s recent preferences of stylists by stating, “She’s also relied on her old stylist, Brandon Maxwell, who left the Haus of Gaga to create his own fashion label—a surprisingly sleek and tailored line of gowns and pantsuits as seen on everyone from Gaga herself to Michelle Obama.” Harwood uses a comma to explain Maxwell’s connection to Gaga, and a dash to describe the fashion label he created. This additional information not only shows the relationship between Maxwell and Gaga, but it also exhibits an important factor in Gaga’s change in fashion. These two rhetorical devices further help display the significance of Gaga’s recent holiday costume. The purpose of this article was not only to explain a noticeable evolution in Lady Gaga’s fashion but to also explain the value and meaning behind a holiday costume recently worn by her.The purpose of this piece was clearly shown when Harwood states, “Gaga celebrated the holidays with her Haus of Gaga over the weekend and dressed for the occasion as only she could: as a nymphish elf named ‘Mistress Claus,’ wearing a green lace-up bodysuit and thigh-high striped socks.” Adding the “as only she could” suggests that this elf costume is one that would be typical in Gaga’s infamous collection of clothing. This part emphasizes the importance of this costume because it greatly differs from the elegant style she has embraced in recent years. I believe that the goal of this article was to demonstrate a broader message: change and growth in a person does not undermine or diminish the roots in which the growth sprouted from. Lady Gaga has greatly changed her style, but it does not mean that she won’t ever revert back to her old fashion- the fashion that made her a household name, and the fashion that has contributed to the person she is today. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Kensington Palace - one of the first photos revealed after their announced engagement Author: Josh Duboff
Date of Publication: November 27, 2017 Category: Royals Josh Duboff, VF.com senior writer- who covers entertainment and culture- reports on a popular and prestigious topic: the royal family. The royal family continues to expand, which has further become evident with the recent news of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's long-awaiting engagement. Prince Harry will now follow in the footsteps of older brother, Prince William, who married Kate Middleton in 2011. Duboff shares this internet-breaking story to no specific audience, for news about Britain’s royal family is generally ubiquitous. Duboff primarily utilizes formal and elegant diction throughout his piece. Complex and polysyllabic words are used instead of generic words and contractions. For example, Duboff describes Prince Harry’s decision in publicly defending his soon-to-be wife against internet trolls as an “unprecedented move for a royal family member.” The author uses the polysyllabic word, “unprecedented,” instead of a more generic word, like “new.” Contractions, such as “weren’t,” are replaced with their traditional forms, such as “were not,” to reflect the formality of the language as well. The tone in this article shifts from jovial (seen in the beginning) to informative (seen everywhere else). Duboff’s happiness or excitement for the news is expressed when he says, “Well, it’s official. The wait is over. We can all take a deep breath.” The author insinuates that people, including himself, have been waiting for this announcement to take place. He shows his feelings towards the news by adding the “take a deep breath” part. Duboff’s emotional attachment to the article is not at an extreme level, for his main purpose is to inform his audience on the story. He discusses the events leading up to the engagement and the significance it holds for the royal family by using factual points and direct quotes. Duboff appeals to logos and uses complex syntactical techniques to help convey his message. Logos is visible in the majority of the piece because of the informative tone. For example, Duboff explained the start of this royal relationship by noting, “Harry and Meghan began dating in the spring of 2016, though word of their relationship was not made public until the fall of that same year.” Facts like this are not only vital to provide information on the topic itself, but it also allows readers to feel informed on the background of the topic as well. Dashes are an important syntactical technique used a lot in the article. For example, when expressing the significance of Harry and Markle’s first public outing at Invictus Games in Toronto, Duboff says “It was at that point—in such a public venue, and one meaningful to Harry (he created the Invictus Games)—that it seemed clear an engagement was likely in the near future.” By including the dashes, Duboff is able to add depth to the point he is making. The statement not only describes a moment that waved flags of a future for the couple (in the media’s eyes), but it also gave the audience a personal insight on the value that moment held for the couple by sharing its meaning to Harry specifically. The purpose of this article is simply to inform readers about the engagement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The piece is essentially fact-based and impartial, with the exception of the beginning. Duboff’s intentions are displayed when he blatantly states, “Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are engaged.” This statement alone introduces the story to the audience and clearly underlines what the passage will be about. The overall goal of this article is to reveal another addition to the royal family, further exhibiting its evolution. Not only is Markle joining the royal family, but their future children (if chosen to have any) will have key positions in the palace as well. Harry is currently in the fifth position for the line of succession (possibly the sixth with the arrival of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s third child due sometime next spring), and his children will follow him. President Donald Trump (left) with former president, Barack Obama (right) Author: Tina Nguyen
Date of Publication: October 17, 2017 Category: Politics Tina Nguyen described President Trump’s decision to initiate a bill (Murray-Alexander bill) that undoes his original executive order, which would have terminated subsidies given to insurance companies. These two occurrences happened recently, during a time when the fate of Obamacare was in great question. The fears of many low-income Americans, who cannot afford insurance, came true on Friday when reports came out on the removal of the subsidies. Just three days later, Monday morning, Trump requested that Republican Senator, Lamar Alexander, and his Democratic partner, Patty Murray, add funding in their bill for the reduction subsidies he had just ended. Nguyen wrote this piece to inform Americans, especially low-income Americans who can potentially be affected by this bill, and to stress the lack of knowledge President Trump has on Obamacare, or politics in general. Nguyen primarily utilized formal diction with elegant and polysyllabic words. For example, she did not include contractions unless she was quoting somebody else. She also used specific words, such as “ricochet” instead of “bounce off” or “hyperbolic” instead of “exaggerated.” Polysyllabic words such as “brinkmanship” and “bipartisan” reflect the formality of the piece as well. Her choice in words mirrors one of the purposes of this article, which is to inform. Informative pieces typically focus on important topics, like this one, which focuses on a political matter. Nguyen’s strong choice of words showed that she did not respect the president’s actions concerning Obamacare; the tone of this passage was condescending, which showed her dislike for Trump. She shared her opinion on President Trump’s governance and connected it to his recent decisions, claiming that it “seems to ricochet between brinkmanship, indecision, and ignorance—and his recent two-pronged attack on Obamacare is no exception.” By choosing the words “brinkmanship, indecision, and ignorance,” the author displayed a slight emotional attachment to the subject because it mirrored what seems like, frustration or bitterness towards Trump’s actions while in office. The part that said “seems to ricochet between..” underlined the condescending tone of the passage because it felt like she was poking fun at all of the negative aspects of Trump’s governance. Nguyen also inserted sarcasm into her article stating, “Trump's 180-degree flip seemed remarkable.” Choosing “seemed remarkable” to describe Trump’s decision change sounded like she was not impressed, which induced a sarcastic vibe to the statement - further reflecting the condescending tone of the passage. Nguyen also utilized sarcasm at the end of the article saying, “Nevertheless,Trump gave the bill—which would reinstate the subsidies for two years—his blessing.” The dash, followed by the “his blessing” was placed to mock the president, who made an order that could have caused suffering to many, just to take it back as if it were a gift. These sarcastic hints were also key to reveal Nguyen’s bitterness towards Trump and this bill. In addition to the strong, formal diction, Nguyen appealed to logos and ethos, and applied complex syntactical techniques, to support her message. Nguyen appealed to logos in the article through the quotes by Mick Mulvaney, Lamar Alexander, and Donald Trump. She also used direct reports from Politico, and included information on the background (the previous executive order) and the process of the development of the bill. All of these factual excerpts appealed to logos. One way that Nguyen appealed to ethos in the article was by noting that Mick Mulvaney, the person giving information on whether the president would consider reinstating the payments he initially took from insurance companies, was Trump’s budget director. Mentioning that Mulvaney worked close with Trump made whatever he had to say credible. Another way that Nguyen appealed to ethos is by noting that Lamar Alexander was a republican senator and that Patty Murray was his democratic partner to make the points about their influence on the making of this bill credible, since they are politicians. The logos was beneficial in demonstrating Nguyen’s knowledge on the subject, and the ethos was beneficial in demonstrating the credibility of the sources and the information provided in the passage - two vital factors in presenting news. The author used many commas throughout the piece as a syntactical technique. For example, when explaining the events that had caused Trump’s original executive order, Nguyen stated, “But Politico reported Monday evening that the very next day, Trump called Republican Senator Lamar Alexander to request that he and Patty Murray, his Democratic partner, include funding in their bipartisan bill for the cost-sharing reduction subsidies he had just cut off.” Nguyen placed long sentences with multiple commas, like this one, to add details to the point being made, which further demonstrated her depth in knowledge. Dashes were also visible throughout the piece as a syntactical technique. For example, Nguyen sarcastically spoke good about the new bill, stating “Nevertheless, Trump gave the bill—which would reinstate the subsidies for two years—his blessing.” She placed sentences with dashes, like this one, to also add additional information to the sentence and to allow slight pauses in the passage to take place. The purpose of this piece is to share the news about the Murray-Alexander bill, and to highlight the type of office Donald Trump is running. One of the opening sentences in the article which read, “Last week, the president announced that he would be ending subsidies to insurance companies that help low-income Americans afford insurance, plunging millions of Americans into uncertainty regarding their health coverage,” explained how the creation of Trump’s new bill started. By including “plunging millions of Americans,” the author was able to emphasize to the audience how significant this matter is. The title of the article, “Does Trump Have Any Idea What’s Going on with Obamacare?” greatly reflected the criticism Nguyen has for Trump’s knowledge on Obamacare. She further challenged his logic when talking about Trump’s declaration of Obamacare as“dead” by noting that “the Murray-Alexander bill is explicitly designed to stabilize the program [Obamacare].” This contradiction, as well as the other digs at the president in the passage was used to get the audience to think about whether or not Trump is truly capable of carrying out his presidential duties. The overall goal of this article is to encourage Americans to pay attention to our politics and to our government. The erratic behavior of Trump and the evident lack of knowledge on Obamacare, displayed this past week, is the behavior that we allow in our government - the government that has an enormous influence on the functioning of our country. Revealing flaws in our government can induce further discussions, and further measures to help improve it. Cardi B at the 2017 BET Awards Author: Kenzie Bryant Date of Publication: September 29, 2017 Category: Celebrity Popular culture has such an immense impact on our society, so I decided to focus my first blog post on a significant achievement made in the entertainment industry: Cardi B has become the first solo female rapper to hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart in nearly two decades. Kenzie Bryant describes this accomplishment to musical audiences of all genres in order to emphasize its importance as a historic breakthrough. Rap artists, specifically female rap artists, have not been able to obtain this number one spot for years. Controversy surrounding the “unfair” appreciation for female rap artists has unraveled and lingered for a long time. Cardi B’s success with her hit single, “Bodak Yellow,” has eased these debates.
Kenzie Bryant uses informal diction in the article to help create a casual and reverent tone. Standard language and vocabulary, such as “little” as opposed to “minuscule,” or “good” as opposed to “exceptional” were visible throughout the piece. Many contractions, such as “it’s” and “aren’t” were substantially visible as well. These generic words and contractions elevated the casualness of the article because the language was not complex or elegant, and was easy to read. The article was written in a way where it felt like it could have been a discussion, which also greatly mirrored this tone. Bryant honored Cardi B’s achievement and evidently had respect for her, which induced a reverent tone. She added comments such as “Cardi B bested them all,” “One Bronxite to rule them all,” or “The rush to welcome Ms. B to the club of female all-stars was, well, swift. As it should be,” to show her admiration for the artist. Bryant did not have a profound emotional attachment to the subject, for her primary job was to simply cover the story; however, hints of pleasure or satisfaction due to the news was apparent. These feelings were revealed when she stated, “And, finally, something got "Despacito" out of all our heads.” Including the “finally” in the statement showed that Bryant was relieved that the attention surrounding Luis Fonsi’s chart-topping hit, “Despacito,” was dying down. Bryant utilizes multiple rhetorical devices in the article to better convey her message. Appeals to logos and ethos were used hand in hand throughout the piece. For example, when discussing how Taylor Swift, the former number one spot holder, sent Cardi B flowers for dethroning her (logos), Bryant inserted a photo of Cardi holding the bouquet these flowers from her Instagram (ethos). Bryant also mentioned that other female rappers, including Missy Elliott and Nicki Minaj congratulated her (logos), which was reassured through a photo of Cardi B confirming this on her twitter (ethos). Proving that Cardi B was receiving praise from other respectable artists reflects the significance of this accomplishment. Metaphors were also utilized in the article. Bryant included a metaphor which compared a “warbling dove exploring her dark side” to Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift’s newest single,“Look What You Made Me Do,” was considered her way of showing the world her edgier side. Bryant used this metaphor to demonstrate this new phase in Taylor’s musical career and to show its connection to her record-breaking single - the same single Cardi was able to knock off the top of Billboard. This metaphor was able to further validate Cardi’s achievement. Hyperboles were also spotted in the article. When thanking Cardi B for stealing the spotlight from Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito,” Bryant added, “There aren’t enough flowers in the world to thank a person for that service.” The author was implying that there was widespread, long-lasting popularity surrounding “Despacito” through the use of this hyperbole. Stressing the song’s dominance in music allows the reader to see how important the news about Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow” is. The success of a single from a solo female rapper, like that of Cardi B’s, has not been seen from an artist since Lauryn Hill in 1998. This ground-breaking record has stunned many, which has prompted the creation of this article. The purpose of Kenzie Bryant’s piece was to explain and demonstrate the impact of Cardi B’s single “Bodak Yellow.” This was directly expressed in the beginning of the article when the author announced the news of the single reaching number one on Billboard, calling it a “historic coup.” Bryant mentioning all of the praise and the support Cardi was receiving because of her success underlined the purpose as well. Artists, such as Taylor Swift, Missy Elliot, and Nicki Minaj -all prestigious veterans in the industry- congratulated an artist who was considered a rookie. By including the stunning effects of “Bodak Yellow” on the charts and the remarkable reactions it has received from other respectable artists, the author was able to show how meaningful this song is to music. This news especially hits home to rap music, and the struggles females have faced to obtain their place in this genre. This article reassures hope to other female rap artists fighting to make their mark in the business. Encouraging the development of more female artists in a male-dominated industry can lead to increased diversity and gender equality. |
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February 2018
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