TOW #19 - Harry Potter Literal Trailer

            This “Harry Potter Literal Trailer” is part of a series made by a YouTuber called Tobuscus. This person makes parodies of well-known movie trailers where they simply describe what is going on in the video. It can be figured out that you do not want to watch these videos to figure out the plot of a movie.

            This video was created for people who simply want a laugh. There is no way to guess what Tobuscus is going to say, but the entire video is funny. This video was made after the Deathly Hallows trailer was released. It brings humor to the trailer while also promoting the movies (which probably was not on purpose, but still).

            Tobuscus uses humor throughout this video. The first time I saw it, I was a young girl, and my friend had to pause the video because I was laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe. By commenting on the arbitrary details of the trailer, Tobuscus alters the point of the movie. For example, Tobuscus comments on how Harry needs sleep and Voldemort does not have a nose. The average person knows that this is not the primary problem of the Harry Potter series.

            The author’s purpose in creating this text was to get his audience to have a laugh or find the video to be amusing. I would say that the author achieved their purpose because most of the people who watch this video find the humor.

TOW #18 - Standardized Tests

            “Why Standardized Tests Don’t Measure Educational Quality” was written by W. James Popham and published by ASCD.org. Popham is a professor at UCLA in the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. For almost 30 years, Popham has been teaching at this school. At UCLA, Popham has won many teaching awards. W. James Popham is a former president of the American Educational Research Association, and he is the author of over 20 books. In this particular article, Popham argues against standardized tests by saying that they are unfair assessments of comprehension.

            This article argues is geared towards the average American, showing them why standardized tests are not as good in practice as they are in theory. Support for American education is based pretty heavily on test scores. Funding goes to schools that, on average, get higher scores. Wissahickon High School, for example, is considered the number one school in the state based solely off of test scores. We could have terrible athletics or an un-diverse student body. None of that matters, however, as long as the standardized test scores stay up. With students stressing out every year over PSSAs, Keystones, SATs, or ACTs, it can be hard to remember that other things matter as well.

            Popham used ethos to prove himself as an author. By quoting facts and statistics from research studies, the average reader is inclined to believe what he has to say. In describing a study from Michigan State University, he said, “Between 50 and 80 percent of what was measured on the tests was not suitably addressed in the textbooks.” By using statistics, Popham proves himself as an author. Any person could complain about standardized tests, but people will be more inclined to listen if they give valid arguments. In addition to ethos, Popham used humor. He wrote, “T test developers are obliged to create a series of one-size-fits-all assessments. But, as most of us know from attempting to wear one-size-fits-all garments, sometimes one size really can't fit all.” By using humor (it’s true, but still funny), Popham encourages people to be against something without sounding like a negative person.

            The purpose of this text is to argue against standardized assessments. The author did achieve his purpose because he inspires people to think about the downsides of standardized testing.

TOW #17 - I Have a Dream

            “I Have a Dream” was a speech presented by Martin Luther King Junior during the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr. is a famous civil rights activist, who protested for equality until the end of his days. King was arrested on multiple occasions, even though he only ever led peaceful protests. The March on Washington, with over 200,000 participants, culminated in King’s “I Have a Dream” Speech. As a black man, Martin Luther King experienced the racism embedded in society first-hand, and he was brave enough to attempt to do something about it.

            The context of this speech is the lack of equality in America during this time period. Dark-skinned people couldn’t use the same restrooms or water fountains as white people, and they could not enter many places (such as restaurants) that white people were welcome in. King is addressing the whole American population with this speech. He is being the voice of the colored folk, reminding them how much they have yet to gain, even 100 years after the Civil War. MLK Jr. is also reminding the white Americans about the promises in the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence, reminding the oppressors about unalienable rights that have been denied.

            The most prevalent rhetorical device used in this speech is anaphora. Many words and phrases are used multiple times, but the most important phrase is “I have a dream.” King uses this phrase more than once to emphasize his point. He says that things aren’t great right now, but they could be one day. The use of anaphora aids King’s purpose because it stresses the importance of his words.

            It is highly probable that King knew that his words would not cause an overnight miracle. However, his purpose was to inspire a need for social change. Martin Luther King achieved his purpose-slash-life-goal because he was able to bring people to see the country as he saw it. He showed people the potential for goodness that eventually ended the segregation of America.