Tow #16- IRB/ "The Telling Room: A Tale of Love, Betrayal, and the World's Greatest Piece of Cheese"/ Paterniti

To some, the greatest nonfiction pieces are the ones that don't seem like nonfiction reports, but like other genres. Nonfiction's negative connotation makes it unappealing to some, and any time it can be made more fictional, the better. Michael Paterniti' memoir The Telling Room is one of these books that becomes more fictional, though in reality, it's nonfiction.

Paterniti does this throughout the book, but especially later on, through the use of footnotes. From the start, the footnotes offer historical background, the author's opinions, and any other information that doesn't need to be included in the actual text of the memoir. But as the story of Paterniti and the cheese unfolds further, the footnotes become the more nonfiction aspect of the book, and the official text more a retelling of the cheese-maker, Ambrosio's, story. Paterniti's writing also becomes very descriptive as he begins to share Ambrosio's tale. Previously in the book, the Paterniti uses descriptions to characterize himself and other people in the memoir; later, he uses it to explain his characterization and development of the setting, as if he left parts out and is making the story clearer. It has an interesting effect, and makes for a definite transition in the story between dialogue and Paterniti's thoughts.

Over all, the book has a somewhat dramatic, whimsical feel, as if the author simply wants to entertain his readers. However, there are also moments when he shares what he has learned, maybe with the hope he can convey this knowledge to others and make his writing mean something. It makes an otherwise fun and "non-serious" memoir become more professional and is a credit to Paterniti as a writer because of how it creates a tone of importance. Maybe the readers are meant to feel like they've done something both enjoyable and thought-provoking with their time by reading this book. Whatever the reason, The Telling Room is more than just a nonfiction book- it is the story of part of someone's life, and makes its readers feel connected to the story. While it talks about an experience, it is an experience in an of itself.

Tow #15- Discover Magazine Article/"The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race"/Jared Diamond

When most people think of the first humans, they think of cavemen who eat wild buffalo and shelter in caves during the ice age, barely surviving through the invention of fire. Today, we as a species are grateful not to be the first humans, to have everything essential to survival basically figured out for us, in many cases. Jared Diamond's historically-based essay, "The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race" shares these ideas, but proposes that the first humans really weren't worse off as hunter-gatherers- they became worse off when they switched to farming, trading "quality for quantity". Diamond does this through appeals to logos and exemplification, making for a very scientific essay on how farming has ruined the healthy societies of the cavemen.

Right from the beginning, the author uses both appeals to logos and exemplification, along with general history, to explain how important and long-lasting the time of the hunter-gatherers was. He also begins to introduce how problems started with the addition of farming into humans' lives, and the gradual removal of hunting and gathering. Diamond uses a variety of examples, from Chilean mummies to ancient Greeks and Turks to examine the differences in height, age, disease, and population over the years agriculture has become popular around the world. He makes the point that farming may be able to support more people, but at a lower standard of living. Other statistics, along with current examples of hunter-gatherer societies show how even today, hunting and gathering is still healthy and profitable. Diamond keeps the essay serious, but thought-provoking, so that a variety of audiences can understand it, but still maintain historical background. The essay almost takes on a bias, making farming seem very negative while praising hunting and gathering profusely as the method of survival that should of stayed around.

Diamond, Jared. "The Worst Mistake in the History Ofthe Human Race." The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race. Discover Magazine, n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2014.

Tow #14- The Atlantic Article/ "How Headphones Changed the World"/ Derek Thompson

Almost everyone likes music, and there are many types of music from which to choose. But probably one of the most important things about music is that it can be personal, unique, and create the kind of loneliness people like. According to journalist Derek Thompson in his article "How Headphones Changed the World", music, and by association, headphones, do all these things and more. They make music and other entertainment something people can do privately without needing friends for dancing, and they help people to relax, focus, and think clearly. Thompson argues that there are pros and cons to headphones' ability to enclose a person in their own little world, but regardless, that headphones have influenced everyone and the global culture of the world.

Thompson works to prove his point right from the start by comparing the pros and cons to listening to music in various situations. He argues that while music can be distracting or take away from productivity, it is more beneficial in the long run. He also employs the opinions of other famous journalists and writers when making his points about headphones and music in world society. This appeal to logos provides an appeal to ethos and makes the article both more credible and factual, which contrasts and supports the appeal to pathos that the author can create just be mentioning and simply describing music. Overall, however, exemplification is the backbone to Thompson's argument. Whether he is making an appeal to logos, pathos, or ethos, using imagery, or juxtaposing pros and cons, an example almost always follows, most of the time taking the form of a quote from one of his contemporaries or as detailed background on the first headphones or cultural life after the invention of headphones in the 20th century, for the Navy. Since Thompson laces his argument with this information, readers can't help learning something or becoming interested in something while reading the article.

Thompson, Derek. "How Headphones Changed the World." The Atlantic. The Atlantic, n.d. Web. 05 Jan. 2014.