TOW #10 - The Situation Room

Movies have been created, books have been written, and articles have been shared, all stemming from the same night in American history, the night terrorist leader Osama bin Laden was killed by US Navy SEALS.  The photograph was taken by White House photographer Pete Souza in the intense moments during the raid on the home of bin Laden.  The photograph serves to reveal the focus and intent with which the mission was carried out, and how, even from thousands of miles away, the hearts of everyone involved were beating.  An interesting aspect of the photo is how the main subject is not even included in the frame.  All of the people in the scene are gazing intently at some unknown object, presumably a screen with updates from the mission.  While it's almost annoying to the reader that this object of interest is unknown, it makes for even more mystery and excitement.  Obviously the moment was very intense, and by choosing to focus on the reactions of those involved, instead of the object of intensity, Souza was able to capture the true feelings from the moment.  In addition, the photograph alludes to information that is already known by the audience.  It is known that the raid was carried out in the middle of the night (in Pakistan), but because of the time difference it was only around five or six PM in Washington.  Therefore, while the rest of the city, and the country, was making dinner and getting ready for their night, this group of people sat in the situation room and watched one of the most important moments in US history.  Information that is also alluded to is what exactly the President and his team are watching, presumably the very moments when bin Laden was killed, as well as the updates that followed.  Another aspect of the picture that is interesting is the faces that are present in the room.  Among the most noticeable are President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton.  The viewer identifies these faces and can discern how important of a moment it must have been for all three of these leaders to be in the same room at once.  Finally, the fact that the photo takes place in the Situation Room of the White House, with a long history of militarily important moments, helps the reader to understand the intensity of the moment.

Photograph by Pete Souza

TOW #9 - Remarks by the President in Eulogy for the Honorable Reverend Clementa Pinckney

On the night of June 17, 2015, a man opened fire at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina.  The attack killed nine, and brought once again the terror of gun violence to the front of the hearts and minds of the American people.  In his eulogy for slain Reverend Clementa Pinckney,  Barack Obama paid tribute to the victims of the attack, and also purposefully tugged at the emotions of all those American citizens whom he knew were listening.  The nation was listening closely to President Obama's carefully crafted words, and they absolutely paid off in the end.  In his eulogy, President Obama utilizes first person plural pronouns. By using sentences such as, "To the families of the fallen, the nation shares in your grief.  Our pain cuts that much deeper because it happened in a church", Obama is able to reveal to his immediate audience of those directly affected by the tragedy that the nation stands behind them.  His use of first person plural pronouns does not place the tragedy in his hands or the hands of those in the church, it places the tragedy in the arms of the nation as a whole.  Obama's use of first person plural pronouns also serves to challenge the nation in saying that gun violence is an issue that effects every single person, and we must make a change.  In his eulogy, Obama also tugs at the heartstrings of his entire audience when he pauses in his speech and then breaks into a solo singing of Amazing Grace.  The well-known song forced the entire room into emotional tears and, in the video of the event, shows the room break into a standing applause.  By deviating from the expected in his speech, the President showed off a different side than the more formal one that is usually exposed to the public.  He was able to honor the victims of such a terrible attack, challenge the nation to tighten their control on gun violence, and bring out a different side to himself than is normally seen.  Overall, the President achieved his purpose to the fullest extent.

The President breaking into song

IRB Intro #2

I have chosen to read Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.  I chose this book because of the different style of writing it will implore as well as the adventurous and narrative tale Gilbert provides.  I am looking forward to reading this book for its more "novel-like" rhetoric and less autobiographical nature compared to my last book.