Open Prompt Revision

My peers commented that the language was too informal and my paragraph on diction was lacking, so I sought to improve that. 

The Bribery Aisle: How Wal-Mart Used Payoffs to Get Its Way in Mexico
Close Reading

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/business/walmart-bribes-teotihuacan.html?hp&_r=0

David Barstow covers a corporate maneuver south of the border in his article The Bribery Aisle. The New York Times writer used syntax, details, and diction to paint a picture of corporate greed and shady transactions south of the border.

The format of this article is much like a report - from the secret service. The introduction, "SAN JUAN TEOTIHUACÁN, Mexico — Wal-Mart longed to build in Elda Pineda’s alfalfa field. It was an ideal location..." took on the overly-intense tone of a secret service report, while some of his headlines would have been more appropriate as the opening credits to an action movie. Corporate transactions aren't typically headline news, but Barstow used his knowledge of spy films, and the knowledge that the average American is more likely to watch 007 than read his article, to bring this news story to the people.  He even divides the article into 'episodes', as it were, with flashy titles such as "City of the Gods, An Altered Map, A Helpful Mayor, Getting By the Guardians (my personal favorite), A Gathering Protest, (and last but not least) Open for Business".  This syntactic technique if effective, although rather inappropriate, as it is usually reserved for a DVD scene selection listing.

Specific details dehumanize Wal-Mart, and bring a rich sense of setting to the already well scripted narrative. "With its usual precision, Wal-Mart calculated it would attract 250 customers an hour if only it could put a store in Mrs. Pineda’s field." This personifies Wal-Mart as a cold, calculating figure, caring only about 250 faceless customers per hour, and no compassion for Señora Pineda. More crucial details, " Protesters decried the very idea of a Wal-Mart ... They contended the town’s traditional public markets would be decimated... Months of hunger strikes and sit-ins consumed Mexico’s news media" depict how opposed the local people are to Wal-Mart, making this a civil rights and culture issue as well as a business concern.

The specific words used to describe this 'operation' further paint a picture of a sneaky, greedy, merciless corporation 'exploiting' the local Mexican people. "The plan was simple..." is a line traditionally saved for James Bond movies, but Barstow uses it to make Wal-mart's pay off sound all the more sinister and interesting.The article describes 'out-muscling protesters', implying that Wal-Mart had, not right on its side, but sheer bulldozing force. Also, 'vanquishing' small town markets compares the company to an evil wizard. This diction villainizes Wal-Mart, and alludes to the fantastical evils that saturate our pop culture.

Rhetoric techniques like diction, details, and syntax can effectively engage a reader in an epic battle of zoning rights and technicalities, if done well. This article proved that, as well as used excellent work choice and detail to villainize Wal-Mart.

Response to Course Materials - February

Rosencratz and Guildenstern are waaay too post modernist for me. Don't get me wrong, I've loved playing Guildenstern... I mean Rosencrantz..... ugh. It is obvioiusly a well thought out play, but I'd like to flatter myself and say that if I am struggling so much as an AP student who just finished Hamlet, then who actually comes willingly to watch this show be performed? It seems to me it was written to be analyzed.I thought it was a little funny how Holmes told us she was going to step back and let us do the interpreting on this one... but we're so hopeless, she has to jump in and explain whats going on every few pages. The thing about absurd-ism is that there is no balance - it is all about shock and controversy and challenge, and less about content or reader satisfaction- but maybe I'm just not sophisticated enough (after all, there are a lot of loose ends from American Dream that I never tied up). Aside from reading the Confusing Play, we got back to the AP multiple choice, which I need some practice/strategies for. The AP looks a lot closer, this side of finals. I honestly miss Hamlet - we got into such great conversations, and I loved acting it out. Our final was so much fun, because there are so many different interpretations of Shakespeare (whereas Sheppard doesn't really leave room for other interpretations). I'm sure R& G will grow on me - I like the philosophizing, its just very bizarre.