Closed Reading: "Messages Hidden in Notes"

"Messages Hidden in Notes"

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/10/arts/music/new-york-philharmonic-at-avery-fisher-hall-review.html?_r=1&ref=music

Music is diverse and can be thought of in both positive and negative ways. This article, written by James R. Oestreich, showcases the positive view of a performance by the New York Philharmonic. By using diction, details, and syntax, Oestreich helps readers to envision exactly what he is saying.

Oestreich’s use of strong diction gives the article a positive view of the New York Philharmonic. By using words such as “prominence”, “bright”, and “brilliant”, Oestreich makes readers feel that the New York Philharmonic is the best orchestra he has ever heard, and that the readers should feel this way as well. He also uses words such as “passion” and “commitment” to help support his beliefs.

By giving details about the actual performance, Oestreich is able to make readers feel that they too were at the performance, and that it was just as amazing as he makes it out to be, such as when Oestreich tells readers background details about the music that the New York Philharmonic played, similar to what a concert program does. By giving details about the performance itself, such as performance order or technicalities of the pieces, he rounds up his writing to make readers feel like they attended the amazing performance.

Similarly, Oestreich uses syntax to relate to a wide range of readers, making more readers feel similar to how he felt viewing this concert. The use of short simple sentences for the most part lets readers understand his point, but the insertion of the occasional complex sentence keeps the article at a more sophisticated level. Also, the use the names of the pieces helps Oestreich to sound more knowledgeable about the topic, and it also helps readers to understand what he is saying.

Through the use of diction, details, and syntax, Oestreich manages to create an interesting yet accessible article that creates a positive feel for the music of the New York Philharmonic.

Closed Reading: "Failure is Good"

Failure is Good

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/18/opinion/krugman-failure-is-good.html

Most of the times, when we think of failure, we think of it as bad, don’t we? However, Paul Krugman argues the case that failure can actually be a good thing—especially in the political process. Using diction, syntax, and details, Krugman describes why failure can actually be good in the political world.

Krugman’s word choice is very concise and pointed; he uses words such as “slashing”, “pose”, and “destructive” to describe Republicans and their views on reducing future deficits, while he uses “moral” and “raising” to create a slightly more positive connotation when discussing the Democratic view of reducing future deficits. Krugman also creates a negative aura when discussing this issue by using words such as “doomed”, “fail”, and intransigent”. By creating this negative view of the issue, Krugman manages to convince readers that the failure of this issue will indeed benefit our lives.

Syntax is also used to help support Krugman’s view that failure can actually be good. Krugman often uses rhetorical questions to get readers to think about what he said- and he manages to prove himself right! Krugman says “Does anone doubt that he was speaking for many in his party?” in reference to Rick Perry’s view of Social Security. When Krugman inserts this question, readers realize that his point is in fact valid- that Perry’s views do apply to many Republicans. Krugman also uses dashes to explain his thoughts, creating a sense of casualness, making his article more relatable. The pause caused by the dashes also help readers to make a distinction between the explanation of specific points and the actual points. With this easy distinction, this work is easy to follow, making readers more likely to agree that in this case, failure is actually good.

Krugman successfully uses details to explain why he –and you too- should believe that failure is good in this case. Krugman talks about details such as how government works, and the difference between the two parties to explain this. By detailing the ways the two major parties run, Krugman manages to explain that in this “supercommittee”, there will be policy gridlock, which is why their goal to reduce future deficits will fail to meet the deadline. Also, he explains the Republican’s “true” views about reducing deficit spending. Purposefully attempting to pin the issue as a Republican view, Krugman manages to make Democrats feel stronger about this issue. By explaining the issue and detailing how it would not help the United States to decrease deficits, Krugman convinces anyone, who was not already convinced, that this issue is better left a failure than a success.

Through the use of diction, syntax, and details, Krugman successfully elaborates why failure can be a benefit to people for the current hot issue about reducing future deficits.

Closed Reading: "If You're Happy and You Know It, Must I Know, Too?"

If You’re Happy and You Know It, Must I Know, Too?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/fashion/emoticons-move-to-the-business-world-cultural-studies.html?ref=technology

Emoticons are often overused by teenagers, for reasons that are yet to be determined, but it is not too commonplace for professional adults to do this. However, this article states that professional adults are starting to use emoticons, such as “☺” and “☹” to communicate as well. Using details, syntax, and diction, this article brings out the humor in this topic.
This article uses details, such as quotes, to create a humorous tone to capture the interest of readers. One example is the use of Dr. Bates’ quote about the misconception of his “big hug” emoticon. If that quote had not been there, the reader would have had a lot less amused by the article. Similarly, the ending phrases about The Great Gatsby is equally humorous. Readers know the last lines of The Great Gatsby to be quite melancholy, but with the addition of the smiley face from Ms. Farinet, the lines actually loose their sense of seriousness. Even though her point was not to mock The Great Gatsby, the addition of the “☹” was definitely quite humorous!
Syntax is also used to create humor in this article, starting with the use of italics to emphasize words. When the author of this passage italicizes the word “actual” in the second paragraph, it causes the reader to chuckle because it is ironic how a person does not smile in real life, but while communicating via e-mail or chat, that person puts a smiley face, creating a sense of humor. Similarly, the third paragraph is more or less a run-on sentence. This sentence creates a sense of humor because the entire sentence could have been summarized into a much smaller sentence, but in order to give the feel that the text-talk of teenagers has really ‘migrated’ to business people, it was extended. This extension causes readers to really question why professionals are now using the text-talk of teenagers, also giving readers quite the chuckle.
Diction in the passage is also an important factor that creates a sense of humor. Many of the vocabulary used in this passage is higher level, such as “gravitas” and “prestigious”, but due to the topic of this article, instead of sounding more sophisticated, it sounds more humorous. Also helping to create the sense of humor is the contrasting low level of vocabulary. Including words such as “perv” make the reader laugh; it’s not everyday when you see words like that in a New York Times article!
In the article If You’re Happy and You Know It, Must I Know, Too, Judith Newman helps to create a sense of humor Through the use of details, syntax, and diction.

Closed Reading: "Casey Anthony Pleads the Fifth in Video Deposition from Undisclosed Location"

Casey Anthony Pleads the Fifth in Video Deposition from Undisclosed Location

http://abcnews.go.com/US/casey-anthony-plead-video-deposition-undisclosed-location/story?id=14690394&page=2

Casey Anthony's case has been quite a controversy, especially in the past few months, and this article addresses certain parts of her case. In her statement, Casey Anthony had said that a woman named Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez was the nanny when her daughter Caylee had disappeared, but this was seen to be false. Now, Casey Anthony is pleading the fifth against Fernandez-Gonzalez, and the writer uses diction, syntax, and details to provoke readers' opinions on Casey Anthony.

The diction of this article is extremely strong and thought provoking. The use of the word "Invoked" is used in place of the word "pleaded" when talking about the fifth amendment at one point to make readers think that Anthony is refusing to plead guilty to the case. If the word "pleaded" had been used, like it is used in many scenarios, it would have made readers believe that Anthony is more vulnerable, less guilty, and less crazy than if the word "invoked" is used. Also, in the ninth paragraph, the writer uses the word "compel" to provoke opinions about Casey Anthony. The use of this word is stronger than other words possibly used in this context, such as 'force'. The use of the word 'compel' makes readers feel like Morgan's questioning is powerful, and Anthony will not be able to answer the questions without self-incrimination, thus making readers' believe that Casey Anthony is guilty.

The use of syntax in this article is also very important in provoking opinions. The majority of the sentences in this article are all mid-length, lacking in variation of length. In some cases, the lack of variation could cause blandness, but in this article, it causes the tone of the article to become more formal and serious. Entire paragraphs are written in these somewhat bland lengths, but it creates the effect of an urgently serious issue that must be resolved, which causes readers to believe that this case truly is urgent; that Anthony's hearing is headline-worthy and time-worthy. If the sentence length had a variation, the article might have been a bit more interesting, but a lot less serious, losing the effect to make readers feel extremely opinionated on the case of Casey Anthony.

The details that the writer uses also creates opinions about Casey Anthony's trial. The most obvious detail used is "pleads the fifth". Pleading the fifth is invoking a Constitutional right, and by bringing the Constitution into the entire article shows the severity of the case. Also, the writer brings up Anthony's previous trial over the summer, the one that found her not guilty of murdering her daughter Caylee. The detail of mentioning of the emotional trial that had many people outraged in July provokes opinions about Casey Anthony, as most believed that she was in fact guilty of murder. With this thought provoked, it is more likely that people will also believe her to be guilty of falsely accusing Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez, and therefore is guilty of causing the disturbances to Fernandez-Gonzalez's family's life. The writer uses this detail to specifically lead readers' opinions to believe that Casey was in fact guilty.

Through the use of diction, syntax, and details, the writer, Christina Ng, provokes opinions about Casey Anthony's latest trial, as well as opinions on whether or not she is truly guilty.

Closed Reading: "[Review] 'Roman' by Teen Top"

[Review] 'Roman' by Teen Top

http://www.allkpop.com/2011/08/review-roman-teen-top

Although this article pertains to the entire album, I'll mostly be referring to part of this review, as it is the most opinionated. The song "No More Perfume on You" was a hit among teens and adults alike, evident through this cheerful and overly positive review.

On a personal level, this song really wasn't that energetic or adrenaline boosting. Truthfully, I thought it was a bit of a downer. Really, a group of young boys singing about how to cheat on their girlfriends isn't a great influence to anyone, but apparently, this reviewer at allkpop.com certainly believed it was quite an astounding song!

Most convincingly, the diction of this review brings a positive vibe to everything said in this review. For example, the reviewer states, "By the time the chorus ends, TEEN TOP have already plowed through two tanks of adrenaline and they’re halfway through their third." The diction is clearly very positive, using metaphors to compare the high energy upbeat song to "plowed through two tanks of adrenaline" instead of just saying something along the lines of “this song was very high in adrenaline”. This shows a positive, cheerful, and fond view of this song.

Not only does the language convince me that this reviewer is quite fond of this album, but the syntax of the writing is also quite a big hint. The reviewer says of the singing: “What’s most surprising is that the other three vocalists aside from Neil – Changjo, Chunji, and Ricky– are, low and behold, not as inferior as we may have thought”. The way that this sentence is worded gives an overtone of surprise in the voice, but with a positive connotation. Due to the placing of the “low and behold” phrase, this sentence also has a sarcastic voice. In a way, it feels like the reviewer is saying “Woah! These singers can actually sing!” in a slightly brusque tone, which gives readers quite a chuckle. This syntax definitely shows the reviewer’s fondness of the vocals in this album in a humorous way.

More than that, the language also shows the viewpoint of the reviewer, as he states that this song is a "strong pop song next to its predecessors". The use of the word ‘strong’ shows fervent approval of the song “No More Perfume on You”. The reviewer also favors a particular singer’s voice, saying that “Chunji in particular really shines here, and his timbre is probably my favorite. It’s insurmountably smooth and all the tiny melismas he throws in gives me the shivers”. Well, if that language isn’t considered to be positive, I don’t know what would be! The review uses language with an extremely positive connotation, such as ‘favorite’ or ‘shines’, and even ‘insurmountable smooth’. The overall upbeat and positive language that is used gives readers the sense that the reviewer really does enjoy this album.