Community - Holocaust Survivors Marina Kamanev shares a unique story with the audience of the website Narratively that details the life inside an aging community consisting of Holocaust survivors based in Sydney, Australia. Kamanev outlines the efforts the community makes for each other and the bonds that they share. By writing this piece, she shares the stories of some key people in this community and their goals for what they hope to leave behind.
This text was written online and reads as a typical news article. There are several images that reference stories outlined in the text. For example, the first picture in the article is of a rather old looking lady dressed fairly nicely. This photo is of one of the main Holocaust survivors discussed in great detail, Olga Horak, in which Kamanev even mentions why she dresses the way she does. The paragraphs are short in this body of text, some paragraphs only consisting of quotes from the people she interviewed. This is done not only to separate sub-topics, but also to emphasize the words of the interviewee, rather than the interviewer. With most of the information coming from the people within the community themselves, Kamanev places the credibility of her work in their hands. She allows them to discuss the importance of their community, which at times can lead to slight bias. The survivors place a certain amount of importance on their story, that someone with an outside view could not necessarily do. They state that their role as volunteers at the museum “is to prevent the museum from calcifying into a sepulchral display of faded genocide, as far removed from the present day as Tutankhamun’s tomb.” This is a dramatized sentence that allows for readers to truly understand why these survivors, in the old age that they are, continue to share their stories publically. Pathos is especially evidenced in this profile of the surviving community simply because the experience in which the members share in and formed the community on is emotional itself. The Holocaust broke apart millions of families and communities alike. However, it has brought this group of people together. The argument being made about this community is that this group of survivors are old, but they are not willing to let go of sharing their first-hand accounts. Olga Horak who was previously mentioned, goes the Sydney Jewish Museum three times a week to share her story. This requires her to arrive an hour early to get a parking spot close to the door so that she can walk in, and she usually collapses of low blood pressure after each meeting, but she will not let her account become something of the distant past. One survivor recalls: “This is my personal torture chamber, but I can’t keep away.” Of course, the conversations had within this community are difficult to discuss, but the survivors feel a sort of comfort in knowing that their stories are being heard. Kamanev discusses the hardness to open up that survivors have when she cites how many of the survivors believe it is pointless to receive group therapy and open up about their experiences so long after the events. However, they also realize the need to do so for each other. Over 30% of residents at Sir Moses Montefiore Jewish home for the elderly were survivors of the Holocaust. As repressed memories are brought to mind with deterioration of the mind, PTSD symptoms of many residents becomes worse, and caregivers become frustrated in treating them. This is where the community of volunteers steps in to help the caregivers recognize different triggers and understand the experiences of the residents in more detail. The community of 42 survivors that continue to serve as volunteers look out for each other and for the future. They share the same types of experiences from long ago, but also the same passions in the current day. This community exists and is dwindling quickly. The article written on them provides an outlet for their accounts to never be forgotten, even when they are gone. It provides readers with not only an understanding of their lives during the Holocaust, but also who they became and who they will leave as.
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Wikipedia- The Chicago Cubs Wikipedia is an online source on which information for almost any topic can be found. Not only does it serve as an online encyclopedia, but it allows for connections to be made via hyper-links and multiple collaborators to contribute to one entry. A Wikipedia page that I found interesting to analyze was that of the Chicago Cubs. Being a Cubs fan my whole life, I had a previous knowledge of the franchise and team before reading the page. However, after reading the page in detail, I have learned many new facts and expanded my knowledge on the topic.
The page is broken into many sections that allow for a reader to quickly jump to a piece of information that they are looking for. At the top, a brief description is provided. In the first sentence of the page, it states “The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois”. Within this sentence alone, we have already gathered what type of team they are and where they are located. In addition, the description mentions: divisions play in, rivalries, highlighted achievements, and any nicknames that the Cubs may go by. Later in the page, greater detail is provided on the “eras” of team history, Wrigley Field, the culture associated with the team, playoff results, the value of the team, the team roster and hall of famers, and lastly their presence in the media. This page provides over 100 sources to confirm if the information provided on the page is reliable and allows the reader to dig deeper into certain information if they wish. Ethos is established by referencing all facts mentioned in the provided sources. Many of the referenced material are articles written in newspapers or sections of books. The audience of this page is anyone who is trying to discover information about the Chicago Cubs. All language used throughout the page is able to be comprehended by a majority of the audience. So even if one is not a Cubs fan, or even a baseball fan for that matter, one would still be able to understand the content. If a reader is interested in learning more about a particular element, many of the main points of the page are hyper-linked, which also aids in creating credibility. The more connections that are made to valid and reliable sources, the more that the page itself is valid and reliable. Pathos is not seen clearly in this article- and it should not be. Wikipedia pages are meant to provide facts, not biased opinions that elicit emotional responses. The page mentions “the Cubs won the 2016 National League Championship Series and 2016 World Series, which ended a 71-year National League pennant drought and a 108-year World Series championship drought”. This is a fact that, whether a fan of the team or not, occurred. For me, it is something that brings happiness. However, the happiness stems from my personal experiences, not the content of this page. The tone of the page is informational and does not provide any opinion, therefore lacking a strong presence of pathos. Logos is used in the set-up of the page. The order in which the content is formatted is logical. It is necessary to first know the history of a team (a 108-year drought) before understanding the impact of any accomplishments (a World Series win). The content of the page does not drift to other topics and provides just the right amount of information to gain basic knowledge. Although Wikipedia is known as being an unreliable source to cite because of its format that lets anyone edit a page, many pages are in fact credible. Stable pages written such as that of the Cubs provides a good start on information to look for in others sources, many of which can be found at the bottom of the article. Instagram- Simone BilesSimone Biles became an American sweetheart after sweeping numerous titles and medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She stole the heart of people around the United States and the world with her strong athletic ability and glowing personality. After her Olympic debut, TV shows such as Good Morning America and Dancing With the Stars gave Biles the ability to showcase not only her talent, but her smiley face and giggly personality.
With every rising star, there is an increase in Instagram followers. Two years after the Olympics, Biles now has approximately 3.4 million followers on Instagram, and numerous amounts on other social media platforms. Looking at Simone’s page overall, one can conclude that she is a very happy girl. She has achieved her dreams of winning Olympic gold medals, has a family and friends who love her dearly, and loves to have fun while continuing to train for the 2020 Olympics. Most of her typical posts are able to portray this message. However, on January 15th, 2018, Biles took a stance. Up until her post in early January, Simone was never extremely vocal about current events and issues in the world. She may have posted a picture if something she felt strongly about a current issue brought to the public’s attention, but it would usually stop there. That changed when she decided to make a personal statement about the rising movement #MeToo. In her first post regarding the issue, Biles shares with her followers her personal experiences with Larry Nassar, a child molester, during her Olympic training. Right away, she recognizes the happy image that she has portrayed in the past but then reveals that throughout the years she has struggled internally from the abuse that she has endured. This specific post uses pathos as she shares with her followers her true feelings from the past two years by stating “…I’ve felt a bit broken, and the more I shut off the voice in my head the louder it screams”. These feelings are ones that most victims have similarly felt. She also uses logos by addressing the fact that she is not the only person that Nassar has abused, which shows an obvious problem within the structure of the system for why it has taken several years for such stories to be shared and charges to be pressed. Throughout the following month Simone continued to post about the updates in the sentencing of Larry Nassar. A picture of Judge Janice Cunningham is another example of Simone taking a stance in the #Me Too movement. In her caption, Biles continues to show support for the countless others who have joined the movement and shared their stories. She also states: “He (Nassar) will no longer have the power to steal our happiness and joy”. Simone recognizes that she can no longer allow this instance to bring her down and debilitate her from achieving her future dreams. By acknowledging this, she also reminds people that what has been done should never be forgotten, and Nassar has received the punishment he deserves. Her audience throughout her career has been large from athletes, fans, and other celebrities following her journey. However, in theses specific posts, I believe that her main audience was women, especially around her age, who have experienced similar situations. I also think that by posting multiple times about the sentencing of Larry Nassar, Simone took a stance against a very large and influential structure that she is involved in – USA Gymnastics. Ethos is used as Simone, an Olympic gold medalist, stands with her teammates and countless other individuals to uncover the tactics that USA Gymnastics had used to cover such claims about the trainer that they hired to “protect and heal” their athletes. Through her two powerful posts, and others, Biles has redefined both herself and other survivors. |