Twinkie Maker Hostess to Close

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324556304578122632560842670.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_6


     In a possible attempt to mourn the passing of an old and well-known company, this article covering the reasons for Hostess's end shows a clear bias against unions through the use of strong diction, selective detail, and imagery.
     The article starts off with strong, positive word choice concerning Hostess, and this trend continues. The second paragraph describes Hostess products as "iconic treats", and Wonder Bread as a "pantry staple". Indeed, Hostess foods are rarely called anything but "treats" or "baked goods". The word "treats" implies sweetness and fondness, a rarity to be relished. The only counters used are mentions of consumer wishes for "healthier snacks", which implies only that the products are not living up to new health standards, not that they are any less than a favorite. Diction is also used against the unions. When courts and the Hostess company cut wages, the union was stated to "relent" in its resistance, as if they were harshly attacking the company. There is little harsh language when it comes to the companies actions against the unions.
     Detail use in the article is extremely selective, making a point of how much the company is loved and how much it flourished, as well as taking the blame off of it. Union strikes were said to "affect roughly two thirds of Hostess's 36 plants, and made it impossible for the company to continue producing its baked goods". The damage that would be done to union workers was mentioned, but more attention was spent to Hostess. Notably, their "more than $2 billion in annual sales." By repeatedly mentioning the success of the company, it is shown in a favorable light, and the unions that participated with it are blamed for its failure.
     The argument further praises Hostess through limited but effective use of imagery. One woman recalled that "her mother put Twinkies in her lunch", and a man desperate for Wonder Bread "left with two shopping carts full of the bread." These little stories bring to mind people who are fond of Hostess foods, and bring on a nostalgic feeling to readers.

Open Prompt 3

1975 Also. Unlike the novelist, the writer of a play does not use his own voice and only rarely uses a narrator's voice to guide the audience's responses to character and action. Select a play you have read and write an essay in which you explain the techniques the playwright uses to guide his audience's responses to the central characters and the action. You might consider the effect on the audience of things like setting, the use of comparable and contrasting characters, and the characters' responses to each other. Support your argument with specific references to the play. Do not give a plot summary.

     While tragedies such as Romeo and Juliet or Macbeth are often hailed as some of the greatest in literature, others may not come across so obviously. In Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, the great tragedy of the play comes slowly, building as the characters realize what kind of world they live in. Character contrasts, interactions and setting all subtly manipulate the reader to respond in confusion and only slowly build an understand of the occurrences in the play. 

     Morals and goals provide excellent juxtaposition between the characters in the play, especially between related characters such as Granda and Mommy or the young man and his twin. The old woman and her daughter share few no to values; where Mommy obsesses over the exact color of a hat she only wanted to impress others, Grandma takes care of a blind dog that will never provide her with anything, but holds deep sentimental value. Sentiment vs. material may provide the main conflict between them, but mixed in is a fight between personal pride and popular perception. Grandma quickly shows a lack of arrogance; when she won a competition, she entered in a fake name so nobody would know she'd won. Mommy, in the meanwhile, cares only for what others think. She likes Mrs. Barker only for her popular and powerful role and uses empty threats against Grandma to give the impression of having more power than she really had. These contrasts added to the idea that the characters represented ideas linked but essentially opposites; the clashing of the old traditions and the new ways of materialism. The young man and his twin had a much simpler contrast, though its power rang deep and became one of the most important cornerstones of the play. The twin, imperfect from birth due to being human, was sentimental, flawed and potentially richly rewarding. It was through his dismemberment that the young man changed to become what he was. Shallow, emotionless and only in it for the money, the young man was the child's opposite. Through this, the young man's role as the new "American Dream", and by extension the child's role as the rejected dream, become uncomfortably clear.

     Characters, however, cannot send messages simply through existing alone. Instead, they must be active, acting and reacting to others. Once again, Mommy and Grandma take this and run with it. In every interaction with Granda, Mommy is childish and controlling. She can't stand Grandma speaking up or criticizing, instead using force- often through Daddy- to stop her. Shutting her up by threatening to break her TV or call the "Van man" hints at the idea that materialism does not stand for the old traditions cropping up again, but what power does it have to really stop them? Mommy similarly shows a high level of control over Daddy, who she treats like a small child, manipulating and mocking viciously. It's when she loses this control that she gets truly angry and controlling. Mrs. Barker played the role of the woman competing for Daddy's loyalty, and when she won, Mommy refused to let Mrs. Barker exercise any further freedoms in her household, refusing to let her smoke even though she'd offered her the ability only seconds before. Materialism and the consumer must be in control. 

     The home that the characters interact in is another important hint at the meanings within the play. When introduced to the play, the first thing the reader is told to see is a plain apartment. There is no detail; the walls, floor and furnishings, beyond two bland chairs, are left unmentioned. Clearly, the apartment they live in has no personal touches or sentimental objects. This leaves the home vague and undefined, like it's anyone's home, or everyone's. As the play continues, it's made clear that even this simple home is a maze; Daddy claims he can't even find Grandma's room, and Mrs. Barker gets lost within to such an extreme that she can't hear people shouting her name. The home of the classic "new american" family is less simple than it would seem, a labyrinth on the inside. 

Response to course mablarghablargh

Blargh has been the name of the game lately.

Let's start with Death of a Salesman. I… wasn't sure what to expect. Something else, regardless. The entire movie made me twitch, though. Willy Loman rubbed me the wrong way and I could not stop hating him from start to end. Maybe it's because I harbor a deep, unconscious hatred towards old people, I'm unsure of the cause. The character just made me angry, and I think that tainted the entire play. I could no longer enjoy it. I felt no sentimental attachments to the characters, so when Willy died I just shrugged. Woo. He died. He bugged me anyway. Can we give Happy some attention? Maybe apologize for his terrible name? How much he must have been bullied! This play is paying attention to the wrong characters! Blargh!

Hmph. Maybe discussing it in class will help.

Moving on. We have done very little in class beyond watch the movie, but we have been busy at work with our blogs. I… have been less busy at work with mine. I detest analyzing news articles with ever fiber of my being. Don't get me wrong, I could hold a long conversation on the topic and be enthralled, but writing it… Things just don't work. Hence why I will be losing points for not completing that assignment. Blargh. At least I've found the open prompts useful, but I still drag my feet when completing them. They're just so… bland. I feel limited and voiceless, like I'm just writing something everyone knows. I hope I can start writing essays I find engaging, because I feel like all I'm doing now is lulling myself to sleep.

Lastly. The terms test retake. I studied, I swear. I even played the games. I printed out the terms sheet. But… Well, BBC's Merlin suddenly reclaimed my life. Then I wanted to draw. Then I had to study math. And I was tired, I had to sleep… And then my score, well. One word for that.

Blargh.