In honor of the first president of Brazil we are going to read the following article. Respond to the questions in a short essay. Post here.
What is the tone of the piece? Who is the intended audience? Now visit the website where it was published and check your hypothesis.
Comment of the writing style, examples and clever word-play which enlivens the piece. How is the tragic history of this woman interspersed with banter? Does the banter lessen the impact or seriousness of the president's ordeals? If so, why does the author do this?
Give concrete examples of how Emily Tan does this juxtaposition of concepts: the heavy with the lighthearted. What do you think is the point of the piece? Does the author admire the Brazilian president? How do you know this?
Now look at the article about the Women of the Year Award from AllAfrica.com. It's author isn't identified, which could mean that it is a press release. How would you describe the style and how does the style fit its purpose? Is "entertaining" an admirable goal for certain audiences and certain kinds of writing situations?
Rewrite the piece for Lemon Drop in Emily Tan's style, which one might categorize as descriptive. You chose the audience. Do you agree with its terms of service?
SUPER WOMAN
Nov 3rd 2010 By Emily Tan
Meet Brazil's First Female President (& Ex-Guerrilla)
After winning the presidential election in Brazil, Dilma Rousseff will be the country's first female president -- and part of the ever-growing group of lady heads of state, which includes former Philippine president Corazon Aquino; Finland's current president, Tarja Halonen; and Costa Rica's newest leader, Laura Chinchilla.
Hello, America? But in the meantime, more on Rousseff.
"I want to state my first commitment after the elections: to honor Brazil's women so that today's unprecedented result becomes a normal event," 62-year-old Rousseff said in a speech soon after hearing about her win on Sunday. "I would very much like that parents look into their daughters' eyes and say, 'Yes, women can.'"
Before running for president, Rousseff held many powerful political positions, including secretary of energy, which later turned into minister of energy, where she was credited with heading up the "Luz Para Todos" ("Light for All") program -- making sure that electricity would be in over a million Brazilian homes.
She was then named chief of staff to the outgoing and extremely popular Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (known to everyone as Lula). Sharing the same vision for the economic and social improvement of Brazil, Lula handpicked and fully backed Rousseff to be the presidential candidate for the Workers Party.
Keep reading for more on her flip-flopping position on abortion and super-secret past as a guerrilla fighter ...
Even though Rousseff is now seen as a role model for women, her "iron lady" persona -- as well as her conservative stances on certain issues (like abortion) -- has placed her under fire. The new president-elect defended abortion rights earlier in her campaign, then started losing the support of religious groups. After sniffing a potential loss of votes, Rousseff retracted her earlier statements. "My position is against abortion, which is violence against women," she said during a meeting with Catholic leaders. "No woman is in favor of abortion."
And there's the fact that she's a former guerrilla fighter.
Born to a school-teaching mother and Bulgarian father who was a lawyer, Rousseff went to an all-girls private school in her younger years. However, once she hit her teens, she became aware of the military regime in Brazil and traded her ballerina dreams to fight for her country's well-being. She joined the left-wing armed resistance in the '60s. Being part of a guerrilla organization forced her to go underground and take on various aliases in order to keep herself and her family safe.
A ballerina/spy president? Now that we can get behind.
Although she's owned up to her guerrilla past, Rousseff, now 62, makes it known that she didn't fire weapons because of her poor eyesight. "My involvement was just political," she said in a 2008 TV interview. "I used to have more than a ninth or 10th degree of myopia."
But being involved made her a fugitive in the military government's eyes. Rousseff was arrested in 1970 and subjected to rounds of torture that included being hung in a "parrot's perch" and, well, electrocution to make her sing. "They gave me electrical shocks, a lot of electrical shocks," she said in another interview. "I began to hemorrhage, but I withstood. I wouldn't even tell them where I lived."
After her release in 1972, Rousseff went to school for economics and jumped into a career that has led to her now being one of the world's most influential and powerful women.
Who do you think would win in an arm-wrestling competition? Her or Sarah Palin?
Liberia Government (Monrovia)
Liberia: President Sirleaf Among 5 Female Heads of State Honored By Glamour Magazine As 2010 Women of the Year
2 November 2010
In celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the Women of the Year Awards, Glamour will honor five heads of state in recognition of their individual achievements on behalf of their respective countries. These women are quite literally the most powerful women on earth, and their successes prove that we are moving ever closer to the global empowerment of women. The honorees are: Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor of Croatia, Prime Minister Iveta Radicová of Slovakia, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, President Dalia Grybauskaite of Lithuania, and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of Trinidad and Tobago.
"I am so thrilled to be recognizing these five outstanding leaders," said Cindi Leive, editor-in-chief of Glamour. "Each of these women has demonstrated tremendous leadership, and their work is an inspiration to girls and women everywhere."
- Jadranka Kosor, Prime Minister of Croatia, is the first woman to become prime minister of her country, and she has worked tirelessly to promote gender equality and to promote women to leadership positions. She's been fiercely involved in causes that protect women who have been victims of violence and refugees. She has fought against gender stereotyping in the media and in schools.
- Iveta Radicová, Prime Minister of Slovakia, is also the first woman to become prime minister of her country. She has made women's rights and human rights a priority. During her years as one of Slovakia's leading sociologists, she specialized in social affairs, family policy and children's rights. She has stood up for the country's minorities, especially the Roma and ethnic Hungarians. She has said, "The ability to listen is my most valued possession."
- Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia, was a political prisoner who became the first female elected president of Africa in 2005. She has said she knows her example will inspire girls all over Africa "to go to school to break the chains that make them marry early to break the tradition in which they're left behind when the young boys go to school because they have seen there are ones who can succeed." She has stressed education, the inclusion of women in government, and providing women with vocational skills and improving their employment opportunities.
- Dalia Grybauskaite, President of Lithuania, won in a landslide to become Lithuania's first female president. She is a champion of women. This summer, Lithuania became home to the European Institute for Gender Equality. In Lithuania today, women are active participants in political, business and public life, and the gap between men's and women's employment has been narrowing.
- Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, is determined to tackle her country's crime rate, boost pensions and eradicate poverty-all issues that greatly affect women. She is known for her inclusive leadership style and her desire to get more women into office.
About Glamour's Women of the Year: It's the premiere event honoring women from the United States and around the world. Past honorees include Madonna, Meg Whitman, Condoleezza Rice, Hillary Clinton, Susan Sarandon, Maya Angelou, Geraldine Ferraro, Jane Goodall, Katie Couric, Carolina Herrera, First Lady Michelle Obama and Venus Williams.
From http://allafrica.com/stories/201011031000.html
What is the tone of the piece? Who is the intended audience? Now visit the website where it was published and check your hypothesis.
Comment of the writing style, examples and clever word-play which enlivens the piece. How is the tragic history of this woman interspersed with banter? Does the banter lessen the impact or seriousness of the president's ordeals? If so, why does the author do this?
Give concrete examples of how Emily Tan does this juxtaposition of concepts: the heavy with the lighthearted. What do you think is the point of the piece? Does the author admire the Brazilian president? How do you know this?
Now look at the article about the Women of the Year Award from AllAfrica.com. It's author isn't identified, which could mean that it is a press release. How would you describe the style and how does the style fit its purpose? Is "entertaining" an admirable goal for certain audiences and certain kinds of writing situations?
Rewrite the piece for Lemon Drop in Emily Tan's style, which one might categorize as descriptive. You chose the audience. Do you agree with its terms of service?
SUPER WOMAN
Nov 3rd 2010 By Emily Tan
Meet Brazil's First Female President (& Ex-Guerrilla)
After winning the presidential election in Brazil, Dilma Rousseff will be the country's first female president -- and part of the ever-growing group of lady heads of state, which includes former Philippine president Corazon Aquino; Finland's current president, Tarja Halonen; and Costa Rica's newest leader, Laura Chinchilla.
Hello, America? But in the meantime, more on Rousseff.
"I want to state my first commitment after the elections: to honor Brazil's women so that today's unprecedented result becomes a normal event," 62-year-old Rousseff said in a speech soon after hearing about her win on Sunday. "I would very much like that parents look into their daughters' eyes and say, 'Yes, women can.'"
Before running for president, Rousseff held many powerful political positions, including secretary of energy, which later turned into minister of energy, where she was credited with heading up the "Luz Para Todos" ("Light for All") program -- making sure that electricity would be in over a million Brazilian homes.
She was then named chief of staff to the outgoing and extremely popular Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (known to everyone as Lula). Sharing the same vision for the economic and social improvement of Brazil, Lula handpicked and fully backed Rousseff to be the presidential candidate for the Workers Party.
Keep reading for more on her flip-flopping position on abortion and super-secret past as a guerrilla fighter ...
Even though Rousseff is now seen as a role model for women, her "iron lady" persona -- as well as her conservative stances on certain issues (like abortion) -- has placed her under fire. The new president-elect defended abortion rights earlier in her campaign, then started losing the support of religious groups. After sniffing a potential loss of votes, Rousseff retracted her earlier statements. "My position is against abortion, which is violence against women," she said during a meeting with Catholic leaders. "No woman is in favor of abortion."
And there's the fact that she's a former guerrilla fighter.
Born to a school-teaching mother and Bulgarian father who was a lawyer, Rousseff went to an all-girls private school in her younger years. However, once she hit her teens, she became aware of the military regime in Brazil and traded her ballerina dreams to fight for her country's well-being. She joined the left-wing armed resistance in the '60s. Being part of a guerrilla organization forced her to go underground and take on various aliases in order to keep herself and her family safe.
A ballerina/spy president? Now that we can get behind.
Although she's owned up to her guerrilla past, Rousseff, now 62, makes it known that she didn't fire weapons because of her poor eyesight. "My involvement was just political," she said in a 2008 TV interview. "I used to have more than a ninth or 10th degree of myopia."
But being involved made her a fugitive in the military government's eyes. Rousseff was arrested in 1970 and subjected to rounds of torture that included being hung in a "parrot's perch" and, well, electrocution to make her sing. "They gave me electrical shocks, a lot of electrical shocks," she said in another interview. "I began to hemorrhage, but I withstood. I wouldn't even tell them where I lived."
After her release in 1972, Rousseff went to school for economics and jumped into a career that has led to her now being one of the world's most influential and powerful women.
Who do you think would win in an arm-wrestling competition? Her or Sarah Palin?
Liberia Government (Monrovia)
Liberia: President Sirleaf Among 5 Female Heads of State Honored By Glamour Magazine As 2010 Women of the Year
2 November 2010
In celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the Women of the Year Awards, Glamour will honor five heads of state in recognition of their individual achievements on behalf of their respective countries. These women are quite literally the most powerful women on earth, and their successes prove that we are moving ever closer to the global empowerment of women. The honorees are: Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor of Croatia, Prime Minister Iveta Radicová of Slovakia, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, President Dalia Grybauskaite of Lithuania, and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of Trinidad and Tobago.
"I am so thrilled to be recognizing these five outstanding leaders," said Cindi Leive, editor-in-chief of Glamour. "Each of these women has demonstrated tremendous leadership, and their work is an inspiration to girls and women everywhere."
- Jadranka Kosor, Prime Minister of Croatia, is the first woman to become prime minister of her country, and she has worked tirelessly to promote gender equality and to promote women to leadership positions. She's been fiercely involved in causes that protect women who have been victims of violence and refugees. She has fought against gender stereotyping in the media and in schools.
- Iveta Radicová, Prime Minister of Slovakia, is also the first woman to become prime minister of her country. She has made women's rights and human rights a priority. During her years as one of Slovakia's leading sociologists, she specialized in social affairs, family policy and children's rights. She has stood up for the country's minorities, especially the Roma and ethnic Hungarians. She has said, "The ability to listen is my most valued possession."
- Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia, was a political prisoner who became the first female elected president of Africa in 2005. She has said she knows her example will inspire girls all over Africa "to go to school to break the chains that make them marry early to break the tradition in which they're left behind when the young boys go to school because they have seen there are ones who can succeed." She has stressed education, the inclusion of women in government, and providing women with vocational skills and improving their employment opportunities.
- Dalia Grybauskaite, President of Lithuania, won in a landslide to become Lithuania's first female president. She is a champion of women. This summer, Lithuania became home to the European Institute for Gender Equality. In Lithuania today, women are active participants in political, business and public life, and the gap between men's and women's employment has been narrowing.
- Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, is determined to tackle her country's crime rate, boost pensions and eradicate poverty-all issues that greatly affect women. She is known for her inclusive leadership style and her desire to get more women into office.
About Glamour's Women of the Year: It's the premiere event honoring women from the United States and around the world. Past honorees include Madonna, Meg Whitman, Condoleezza Rice, Hillary Clinton, Susan Sarandon, Maya Angelou, Geraldine Ferraro, Jane Goodall, Katie Couric, Carolina Herrera, First Lady Michelle Obama and Venus Williams.
From http://allafrica.com/stories/201011031000.html
posted by Professor Wanda's Posse at 10:05 AM
7 Comments:
Andres Rojas
Professor Sabir
English 1A
November 3rd, 2010
After reading the article, I feel that the tone of this piece reads as if the author acknowledges the good and the bad of the female Brazilian President, giving points as to how she fought for her army in gorilla warafare and how she flip flopped between stances for votes. The intended audience for this piece seems to be young people, primarily women. The style of writing was a bit fast, there wasn't enough information to divulge, just snippets of her life. I like how the author adds in the end the arm wrestling contest, where this President would obviously win. The banter lesses the impact of what happened to her during her life. If she just told the readers that she was electrocuted it would have been a very grim piece, but because she tells that readers that it was similar to a bird it seems that it wasn't that serious at all. The author does this I believe to attract many readers, especially young ones, to read her piece. Young readers have been noted to be difficult to attract, and with the humor that she adds in this piece, she attracts the young readers. When the author Emily makes the statement 'A ballerina/spy president? Now that we can get behind', we see that she both mixes the seriousness of holding office and of her dreams of the past. This also led me to believe that she is a real person, a real president that had to go through ordeals to get to where she is. I feel that the point of this piece was to get the President out there and to get the readers to find a little about the President. I don't think she did it in an admiring way, but she also did not try to cover her with disrespect.
Patrick Schmidt
Professor Sabir
English 1A
3 November 2010
Super Woman
It appears to me that the article was written with a lighthearted tone, probably intended for a casual audience. The author makes poor stabs at humor and repeatedly misses the mark. Instead of livening the piece I feel like her attempts at humor almost discredit the article by making light of potentially serious political information. It seems like the banter in the article is forced and doesn't flow well. I would assume the intent of the banter is to make more serious concepts appeal to a broader audience, but from what I can tell she is isolating herself from an intelligent reader-base and restricting her audience to people who don't care anyways.
A clear example of how she juxtaposes the heavy with the lighthearted would be, "A ballerina/spy president? Now that we can get behind." She is trying to be flippant but not disrespectful, but in the end she is just disrespectful and uninformative.
The point of the piece is to inform people in a lighthearted way of a political event in the world, and while she clearly admires the president she does a bad job of showing it.
Kiosha Jones
Wanda Sabir
English 1A
3 November 2010
Super Woman
Reading this article, I have realized that the tone was semi-light and provocative. This article is for the people of Brazil and America. I think that the author doesn’t like the new female president. This article is an informative article. The tone was semi-light and provocative. The author tries to have humor in these articles but she is being negative. One example of how she juxtaposes the heavy with the lighthearted is when she says, " A ballerina/spy president? Now that we can get behind.” She’s trying to have the humor in the article but is being disrespectful but she is in the end. The point of the article is to really inform others about the politics in Brazil.
Jacob Stabler
Professor Sabir
English 1A
4 November 2010
Response to Woman of Power
I thought this was an entertaining story with a light tone and sarcasm laced throughout. Having said that, it seemed like the article was aimed at a younger, amitious female audience. The article makes a point of the diversity of the new president to overcome her past and achieve her ultimate goal. The author mentions: "A ballerina/spy president? Now that we can get behind." She's obviously admiring the new president.
Marco Gutierrez
Professor Sabir
English 1A
3 November 2010
Response to Super Woman Article
Dilma Rousseff had a tragic history of ordeals dealing with conservative issues like abortion, placing her in a tough position in the election. She was also a guerilla fighter to liberate the less fortunate. She has never fired a weapon but her views were firm, politically. The banter of this article made it felt like reading a campaign ad rather then stick to the objective, however the points were not cut. Emily Tan seems like she isn’t seriously typing this article professionally like any other writer does. Emily does admire the president though witty sentences from every other paragraph.
Denise Martinez
Professor Sabir
English 1A
3 November 2010
Response to Superwoman Article
After reading this story, I believe the tone of the piece is informative, critical and humorous. The audience is spunky and sarcastic. Emily Tan uses this phrase, “.Who do you think would win in an arm-wrestling competition? Her or Sarah Palin?” I thought this comment was hilarious and is portraying her as a strong woman but still a bit rude when you’re being compared to Sarah Palin. The point of the piece is to be informative yet have a fun flow to it, to not sound boring and keep the reader entertained. I don’t think the author admires Dilma Rousseff that much because in one part of the story she says “A ballerina/spy president? Now that we can get behind.” I think Emily comes off a bit snobby & judgmental. But her sarcastic comments don't phase the importance of the article.
Linh Tran
Professor Sabir
English 1A
4 November 2010
Response to SUPER WOMAN by Emily Tan
The tone of the piece is jokingly lighthearted, but its content is anything but. Emily Tan uses unconcealed humor and wit to portray the ordeals of the newly-elect first Brazilian female president Dilma Rousseff. It would seem like the author was making fun of what Rousseff went through, belittling her trials and travails. But in fact, Tan has utmost respect for this latest addition to the growing list of female heads of state. Her writing style is done on purpose to emphasize that Rousseff is not a woman who is easily daunted by difficult situations and seemingly hopeless circumstances. The written piece is aptly title “Super Woman” and Tan gives it a voice that proudly declares, “You think it’s impossible? I can make it possible.” The audience is put in a position where we feel great admiration of what Rousseff has endured. If Tan had simply droned on about the hardships Rousseff had gone through, the audience would have no doubt been in awe about this woman, but we would also have felt sorry for her. This piece is a clear assertion that Rousseff does not wallow in sentimental self-pity and needs it from no one.
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