Google Reader Assignment #1 (cont.)

Article #2 Analysis:

Capitalism: A Love Story Greed Is Good? He Begs to Differ

Opening: The author starts off the article by portraying 'capitalism' as a person, by using the statement, “He might have had a crush on capitalism early on, yet anyone who thinks that the two have been on friendly terms for a while hasn’t been paying attention.” This allows the reader to related to the 'relationship' between Michael Moore and capitalism to their own experiences. In the opening, the author also mentions other films that Michael Moore has participated in. This allows the reader to get a background on what Moore is involved in and his person opinions. In addition, the purpose of this writing piece is to review on a new movie by Moore about his view on capitalism. By mentioning Moore's other films, it allows the reader to actively determine if this may be a movie that would interest him or her.

Word Choice: The vocabulary that the author uses in this article represent higher reading level. It gives the reader a challenge by introducing unique words, however the words are not at such an advanced level that the article is difficult to follow. For example, the quote, “His timing couldn’t be better, as the headlines and innumerable journalists, politicians, bloggers, tea partiers, talk-show bloviators and millions of unemployed, underemployed, fed-up and freaked-out citizens are making clear” easily paint a picture of how important and relevant the topic of his film is to ordinary citizens.

Closing: The author closes the article by wrapping up his thoughts as well as the point of the movie. In this, the author adds some quotes from the movie and from people who reviewed the movie. This makes the film seem very interesting and relatable. The movie deals with a common concern of today's people, and the author of this article did an excellent job of portraying the films importance. I for one, will definitely be purchasing a ticket for this film!

Google Reader Assignment #1

Article 1 Analysis:

SOLAR ENERGY

Opening: The author begins the writing piece with the quote, "From magnifying glasses to steam engines, scientists through the centuries have found innovative ways to harness the power of the sun. " An opening such as this, helps the reader easily relate something complicated and new-aged to items that he or she may handle or observe on a day-to-day basis.

Word Choice: " Solar power is more entrenched in European countries." - The author choses to use the word 'entrenched', instead of a common word such as established. This word choice makes the piece more interesting and unique.

Explanations: Because this article is more technical writing, rather than creative writing, there are many instances when certain word phrases are used which must be properly explained. For example the author explains what 'concentrating solar power' and 'photovoltaic panels' are so that the reader can easily follow along in the article.

Closing: I found it odd, but this article does not have a proper closing. The author ends the article with the sentence, "Solar energy is also used to heat water and pools — and of course a properly designed house will optimize the light and heat qualities of as it floods through the windows." I believe that any writing piece, no matter how scientific, should still contain a clever and interesting conclusion. Maybe the author could have suggested some ways that Solar Power could be our next major energy source.