TOW #12: Written - "Thanksgiving Affords Nation Rare Opportunity To Eat Large Amounts Of Food While Watching Football by The Onion

http://www.theonion.com/articles/thanksgiving-affords-nation-rare-opportunity-to-ea,37553/
Though Thanksgiving was remembered as a day where one reflects about what he is thankful for, the mentality of Thanksgiving has changed throughout the years. No longer is it a holiday meant for reflection, thanksgiving, and love, but it is now celebrated for its endless amounts of food and long hours of football on television. In the article from The Onion, it uses false quotations and a light tone to criticize Americans for their clouded outlook on the holiday in order to remind readers the true essence of Thanksgiving.

In the article from The Onion, it uses false citations to reveal common mentalities that people have today about Thanksgiving. With false quotations stating "I’m excited to finally be able to sit back with family and friends over some delicious food and watch football for the entire afternoon,” and  “I mean, when else can you curl up in your living room with second or third helpings of food and watch a 12:30 p.m. game, a 4:30 p.m. game, and then an 8:30 p.m. game” (para 1.), The Onion exemplifies the distorted image that many have about this important holiday. The false quotations support the need to change the outlook on the holiday.

The Onion also uses a light tone in its article to reflect the casualness and lighthearted view about Thanksgiving. The light tone, which is seen when the article reports that "millions of Americans the rare chance to eat incredibly large amounts of food while watching football games" and that "the populace will already be excitedly thinking ahead to New Year’s Day, which will afford them an equally rare opportunity to shovel food into their mouths, watch a half-dozen college football games, and eventually pass out on the couch" (para. 1), the light tone criticizes the casualness that people have about Thanksgiving. The history of Thanksgiving is forgotten and many take for granted the hardships many have faced to shape America into what it is today.

With the meaning of Thanksgiving lost, we must realize our faults in the outlook of Thanksgiving. I believe that the article was effective in reflecting the lost respect for the holiday and the wrong perspective many have about holidays in general. Holidays are to be a time of love, thanksgiving, and joy, rather than a day centered on food and television.