Sean Thornton Suspension

In an article create by bleacherreport.com on December 14, 2013, details surrounding the suspension of professional hockey player Sean Thornton are released to the public. Thornton, a player for the NHL's Boston Bruins, is suspended for fifteen games after punching Pittsburgh Penguins defensemen Brooks Orpik. After being punched, Orpik left the arena on a stretcher. An analogy is drawn when the author of the article relates this suspension to another lengthy suspension received by Chris Simon of the New York Islanders. Definition is used when the author is drawing a comparison between  the definition of assault, both off and on the ice. A hyperbole is created when the author sarcastically states that Brooks Orpik has temples "being massaged angels." At the end of the article, another analogy is drawn when the author relates the NHL to the Lord of the Flies.   

"And the Games Went On"

In an article created by Sports Illustrated entitled "And the Games Went On," the impact of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the National Football League are compared. On November 22, 1963, President Kennedy was shot and killed while parading through Texas in  procession. Kennedy's killer, Lee Harvey Oswald, was eventually arrested; he was killed two days later by a Texas civilian. America was thrown into confusion and mistrust. Leadership was blurred and citizens were left in utter disbelief. However, the National Football League supplied the sole sense of remote normality. At the beginning of the article, a football fight is described through the eyes of one of the players. He stated how one of the players had the head "swollen like a pumpkin," signifying a clear hyperbole. Another hyperbole is drawn when the author compares the ground of the football field to the bloodied floor of a slaughterhouse. In an analogy, the author compares the assassination to two other events, including the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the attacks on the Twin Towers. 

New York Train Derails

According to a report from CNN.com published on December 1, 2013, a train derailment has caused four deaths and close to seventy injuries; eleven passengers suffer from serious injuries. The train, containing eight interconnected cars, had seven cars travel off of the rail. Consonance is used many times during the article, but it is unintentional. When reflecting on the crash, one of the interviewed persons used "whoosh" as a description; this is an onomatopoeia. At one point in the article, the authors use an elliptical when stating how many of the cars were derailed in comparison to the number of cars in the actual train. Lastly, the authors make an analogy to compare this accident to another derailment that happened in July, in which there were no injuries. Another analogy is drawn to an crash between two train cars that happened last May in Connecticut.  

"Boston Strongman"

In a Sports Illustrated article entitled "Boston Strongman," the importance of Boston Red Sox player baseball David Ortiz is defined. Ortiz is also called "Big Papi" by his adoring fans. According to Red Sox owner Larry Luchino, David Ortiz is "probably the most beloved athlete in all of Boston." And this statement could not be any more true. His stats rank him among some of the best ballplayers in the history of baseball. Besides being a future hall-of-farmer, he is also a class-act. In the multiple faces of adversity, Ortiz only blossomed. One of the biggest adversities Papi faced was the Boston Marathon bombing, which affected parts of Boston that he was so familiar with. However, as always, he emerged as a leader, and the people of Boston had a strong leader to look to in time of crisis. 

Typhoon Haiyan

In a CNN.com article written on November 8, 2013, the destruction and wreckage of Typhoon Haiyan are put into perspective. Filipino authorities are estimating that about one thousand five hundred people had lives taken by the storm. However, others predict that the death toll is as much as ten times higher than the prior estimate. International help flew in as soon as possible. However, most frustration lies in the Filipino government who, in the people's opinion, did not respond as quickly or efficiently as they should have. Some victims have taken to looting and other crimes as a source of their survival. To compare this storm to others, Typhoon Haiyan was more than three times stronger than Hurricane Katrina, which struck the United States eight years ago. 

"The Dirty Game"

In a Sports Illustrated article entitled "The Dirty Game", the story of Oklahoma State University and their recruitment process is brought to public attention. The recruitment process as described in the article in not only illegal, but immoral and disrespectful. All of the morals that the University stood for were completely disregarded. First of all, a bonus system was created for players. If they played well, they were paid well. Jobs were created for players to get money. However, players either worked terribly or did not show, and still received money. Oklahoma State University staff members would do school work for the players. Teachers would bend grades in order for players to remain eligible. Drug tests were failed, but the results went under the radar. Members of a recruitment group had sex with recruits. All of these were direct violations of NCAA rules, and the University will be punished. 

Australia Wildfires

In a CNN.com article written on October 20, 2013,  the wildfires in Australia are written about. So far, fifty-six different wildfires have been reported. Their damage has affected close to 270,000 acres of land. The lack of rain in recent time has played a big role in the wildfires' appearances. Close to three hundred homes have been affected; one hundred and ninety-three homes have been burnt to the ground, leaving many families homeless. New South Whales has declared a state of emergency for a very large area including Sydney. For so much destruction, only one death has been reported. An older male died of cardiac arrest while fire overwhelmed his home.