TOW #14: Into Thin Air (IRB)

I recently started reading Into Thin Air, written by Jon Krakauer. The book is a nonfictional memoir of the disasters Jon Krakauer endured while climbing Mount Everest. Jon Krakauer was hired by a magazine to write about Mount Everest, but instead decided that he wanted to climb it himself. The book goes into detail about the complications and disasters he experienced throughout his journey. Jon Krakauer uses imagery and tone to allow the reader to envision his journey even more vividly. An example of his use of imagery is: "They helped outsiders find their way into the sanctuary and violate every limb of her body by standing on top of her, crowing in victory, and dirtying and polluting her bosom." This made me able to visualize himself climbing up the mountain, and referring to the mountain as a person, which I also found to be very effective. When Jon refers to Mount Everest as "her" it puts a new perspective on my personal view of the mountain. While reading, I no longer think of the mountain as just a pile of snow and rocks, I view it as a person with a temper and a person with feelings, which Jon further explains in the text. Overall, I think his imagery and tone is fully effective and further aids with the detailing and explaining of his journey.

Rhetorical Devices:

Imagery

Tone

Voice

Personification 

TOW #13: Why the Pope and Obama Turn to Twitter (Article)

Why the Pope and Obama Turn to Twitter:
 http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/05/opinion/patel-twitter-growth/index.html?hpt=op_t1

This article is about how government officials and important figures in society, such as the Pope, use twitter to constitute their ideas, talk to their "fans," and, in cases such as Obama's election, campaign. The author of the article, Nilay Patel, uses his opinion as well as evidence to back up his claim. He claims that the Internet and Twitter have revived society, making it easier for everyone to know what other people are doing. He questions the dangers of political officials utilizing Twitter because of mistakes in the past (for example, Anthony Weiner) that can completely destroy a persons career. He uses ethos, showing that he is an educated citizen that has obviously done research into the topic of Social Media. He uses diction carefully to make his argument understandable to people of all ages. The younger generation knows much about twitter, whereas the older generation may not. He fully explains what Twitter is, allowing the audience to understand his point of view.
Also, he claims that Twitter is used as a way for Obama and the Pope to make money. Most companies and franchises have Twitter accounts, so it is an easy way for those of higher status to promote products. He also addresses the drama that comes from the President and Pope having a Twitter, because not everyone supports them.



Rhetorical Devices:
Ethos
Diction
Tone

TOW #12: Political Cartoon (Visual Text)

Obama/Romney Political Cartoon

I found this cartoon to be interesting because unlike all of the other cartoons on MSNBC.com, it is not clear who the cartoonist is praising. All of the other cartoons showed either Mitt Romney or Barrack Obama individually, but never showed them together. As a rhetorical device, I think that putting the (former) candidate Mitt Romney and the President Elect, Barrack Obama together was effective. The quote in the speech bubble states "Sadly, they aren't even replacement refs...!" referring to the September 2012 issue regarding replacement referees in the NFL. The speech bubble indicates that the refs can't do anything over the two fighting. As a rhetorical device, I think that the color-choice was effective by using red pants for Mitt Romney (republican: red) and blue pants for Barrack Obama (democrat: blue). Although this cartoon displays the message that everyone is watching the candidates, including the media which goes back and forth "reffing" between the two candidates, the author didn't bring their own political view in to it thus causing the audience to have room for interpretation. The fact that the football players are fighting over the "facts" shows that each candidate has altered facts in someway, and each is claiming that they are correct and the other is not. This is also effective to the audience because it allows them to believe what they want to believe, not just what is being told to them. The cartoonist, Nate Beeler for the Columbus Dispatch, did a good job at conveying his message to the audience.

Rhetorical Devices:

Color

Diction

Opinion

TOW #11: Running With Scissors (IRB)

Running With Scissors (IRB):

I recently started reading Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. The book is a memoir written through his perspective when he was a child. Augusten has a mother who is mentally unstable, so he lives with his mothers psychiatrist. The psychiatrists family is disorganized and often times deeply disturbing, which is why I find this book to be so interesting. The author uses point of view, tone, voice, and imagery to add to his memoir. I found the imagery to be the most developed rhetorical device because, when reading the story, I can visualize everything that is going on in Augusten's life. For example, the imagery he used to describe his mother made it obvious to the reader how crazy she actually was. Augusten states, "My mother began to go crazy. Not in a 'Let's paint the kitchen red!' sort of way. But crazy in a 'gas oven, toothpaste sandwich, I am God' sort of way." I found his detail and description allowed the reader to understand his situation to a better extent, given that the situation he's in is completely abnormal. He also uses tone to show his perspective, which I also found to be really useful. It's obvious to the reader how he feels about the situation he is in, and it's obvious how he feels about the characters in the book. One of the most important relationships in the book is between himself and his mother, and I think his tone as well as imagery shows the reader the instability of their relationship. 

Rhetorical Devices:
Point of view
Tone
Voice
Imagery

TOW #10: Florida Teen Gets A Year in Jail for Impersonating A Health Worker

Florida Teen Gets A Year in Jail for Impersonating A Health Worker

An 18-year-old boy, living in Florida, has been charged with four accounts of impersonation. He is sentenced to one year in jail, one year on house arrest, and eight years of probation. Matthew Scheidt, the perpetrator, apparently gave a patient in the hospital CPR when the patient was suffering from a drug overdose. Aside from the hospital, Matthew Scheidt was also charged with impersonating a police officer, a year after his conviction of impersonating a doctor. The article focuses mostly on the testimony and interrogation of Matthew Scheidt, and doesn't mention the opposing side. I think that this was effective because it allows the reader to make their own decision as to whether or not Scheidt deserves his sentence. The authors diction and tone also allowed readers to understand the story behind Scheidt's convictions. Also, similar to Alice Walkers "Everyday Use" that we read in class, the author effectively described sequence of events. The author mentioned his impersonation of a police officer from a previous year after mentioning that he was being charged with impersonation of a health worker. I thought this was effective because it further provides evidence to support the sentence Scheidt was given.

Rhetorical Devices:

Diction

Tone

Sequence 

TOW #9: Pepsi One Direction Commercial

Pepsi One Direction Commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdFHlMobwzQ

I saw this commercial two days ago on television. Obviously the main focus is for the audience to buy Pepsi, but it does so in a way that I thought was very interesting. In the past, Pepsi used Britney Spears as a spokesperson to appeal to the younger generation. Although Britney Spears accomplished the goal of appealing to the younger generation, in this commercial, One Direction appeals to the younger generation, while also using Drew Brees to appeal to sports fans, specifically men. I think that the use of appeals in this commercial was the most important rhetorical device used because it applied to multiple groups of people instead of just one group of people.
Another device used was marketing/popularity. Pepsi made it seem as though everyone wanted to drink their product, which conveys to the audience that it's the best drink to choose. The commercial conveys that One Direction and Drew Brees drink Pepsi, which means that the audience should as well.


Rhetorical Devices:
Appeals

TOW #8: How Do You Kill 11 Million People?: Why the Truth Matters More Than You Think (IRB)

How Do You Kill 11 Million People?: Why the Truth Matters More Than You Think

     I just started reading "How Do You Kill 11 Million People?" by Andy Andrews, and it is so intriguing already. Although it's really short, it covers so much information and makes you think about the course of history. World War II and the holocaust is something kids learn about every year in school. Students have always learned this from the perspective of a history textbook, not necessarily the psychology perspective. The book is full of parallel structure, juxtaposition, and, most importantly, I think he uses appeals and the argument of both sides to completely convey his message to his readers. What I found so interesting about this book is that it goes much deeper than the holocaust. It talks about how there are over 100 million registered voters, but less than half actually vote in an election. Andy Andrews includes his perspective on the future of America and why backing away from the terms "democrat" and "republican" is essential in stepping forward as a country. 

      The use of parallel structure is effective because he repeats himself often, but not in a way that gets bothersome. His words stay in your head, and I think, as a writer, that is something that is very important. His messaged stayed with me, and I'm sure it stayed with others who read this book as well. His use of juxtaposition/comparison also allows readers to see two completely different viewpoints, but then find a common ground for both of them. Overall, I think Andy Andrews used rhetoric flawlessly. 

Rhetorical Devices:

Juxtaposition

Comparison

Appeals

Parallel Structure

TOW #7: Male Politicians Shouldn't Make Abortion Decisions

Male Politicians Shouldn't Make Abortion Decisions

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/24/obama-on-mourdock-male-politicians-shouldnt-make-abortion-decisions/?hpt=hp_t2

The author of this article, Kevin Liptak, is a reporter for CNN who is most known for writing about politics. This article was about President Obama's interview with Jay Leno, stating that he does not believe men should make decisions regarding abortion. He references Richard Mourdock, who recently made comments regarding rape and abortion. Mourdock, being a republican and Christian, believes that pregnancy is intended by God, therefore aborting a child is strictly immoral and sacrilegious. I think Obama makes a clear and logical point saying that abortion and rape are actions that should be handled by woman, because the actions are done to them. I think he is very reasonable and intelligent stating that these are decisions a woman should make for herself. The rhetorical devices used in the article are what made it appeal to me, and probably to all women all over the country. The author showed both opposing arguments, but explained why Obama's argument was valid and reasonable. Liptak's diction made the article sound factual, sophisticated, and made me view the author as a reliable and credible source of information. His use of ethos allowed me to understand his perspective and change my previous perspective, which  I think is a very powerful device to use. Overall, I think the article was full of rhetoric, very convincing, and showed both view points in a clear way.

Rhetorical Devices:
Ethos
Argument
Diction

TOW #6: Visual Text- Dove Real Beauty Commercial

Dove Real Beauty Commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U

This commercial encapsulates Dove's entire campaign/motto in only a minute and fifteen seconds. From a rhetorical standpoint, the commercial is full of juxtaposition and appeals. The commercial, created by Dove which is a personal care brand, is targeting women, but specifically, women who have ever felt insecure about themselves. Given that insecurities and self-esteem struggles are extremely common among women of all ages, this commercial targets women as a whole. The commercial appeals to its audience by juxtaposing real vs. fake, and "beautiful" vs. "ugly." The video shows the transformation of a woman into a supermodel using tons of makeup and photo-shop, which shows how skewed our perception of beauty is. Doves main purpose is to show women all around the world that being beautiful does not require looking like those on a magazine, because, in fact, those women on the magazines are so edited and transformed that it's not even real anymore. In my opinion, I think that the use of juxtaposition and appeals makes the commercial all the more empowering and influential. The creators of the advertisement definitely did a good job targeting a specific audience, and making that specific audience buy-in to their brad.


Rhetorical Devices:
Juxtaposition
Audience
Appeals

TOW #5: Aung San Suu Kyi and the power of unity (Text)

Aung San Suu Kyi and the Power of Unity:

Aung San Suu Kyi is a politician who is known for her "worldwide leadership and commitment to human rights in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma." Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested and sentenced to nearly 20 years under house arrest by the Burmese military rulers. Like Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Aung San Suu Kyi led a nonviolent movement in Burma against the government. The Burmese government is known as being one of the most oppressive, dictatorial  governments of the 21st century. Myanmar has been militarily ruled, therefore the people are, in most cases, living in poverty and oppression. Just recently, Myanmar has become a non-military government, and the country has elected their first civillian as leader of their government. 

The article was written by Jack Healey, who is the director of the Human Rights Action Center, and Dan Adler who is a producer and new media entrepreneur. Both men use pathos to make you feel how horrible life was in Myanmar, and more importantly, to make you understand what a difficult life Aung San Suu Kyi had. The author uses pathos to allow the audience to fully understand everything that Aung San Suu Kyi, and the people of burma, went through. Pathos allows the audience to have an emotional connection to the story, and often think, "what if?" which allows them to put the text into their own perspective. 

TOW #4 (Visual Text): Obama v Romney Debate

President Obama v Governor Romney: Debate
Viewed on CNN 

The debate between President Obama and his running-mate Mitt Romney took place Wednesday, October 3rd. I mainly focused on Mitt Romney's arguments and use of rhetoric because I have seen many presentations and speeches by President Obama. The main topics covered in the first round of the debate were mainly domestic issues: jobs in America, the tax deficit, etc. I don't want to go in to discussing the topics they covered, and who I agree with and who I don't agree with. I want to strictly talk about the way they presented to the audience, which was 40 million viewers.

As far as public-speaking abilities, I think Romney was hands-down the better presenter. I have seen Barrack Obama's speeches many times, and I have always thought that he was a very convincing, and appealing speaker. His diction and use of ethos has always made his presentations so impactful to viewers. Watching Obama against Mitt Romney, it was clear to me that Romney was more prepared, more rehearsed, and most importantly, more knowledgable. Romney not only knew his argument, he also knew Obama's arguments, which allowed him to be able to retaliate so quickly against the President. Obama was repetitive, and tried way too hard to use pathos in order to win his argument. When it comes down to it, and this is strictly opinion-based, I care more about the facts and the words that Obama is saying, than a sob story. I think Romney used his knowledge, and conveyed ethos throughout every one of his arguments, and I think that made his presentation all the more effective.

Obama rhetorical devices:

• Pathos
• Repetition
• Ethos
• Comparison (between his views and Romney's views)
• Diction 

*Expletives

Romney rhetorical devices:

• Syllogism (made his arguments irrefutable) 
• Ethos
• Comparison
• Parallels
• Diction
• Tone
• Voice

*Expletives

TOW #3: (IRB) The Last Lecture

The Last Lecture: Randy Pausch

I just started reading The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and I am already close to being done. Despite it being a rather short read, it is an extremely intriguing story. It is an autobiography about Randy Pausch's life after he was diagnosed with cancer. The book is a serious of stories about his life that he wants to pass down to his children since he knows he will not be alive for the majority of their childhood. The variety of rhetorical devices used in the Last Lecture are astonishing to me. The way Pausch uses pathos is unlike anything I have ever read. The point of his lecture is not to make the audience pity him or feel bad for him, and he's not trying to gain sympathy from his readers. He uses pathos in a way that's so realistic, and it really tug at my emotions without me even recognizing that he's using a rhetorical device. When you're reading for the purpose of finding rhetorical devices, and you don't pick up on one when it's right in front of you, to me, means that the author's writing is so genuine and sincere. His diction and the way he organizes his sentences is what makes this book so fascinating to me. He is able to tell a story in a serious yet comical, emotional yet stable, and calm yet loud way. I think his purpose is not only to have something to pass down to his children, but also to allow readers to see how important life is, and how important it is that you cherish your life every single day because one moment it all can change. His purpose is to allow readers to reassess the "important things" in life. And to me, that is a very difficult yet very powerful task, and Pausch completed it with perfection.


Rhetorical Devices:
Metaphor
Diction
Tone
Pathos
Ethos
Parallelism (having everything one day to dying the next: differences in his life)

TOW #2: (Text) Obama Campaign Redesigns American Flag

Obama Campaign Redesigns American Flag:

In the upcoming election, both candidates have been persuading American voters to vote for them in the election this winter. Although some methods of persuasion are acceptable, is redesigning the American flag taking propaganda to a new level? The Obama Campaign has replaced the stars on the American flag with his campaign logo. Todd Starnes, host of Fox News and Commentary, and the author of the article, 'Obama Campaign Redesigns the American Flag' states that critics are calling the flag un-American and creepy. Obama claims that the flag is used to show how "there are no red and blue states, just united states. Although his explanation seems reasonable, many people are upset with his campaign decision.
Fox News is generally biased toward Republicans, therefore I don't find it surprising that this article would be posted on a Fox website, instead of a CNN website which is mainly democratic. I don't think that Todd Starnes was trying to support Mitt Romney, but I definitely think he was appalled at Obama's choice. Starnes accomplished his goal in a way where I was able to completely view his point clearly and not even think about any other perspective.

Rhetorical Elements:
Ridicule
Style
Erudite (tone)

URL: http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/the-united-states-of-obama.html

TOW #1: (Text) Sugary drinks ban begs the question-- who has the right to decide what you consume?

Sugary Drinks Ban Begs Question-- Who has the right do decide what you consume?

This opinion article was written by Michelle Minton who is the Fellow in Consumer Policy Studies at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. She writes articles for FOX news. Her latest article is about how New York banned selling big cups of soda at restaurants, grocery and convenience stores due to the number of obese Americans. With this new policy, people are not allowed to purchase sodas that are greater than 16 ounces. What she believes the policy doesn't understand, is that there is no limit on how much soda a person can buy. For example, a person cannot buy a 20 ounce cup of soda, but they can purchase multiple 8 ounce sodas. She believes that this is not doing anything to the obesity in America except making it worse. Since the policy goes by ounces, not sugar content or fat content, all of the drinks that are considered healthy that are over 16 ounces can no longer be sold. Minton believes that this is not only going to decline the consumption of "healthy" drinks, but she also believes that small business companies are going to struggle because of it. Companies like "Honest Tea" that are only 80 calories, but are in a 16.9 ounce bottle, can no longer be purchased by residents of New York City.
I think that she was obviously prompted to write this article because she does not agree with the legislatures of New York City, and she does not think that the solution to obesity is banning certain drinks. In my opinion, her purpose of writing this is to show people (specifically those living in the New York area) who agree with the banning of drinks, the other side of it. Those who most likely agreed with it probably never understood what it actually meant. I think she did a good job at convincing me to look at the other side of the law, therefore I think most people probably did too.


Rhetorical Elements in the text:
Perspective
Diction
Argument

URL: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/09/14/sugary-drinks-ban-begs-question-who-has-right-to-decide-what-consume/