In Class Free Write

The semester is winding down and all of my professors are trying to cram in as much information, quizzes, tests and projects as they possibly can. I really wonder why sometimes teachers can realize that they all do this so it is inevitable that a class or two will go by the way side in order to achieve a better grade in another class. This entire process is frustrating. As the semester ends and the summer begins my life will still be consumed with school and work like always. I know that everyone who graduates college says that you will want to be back in school once you are out, but I cant help but wonder if life would be nicer without that looming test that you need to get an A on to pass the class. Maybe it is just me and I take grades and classes too seriously, but looming tests can be a constant source of anxiety. As the seniors go on to graduate they all decided to give us younger girls some words of advice. I found their advice very limiting and it consisted mainly of them telling us to not worry so much about grades because in the end they dont really matter. I wonder if they all had good or even decent grades and that is why it did not matter. Once they said this I was like wait you think grades do not matter? Seems to me that all my life grades have mattered and those with better grades seem to achieve more. It is a nice notion to think that in the real world life is not based on grades but on personal achievment and effort which can only be determined by personal and professional climbing and achievement. I still feel I am too young to be so worried about such things, but it was on my mind when this free write started.

Unit 3 Proposal

The topic we chose was the issue of childhood obesity in America. We would like to argue that having a healthy diet and exercising more will help this obesity issue, in the sense that if the parents create these habits, then their children will be akin to them and improve their quality of life. We decided that a newspaper article would be a good medium to reach most obese adults that could channel the information to children and overall help the issue in our nation. The newspaper article would run in a newspaper in a known obese city. The second argument will come in the form of a comic strip that discusses improving a child's life using emotional appeals, and cartoons are something everyone can grasp, especially younger people. The third argument is a bumper sticker using humor to get the point across. This argument is one that we normally do not think about, but it is a pertinent and continually persuasive element in our "driven" society. As a group we will hope that we can put together these arguments effectively, along the lines of the issue at hand. Other than that, we are ready to rock out.

Visual Argument Free Write

The visit bullet point that I believe applies to unit there is the first one under 'About the Medium.'n It states which media are used for this visual text? Image only? Words and images? Sound, video, graphs, charts? I think this is important in unit three because that it one of the biggest decisions we have to make. We are supposed to use a medium that is pertinent to our topic and makes sense. For instance if the topic is national then we would want to try to use electronic sources so that they could be accessed more easily national than something like a local paper. The medium must be relevant to the topic and must be cohesive. You should not just pick a flyer because it might be an easier choice, but you should choose a flyer because its the best medium to get your information heard.

Also another good point that the book makes is about the viewers and readers. What does the visual text assume about its viewers, and about what they know and agree with? This encompasses a lot of different elements of the audience. First who are you trying to appeal to and who is your target audience? When creating visual arguments you must decide what age group, gender, economic circumstances, and race you are trying to reach. Then you need to develop your argument in a way that is best understood by that audience. For instance when talking about child obesity our group would want to appeal to the hard working mother so we would not want to just put an article in the paper but we would want to perhaps put those articles in a magazine specifically targeted towards women, or if it was a flyer we would want to hang it in places were women with children frequent like a supermarket. These things are very important because they allow your argument to be heard accurately and make an actual impact on the people you are trying to reach. With out evaluating your audience your argument will be lost.

In Class Free Write

Well to be honest I completely forgot that we had a reading assignment. I believe it discussed styles. Of course I will now go back and read the chapter I missed. As I walked into class I thought to myself oh shoot I wonder if there was a reading assignment. Well there was which is very unfortunate for me because I did not read the chapter. At the schools I have attended so far there has been a heavy emphasis on writing, but I have felt many times there is not very much room for my own unique style of writing. I find it very hard to branch off from the fact, evidence, evidence detailed paragraph style. I feel like through out this class I have become more comfortable with my writing and I am better able to go beyond the specific taught paragraph and paper style and attempt to create a style of writing. Unit three has a huge aspect of style incorporated into it. The very fact that we are allowed to make any type of media evokes style. When it comes to different media other than writing we are allowed to expand our thoughts and create things that we might not have been able to think of when just writing a paper. I personally like using other media because it gives me a chance to use my creative side, which it not heavily utilized being a science major. I really love pictures and art so any time that I am able to incorporate these into a project and I usually use them to my benefit.

Group Work

My role in our group project is the leader.  We decided that my title would be pretty clear as to what I am in charge of.  My main role is the organization of the group.  After our group decides on our official topic and we decide on the times and place we will meet I am in charge of e-mailing each member of the group.  I will also act as the secretary and document anything that needs to be documented. Towards the end of the project I will be the person who puts the finishing touches and the reports together as a whole.  We decided that we would help each member with the research and brainstorming about ideas.  We also decided that the final memo would also be collaborative.  The other aspect of the group project that I am in charge of is making a informational video on our topic.  The idea is still a dough draft but I will work on that and get the idea more concrete.

Group Members:

Tripp

Priest

Elora

In Class Free Write

I hate group work. Every time I get put into groups at least one of the members does not follow through or does not care what so ever about their grade in their class. Since I probably care too much I usually have to do their work as well in order to get the good grade that I want. This is completely unfair because that means that person gets a good grade for doing absolutly nothing. Also I am generally a very busy person because I have two jobs and go to class and study so the time that I am available is pretty slim which is not the case for most people. Also I find myself always being on time with my group work because I think it is very important to be considerate of other people so I try to get my work done on time or at least ahead of time. Most people do not recipracate. Now after all this complaining about people and group work there are some fellow classmates that I know would be considerate of others in their group and get their work in on time and well done. So I can not generalize the population and say that everyone is like this, but just most of the experiences I have had in the past the group does well except for that one bad apple who drags us down. Last semester I had a group project and the girl never did her part and most of the time did not show up to our meetings unless she was 30 minutes late which was a problem since our meetings generally were only 30 minutes. Then she used sources like Wikipedia which really drove me crazy.

An ideal group work situation would entail all of the people in the group doing their part. By splitting up the work evenly one person would not feel the most responsible for the project and it would probably be just about the same amount of work for each person and in the end be easier for each member. Also by being timely and efficent in our in class workshops and out of class meeting we could probably have the project done way before we needed to which would allow us to focus on the other finals that we will be having that week. If everyone does their part of the project at home ahead of time then our work in class would be much easier and it would go more smoothly.

In this project the first role will be the leader of the group which mostly directs the group and makes sure all parts of the project are accomplished as well as helping the other members with brain storming about the argument we will choose and then researching our topic. Everyone in the group should have an equal small role in thinking of a good argument and the complex stance that the group is taking on that argument. Once that is decided the group as a whole can decide on what type of media should be used which will be best for the topic that we chose. Next each memeber should choose which media they want to focus on and the fourth member should help which ever member has the hardest one. After research and development of those arguments the group should collaborate on the cover letter so that there is a consensus on what the overall project is saying.

In Class Free Write

It actually surprised me how long my blog actually has become. Scrolling from my most up to date post to my very first post took quite a while. Throughout the class it did not even seem like we were writing that much and generating that much text, but in fact professor Irvin was correct about how we would be generating about thirty pages of text for each unit. It does not seem like it was that long ago that we were blogging about the inauguration, but by scrolling through the blog posts it was actually a long time ago. Also we have not blogged or done a free write in class for a about four weeks and it was actually really weird to begin to blog again.

The semester is coming to an end an all of our classes are cramming in as much as they can in this last month. I am very glad now that this class is heavy up front because it will give me a chance to focus on everything I need to focus on with out being overwhelmed. I am also looking forward to the next unit because I enjoy visual project more than written papers. I might be changing my tune after I am done with it, but for now I am optimistic.

In Class Writing

My primary sources fit together in many ways. The first obvious way is that they are all talking about the same topic. They also all exhibit ethical and emotional appeals, while some leave out logical appeals. The articles evoke emotion because they are all talking about the abused children found at the camp whether or not there is enough evidence to actually find someone at fault for child abuse this topic raises emotion out of the readers. Mother's especially can relate to each article because on one side they articles talk about taking children away from their mother which is devastating to a mother. The articles are also talking about child abuse, which mothers can relate the sense of protection a mother feel for her offspring. The ethical appeals that all the articles talk about is whether it is ethical for a camp like this to even exist in the United States. This type of organization is very rare and it makes people feel uncomfortable. It also is seen in the eyes of the media as a immoral and disgusting culture living amongst people with values and Christian ideals. One way that the articles differ is that my last primary source from the Star Telegram was very unbiased and had a lot of logical claims to defend not only the authorities side but also the camp's side. It talks about how people who lived at the camp had their rights violated. Yes, while maybe some people disagree with the actions taking place that does not mean that one person does not deserve the same rights as another. It also talked about how the authorities over stepped their bounds and raided the camp without complete evidence that would allow them to search the grounds. I would say that the first to articles would be examples of how our culture is a culture of assertation and the last one would be an example how our culture is not.

Warrants:

• All people value children and think that they deserve a healthy environment to grow and learn in.
• Most people believe that the laws are implemented for a reason and once they are broken that person should be punished.
• Polygamy is immoral and not based on the values that our country was founded on. Also it goes against many ideals that make the right of marriage sacred.
• Sexual intercourse with a minor is illegal and wrong
• Sexual abuse with anyone is illegal and wrong
• A Polygamy camp like the one in Eldorado could lead to other copy cat camps which could increase the amount of people following this specific religion and beliefs
• The Mormon church excluded the belief of multiple marriages many years ago

When I evaluate all three texts together the sources develop many different aspects determining whether or not our country is a country of assertation. The first two sources are mainly one sided and do not really talk about the lawful reasons why these camps are wrong. They mainly base their facts on the emotional appeal of the audience. Not only is this story out of the ordinary, which would interest the audience, but it also contains a rare belief that we thought was nonexistant in the United States. This gives a slight shock value to the audience because many people could not believe that this type of society was living so close to their home. The local people of Eldorado were revolting that people who had these ideals could one day be elected to governments positions in their town. While parts of the fist two artilces describe some of the laws the camp was disobeying the third article really was the only one that looked at both sides of the story. It really described the wrongful ways of the camp and also the ways the authorities did not handle the situation lawfully.

Unit 2 Proposal

I have finally decided on my unit two topic of the Polygamist camp found in Eldorado, Texas on Sunday April 6^th 2008.  I believe this to be a specific event that has occurred underlining the topic of polygamy.  Since this is pertains to a specific area of the United States I will use a combination of different sources.  Since this event struck national news some sources that would be of use are CNN, MSNBC and other nationally broadcasted news portals.  Since this event took place in Texas I think will also look in the specific town’s local newspaper.  After searching for a bit on the Internet I found that Eldorado’s local newspaper is called the Eldorado Success.  This will have local reactions to the event that happened in that city and how the other members of the community reacted to the event.  I also think it would be interesting to search through local Fort Worth and Dallas papers to see the reactions from larger cities not too far from the town.  I personally chose this topic because I remember reading the articles on CNN, while in Florence studying abroad.  I recall thinking how strange an occurrence like this was happening in a town that was not that far from where I lived.  It is also eye opening to think about the things that happen in this world that you never dream actually occur because of our somewhat sheltered life.  I bet that many people in the town of Eldorado had no idea that this was happening.  I also think that it is an interesting culture that I do not understand at all and perhaps through research I could learn more information about this “unethical” society.  The point of view of the members of the camp will also be very interesting to investigate because they seem to think this life is very normal.  I also chose this topic because it was most controversial because it happened in a very conservative state with a small Mormon population, which increased the shock value of the event.

In Class: Free Write

I think I know the topic that I want to choose for unit two and I have two options. I am having trouble deciding which one would have more primary source on. I was thinking about writing about the Mormon polygamist camp found in Texas. I think it would be very interesting to write about this topic, but I am unsure about how much information is really out there concerning this event. I know that there is a news report on CNN about it because that is where I first heard about this event. What other sources could I use? Would a newspaper article about the event be considered a primary source?

The second topic I have been thinking about is the Olympic athlete who had to give back her track medals because she was caught using steriods. I think that this may be easier to find information and primary sources on because it was more heavily talked about in the media. She also appeared on Oprah, wich is considered an interview and that would an intesting source to use.

Rhetorical Analysis

At first glance you do not even realize what is on the plate.  Upon closer examination the audience can see that is a very small portion of peas and corn.  The small amount of food is the only thing on the clean white plate.  A knife and fork lay perfectly aligned to the left side of the photo and a small glass of water rests at the upper right hand side of the photo.  Overall the picture is very bland and quite boring, but the meaning behind it is very complex.  The fact that a knife is even present it very strange because there is absolutely nothing to cut.  The portion is so small that it can not even be considered a meal and one can begin to think what person is sitting in the position behind the plate waiting to eat this very minimal meal.  This picture brings about a sense of sadness in the audience after they realize what this picture entails.  At first I did not even notice anything strange about the picture, but then my eyes were directed towards what was on the plate.  About six little peas and kernels of corn lay in two tiny piles parallel to each other.  

The title of this picture is anorexia, which I think is a very appropriate title.  This brings into view the large problem with women and girls self image these day and the increasing problem with the amount of girls with eating disorders.  This plate is just an example of something that is very wrong with the world.  The fact that girls starve themselves in order to become skinnier shows a very problematic view of women in the world.  Constantly, unrealistic pictures of models and famous people are paraded on the media for young girls watching to yearn for that type of body.  In a way this picture depicts not only a vast problem with the way that women view their body, but also the way that the media represents an ideal figure of a women.  The women on television and on the covers of magazines do not portray a normal women in the United States or even around the world.  This single picture can then be a small representation of the entire problem of anorexia with just minimal effort.

In Class Free Write: Rhetorical Analysis

The term rhetorical analysis has come about in about every single Literature and English class I have ever taken, but the exact term is not always defined correctly. When I first hear the phrase rhetorical analysis I begin to think of research papers. One must take information and research and go even further with it and truely pick apart the meaning of the information and what it means. Rhetorical analysis means taking all the parts of an argument and piecing their meaning together to see if it is effective in persuading the audience. An argument has many different piece and appeals behind, which we learned in our last chapter and using rehtorical analysis takes it even further. A good way to begin this process is to take the parts that are interesting to you or that are unique. This allows you to start unfolding the argument and analyzing it piece by piece. There is always an agenda to an argument, meaning there is always a reason the author wrote the piece whether it was to persuade or just for enjoyment there is always an idea behind it and information the author is trying to get out. One you analyize the parts that are obvious you can then look more at the detail of the work. You could examine the language the author uses and try to decide why they chose the words and style that they used. The style and word choice of a paper creates an overall sense and feeling of the work so it is often the most important aspect of a work.

Grand Cru's Logical, Ethical, and Emotional Appeals

The first type of appeal that comes to mind when thinking about my space, a wine store, is the logical appeal of the space.  One thing that seems very logical is how the wine store is set up.  The wines are on the back wall in a specific order.  The begin with champagne, then progress to white wines, rose wines, red wines, and finally ending with desert wines.  In the specific classification of the wine the different bottles increase in intensity of taste.  This is a logical appeal because the intensity of the wine can be proven with evidence and fact.  This also appeals to customers because it is an organized process that allows them to shop for wine easily.

The second type of appeal that I found at my space is a ethical appeal.  Since the store sells mainly alcohol customers must be over twenty-one.  This can be an ethical appeal when it comes to under age customers trying to frequent this space.  A second way that the store can be an ethical appeal is that is reveals aspects about the owners.  The way that they present the stores reveals something about themselves as people and not the owners of the store.  The walls are decorated in large portraits of European towns that are vibrantly colored.  This shows that the owners love to travel and it give an effervescent and energetic feel to the store.  The fact that the owners own a wine store also gives prospective into their lives.

The third and last appeal that I found at the wine store is emotional appeals.  The store appeals emotional to customers by presenting itself in an upscale social manner.  To the left of the entrance there is a wine bar that allows people to interact with the employees and other customers.  The customers can either taste small portions of wine or purchase a whole glass.  This appeals to customers’ emotions because it allows them to unwind and enjoy a relaxed environment.  There is also another area that has comfortable couches, which also aid to the at ease environment the owners have created.

In Class Free Write: Analyzing Visuals

In this picture you attention is initially drawn to the age of the girl smoking a cigarette. Without knowledge of the title, "Candy cigarette" you would initially think that this young girl was smoking. This is alarming because she looks to be about twelve years old, which is obviously too young to be smoking. My attention first goes to the young girl smoking because it is the brightest thing on the page. The picture is black and white with a lot of shadowing. The young girl smoking glows in a white dress, which makes her stand out compared to the background. Her stance also draws the reader to her with a type of attiude she is giving off.

That inital point of vision connects with the entire picture. After the first initial look at the picture you see another dark figure to the right of the photograph is an even younger girl with her back to the camera. You follow the girls face down to her hand where she is holding the cigarette and then you continue onto the younger darker figure. The only other white light in the picture is the sky, which gives the idea that this picture is probably taken at sun down or sun set. Perhaps these girls are sneaking off with their parents or older syblinings cigarettes or perhaps not. Another white figure in the background appears to be another girls body. It could just be lighting that looks in the shape of a body, but to me it almost looks like a body handing from the trees. This could be foreshadowing of what cigarettes could do to the future and health of this young girl smoking.

This image appeals emotionally because it is very rare to see such a young girl smoking. It also is almost shocking because you think of youth and young and vibrant and healthy. You do not think of attitude and defiance and smoking. This picture could stand for a variety of things. It could be an add against smoking or it could be an add for candy cigarettes. This works for an add against smoking because it shows a young girl smoking which has a shock value to it. If this is an add for candy cigarettes then it probably did not take place in America because I think the American public would not take a young girl smoking very lightly. This appears to be more of a European add. The girl even looks a little European. The purpose of this image could be its shock value in general. The shock value could really open the eyes of America to the rising epidemic of smoking. On the other hand if the audience knew this was candy then maybe they would think that they girl looked beautiful and sexy, which would appeal young girls trying to achieve this image.

In Class Free Write: Chapter 4

One topic in chapter four that I found slightly confusing was the topic of cultural assumptions and values. I was not sure exactly if the book was trying to tell us that applying cultural ideas to an argument was good or bad. At first i believe that is good because they are saying that the audeince would more likely support something that they experience or a common thought that the population holds. The part that confuses me is are there not people in America who do not agree with the same cultural ideas? Plus America is made up of many different cultures, is that not an issue?

The next topic that I did not fully grasp was the idea of degree. The book describes this as more of a good thin or less of a bad thing which is a pretty easy concept to understand. The part that I guess I found confusing was how do you apply this to writing you argument? The examples they provide allow me to better understsand what more of a good thing and less of a bad thing really means, but I do not think that I could think of an idea like that on my own at this point. How would I create my own statement using degree in my upcoming paper? Also it seemed as if there was not a huge deal of fact behind these statements and that some of the examples were more like personal opinion. Would this still appeal to my audience and get my point across?

In Class: Ethical Appeal

The object that I brought in is my medical insurance card. When first thinking about the assignment i tried to think of an object that showed something about someone carring for someone else or providing care for someone else. Another way that something can be an ethical appeal is that it shows a part of who you are. Im not sure that my medical insurance card does that exactly though. You can find out certain information about me though, it shows who my mother is and what her name is and that my father is an employee of Delta airlines. I guess that would be a lot of information to come off of a card.

I think that the best way that this object represents an ethical appeal is that it allows me to acquire any medical assistance necessary. Whichever doctor I visit I will present them this card and then I will be allowed to recieve medical care. This can be considered an ethical situation because the doctors are providing a service that will allow me to recieve the necessary care needed. Doctors are available in order to help people which is a concept of ethics. Not only is the action of me going to the doctor a component of ethical appeal it also has the "normal" definition of ethical appeal dealing with morals. Doctors are constantly bombarded with ethical and moral decisions and must choose the right path.

Public Space

One of my favorite writing assignments through out my writing career occurred during my first semester of English composition at Texas Christian University.  It was one of the last papers we wrote.  I cannot quite remember the exact assignment, but we had to write a research paper based on our cultural background.  I wrote a paper on the cultural integration of Canadian-French immigrants into Louisiana.  My father grew up in Louisiana and then in southern Texas.  I interviewed fellow Louisianans and incorporated childhood stories from my grandma.  I liked this paper the most because it had a personal touch, which made it more enjoyable for me to write.  It had significance to me and it was really interesting to learn facts about my culture that I did not know before hand.  I also enjoyed the paper because it allowed the students to have more of a say in the format of the paper.

 

The space that I have chosen to write about is Grand Cru Wine and Gifts.  This space is appealing because it has a specific target audience.  The target audience is older financially stable adults with an interest in wine.  I also chose this area because I work there, which will allow me to not only view the space as a customer but view the space as an employee.  This will allow me to see the store in several different ways and to see the things the customers do not see.  I will visit the store on an off day as well as when I am working.  I believe that these will be two very different experiences and I will notice very different things.

 

The things I expect to find upon observation are that the space has a target audience like I said before and that there is a certain stereotype to a wine store.  I believe that the stereotype will be that the majority of the customers that visit our store will be upper middle class sophisticated individuals.  It will be interesting to see who fits that stereotype and what customers do not.  It will also be interesting to observe my place of work as a customer and see exactly how I could be perceived as a worker there.  Also I think it will be interesting to see the type of environment that the owners have developed for their customers.  I also have my first experiences in the store to rely on because I obviously had a first impression at one time.  The pre-conceived ideas that might influence are the fact that it is my place of work.  This is not a place that I am newly observing.  This could have benefits and difficulties.  It might be more difficult than I think to remove myself as an employee, but by visiting multiple times without working there I think I will be able to get into the mode of customer versus employee.  Attending the wine store at different hours of the day and observing and interacting with the owners, as a customer will give me a better since of the store.  Also it will allow me to notice things that I might not have noticed as an employee of the store.  

In Class: Public Space

I have not decided completely on what type of place I would like to do. I first thougth Starbucks, but I want to do something more obscure than that especially because that has been the example while talking about unit one. I work at a wine shop which might be a good choice. There obviously is a specific type of customer that comes into the wine shop, obviously twenty one or older and a person who enjoys wine. Usually the customers are older middle to upper class dressed nicely and have some knowledge about wine. If they do not have nay knowledge about wine then they are at least interested in the topic of wine or just simply enjoy the taste of wine. The store is decorated in a manor to facilitate a wine country feel and is very well organized in order to allow the customer to shop without problems. The wine is organized across two walls with a title and describtion underneath each. It starts with champagne and ends with dry reds, lined with increasing intensity.

The store is set up to promote relaxation and comfort while sipping different wines from different regions. There is an area in the left corner with a leather couch and a chair with a coffee table that give a very home-y feel to a very non-home place. The large windows around the set up give a warm sun glow to the corner during the afternoon which warms up the store. When first walking in to the right is a bar with tall stools. Above the bar there is a television on mute which allows for news or sports to be played in silence. this give an energetic yet quit feel to the area. People sit at the bar talking with the other customers as well as teh people who work at the shop. Crackers are set out to clean you palate after sampling different wines. The bar is concrete and the stools are customed with leather which gives a soft and comfotable place to sit.

In Class: Free Write

This morning I woke up after pushing my snooze button about five times. I layed in bed thinking about my nights dreams and how strange they really were. I flipped the covers off and set my feet on the cold floor. I immediately put my slippers on and threw on my robe and proceeded to the bathroom. I washed my face and prushed my teeth trying not to touch the tile floor, which from previous experience I knew was freezing. I went back into my room turned on some music so that I would not fall back asleep and sat in front of my vanity. I began brushing my hair and putting on my makeup. Afterwards I decided on what to wear. I decided on leggings, a long sleeve t-shirt, a sweatshirt and a scarf since my weather forcast read forty degrees.

I then went to the kitchen to fix myself some breakfast...feeling lazy I settled on a bowl of cheerios. I ate them slowly since I was running ahead of schedule. I went back to my room to gather my things to set off for school. I put the needed books in my backpack and unplugged my computer to add it to the pile already inside. By this time my roommate had came down stairs and was waiting for me at my bedroom door. I quickly zipped up my backpack and went to the kitchen to grab a Dr. Pepper. My roommate grabbed a redbull and we headed for the front door. This has become our Tuesday/Thursday ritual. Every time the same drinks in our hands at the same time in the morning every Tuesday and Thursday. She lives upstairs right above me so I can pretty much hear everything except talking. I wake up and I make sure I can hear her walking around to know that she has woken up in time for class too. Its strange how programed out lives become once school starts. The same thing day in and day out and then just in time the weekend comes to relieve us just for a short while to make it through another week or repeating. We set off for school down our normal road and its takes us about ten minutes. We walk until the same point as the Thursday before and we seperate ways, always saying goodbye first.

Inauguration

Throughout the inauguration many different types of arguments were brought up.  Before presidents and their accomplishments were one of the first things President Obama brought up.  He begins talking about the past Americans whom were faithful to our forefathers, founders, and our founding documents.  Comments that emphasized the great importance that we the American people have had in the past were brought up in a way to encourage Americans to support and stand up for their country even in times of doubt.  This represents emotional and logical appeals.  It represents emotional appeals because it points out the American public directly and relates what the President is talking about directly into the common American home.  It gives an average person a job and responsibility to the government, which develops a sense of importance in each person’s mind.  It represents logical appeals by talking about what the common person did in the past for our country.  By looking back and pointing out previous achievements it makes the new responsibilities brought in front of new people seem achievable.

“So it has been, so it must be with this generation of Americans” –President Obama

Right after discussing arguments of the past he begins discussing the new economic crisis that we have entered.  He states that it must be understood by every person that we are officially in need, at war, economically weak from greed, and lost.  He also talked about not only are we economically weak we are weak in confidence in our nation.  This can be defined as an argument of the present as well as the future.  He begins with logical appeals by stating the facts such as how we are at war.  He then moves to emotional appeals by talking about the homes and jobs lost because of greedy Americans not being able to make tough decisions.  Then he talks about ethical appeals by talking about our use of energy that is hurting our environment.  These are all arguments of the present because we are going through these issues as we speak and there is not a clear solution in sight, only hope.  As Americans we do not know what is to come from all our current problems, which is why this can also be an argument of the future.  President Obama clearly states that the end is not closely in sight or easily in sight, but our needs will be met in the future.  By encouraging Americans that there will be a fix to everyone’s problems it give them hope that the future will be a little brighter for everyone.

“On this day we gather together because of hope, not fear.” – President Obama

Another form or argument that was used during the inauguration was an argument to make decisions.  President Obama first depicts to the audience all the reasons we have gather today in order to change the past.  He then states that we all have the right to pursue our full happiness because we all are free and equal.  One way this can be defined as an argument to make decisions is that by selecting our first black president it shows that America is making decisions on equality, taking a step forward, and trying new things.  It took many different decisions of the American public to select each president that has been in office.  President Obama also begins to talk about how equality must be a decision of the people.  People must make the decision to work hard and then you will earn great things, but this must be your decision.  Now that equality is growing, make your decisions correctly so that you can achieve greatness. 

“Greatness is never given, it must be earned. Liberty has never been short cuts or settling for less.  It has not been the path for the faint hearted.” – President Obama 

The last type of argument that I found in the recording of the inauguration was an argument of definition.  Before President Obama got up to talk, the speaker of the house made a small speech.  She began to talk about the freedom of the people.  She defined what it meant to be a citizen of the United States of America.  Freedom, equality, and opportunity were just a few of the things that she mentioned.  This defines the freedom of the people by depicting exactly what makes America so unique and different from many countries.  We are a rare type that has so many freedoms and these should be cherished.  This represent the emotional appeal in the argument.  By discussing the different things that encompasses the freedom of the people she presented the great qualities our founding fathers gave to us in order for us to live this type of life that sometimes we all take for granted.

"We must pick ourselves up and begin remaking America" --President Obama

In Class: Re-Defining Arguments

Last week we were asked to bring in an example of an argument and the argument I brought in was the Iron Man race. Although this was not like my other classmates exactly it does still have a limited view of an argument. Of course this assignment being a school assignment I guessed that the entire class was going to bring in about the same things and have a one way view of what the teacher presented. I just did not know exaclty what was going to come of this. After reading the first chapter I guess what came as the biggest shock was the amount of different details that go into an argument and what is considered an argument.

I knew that arguments could have different objectives, but not as many as the chapter presented. When deciding what type of argument there are many things to be considered such as its nature, the quality, what actions should be taken, and did something happen. Did something happen describes the common thought of an argument...involving something that can be proven to someone else with evidence. An example might be something that happens in a court of law. But what about the other categories? What is the quality describes someones opinion on something, their values, and their priorities. The book uses someone arguing if a sports car is a good car.

On the topic of "everything is an argument" I was most surprised that an argument could be for meditation or prayer. I guess its normal to assume that in an arugment or debate about a specific ethical or moral topic there will be meditation on that topic and even reconsidering of one's thoughts about that topic.

In Class: Argument

The argument I brought into class today is a series of pictures from the Iron Man competitions. Multiple pictures of this competition show thousands of people racing to the finish line through a series of different events such as swimming, cycling, and running. At first when contemplating this assignment I thought of the usual ideas of an argument. Presidental debates, senate house hearings, a court of law, or any type of normal human to human dispute. I tried to move beyond these simple ideas of an argument and think outside the box. My next thought was what is like an argument, but does not come to mind directly through argument of words.

A competition is made up of different people trying to say something about themselves. In the Iron Man competitions each person participating is trying to prove their own point that they are one of the strongest, most determined, and most driven. As each person swims, cycles, and runs they are trying to argue their own case, that they are the ones that are going to cross the finish line first or just prove that they can make it through the entire race. One aspect of this competition that I found to be very much like an argument was the back and forth-ness of each person. As one person progresses they begin to win the argument that they are stronger, faster, better than the other. Then the person behind slowly begins to inch their way in front of the next arguing that they are the stronger, faster, better of the two. Very much like a "typical" argument where each side takes turns disputing their case and trying to prove they are right. The race is an argument for athletes to prove themselves and to prove their case without words.

Many athletes participate in the Iron Man to prove to themselves that they can make it through the entire competition. To many people it is not even about finish first, in the top ten, or even in the top one hundred, but just finishing completely. This can be described as an argument with oneself. Throughout the race each person is internally arguing with oneself. "Go faster"..."Keep going"..."Do not give up"...

Introduction

My name is Casey Voorhies and I am from North Richland Hills, Texas.   I am currently a junior Nutritional Science major at Texas Christian University.  Although this course is required I would like to get a better sense of my writing skills so that I am comfortable with everyday writing.  Also one of my roommates, Meredith, is an English major and when she writes she can communicate so beautifully on paper.  She is able to communicate her feelings directly from her mind to a piece of paper, sometimes more clearly on paper.  I would like to be able to more accurately and clearly communicate my feelings in written form.  Whenever I write I tend to become overwhelmed with different thoughts and ideas.  I would like to be able to sort through all my thoughts and piece them together cohesively.

My experience with writing begins, of course, in the classroom.  Throughout my life I have attended private schools that emphasize writing knowledge and skills as well as writing here at Texas Christian University.  Transitioning from high school to college, along with other college students, I filled out several college applications that require one to sometimes three essays.  In addition to my normal class writing, now in college I have used my writing skills in order to email professors, prospective jobs, friends, and family.   Along with emailing prospective jobs, the writing of a résumé is a very specific writing technique, which requires detail and tactfulness, not always natural to some.  Another aspect of my writing occurred while studying abroad last spring in Florence, Italy.  I sent a weekly email to friends and family back home about my travels and experiences.  I tried to incorporate as many details and descriptive words so that they could understand and be better familiar with my travels.  I tried to engage my readers in the sights, smells, and encounters of Italy including things such as a fresh fruit and vegetable market, laying on the banks of the river, walking around the city, and traveling to other countries.  I am not always very confident of my writing, which is probably due to the lack of formal writing I have done.  At this moment I would say that my descriptive writing is my strongest form of writing, but I would like to become more confident and concrete in my techniques.

I have read, and understand, and agree to the terms of the course syllabus, which I see as a contract for our course.