"Style: The Hidden Agenda in Composition Classes or One Reader's Confession"

This essay by Kate Ronald was very interesting for me to read as a student. She clearly explains to us, her audience, that as an English teacher she is somewhat biased in her 'grading'. Kate focuses mostly on the effect of one's style of writing. She gives us examples of pieces of writing and the obvious styles they possess. It is obvious that this aspect of writing is a concrete element in creating a good piece of writing. This is also related to creative sentence structure and how well the writing attracts the reader's attention. I believe that Kate's advocacy of style is to be expected for one who has a passion for writing. Style is an important aspect of writing that can often make a text unique and stand out among the rest. I enjoyed her concurrent definition of style as "having presence on a page". Rather than just writing to please a certain audience (usually the English professor), Kate emphasizes writing as if to say something to somebody real. Kate makes an interesting point of how she deviates from assignments where each classmate writes about the same subject. As a student, I believe Kate was certainly right when she said that "such assignments become exercises in competition". Kate also promotes using emotion and connection when writing certain kinds of essays. I realize this is not realistic in all types of situations, however I believe personal reactions are beneficial in many texts. Finally, I enjoyed an underlying theme of this essay about taking risks and chances with writing. Kate explains, as an English teacher, the advantages of setting your essay apart from the rest with nontraditional writing.

"A Letter to Our Representative"

In her essay, "A Letter to Our Representative", Kaylen writes a letter specifically to a representative of Ohio. In her letter, she attempts to persuade John Boehner that same-sex adoption should be legalized in the state of Ohio. She provides many facts in her letter to further support her claim of why adoption agencies are biased if they do not accept homosexual applicants. Kaylen also incorporates a true story about a boy who was raised in by a homosexual couple and statistics about children raised in this environment, the pathos of her rhetoric. She also mentions the logic behind her argument as well as expert opinions on the issue. These relate to the rhetorical aspects of logos and ethos. She connects with her audience well by specifically targeting a person who is influential in the legalization of same-sex adoption.

A Vision of Students Today

The YouTube video, "A Vision of Students Today" accurately represents the emotions of college students in our society today. Throughout the video, college students express their everyday struggles, written on a piece of paper or typed on a laptop screen. These include the aspects of college life such as time spent studying, e-mailing, reading and sitting in on lectures where they are merely a number to the majority of their professors. The aggregate total number of hours necessary for these activities exceed the number of hours in a day, not even accounting for sleep. The students then conclude their message with an unexpected turn. They consider themselves lucky, because of the amount of students not able to afford proper education and in turn, an insufficient job. The creators of this film chose the theme of technology due to its prevalent effect on generations of students throughout the worlds today. They incorporated pathos into their message by relating the obstacles they are faced with to the audience. The prevailing question to this video is whether technology has promoted to the expansion of knowledge and learning, or if it has played a negative role on college students and their schooling. The film concludes with a professor writing on a chalkboard in an old-fashioned way. This forces the teacher to move about the classroom and promotes interaction within this environment, the logos in this rhetorical aspect.

Marijuana Essay

Throughout this essay regarding the legalization of marijuana, the writer incorporates numerous sources and underlying facts to inform his audience about the misinterpretations of marijuana use. The warrants that are used throughout Dean's work allow him to justify the position he takes on this controversial topic. The essay includes comparisons to marijuana and its effects to that of alcohol and tobacco. After reading the facts about this argument, it is clear through Dean's effective argument, that both alcohol and tobacco have more serious and dangerous effects than marijuana. He also points out the overwhelming expense that marijuana users have on the government. This argument appeals to the audience who may be concerned with their tax money being put toward an effort that is seemingly unnecessary. Finally, Dean ends with the benefits marijuana could potentially have with medical advancements. Throughout the essay, the author is continuously pointing out the misconceptions that the majority of people have concerning marijuana, providing warrant to his work through justification of legalizing marijuana.

Comparing 2 Essays: Obama

While reading "Barack Obama's Address to the 2004 Democratic National Convention" in WP, I found myself quickly losing interest. The two viewpoints from David A. Frank and Mark Lawrence McPhail were obviously distinguished throughout the essay. However, they also have some similarities in their opinions. An example of this is the rhetoric of consilience that is prevalent in Obama's address to the DNC. From McPhail's interpretation of Obama's speech, this rhetoric of consilience attempts to draw a 'community' together that share a common bond. Throughout the essay, McPhail is constantly comparing Obama's speech to that of Reverend Al Sharpton's speech of 2004. With this comparison in mind, McPhail is not pleased with Obama's deliverance of this topic of racial traumas and believes it lacks a crucial factor: hope. After this introduction of the two critics of Barack Obama, we find that the remainder of the essay is divided into four parts. First, Frank goes more deeply into detail about Obama's Rhetoric of Consilience. Second, Obama's DNC speech is compared and contrasted with that of Al Sharpton. The majority of the essay is then dedicated to Obama's Menexenuasian message where the topic of consilience can be found once again, as well as comparisons with Martin Luther King, Jr. and additional differences with Sharpton. The Menexenuasian message focuses on the approval of the white society and the attributes it offers to the country. The essay finally concludes full circle with addressing some of the flaws noted in Obama's DNC speech while also putting the 'responsibility' on America to confront the racial topics that are prevalent in society today.

After reading William Gross' interpretation of Obama's 2004 Democratic National Convention speech in CCM, I have to admit that I was able to follow it and stay focused. Right at the beginning of his essay, Gross establishes Obama's credibility, ethos, as a Senator with the necessary level of experience to take on presidential responsibilities. Secondly, Gross notes the rhetorical strategy of pathos that Obama uses to emotionally connect his audience. Obama gives listeners hope for the future and demonstrates his patriotism to our country. Pathos is also obvious when Obama addresses groups of individuals that have suffered as a result of the serious issues America has been facing. He then switches gears and begins to mention John Kerry. He establishes the ethos of John Kerry and his experience in Vietnam and consequently, his ability to lead the nation. To conclude his speech, Obama reveals topics such as unity and hope to draw Americans into his image for the future.

Frank and McPhail's essay regarding Barack Obama's 2004 DNC speech was full of comparisons and intelligent rhetorical devices that were useful in discovering the layers of his speech that are not obvious. We are forced to think about the aspects of his speech and the possible faults it contains and improvements that may be advantageous. On the other hand, Gross' essay was able to connect with freshman students like us. He emphasized the important topics of Obama's speech and the common rhetorical devices that appealed to his audience while connecting them to the various topics.

Panopticism

How does Foucault use the method of rhetorical analysis in "Panopticism" to persuade the audience to feel a certain way about the realities of fear, discipline and consequence?

What specific audience is Foucault speaking to in "Panopticism"?

Audience

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1118353,00.html

"Target: Trans Fats"

This article from TIME Magazine is directed towards the people of America who cannot escape the harsh reality of the tasteful, but artery-clogging foods. The informative nature of this article appeals to the majority of America who were previously uninformed about these various topics. It begins with introducing one of America's favorite cookie: the Oreo. The article addresses the audience who just cannot get enough of these snacks filled with trans fats. It informs them about the possible consequences and health issues related to these fatal foods. The journalist then further describes the seemingly impossible task of eliminating or reducing the trans fats, while maintaining the true tastes. Therefore, the conclusion that seems to sum up this issue is to let Americans choose for themselves whether or not to eat these foods, rather than putting the blame on these multi-billion dollar food industries. The previously uninformed audience should be more knowledgeable after reading this article.

Rhetorical Analysis

In our readings of rhetorical analysis, I have learned that this concept is very important in our writings. Booth's "How Many "Rhetorics"?" and the multiple realities that are created throughout the writing allowed me to further understand this concept. I was particularly interested in Reality Three: Created Realities that are Subject to Further Change. The examples of this reality stretched from Hitler and World War II to architectural suggestions made for a married couple. I also thought that the concept of ambiguous situations can be either accepted or rejected as realities, based on multiple perspectives. This essay emphasizes that rhetoric is a sort of mind game where it is up to the reader in a specific situation to interpret the true meaning.

Some Instructions on Writing and Life

I really enjoyed this short essay about writing and about life in general. Annie's writing kept me interested the entire time, without a dull moment. I really liked the sarcastic tone that she wrote this piece with. I felt that I could connect really well with everything she was saying and referring to throughout the essay. It was very comforting to know that most great writers struggle at the beginning but then work through their final drafts to make it really good. She went in detail about the importance of finding a loyal person to read and critique various writings. I really liked this reading assignment.

MLA Paper

I think that the MLA research paper on a meaningful place will be very insightful and interesting. Research papers tend to be rather boring and repetitive, but I think that visiting the actual place will make it more personal and open to interpretation, rather than just facts. I believe that the majority of my classmates have similar opinions.

college

Hello! Well today is Sunday and it is very reassuring to know that we don't have school tomorrow. I am currently in my dorm trying to get all of my homework done so that I can have a completely free day tomorrow because I think our hall is tie-dying!

College life is a lot of fun so far. It is also very different from high school, in the aspect of academics. This is probably no surprise to anyone though. I am having a hard time figuring out what to choose as my major. It's hard to believe that we have to make such crucial decisions being only eighteen years-old. Other than that, life is going very well.

Familiar Place

A typical summer afternoon for me usually begins with a rude awakening by my two younger sisters. We then make our way downstairs for the first meal of the day. After breakfast, the three of us put on our brightly colored bathing suits. Now if one would dedicate a few moments to reflect on the "bathing suit", what questions might come to mind? Unnecessary? Revealing? Unattractive? Why must we (well, most of us) conform to one designed article of clothing to just as quickly be submerged into chlorine soaked water? Following this momentary wardrobe change, we venture outside, excited to enjoy a carefree day in the sun.

My sisters and I follow our usual routine: set our towels down, kick off our over-worn flip-flops and dive into the pool. While pondering this pastime more closely, was our decision intelligent? I mean, thousands of people die each year by drowning, which averages to nine people per day. Who were we to think that we could never be one third of that statistic? Who gave us the idea to build a concrete bowl in our backyard and subsequently fill it with thousands of gallons of water? All for a little fun and numerous potentially fatal doses of skin cancer?

Obviously, most of us intelligent mortals are aware of the "deep end/shallow end" perception. This seemingly elementary knowledge is more beneficial than we sometimes realize. One might not be familiar with the concept of depth, and involuntarily dive into the three foot shallow end, to their death. Fifteen percent of children die each year due to the inability to kick their arms and legs to stay afloat (a skill that seems it should be second nature; you know, something like survival of the fittest).

A spring board atop twelve feet of water intended for potentially dangerous backflips and cannonballs? Many of these tricks often leave both physical and mental scars of unintentional "belly-floppers". The lingering red rash and the echo of the body and water collision doesn't seem to be enough to keep anyone off of the diving board either.

Putting these bizarre notions of uncertainty in a place that I have visited each day for the past eighteen years aside, the three of us take turns on the diving board and leisurely soak up the sun on our rafts on this particular summer afternoon.

just testing