Time and Expectations

My most favored writing habit is #5, “For Early Drafts, Reduce Your Expectations”. I do just that; I don’t set high standards for my first drafts. I write everything down first and THEN revise. Even though I’ve got quite a mess to deal after my idea juices are splattered all over the page, there’s just a certain feeling of relief knowing that all I must do now is put it all together. I guess you could say that every paper I write starts out like a puzzle. I’ve got subject/topics that are “pieces” and the ideas that follow must lead in to the next pieces in order to fit right. This could probably drive left brainers mad. Even right now I’m doing this; this sentence was at the bottom of the page and now it’s right where it should be (or at least I think so). :)

I think I’m going to join the crowd in saying that I, too, am lacking in the time department. My burden, when it comes to writing, involves #3, “Schedule Your Time”. I do NOT do this very well. This blog attests for this! As you can see here I’m several days late in writing this and thus, well, you can probably guess that there are other issues that come out of poor time management. I guess I just don’t put a lot of “time” into arranging my “time”. I suppose I shall take the extra time I have and use it to be more productive, but first, one more episode of my favorite show. ;)

Just a Thought

Way long ago when we were all looking for opinion pieces I know that many of us had the problem of locating a piece that was opinionated enough, or flat out said "this is what I believe and I'm going to fight for it by using this and this to back it up." Or something along those lines. It was often difficult for me to find something strong. There are plenty of articles out there that are neutral and present both sides of the issue fairly, but I think as a whole some Americans have been afraid to publish their opinions, if they're strong.
If you look at politics I think that many people are afraid to stand for their beliefs. If you believe in universal health care you are attacked as a crazy far left, radical person. If you believe in the right to bear arms or the fight against universal health care you are portrayed as an Obama-hater and the crazy white person clinging to their guns and their religion.
Overall I believe that we have become a people that is afraid to stand proudly for their beliefs and back them up. I know why I believe what I believe and I can back it up. You don't just believe something because. There is usually a reason behind it and either people don't have reasons to back up what they believe in, or they're afraid to truly fight for their personal beliefs.
Now that is one side of the issue, fear of standing up, or putting yourself and your personal beliefs out there because you're afraid of being attacked. The other side of it I feel like (I'll use politics as my example once again) that you fight so hard for what you believe in that you are almost willing to die for something that is trivial. There is such thing as compromise people. Ever heard of it? The fighting is just going to escalate unless you compromise and look at a solution that will make everyone at least somewhat happy. So either all the articles out there are 1: afraid of criticism or attack. or 2. they're trying to compromise so as to appease the general public. Your choice.

Habits

Of the ten habit described in the book one of the habits that I already have is “for early drafts, reduce your expectation.” Every time I write any paper, whether it be a research paper or a short story, I have to get all of my ideas on paper before I go back and fix the little mistakes. Doing this has helped me write better paper by allowing me to see my thoughts instead of just thinking them. By seeing my thoughts I am better able to organize them.
A habit that I don’t have is “revise on double- or triple-spaced hard copy.” Usually I simple do my revisions on the computer after I have done the first write through. The problem I’ve had with doing this is that my eyes get tired of looking at the computer screen that I miss little mistakes. The only time that I ever print out a copy of my drafts is when I have my friends or peers do a review of my paper. I think that if I did take the time to print out my drafts to do revisions I would be able to better see the mistakes I’ve made.

Ten Habits of Highly Effective Writers

When I got to the section in the book where it talked about the habits I immediately thought of Stephen R. Covey's book. The habit that I think I have is that I know what methods of drafting work for me. I know that I can sit in a quiet room and get the writing done. It is when I am in a loud room I can't get my writing done. I can also think when I am alone better then when I am with friends. I know that writing drafts longhanded is hard for me to do. I have to do it on the computer. The habit that I probably could work on is thinking rhetorically from the start. I never think of what I want my readers to get out of reading my paper until almost my last draft. I need to work on thinking about who my audience is and what I want them to think when they are done reading my paper.

I have a few; I don't have some

I find that I naturally do a lot of the habits listed, especially the first one, “Use exploratory writing and talking to discover and clarify ideas.” I think a lot throughout the day about the issues that I am writing about, and, subsequently, I talk a lot about the issues as well. I like feeling like I understand the topic from more than one point of view. I have also found that the opinions of others are often based on other sources (quotes, studies, etc) that have influenced their decision, and can thereby expand my view of the subject.

One area that I have not yet made a habit is the “For early drafts, reduce your expectations.” I usually try to make my paper as perfect as possible, even on the first try. I know what I want to be able to say, but I don't usually just let the idea come out; I try to make my thoughts completely coherent to everyone who will read the paper, even when I have not yet been able to get them on the paper in a way that I understand it yet. This sometimes causes me to, as the book states, “get blocked.” I, sort of, give up on something because I can't quite figure out how to explain it on the first try.

Improving on the habit of “For early drafts, reduce your expectations” will help me to get my ideas out before I try to perfect the way that they are written. In this way, I can work on explaining what I am actually thinking instead of just avoiding the subject, as I have done sometimes, because I can't figure out how to explain myself.

Ten Habits of Writing

I believe that I posses habit #8: Exchange drafts with others. I love getting other people's opinions on my papers, research, articles etc. I try and show them to people of all ages whether those people be friends, writing lab tutors, parents, other teachers and so on. I find it extremely helpful to get various points of view and new ideas for my paper. Also I find that when proof reading you're own paper, you tend to not see all of your little mistakes because you know what you MEANT to say versus what you actually said on paper. Research papers in particular are great for this. Other people may have opposing view points, know of facts, studies, and websites you didn't consider, or simply give you a good idea of how interesting or boring your paper may be. The more peer reviews the better, which is why I'm glad we do them in class at least once.

One habit I would like to possess is habit #9: Save corrections for last. I tend to focus on the proofreading and editing of my paper first simply because I can spot those mistakes and they are easy to fix versus the changing of whole ideas or development of the assignment. If I could develop the habit of saving corrections till last I would probably save time and make me more productive.

Ten Habits of the Highly Effective Writer

The book mentions ten habits used by experts that are designed to improve ones writing ability. I possess almost all of them to some degree. Some I possess at a higher capacity than others. Since, I have to choose one which I already possess. I choose the one I use the most, number 6. Revise on double- or triple-spaced hard copy. After I get all of my ideas entered into the computer, I will frequently print out a double-spaced hard copy. For what ever reason, I find it better (more efficient / easier) to find all of my mistakes this way. It allows me to view my whole paper at once, and switch between different parts of my composition quickly. The editing process is thus sped up exponentially. Also I find it easier to mark where errors are and put suggestions in, while keeping the version in progress on the computer neat and tidy.

One habit I don't possess is number 3. Schedule your time. It is a habit I would like to possess. I am a chronic procrastinator when dealing with writing and usually wait until the last possible second before beginning work on anything. I don't know exactly why that's the case, but I am usually busy trying to keep up with all of my classes that sometimes writing falls by the wayside for a while. I think that if I could more effectively schedule my time then all of my classes would be easier to maintain, and I could get a lot more quality work accomplished. My work is quality, don't get me wrong, I just don't have the time to produce vast quantities of it quickly. I currently try to prioritize things, but I do it poorly and I usually end up not having as much time as I would like on somethings. I feel like if I can adopt a good time scheduling habit; I would be able to spend much more time improving my writing than just trying to get it finished.

Ten Habits

A writing habit that I do pretty well with is learning how to be satisfied with my writing. For example when I take tests I usually double guess my answers to the questions and I end up changing the answers. Usually the first answer I had put down was the right answer. This goes along with writing because if I'm not satisfied with my paper and keep changing it then the paper will just become a mess and I will not get my ides across. I have realized that I just need to be satisfied with my paper because my papers will never become perfect. I am not the best writer in the world so I try to get my thoughts and ideas written out and try to make it the best I can. I make sure I follow all the guidelines, make my paper organized and make it as interesting as I can. Being satisfied with my papers and not stressing over them helps me have confidence with my papers.

A writing habit that I should try and work on is scheduling my time. When I was in high school I always would start with drafts and work on the paper each day. I never would just finish the paper a day before it was due. It was so much easier because I was able to think of all my ideas and get them out on paper without being stressed. Now that I am in college I seem to not make drafts. I just type my paper as a go on a word page and edit right after because I just want to be done with the paper in one day. If I take time each day to work on my paper it may help me improve my papers a little better. Doing papers step by step and not rushing to get it done may help improve my writing skills because then I am able to make sure I have all the needed guidelines and all the editing done that needs to be done. I hope by scheduling time better with my papers, they will hopefully improve sooner or later.

-_-

I have the most horrible memory ever, EVER. If i dont write things down, it will never get done. thats why somtimes during class, you can spot me writing in the little tiny book, its my homework book. haha it was really hard for me to choose a step that helps me, or that i use the most. my book however does help me so that i meet dealines and turn things in on time. I stay organized so that I have time to do drafts and final drafts and anything else that needs to be done before I turn in my paper. i really dont know what else to say. would it be totally inappropriate to publish my blogg now?

ten habits.

One habit that I do not posses would be number three, scheduling my time. Whenever I have an assignment it is constantly on my mind and stressing me out, yet I don't do anything about it. Although high school and middle school our first draft of our essays would be due. I would hurry and try to write it the night before or walking into class and it was never complete. I hated it because we would sit in groups and peer edit them but I barely had anything for anyone to edit which was a bummer. My first drafts wouldn't be so good so I always would end up changing my topic the night before the final draft was due. Not being on top of things always brought unneeded stress and my papers were not to their full potential. I know how this next paper we are writing I want to stay on top of things and not get behind.

One habit that I do posses is number ten, to meet deadlines and bring the process to a close, learn how to satisfice. I am not sure if this is a good thing or not. When I write a paper I always edit it myself and have someone else revise it too. I make the changes I need to, make sentences sound different, shorten it, add things, just basically everything you do when you revise a paper. After I do that I usually print my paper off and forget about it. If I were to keep revising it, it would stress me out and the whole paper would basically change. I am really good at knowing when to stop... I think it is a good thing, but I think it could kind of be a bad thing too.

Habits That Help

One of the habits I believe that I already posses is number 4 “Discover what methods of drafting work best for you”. I always start my first draft right on the computer. As I write I revise extensively. I’m constantly reading back and trying to make sure that the things I write make sense to me. I also try to make sure I choose the right words in each sentence so that it’s clear to the reader what it is that I’m trying to say. After every paragraph I read it over to make sure it flows properly, and decide if all the ideas in a certain paragraph work together or seem to be a collection of random ideas. Although I must admit that this slows down my writing a bit.

Habit number 5 “for early drafts reduce your expectations” is a habit that could probably help me. As I mentioned earlier the constant revising as I write tends to slow down my writing so reducing my expectations for earlier drafts could help move me along. Constantly revising doesn’t give me writers block like the book says happens to some people, but it does stop me from writing all of my ideas down quickly. Another thing that could help me is scheduling my time. I was reading the last paper that we just turned in for this class on Friday, and I found some things I wish I could have changed before I turned it in. If I would have scheduled my time better I could have caught these things when it mattered.

Ten Experts habits to improve...hmm

Well I'm usually quite good at scheduling my time when writing a paper. I don't try and push it all into one day if I'm not ready to. As a writer and hopeful author I'm starting to learn that sometimes you need to finish a draft and then leave it for a few days or however much time you have. It's so true that when you leave something that you've written alone for a few days and come back then you can see it in a clearer light. I've seen this personally. I recently just finished writing the prologue to a story I'm trying to work on. When I was in the process of writing it then it all flowed perfectly, I just kept going and it felt like it all fit just right. I dropped it and came back a few week later to reread it and start revising it. Wow. It's a good thing I had that time period to leave it alone. When I reread it then I could just see so much more clearly where it needed work. It felt like it had been endless when I was writing it and when I reread it it didn't seem all that long at all, being about 15 pages.

Something I need to work on is reducing my expectations. I'm just going to relate this whole thing to the stories I write, since it's the most relatable. When I start working on something I don't want to put it down on paper unless I have it perfectly sorted in my mind how it will come out. I don't like writing down something that I know doesn't sound write or flow right even if that is all I have. It seems to permanent for some reason. I like to do the best I possibly can at the time being because I know that when I go back and change things there will be a lot to change even though at the time it felt like my best writing. It's scary to think how many changes it would need if it weren't my best writing at the time. I don't like to print of a hard copy and tear the whole thing apart. I like to just tweak things here and there on the screen. Once I have it down it can be hard for me to want to change a lot, except the parts that are screaming for a rewrite. Most of it though I just like to not touch because I like to get everything down right the first time.

This Paper Rocks

So I found this paper on the Swine Flu Vaccination and how it is finally getting the far right and far left to agree that it is a bad thing. I thought this was a very interesting subject. As I read this article it made me laugh because the far right and left have not been able to agree on one thing throughout Obama's Administration but now not a single person on the far right or left will get a swine flu vaccine shot.

This angered me because I was thinking if they won't get a shot why give it to the general public and have them get sick from it. It also angered me because it talked about how the U.K. has done this extensive research on this vaccine but our country hasn't. I feel like our country has gotten lazier and lazier. I mean our country sometimes to me seems like they don't care about there people. So unlike everyone else I found an article that I have gotten really passionate about. I love this paper because unlike the Visual Rhetorical Analysis you can open up and say what you really think. I mean I felt like for the Visual Rhetorical Analysis I was saying well I liked how they used this color, but in this paper I feel more open to express my opinion and do research about it. I don't know if that is how anyone else feels but that is how I feel.

Behold...I've finally found my opinion piece.

It was a long time in coming, but I have finally found an opinion piece (I like). I found it on the website Slate, which has many great articles to choose from (maybe too many). I knew that I wanted an opinion piece that at least had something to do with technology. What I found was an article about Google's new chatting tool "Wave." It's titled "It's Just Fancy Talk," and it was written by Farhad Manjoo.

The rhetorical moves that seem to work on me, which are all present in this article, are: Logos, Pathos, Kairos, and Ethos (strangely all of the rhetorical strategies I know of). I am someone who likes to be informed and up to date on all the latest technology, so the kairos of an article is very important. Also, I like to know a lot, if not all the facts about new technological advances, and I like to obtain them from reputable sources. That takes care of Logos and Ethos. Finally, I like it when I can relate to what is being talked about in a piece of writing. The more Pathos the better, that goes for all of the rhetorical strategies really.

Lost

Now is the time for me to start writing the response portion of my essay. Where to start? I have found it extremely difficult to respond to this article, and I have no idea why. This article was the only one that I had any reaction to. I wanted to find one about teen depression, but all that kept popping up was the economic depression and the potential for it to happen again. That is a subject that I don’t want to discuss. It is over talked about. I needed to find an article that I could write a good response to. However I feel like I don’t respond very strongly to anything anymore. Or maybe I just never have. I could write a very good response paper on why I don’t want to write a response paper. I could write a long paper about that subject. But when you give me a paper like this and try to force me to write something, I get stuck. I can’t think of what to write until it’s too late. Then I rush to find a way to finish on time and still write a good paper.
I feel like I’m complaining now. Maybe the best way for me to write a good paper is to do something like this. I write something totally random until I am so riled up I could response to anything. Or maybe this is just a waste of my time and won’t help at all. I guess the only real way to find out is to return to my paper and see what happens.

...

i was in the same boat as some other classmates - it took me forever to find an article. i tried to think of something i could totally bash and go against the grain. my mind immediately thought of articles that stand up for kanye west after what he did to taylor swift but i dont think there is anyone who did stand up for him so that wasn't an option. then a light bulb lit up in my head, everyone bashes miley cyrus, i love miley cyrus, but trying to stick up for miley cyrus is a loss cause. finding an article that i could use was super hard. truthfully, politics and news everyone is aware of, for example obama getting a noble piece price, has never been anything i've been interested in or read about. it was real hard finding one and writing it is going to be even harder!

Who Cares?

When I started looking for a piece to write about I thought it would take forever, but when I got on to slate, one article jumped out at me...What first grabbed my attention was the title; “Who Cares Who Won the Nobel Peace Prize?” I thought that this was going to be a piece of writing that was so far out there that it would not have any realistic logos in it. When I read it I saw all of the logos in the article. (I’m not saying that I agree or disagree with it, just that I saw it, and it was not too far out there). Depending on the subject different strategies work differently; but by in large logos is what gets to me most. If I can see the logic in something weather I agree or not I am more likely to listen with an open mind, and this piece did an excellent job of that. I think that the article could use more ethos, and kairos that would help its cause. I think they also use pathos, and in this type of article, I think that those are the two best strategies to use. I liked the article because it made me think about it logically, and feel passionate about it.

Are we there yet!

The opinion piece that I decided to pick was from the Fox News website. It is an opinion piece written By: Bruce Feiler it is called Where have all the Christians gone. It took me a very long time to find this article. Finding this article proved to be most agonizing for me. Most the articles that I read before this one struck very little interest and they had very little controversy. They mainly stated events and not a strong opinion. It was necessary for me to find an article that I strongly disagreed with or it would have been less interesting for me to write my paper on it. I’m not a negative person, it’s just seems to be easier to write agents someone’s opinion, not for it. So, I decided to do it on this article because of my strong opinion on religion and I figured that I’m probably going to be the only one in the class to write something agent religion. The article grabbed my attention because of the big picture of a cross on it. Knowing that Fox News is a conservative news station (that I agree with most things on, but not all) it was probably going to have a pro religious opinion. It was a good target for my non religious views. The rhetorical strategies they used did not work with me, because of my disagreement with what the article was talking about. So, through my agonizing pain I dealt with finding this article hopefully I found what I need to finish this assignment.

Choosing My Opinion Piece

As I started looking for an opinion piece I didn’t think it would be this difficult. I figured that I knew what I believed in, so I’d just go online and pick something. Well it wasn’t that easy, the fact that I do know what I believe in made it harder. There were so many topics to pick from. There were topics from monetary policy to the war on terror. I realize that for some reason nobody else I know, but me, is interested in monetary policy so I scraped that topic. I didn’t want to bore anybody.

I then looked to the war on terror but to my surprise I couldn’t find any good recent anti-war pieces. I guess Obama has somehow managed to neutralize the anti-war left, which is kind of scary. After looking at other topics I settled on the prohibition of drugs. The first article I found I had to scrap because it wasn’t going to work. Then I found an article by Congressman Charles Rangel of New York. He was arguing why we should continue the violation of the individual’s right to self ownership by telling them what to do with their own bodies.

In the article the Congressman says that nobody ever answers his questions about lifting prohibition. He asks if prohibition was lifted would all drugs be legalized. My response was hell yes you statist busybody. He asked would consumers be allowed to buy unlimited supplies of drugs. My response was of course you drug Nazi. He asks who would be allowed to sell drugs. My response was anybody who wanted to make a profit after all this is a capitalist country. He asked would we be prepared for the medical cost spawned from excessive drug use. That question was a little too Commie for me. The individual is responsible for himself if he makes bad choices it’s his own responsibility not the states. He can ask for help from friends, family, even the church but he can’t expect to be bailed out by the state. Nobody is too big to fail not even Freddie and Fannie. Because I had a relatively strong emotional response to this article I decided to choose it for my paper.

ipods and blackberrys.

Finding my opinion piece was kind of hard. Not alot of things grab my attention, I guess its because im from such a huge place where anything and everything goes. Topics that do grab my attention are, fashion, clothes, tabliods things of that sort. Its not that I dont care about thingsthat matter in the world I would just rather disscuss it then read about it. I like writing about fashion and tabliods because I have such a strong opinion about it, and when it comes to those things i can express myself on paper. I found my opinion piece on Slate.com. I really liked this website. i feel like it provided lots of choices on alot of different topics. i chose too opinions pieces, im not sure which on i am going to write about yet. one is about Apple and ipods and how they are changing society. I chose it because, the other day i thought i lost my ipod and i freaked out! litterally i was devestated. i didnt realize how important my ipod was to me until this day. As soon as i lost it i started shopping for a new one and i was even thinking of upgrading to an itouch. as the day continued, i was still sad because i had alot of good music on my ipod, but i was actually ok with it because i was excited about egetting an itouch! then when i got home my ipod was on my desk, i was soo happy. the other article is about how blackberrys are changing cell phone technology everywhere. i liked this one because i have a blackberry and i LOVE it. im always on my blackberry, ALWAYS. its very convinient i use it for just about everything. i actually feel like a business woman when im sending emails and txt messages throught my phone, then answereing phone calls and using ear pieces to talk while driving its awesome haha. so i guess im pretty excited to write this paper.

Hmmm... what a bummer

I would have thought that there would have been a lot of things that would grab my opinionated attention during this assignment, but I have been sorely disappointed so far. I think of myself as a fairly opinionated and educated person of sorts, but find that, for the most part, I really don't care much about the subjects of the opinion essays that I'm finding.

Because of this dilemma I haven't really been able to identify what rhetorical moves work on me and which ones don't. Neither have I been able to notice a stronger response spawning from my inner desires, compelling me to retaliate or to agree. Honestly, finding an opinion piece that I can be passionate about has proved much harder than I assumed it would be.

I feel like I'm looking for a real opinion about something that hasn't been completely exhausted and finagled to the point of annoyance, but at the same time I want to find something that is supported by a well written essay from a well read source. I WILL NOT try to complete my 'Summary, Strong Response' paper on something that I do not feel personally and emotionally attached to, but I find that I don't care much about most of the stuff people argue about. Is there something wrong with me? Should I care more than I do? Is there a good opinion essay on that topic? That might be interesting...

And The Search Continues...

After searching for articles, I too figured out a lot about myself. The main thing I figured out is that I’m really not all that opinionated. Maybe I just haven’t read the right articles that grab me yet. I guess you figured that this all leads straight into the question we must answer, “What grabs my attention in a piece of writing?” and the answer is, well, I’m still searching.
I suppose that by writing it all down I can figure out what really gets me fired up. I should consider many things for this and not just my likes and/or dislikes—perhaps that is the purpose of this assignment. No worries, I’m not going to write all of them here on the blog, but I should consider at least one thing…
Hmm, what if I was to use my pet peeves for this, well, I know one just off the top of my head which I just barely encountered in my last class: The girl sitting behind me found it necessary to BLOW the eraser bits off of her paper rather than swipe them off her desk with her hand or something like polite people. Well if you’ve experienced this before then you can understand that it’s not all that fun to have eraser bits blown on you every five minutes (we erase a lot in math class).
Anyway, back to the matter of searching, simply knowing and finding out what bugs me is probably a good way to go with this assignment but there’s got to be more; maybe I shall discover new beliefs about things in my search. Sheesh, this assignment is like, life. Ha any who… obviously I need to put more thought and hard searching into this. But don’t worry class; if you’re in the same boat I am, then I’m sure we shall find something in time. ;)

Opinions, Opinions Everywhere!

My approach to finding an opinion piece was based on which topic I wanted to analyze a piece about. I thought it through for a couple of days and rested on Immigration Laws. You see, illegal and legal immigration is something that I find myself thinking about often.

I've had a few occasions in my life working with illegal immigrants and some of my friends have strong opinions about just that, illegal immigrants. We discuss them on occasion. So, it's a pretty important topic in my life. I have developed some very strong opinions on the matter.

Inflow of immigrants has had severe repercussions on our nation. Wages have been lowered because of it, Health Insurance costs have increased, and American jobs have been placed in jeopardy because of it.

So, I looked at several opinion pieces about immigration. There are so many. I guess a lot of people share my concern for the welfare of our country. Finally, I settled on "Reforming Immigration Laws," by Dan Stein of the Washington Times. I chose this piece because he talks about some changes that need to be made to immigration laws so that it can once again be beneficial to the country as a whole. He also writes of the problems that are being caused by political parties, in relation to immigration.

I found this article to be interesting and look forward to analyzing it further.

Baggin' On My Fellow Human Beings

Salt Lake City is trying to pass an ordinance restricting panhandling in the city. I chose this as my topic for the opinion article because I have some experience with it and I saw a broadcast about it on CNN last week. Being altruistic by nature, I used to want to save everyone I saw out on the streets in dire circumstances. While I lived in Sacramento I invited a homeless woman to live with me, and she did for a week. Plus, there was a transient man I used to see by the train tracks that I made lunch for regularly. I believe in that kind of sacrifice and charity toward all God’s creatures, especially our fellow human beings.
So when I heard about this new law it surprised me that I wanted it passed. I wanted to no longer be bothered by my ‘fellow human beings’. After all, the woman I invited to live with me ended up taking off with my car and the man I made lunch for eventually followed me, making sexual advances, while he was high on something one day. I became disenchanted with the great unwashed of our society at that point. So, out of guilt and curiosity I looked up editorials on the topic.
I chose a Salt Lake Tribune article on the subject. The author came off at the beginning as if he had a snap judgment about panhandlers that I agreed with. Then he turned the tide of the article halfway through, ending with me not agreeing with him. He used Logos, which always speaks to my intellect, and a lot of Pathos without sounding manipulative. He made his point with the grain of the new ordinance and still admitted he was against it at the end without loosing integrity.

the search

While looking for an article I noticed a few things about myself. I hate reading through articles like this to find one. I found myself simply reading the title and skimming the article. The most important thing that I noticed was that If the title does not seem like something I am interested in I don't even take the time to skim the article.
As for rhetorical moves that work on me, I won't say that they don't because I know that is untrue. I just don't notice them. I look for an article I would be interested in by the title alone usually. Then after skimming a few sentences to see if they catch my attention do I consider reading the entire thing. I also found myself looking for articles that I could bash the content instead of the rhetorical moves. I had to force myself to think what articles would work rhetorically instead of just reading them.

What grabs me?

As I was browsing the web looking for a good editorial article I found that I could not find one that I was interested in. This is because most were about politics, and I'm not into politics at all. I tried to search for things that did interest me but the articles I did find were years old. The way an article grabs my attention is definitely what it is about and also how the article presents itself. I mean this by how does the article relate to me and how much do I know to make my own opinion on it. I would say that the rhetorical strategy that works the most on me is logos. I like to use logic a lot in my life, so when I see news articles that use logic and stats a lot I like to read that article. One rhetorical strategy that doesn't really effect me is ethos. I am not into news and politics enough to care about who wrote the article or what company he/she works for. I just read things that interest me.

Opinion pieor mces despite annoying internet

First, allow me to express my frusteration over looking for pieces on an internet that refuses to work. If you live at Wolverine Crossing, you most likely know what I am talking about. Well, hoefullyl they were true to their word and the internet gets fixed today. If not, i'mgoing to cry.

In searching for my opinion piecies, I looked for things based on what I know, sports, drumming and so forth. But either I'm notlooking in the right place, or I just don't like them.

Over the weekend, my brother posted a link to an article on his facebook and made a quick comment about it. I clicked on it and was curious about it when I read "Do we really need Wellsfargo to beour mommy?"

I was drawn because my brother had linked it as well as the fact that he is a manager at a wellsfargo bank. I also was curious because it discusses overdraft fees which is a problem in the US.

Thats my opinion and i'm stickin' with it!

Opinion Pieces Grabbing my Attention

I am immediately drawn to political opinion pieces. The ones that grab me are either by people I agree with and get me all worked up, passionate and thinking about the topic, OR either by people I completely disagree with and want to throw something at when I read what they have to say. If the piece is written about something I don't care about or have heard time and time again, I wont even finish it.

All the rhetorical strategies play a part on me. Statistics work unless I have knowledge that contradicts or makes me question those statistics. Like I said earlier, I can get very angry or passionate when reading a piece. And I immediately went to the blogs of people I know (Michael Moore, Bill Maher, Glenn Beck etc) to find a piece simply because of their credentials. Kairos, (rhetorical timing), is probably why politics most affect me. It's contraversial, current, and something affecting me today.

I have found so many pieces that I would like to respond to, I'm not sure how I'm going to choose one.

What Grants My Attention to an Opinion Article

In searching for an opinion piece, I have found that I am mostly drawn to political or socio-political subjects. I am also drawn to pieces on subjects like health, environmental, activism, and music. More than anything else, it is the topic of writing which draws my interest. I am more likely to read an article on something I am passionate about than, say, the latest celebrity scandal.

Within these subjects, I am particularly attracted by certain attributes in the author’s writing style. Specifically, I really enjoy articles with a lot of wit and personality. A bit of sarcastic humor always makes a paper more enjoyable to me. This is especially true within political and socio-political pieces. Humor really makes a piece of writing easier to follow; thus the phrase “comic relief.”

An engaging title is also extremely important. When browsing through editorials and opinion pieces, it is common for one to look only at the titles of articles. If the title is not engaging, or doesn’t catch your attention, it may never even be looked at.

Authors use rhetorical strategies to attempt to make their articles more appealing. These strategies are very powerful tools, and I think they all have their place. Every one works with me, at least some of the time. If the article uses kairos then it is more appealing because I know it’s about something current, and not something that is outdated. Ethos can make believing the author a lot easier. Pathos can make me feel an emotional response that helps get their opinion across to me, and as many things provide a single universal response, it can help unite me with the opinion of the author. This makes me read with the grain, as opposed to against it. Logos can also be effective, although of all the rhetorical strategies, this is probably the least powerful to me. I know that “facts,” statistics, numbers, graphs, etc. can misguide readers. In fact, many of them may be complete lies. So I am not always prone to let logos rhetoric work on me.

Finding an opinion piece

When searching for an opinion piece for this paper, it was difficult for me. I rarely read articles unless I am interested in the topic. Many of the articles I came across had to do with Politics. I'm not a big fan of political issues because I don't understand them too well and they don't interest me. What grabs me into reading an article is if I can relate to the issue with my personal experiences or life. Another thing that grabs my attention is if the topic is being talked about a lot or if it affects people and is a serious issue. Big issues usually make me want to read them and understand why they are happening and what needs to be done with the issue. The rhetorical strategies that usually make me keep reading an article is the use of pathos, logos and kiaros. Having these in the article make the article come to life and it makes me realize that these issues are actually happening. Using statistics helps make the matter more real and draws my attetntion more. I have always been horrible with reading, so an article that draws my attention is if it is in closed form. It helps me be able to comprehend the issue and follow all the different points the author is trying to express. I am therefore better able to respond to the article with my own opinion. The piece that I chose has to do with the unemployment and it drew my interest because it is an issue in the world today that is affecting many people. I hope I am able to understand and create my response to this article.

How opinion articles work on me.

While searching for an article to write my paper on I thought about the questions we are supposed to ask ourselves for the blog. Like, “What grabs my attention in a piece of writing?”... I noticed what grabs my attention are things that interest me or are also concerns of mine. I am not super into politics so I didn’t want to do an article about Obama even though there is a lot of controversy over the fact he won a noble peace prize. I am interested in health and nutrition so I noticed articles about that grabbed my attention. Another question that I asked myself was “ Why do I respond more to some of these articles than others?” ... My answer to that kind of ties in with the first one. But other than the fact that I like to read articles about topics I am interested in, I respond to some articles more than others because of the way it presents itself. For instance, I notice that I pay more attention to an article if it has some sort of pathos or personal story. Articles don’t always have these but if it does then I am pretty much sold. As far as rhetorical strategies go, pathos is one that works well on me... and so does kairos. Kairos makes me believe that what the author is saying is actually backed up. The author could be making it up but if there are statistics involved or quotes from doctors or something I will believe what the author has to say more than anyone else.

Searching, Searching, and Searching

So I have been looking for an article to write my summary/ strong response article. It took me two hours but I think I have found three articles that I would enjoy writing about. I didn't enjoy the opinion piece we read in class on Friday. It made me crazy bored! No offense to Dr. Westover. So I knew from that assignment in class I needed to find an article that excited me!

So I started searching, searching, and searching. While I was searching I though I want a piece of writing that I could get passionate about. So I would lower down all the boring articles on issues that I don't like to write about. I found some articles that met that. I read them again and again. The articles didn't get boring after the fifth time I read them. I realized that I respond more to health care issues, and issues that affect Utah more then I do to issues that affect the country. Those issues are the ones that hit home to me.

The rhetorical strategies that seem to work on me are Pathos and Ethos. I always want to know why the author has a write to talk about the issue they are talking about. One of the articles I really liked was written by a bunch of doctors about health reform. Once I saw who wrote the article it grabbed my attention. I knew they had a right to talk about the issue and I knew that they know what they are talking about. So I loved that article. Also with the same article it drew on my Pathos. It talked about cancer patients which hits home to me since I have a cousin, mom, and teacher who all have had cancer. The article drew on those emotions and I love reading articles that I can relate to as a reader.

I think that I have found a couple articles that are going to be good for my paper. I am excited to write about these articles. It was hard at first to find articles but once I started looking for articles that I liked reading it got me excited for this paper.

Rhetoric Strategies

The topic in an article is the first thing that grabs my attention. I'm not likely to read an article, or least not the entire article if it does not have an eye-grabbing point of interest. High points of interest can often me, for me, controversial topic especially those of high debate or undecided issues. For instance an article about something that was relevant five years ago isn't going to be nearly as interesting as a debate that is still going on today, whether it's about health care, proposition 8, the economy, because of their relevancy I am going to be more interested in these topics.

I often am more attracted to articles that are neutral, on some issues anyway. If I am yet undecided about a topic then I think it's helpful to read and hear about the facts of both sides of the issue and the arguments that are being made by those people who strongly believe is whichever side they are standing for.

I like when writers use a combination of strategies to persuade the reader. It's good support to use statistics in a paper, but I think it would be dishonest almost, to not state or give credit to who is conducting the research and reporting the statistics. Because while statistics seem like indisputable facts, they can be twisted to suit whoever is doing the research on a certain topic. I also am prone to being more sympathetic or interested when an article uses a specific quote from an elected official or a story from an ordinary citizen whom I can often relate too. While ethos is important, it is not always something that persuades me, as I have learned a person can have a master's or bachelor's degree and still not know anything about common sense nor have an arguable opinion about a topic. Overall kairos is the most effective strategy in my opinion.

Meanings of words

As a response to the many things that we've been learning about advertising and about perspective, as well as how even small words can change an entire statement I've decided to do a short analysis as to how that is so affecting. In books especially as I'm a bookworm and a hopeful author it pays off to be attentive to the little words used in books. Such as when a character is speaking there is often there line of speech and then a close of quotations followed by the word "said". "I know you are, but what am I?" she said.

However, the entire meaning of a sentence can change in an instant if you use a slightly different word to describe how a character or person in an interview or article is saying it. For instance: "Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you could have gotten into?" she ranted at him. Immediately (for me anyways) the word rant changes everything, even if I had just read that one sentence, I could make a deduction that she had been yelling or lecturing to this person for several minutes because the word to describe how they said something was "rant" instead of "said" or "yelled". It instantly gives it more character and more description.

Even as we were discussing in class today, it's amazing what connotations a single word can have. These words are used every day and we can find them everywhere! In newspapers, on the internet, in a book, in a obituary, in a journal, in an email, a letter, or a blog post. We ever have to be careful of what words we use because of the connotations they often bring.

Double posting! More thoughts on assignment

I knew I should've rea the other posts first before posting mine own because now I have more thoughts about the assignment that I wish to share. So I hope ya'll don't mind if i tug on your ears for a few more minutes!

I want to agree with what the others are saying. As I read, and thought about what was written, I remembered that at times I find myself this pass week asking myself questions about the ad. Why is it trying to pull me in. Whats its purpose and so forth. The assignment had and is continuing to teach me to analyze and think more. I feel that I am starting to see things a little bit differently.

Its not as hard as I made it out to be when I first started this class. But as I discussed it with the Professor, then took the assignment I realized an understood how thinking critically, concrete and anazlyzing works.

I like this class! Okay, I'm done talkin' now. :)

Computer Problems, blog assignment and conference weekend

Well dang, after 24 hours of wanting to throw my computer out the winow, I finally got it working again. Every once in awhile, I like to clelan my hard drive and install afresh copy of XP. Well, for some reason the last few times I've done it, my computer keeps shutting down on me! I was getting so angry with it!

But I finally got it working. I think what I had to do was after formating, let it rest for awhile and then do the installation. The funny thing is that I never had this problem b efore but today, I formatted my hard drive, went to conference came back and was able to install a fresh copy of XP pro with no problems. Someties I don't knowabout my lappy.

Anyway, those of you who are LDS and enjoy conference weekend, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. While listening, I got to thinking about our recent assignment in which we had to analyze an ad. I think because of this assignment, I have gained a better understanding of what it means to think rethorically and to be concrete in our reading.

IF you notice, while watching conference, they dont just say, do this, do this, do this. The speakers tells stories, give examples. They relate to the audience. They help the listeners to understand.

Whille working on the assignment this past week, I hope I was able to do that more. I think that this clas an the assignment is helping me to better understand it. IT taught me that as I write, to write about things that I know. It also taught me to back up what I say and to give example. And not to mention humour!!!!!

so thats my thoughts for the day and I hope this counts good :)

Rhetorical Revoloution

I now see things with my eyes wide open. All visuals now have a point and purpose for me, even real life moving visuals. I learned that every little detail is there for a reason-- angles, colors, positions-- it all makes sense now.

Advertising is not only more meaningful and interesting now that I've done this assignment, but I concluded that advertisers who can reach their target markets on a subconscious level are truly artists. Doing this, I felt like I could point out every little detail and make a big deal about it (something most people aren't really fond of in real life). I have found that there is so much freedom in rhetorical analyzing.

What This Assignment Has Taught Me

This assignment was very interesting. Never before had I taken the time to analyze ads I came across. Before this assignment I would take advertisements at face value. I never thought that everything in an ad was there for a reason. I never stopped to take an ad apart and figure out exactly what it was the advertisement was trying to tell me. Now I look at every ad and think to myself what it is they are trying to say, I ask myself if this ad is effective. I think about what rhetorical strategies the advertisement is using. Before I’d skip through all advertisements or just glance at the pictures and move on. Now my magazine reading is a little slower, as I take notice of things that before I would dismiss as someone trying to sell me something I didn’t want or need. This assignment has been educational and has taught me to be a little more perceptive. I’m glad we did this assignment. Usually I approach most of my homework more as a chore, something I have to do, but would rather not.This was a good learning experience. I’ve learned to look a little deeper into the meaning and purpose of things around me.

How I Analyze Now.

When we first started analyzing visuals and ads in class I was really confused because I never really looked at an advertisement that deep. I realized that I would feel all of the reactions that the advertisers wanted me to feel & I didn't even know it! Now I catch myself watching tv and thinking about how certain commercials are working on me, and what they are using in the ads that make it persuasive. This assignment definitely changed my pattern of thought. I don't think I'll be able to not think or analyze advertisements now. My challenge is thinking of ALL the ways an ad is working. I don't look at every detail. After learning about how I can or should look at advertisements I think I'll be better at analyzing them. Although this was more fun than other assignments, I can cross out any careers in the advertising business off my list. So to answer the blog question. The assignment DID change how I look at advertisements. How? By teaching me the correct ways to look at an ad and what I SHOULD be looking for.

A New Take on Ads

As we have discussed the rhetorical strategies used in advertisements in class, I have found myself looking at commercials in a different way.

I used to just watch commercials and not really think about them. Now that we have discussed some different methods that get used I see things differently. I really think about things like colors and words that get used and why did they choose to use that text or type of text even. The way something is written and how it's designed can change the importance of that in text in the composition of the ad.

I also have found myself analyzing which rhetorical strategies they are using. What are they trying to say to ME? What are they trying to sell, a lifestyle or a product? How are they using Logos, Pathos, Ethos, and Kairos to reach a broader range of demographics?

It really has been quite interesting to think a little harder about the commercials I see on TV, or ads I see in a magazine. It's almost fun to think a little deeper about them. That sounds crazy, I know. But that's how this analysis of ads has affected the way I view advertisements.

Eyes Wide Open

I used to think of advertisements as just another annoyance. But, now, understanding how subliminal they are, and all that’s being communicated by them, has made me more interested in what I see. For instance, I never would have noticed before how everything from the water bottle to the lime wedge in the Corona ad boasted virility. I’m also now aware that the colors chosen by advertisers affect our mood and perceptions of not just their product, but what we need in our lives. The ad I chose to write my paper on was for a waterproof shirt. The shirt was golden-orange and the man wearing the shirt was photographed in the rain and extremely close to the camera. The caption at the bottom said, “If This Shirt Had a Finger, It Would Give It to the Weatherman.” From class I learned that there are a ton of messages this ad is sending out; the close-up shot makes the man look huge, representing power; the rain means the shirt earns its waterproof claim; the shirt’s golden-orange color denotes warmth and trust; the caption says ‘I do what I want and I don’t take crap from anyone’. Not only do I want the shirt, I want the man. Now that’s good advertising!

Viewing commercials

This unit hasnt really had a major effect on how i view commercials and ads. I was never one to really pay attention to them. I just flipped the page in the magazine after a glance at the ad, or switched to another channel while the show I was watching had a commercial break.

The one thing that i would say has changed is that every once in a while, I will look at an ad to see what it is trying to sell and how they try to sell the product using the rhetorical strategies. Other than that, I would say that I dont look at advertisements any different. I think they are annoying and just get in the way of what I am trying to read or watch.

If I want to buy a product I make sure that it is what I want, I talk to people about it and try out the product if I can. I dont let ads influence the way I shop day to day.

Is anyone else tired of sitting on the floor?

When I heard how many students had enrolled in UVU this semester, I didn't think much of it. Sure I'm glad the University gets more money now that the classes are getting more students, and yes it's definately sad that so many people are losing their jobs and needing to go back to school, BUT it would be nice if the classes weren't busting at the seams! Maybe this was just the bad luck of my friends, but for several classes if they don't get there early enough they get to sit on the floor. Yippee! I'm sure that's very beneficial to learning. Thankfully it's not happening in this English class, but I was just curious to see if anyone else has been having the same problems in other classes.

Visual Rhetoric

Our discussion of visual rhetoric has made me even more aware of the strategies advertisers use to have me pulled into their ad. The way color and text is used was already pretty obvious, however the use of straight lines to pull the eye towards what the ad wants was new to me. Also, we all know that sex is used to sell a lot of things, yet I had no idea how much! Even the phone ad we discussed in class- the woman had a deep V-neck on. I wouldn't have thought much of it before our discussion but clearly these strategies are used all the time. After seeing the ads that were posted around UVU with the huge phrases that said things like “There’s a shooter on campus” (or something along those lines), I can also recognize what is an ineffective ad not solely based on the colors I see or the layout that’s been used. The role race, gender, and relationships play has struck me too. For instance the Nike ad that was in the textbook with the black woman striking her power stance and talking about how she already has a boyfriend had a lot more to it than I would ever have imagined. Overall, I have enjoyed these class discussions and felt prepared and more knowledgeable when it came to writing my own paper. When I see ads now, I can’t help but look at them in a different light.

Why Change?

To be completely honest, talking about visual rhetoric in class had not really had an effect on the way I look at advertisements. Advertisements, although I’m aware of them, have not had a very big effect on the way I view a product. I have never been one to spend time flipping through a magazine. I even turn off the volume and do something else while commercials are playing on T.V. Instead I count on the experiences I have had, as well as those of my family, to make my decisions on what to buy.
Even though I usually ignore advertisements all together, I am more aware of the rhetorical strategies being thrown at me on a day-to-day basis. Every now and again while carpooling on the freeway to school, I catch myself thinking “That was pathos” or something else to that effect as I look at a billboard. Understanding how advertisers try to persuade me has helped to think more critically about the products they are trying to sell.
I don’t think I will ever waste my time listen to advertisements on T.V. or in magazines, but knowing about visual rhetoric has and will continue to help me analysis what advertisers, and anyone else, are trying to make me believe through visuals. Which we help me decide for myself what it is I really believe about a product.

Visual Rhetoric

So at first i thought this paper was going to be a piece of cake because, it sounds like it right!? But when it came down to it, it was so hard for me to express myself! Im not sure if it was because the ad i chose was something that is really close to my heart and it made me to emotional or I dont know if t was because there was only so much you could say! hmm.. i think visual rhetoric is very interesting. I always noticed it in fashion magazines but never in anyother kind of ad, im not sure if it was because the ad wasnt interesting or because i was not looking for the rhetoric but i will definatly be looking for it now. I think visual rhetoric is all around us, not just in magazine ads and stuff, but in everyday life. I guess now that i look at advertising as, more meaning-full and kinda of fake. as weird as it sounds, i look at the "behinds the scenes" stuff. Not just the hot models and pretty colors, i look at the words and the props in the picture, and how they are trying to sell the product. Visual rhetoric has made me a smarter shopper! and a better writer of course.

My Thoughts

So I wonder now if I even have my own thoughts. I am sure that I do have original thoughts that come from within me. From this class and the rhetorical strategies that we have been learning about everything seems different. Lately my thoughts tend to be noticeable reactions to anything I see. Just today I saw a new cover for one of the music pieces that we will receive, and I felt calm and peaceful. I thought to myself well why is it that I feel this way? The borders on the cover were soft and blended in to the white frame. It also felt airy because of the colors and soft font. I have realized that everything is doe for some reason or purpose. There is a reaction that is hoped for.
I no longer take quick glances at signs or ads. I dig deeper into the ad then I probably should to try to figure out exactly what it wants me to think or feel. I also consider my own thoughts. I compare my thoughts to what the ad may want to say. At times I see a different way that could be more effective. Some of the ad could appea to the senses a bit more. Other ads need more to get their point or message across. I have learned that there is a good ammount of things that are said without actually spellig it out and saying it. It reminds me of your actions speak louder than your words. How something looks may say more than words themselves.

How Visual Rhetoric Changed My Life (Not really :P, but it makes for a great title.)

Before learning about visual rhetoric, and having to analyze ads. I knew if I liked/disliked or was persuaded/not persuaded by ads, but I didn't really know why. I would just glance at advertisements without stopping to think about what was in them or why certain things were or weren't in them. Even after learning the terms; I didn't quite understand the importance of Logos, Pathos, Ethos and Kairos.

After having to sit down and actually analyze all of these aspects of an ad, I can now gain great insight into an advertisers techniques. I had never thought that everything in an ad was there for a purpose. Things that are unnecessary, or that don't serve the purpose of the ad, are removed or left out. Now, I do. I believe I can write better papers now, by leaving out content that is not needed or negatively impacts what I am trying to get across. Also by the use of Logos, Pathos, Ethos and Kairos when appropriate; now that I know what they are, and how they have been used by professionals to achieve the desired effect.

Choosing to not look
By: Anton Radmall
This project has forced me to think, to use my creativity, and has helped me to analyze things much better. However, I feel it will not change the way I look at advertizing. It is common sense that advertisements are trying to sell you something. Due to that fact, of course, they are going to try to use rhetorical strategies to try to convince people to buy their product. Most ads are not affective on my purchasing habits anyway. I rarely watch T.V. and I rarely read magazines. Also, due to my lack of income even if a ad had a big effect on me I really couldn't afford to purchase it anyway. Due to the fact that I am a Macey's produce worker and only make ten dollars and fifty cents an hour, the money that I do make all goes to college, food, car expenses, and rent. So I would be a very bad person to market towards, unless it's absolutely something I have to buy. Even then, I don't go off of advertising, I normally go research it from a reliable source before purchasing something. Yes, I know, there is advertisements everywhere you look nowadays and yes I know you can't escape from noticing them, but I still standby the fact that the advertisements have little to no effect on me.

Three Cheers

Next time I browse through a magazine I don’t think I will be stopping to consider rhetorical strategies being used on me. I won’t pause to reflect on the ad’s appeal to my subconscious. That being said, I have learned that rhetorical strategies and marketing methods do, in fact, exist. They are being used on me, whether I stop to acknowledge it or not, and they’re used extensively! I can’t honestly say that I think there will be a noticeable difference in the way I look at ads now. But an unnoticeable difference? Now that’s a possibility. I think it’s possible that this knowledge I have gained has been imprinted on my mind, and therefore become a candidate for my subconscious. Before, ads attempted to subtly influence me, and persuade me to buy their products. I think it’s possible that now that I have this background knowledge about their tactics, I might have built up a barrier to their techniques. Perhaps I won’t be able to be influenced as easily as I may have in the past. Maybe if I notice that I’ve stopped purchasing as much stuff, then I’ll know that I have become immune to the persuasive power of advertisers! . . .Okay, maybe complete immunity is unlikely. But regardless, I suppose that I am now able to analyze the rhetoric in an ad if I really ever find that to be necessary. But this is a writing class, and I think the visual rhetoric assignment has been about more than just being an ad critic. I think I will be able to use this information to help me write better. If I can understand how advertisers influence me, then I will be able write in a way that will be better at influencing others.

So three cheers for rhetoric.

What I learned from Analyzing an Ad

I never really looked at ads in a magazine like I did when I was assigned this paper. I never really cared who the target audience was either. Now after I did this assignment I pick up a magazine see an ad and think either wow this was really well done, or wow this ad needs some work! I appreciate ethos, pathos, and logos more. I knew what they were but never really knew what they were used for. Now I see that all that gets put into an ad is logos, pathos, and ethos. I also realize now what some people like in an ad compared to others. Some people see something bright and it draws their attention, but others see that same ad and hate it. I think that this assignment really benefited me to understanding what logos, pathos, and ethos really are.

not much new, just added titles :)

Completing a visual rhetorical analysis didn't have much of an affect on how I see advertisements. I have been involved in elements of graphic design for a few years now and have been looking at and analyzing the strategies used in advertisements. I almost always analyze ads before I even realize what is being sold. When designing advertisements, logos, business cards, etc., I have to be thinking about all of these strategies. Of course, before this class and this assignment, I didn't know the named concepts of ethos, pathos, logos, and kairos but I was still using them on a regular basis. I was designing a logo for a dental company a few months ago and was discussing these very things with my brother about the logo. He was telling me how the colors chosen should make the patients feel comfortable and cozy (pathos) while still creating professionalism and cleanliness (increasing ethos).

What I find interesting, however, about being involved so much in the process is that, even though I know why the ad is influencing me or not, the rhetorical strategies used in the ad usually still work. For instance, I know that Progressive, the automotive insurance company, might not be the best company to use for auto insurance, but I am more inclined to trust them just because their logo is designed extremely well. So, though I may not have learned as much as others on the assignment, I believe knowing about visual rhetorical strategies is important and helpful. I'm sure I will continue to use these strategies on a regular basis and that most people in professional environments will do the same at one time or another.