English 1010.71

Grades

2009-12-18T07:42:00.000-08:00

I will be in my office from 12-5 on Monday if you want to come talk to me about your grade. If you can't come in (or don't want to), just email me, and I will let you know your scores. I can also make arrangements to return your papers to you after the break if you would like.

Thanks again for a great semester.

DONE.

2009-12-15T14:27:00.001-08:00

omg.
so who else is so glad that the semester is over!? MEEE! this semester had gona by so freakin SLOW, but im finally doen with finals and its california time (: looking forward to the warm sun, the beach and that amazing skyline that i miss so much. why cant our break be longer!? 2 and a hald weeks just isnt enough. i should be given like two months break for living in autah for a WHOLE third semester, not to mention its snowing now. it feels good to sit here and have absolutly nothing to do... aaahhhh this is the life(:

Laat post

2009-12-14T22:58:00.000-08:00

Two minutes to midnight and i jsut wanted to be crazy and post at midnight! Just because I'm crazy and I want to. English was enjoyable this year. I learned alot about rethorical strategies and analyzing. An-a-lyze Must Analyze. *ahem*

I'm not ssure reallywhat to say though. Everything i wanted to say kinda disappeared and I'm sure that as soonas i post again....it'll disappear. I have no idea why I like to type short pargraphs. maybe it's cause I do not like looong paragraphs because it's hard to read so I avoid them.

IT'S MIDNIGHT!!!!!!

Christmas time!

2009-12-14T21:58:00.000-08:00

Since Christmas time is here, and classes are ending I want to say merry Christmas to everyone that was in English this semester. This has been one of the most fun and hardest English classes that I have ever taken. I wish I could have gotten to know all of you better. I think this has been the most diverse English class I have been in before, and it had the most points of view, which was very interesting for me. I think that this has been the English class I have learned the most in, and my writing has improved so much. I hope you all enjoy your holiday breaks. As I have been in this class and talking with others I have learned even more. This time of year always brings me so much joy! Y joy comes from the presents to the snow, to the time with your family. Remember what ever you do over the break have a “Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.”

Short story to practice details and pathos!

2009-12-14T21:30:00.000-08:00

The shivering little girl rapped on the hard wooden door that sat in front of her... No answer, she knocked again... A few seconds later the swung open she walked in. There stood a fat man in front of her who rudely asked what she wanted. "To cone in from the cold and get warm for a few minutes" the girl said her teeth chattering, as she rubbed the sleeves of her tattered jacket. The man thought hard for a few seconds with a scowl on his face. Looking back at the couch stationed in front of the television he was watching deciding the show was to mature for a little girl said "no, but my next door neighbor is a good person, try him." Tears filled her eyes as the door slammed close and the sensation of warmth was gone.
She walked next door as instructed and knocked... Almost immanently the door swung open, this man was taller, and wore a nice bright smile. He asked in a very sweet voice "how may I help you little girl?" May I come in and get warm?" She asked for the second time that day. "As the man was about to answer he heard a popping noise from his computer to see that he had a red box in the corner of his screen indicating he had a new message. Instantly the door slammed shut.
As the night started to grow longer and the little girl got more and more worried she began to wonder why the world hated her so much she curled up in a ball under the tall tree covered in a glistening white snow. She could now feel all consciousness leaving her.
She awoke the next morning to her surprise warm, toasty in fact, and comfortable. She was in a bed. She smelt breakfast wafting up from down stairs. She ran down the stars to find a family sitting around the table waiting for her to come down.
The little girl with tears in her eyes thanked the family. They asked her what happened to her family, her eyes filled with tears as she retold the story about how the fire had burnt her house down last week, she was the only one who made it out of he house, and had gone house to house to get warm, no one ever letting her in for more than a minute or two or a piece of bread. The family let her live with them. There she lived the rest of her days happily ever after.

Sorry if you thought this was weird, I needed another blog post, and this story just kind of drifted out of no where, and I figured it out as I went along.

Other people's presentations

2009-12-14T21:26:00.000-08:00

I really enjoyed all the presentations today. Sadly, it seems to be slipping my mind. :( It'll come to me. I really enjoyed the capital punishment presentation. The abused baby really got to me. If I didn't believe in the death penatly before; I would know. Thomas was right,, where is the justice for the baby? I think it's appaling that these jerks only get 18 months in jail. Wanna know something interesting? In the book of Mormon; there's mention of a death penalty. If ou murdered, you get the death penalty and so forth. Justice after all must be served right?

Let's see what else, I really liked the poem about Sexual abuse. It's an awesome poem. I can't explain why, just that i liked it. some of the videos were pretty funny. Like that person with 'blood' on her arms and so forth. I just had to laugh. Sorry!
**

I'm really sorry that I didn't particpate and get to know ya'll more. If there is one thing i havelearned this semester that i hope take with me next semester is to speak up and get involved more. I think nxt time, I will talk to my teacher about concerns of particpating. After all it is hard, and embarrassing to me, to sit there and wait for my typist to say something making mygroup wait a minute.

Also, there were so many things i wanted to say in class but by the time its been typed up, the conversations had moved on to something else. I can never figure out when or how to get a word in because i'm concentrating on the computer and well....it's not the typists fault really. I should've taked to Daniel about it a long time ago. But, next semester I will talk to the teachers on the first day.

I don't think i'll ever get used to calling a teacher by his/her first name. it jsut seems weird.

Genera Translations

2009-12-14T21:06:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe that the end of the semester is here. I have been so busy with assignments that I have barely had time to breathe. I agree with what Thilia said this being a harder semester. I also agree that the break should be longer. I had fun getting to know everyone. This is the first class that I have had to do a blog for, and it has been a very interesting experience for me. I think that everyone did a really good job on their genera translations. I saw some very good use of pathos with the one about the death sentence being fair or not, the one about depression (there were other one that I liked too). I liked some of the logos I saw in some like Emily's on health care, and they all thought me something new. I think that all of them had an element of ethos in them. If for nothing else when people were explaining them I saw why they chose what ever they chose. I also liked how some of them were kind of more laid back and just made the class (or at least me) laugh. I have really enjoyed having class with all of you and getting to know you guys.

Extra blog, critique of rherotic.

2009-12-14T21:05:00.000-08:00

I went to a presentation about glacier lakes in Utah. It was done by a Utah Valley University student. It was presented very nicely. The presentation I went to was very informative and interesting. She boosted her ethos by talking about how she helped out with the tests her, some classmates, and an instructor did on the glacier lakes in the Uinta Mountains. Her ethos was damaged slightly when she talked really fast and acted like no one was, or really should be concerned about what she had to say. The presentation was on the discharge of salt into glacier lakes from other glacier lakes. I liked the presentation but it bugged me that she acted like we should not even understand, and that we should not even care. Another thing that detracted from her presentation was that she acted like there was no valuable information there, just that it was some random fact that was useless that we would forget after we left.

Trekkie

2009-12-14T20:59:00.000-08:00

So, now everyone knows that I am a star trek fan. And I'm darn proud of it! The gender translation project was the best assignment I've ever done. Though I have to admit that I am so sick of hearing John F. Kennedy but I do love the ending! I tried really hard to make the video less than 8 minutes but to me all those pictures were important and I just LOVED having that song at the end. There were more things i wanted to say so I hope ya'll don't mind if I tell you more about what I was hoping to accomplish in my video. Besides, Ipersonally believe that I type better than when i speak. So hopefully this might clear up a few questions.

I have always been a space geek and I have always wanted to find out why on Earth people didn't' believe we went to the moon. So I did that paper and thought for awhile what I was going to do for th gender translation. Then I had it; the video! Combining two things that I love; space and drums.

My drum teacher, Mitch Lee, did the recording of the drums. I did what I think is called abstract drumming, or is it interpretive drumming? Each section representated something during a space mission. Preparing, countdown, launch and sailing through space. The cymbals and drum rumbles were thesailing through space and the control bursts for corrections and Lunar insertions and so forth. That was alot of fun. the funny thing was when the recording came up in itunes; it was mistaken for a hard rock band called pentera or something like that. And the album was Vulgar display of power O_O Why does that sound dirty or ugly?

The project was alot of hard work though. I used my friend's imac and we wre both very unfamil;ier with imovies. For instance, I collected all these pictures but we had to find mostly new ones because apperently the large pictures were the best. I had no idea I could even select what kind of pictures i wanted or that it mattered!

Then this weekend was a bear; tidying things up. Of course, as always several things went wrong. We finally got the movie unto the DVD only to find that my name was mispelled. It's a good lesson, don't work at midnight cause then you're loopy and bound to make more mistakes. So, I put it on a CD-RW because i wantd a copy to take home in a few days. Well....it looked great yesterday and I was prepared to give that one to Daniel this morning.

Of course I found two things. I should've said Daniel instead of Dr. For some reason, I forgot that he rather be called Daniel Westover. But that's not the big one. The really biggie was that I wanted to have some credits to show where I got John F. Kennedy's speech, Queens and sof orth. it did not show up on that CD! Can you belive that? I have no idea how that happened. Especially since the DVD was done first so it should've been on the cd but i think when we fixed my name; it somehow fell off. Oh well, that one is for my family and on youtube. I hope you like the cool DVD. I had to laugh when I saw one person used a simaler DVD menu and the same drumbeat. So cool!

I hope that the movie presented the pathos, ethos, and logos that I wanted. I wanted to show a sense of unity and pride through the pictures and the drumming. I wanted to give a sense of, "We did it! We went to the moon! We all did it!" I shared in my paper that Michael Collins, Command Module Pilot for Apollo11, had visited mor than 20 forgien counteries. And the response h usually gts is not, "Oh, you Americans went to the moon." It was more, "We did it! We went!"

The NASA 2009, was to show that is what we're doing right now. That is what NASA is doing for our country now. Returning to the moon and how knows how much cool technology we're get from the Constellation program. After all, much of the technology, we have today is from the space program. You can check out NASA spinoff database for all that stuff.

((Frakes is so dang hot!))

Anyway, I used the two star trek clips because as I've said in class, i wanted to show how the future could be. And I really liked that saturn shot was so cool. ANd which that Space, final frontier speech, I thought was perfect. Like I said, there is still so much to explore. Nto just outer space, but our world and our lives.. Every day, every decision is in an essense, going boldly where no one has gone before. Sure,others have gone there maybe but....you haven't. Right?

Originally I was going to play the drums on the credits but then yesterday morning I got this beat in my head. And i thought, "Wouldn't it be funny if I put in "We will rock you" by the Queens at the end? As soon as Spocks said before, the beat starts. I thought it was the coolest thing. How I felt, and i hope you all felt, was excitement for the future. Going out and conquering the world in whatever we do in life. Or maybe one i'm' just one of those people that look deeper into things then i should. But that's what I see and think of with the things presented in my video.

Okay, i'll shut up now. :) Though, i think i'll add another post. I have no idea how many I've made.

FINALLY

2009-12-14T20:22:00.001-08:00

so is it just me or is EVERYONE excited that this freakin semester is over!!! I can honestly say this has been a hard one, I just feel so overwhelmed! So much work, blogging, papers, quizess, assignments, presentations, projects, aaghhh!!! i which winter break was longer then 2 and half weeks. It should be like a month! I think thats long enough to call it a vacation but not long enough that we fall out of school mode. lets sign a pretition! yea right no onw would ever let us do it! ugh. at least everyone gets to go home and spend time with theyre family. Im leaving for california on thursday and i couldnt be MORE excited. I actually get to feel the WARM sun, not the sun in Utah that doesnt work when theres white stuff on the ground. im sorry for anyone who is born and raised in Utah but i really dont appreciated the 7 months of snow. maybe its just because im from California and Im not used to it but...I will never dream of a white christmas. its horrible! hahaa WOuldnt you want to be where its nice and sunny instead? i dont know maybe its just me. Anyway, my counselor says i havent focused on any of my generals so thats what im doing next semester and let me tell you, im NOT excited. What has kept me going in school are all my communications classes, oh and english (; cant forget about english! bring on the REAL struggles of college, i guess...

i love bloggingggg???

2009-12-14T19:48:00.000-08:00

So I never had used a blog before this class and now I think its way fun. When Daniel first told us that we would have to blog I was excited but at the same time I knew I would forget about having to post them when they were due. However Ive been doing really well, up unitil now cause I have too post 5 blogs by midnight haha.. Anyway I think blogging is pretty cool now, actually when Im done with this class Im pretty sure I will continue to blog. I always enjoyed writing and talking, which is why Im a comm major, so a blog would be perfect for me. Its alos a fun way to read up on people and see what theyre up to and what theyre doing. My friend susanna often goes onto the different blog sites of photographers just because they always have really cool pictures up and she likes to browse. My other friend Ashley has a sleeping problem and she always finds her self awake at like 3 in the morning so she made a blog site so that she can have something to do when shes up hahaha. Maybe I will use it for that too. My boyfriend is leaving on deployment the 3rd of January, so i think that my blog will be a good way for him to know whats going on in my life and stuff. good idea right? who needs facebook, blogging is awesome!

Genre Translations

2009-12-14T19:06:00.000-08:00

I felt kinda stupid today, sitting there as everyone played their videos, then I went up there with my poster -_-but I guess I just have to look at it in a positive way, and think of my presentation as just different from everyone elses. I enjoyed everyones presentions. One of my favorites was...hmm i dont remember his name but he sits next to me! His presentation was on the death penalty, and he used his daughter as one of his examples. I couldnt beleive that people like that actually exsisted. How can you do something so horrible to such an innocent being. It breaks my heart to know that things like that are actually in someones mentality. The other ones I really liked are the presentaions on universal health care, not only am I a huge fan of President Obama but because both presentations were very educational and kept me paying attention. One was filled with personal expiriences and the other was kind of calming the issue and making sure that everyone had a sense of humor about the topic. plus i loved how all the music changed with the different things going on. The one on texting and facebook was interesting too! its soo true, I totally say "txt" instead of "text" hahaha, I am totally a texting addict, as for facebook I recently deactivated my account. Not because I was addicted but because someone kept haching my account and I hated it! it was about once a week and I was getting really tired of it so I figured maybe if I cancel my account for the bit my hacker will go away. Over all, the genre translations were very educational and enlightening, great way to end my semester!

Genre Translations

2009-12-14T18:18:00.000-08:00

When chosing my genre translation, I went with a simple presentation figuring that would be the best way for people to see the statistics and various things I wanted to show the class. I tried to use logos and pathos in my presentation but I didn't go outside the box, and after seeing Chelsea Newsome's presentation, I wish I had.

Chelsea's video of modern dance was full of pathos - I reckon it drew emotion out of everyone. I really loved watching it and was impressed with the choreography, music, and reasons for why Chelsea used that particular genre.

Presentation day was interesting to me overall. I liked the broad range of topics and the various types of presentations whether they were videos, posters, demonstrations etc. that each individual brought to the class. There wasn't a single one that didn't hit on ethos, pathos, or logos. The things everyone appears to have learned about not only their topics but their rhetorical strategies is nice to see - a semester well spent in my book and it should be in everyone elses.

coming to an end...

2009-12-14T14:30:00.000-08:00

I really didn't expect this semester to come to a close this fast. I'm not saying that I'm really sad about it coming to an end, I just can't believe that four months have almost passed since I started here at UVU in August. I feel like I given good, honest effort in my classes and I hope to be getting good grades in all of them.

A lot has happened since this semester started, and some of those changes were pretty big for me. I got engaged, changed my major (at least I'm going to see an academic counselor this week to do so), and lived completely on my own for the first time. I like the changes that are happening, especially that I'm getting married on January 2nd, but I am definitely starting to realize what people mean when they say that we all need to "grow up." Paying bills, going to school because I want to, buying a car, preparing to get married and all that being married entails have really caused me to take a lot more responsibility with who I am and where I'm going. I actually kind of like being the one in charge, and being independent, even though it is a lot more challenging than living with my siblings or parents.

Overall, I'm glad that I was able to take the classes that I had this semester and feel like I've learned quite a bit, but I am also excited to be moving on into the future! Adios Amigos.

The Reason for the Season -please read.

2009-12-14T00:13:00.001-08:00

It's Christmas time again. Though you may call it "the Holiday season" it is still a good excuse to be charitable.

I know that some of you may have issues with this being a hokey time, and maybe feel a sense of competitiveness when it comes to "presents", but don't fret. This year will be different if you make the effort and stop complaining.

I recently just got off the phone with my little brother and my mom; they wanted to know what I'd like for Christmas. I didn't give it much of a second thought. I said I don't really want anything. My little brother became frustrated and began to excitedly yell at me and exclaimed that I must tell him so he can use the money mom gave him to go get me something. I told him to give it to charity.

"I want this Christmas to be different" I told my mom after my little brother complained to her and she took the phone from him. I have everything that I want right now and there are people who are in real "need". It truly is the reason for the season.

If it is too much to ask, I'll ask it anyway: give. Do something for someone that you DON'T know this year. No more giving unnecessary gifts. Why not give the money that you would have spent on that anonymous, to the actual person (or trusted organization). Let them use it how THEY feel would be best for that special individual or family. I want more people this year to go about with "Merry Christmas" upon their lips, and mean it.

I haven't seen "The Christmas Carol" this year yet, but the Bob Cratchet family comes to mind. Use this legendary example from the immortal classic to NOT BE A SCROOGE.

I feel obligate to say this because I have Ethos on my side. I recently came from a gathering of individuals this Sunday evening and we all sat around a large circle and expressed what we wanted for Christmas. Though there were only a select few of us who were generous and thought of others, the vast majority thought only about what they selfishly desired. Even when it came down to the last few people, they still didn't learn. They sincerely asked for money, cars, cruises, or week long trips to Hawaii or Italy (they even put it into time frames as I just did, indirectly meaning that they've already thought about it). I left that meeting feeling sick. You'd think that Utah County citizens would be better.

We are indeed all blessed, but there are always those who aren't as blessed as we may be. Trust me, you'll feel the Christmas/Holiday spirit if you simply give and TRULY TRY to be better.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Sitting Here with my Roommate

2009-12-13T22:17:00.001-08:00

His name is Eric too. I am sitting here next to him in my chair, writing this; he is in his bed on my right. We are talking. However, he is a fast sleeper. Just barely we were in a conversation and then... ZZZ zzz ZZZ zzz he was out. He is a snorer. I woke him up. He chuckled. He said he heard my voice in his dream. I was like the narrator to what was happening within his mind. "Hmm..." I thought, and he was out again.

If it is true that I can manipulate his dreams simply by talking to him in such an early stage of sleep, then I might as well take this opportunity to use this awesome power right!? Wouldn't you?

I played again: This time he was a village boy who lived in a tree, (like the beginning of the Zelda saga, Nintendo 64 style). He was given a fairy and then a sword. *Shing!* -- goes the sword as it's pulled from its sheath. He woke up again. He was able to recall the sword and the sound.

He was catching on to what I was doing. He asked for a preference on what his next dream would entail, but I declined his offer to conduct. I am no narrator for "X" rated dreams I exclaimed. We laughed, and after a sigh he was out again. I decided to leave his mind alone and let him rest in peace. After all, too much of this may cause some damage (to both of us: him mentally and me, physically if he gets angry ha ha).

I've never seen such a fast sleeping phenomena before in my life. He is awake, and the next moment he is gone.

This applies to life. Furthermore, it rhetorically applies to this class. We came to this class initially for our own purposes and now here we are at the end of the semester for the same purpose: to continue. As we advance further into our lives (and this class was a part of all of ours), we move on, grow, and develop and sometimes don't take the time to appreciate how things were.

We are that much better, whether we improved in the class or not, we experienced it, and that makes us better than we previously were. I ask you to ask yourself a question or two: how did I grow from participating in this class, and what do I want to take with me to improve my life. (Forgive me for being sentimental, but it is the holiday season and I tend to get a bit mushy this time of year.)

Either way, life tends to move at its own pace sometimes, whether it be too fast or too slow. But it's always best to enjoy it, no matter what the rate, for how long you'll be here, you never quite know... -me ^_^

My roommate... he's asleep. Nope, now he's awake again. There he goes. ha ha this is fun.

Genera Translation

2009-12-11T20:56:00.000-08:00

I hate trying to find a project for the genera translation! I totally have no ideas left.I am presenting on Monday so it is really frustrating,. I have thought about this project for such a long time, and is so hard, I can't figure anything out at all. I think something will work, then I wee a whole bunch of flaws in it. I keep going around in circles. I ask people if they have any ideas, the only thing I hear all is stuff like go talk to this person or I have no idea. If any one has any ideas I am open for suggestions. My paper is on how technology (namely Facebook and texting) are ruining peoples grammar. I talk about how students spend too much time on Facebook, and how they start to forget about their grammar, then even use text talk in their papers. I have thought about doing a power point and putting text talk on their to show how students (the class) know text talk, and then put some words from my medical terminology class, or other words like that to prove my point. I kink of thought that was lame, but that is my only idea right now. If any one has any ideas I am up to suggestions. I have been going crazy trying to figure out what to do for this project. Thanks for reading this, it started as a rant, but if you have any ideas, I would love to hear them.

Mac. Vs. P.C Commercials - Rhetorical Strategies

2009-12-11T08:23:00.000-08:00

When I was watching TV yesterday, an ad I have often seen came on. We have tevo so normally I would just fast forward through all the ads but this one I wanted to watch. I’m sure everyone’s seen them, I’m talking about the Mac vs. P.C. commercials. They are a good example of great use in rhetorical strategies so I have decided to write a blog post on them.

Firstly, the guy who represents Mac is slimmer, younger, dressed more modernly and in general a “cooler” guy than the P.C man. Secondly, the ads always use humor to poke fun at their opponent’s flaws. Then there is the music going on in the background that everyone can identify with because it is always used by the Mac vs. P.C. ads. The plain white background keeps the audience focused on the differences between the two guys representing their computers and the actual product being advertised is shown at the very end of the commercial as a reminder of what they’re trying to sell you. Sometimes statistics are used to prove a point which is a good use of logos.

Overall these are effective ads that had me not fast forwarding through them mostly because I knew it would probably make me laugh. Any ad able to do this is definitely successful.

Why

2009-12-10T13:26:00.000-08:00

This isn't for an assignment, but just out of curiosity, I'd love to hear more about the stories behind the papers, why you chose to write about what you did? Whether it's just so you could get more info on the topic or if it goes really deep and personal? To make people realize something, or so you could just explore the topic for you. I know we've heard a little hear and there why people chose their topics, but if you guys want to explain more I'd love to hear!

I wrote mine on universal health care because I feel like all I ever heard was left and right, black and white, dem and rep. It's either universal health care of free-market. But lo and behold I actually discovered there were other options! Which is what I wanted the main focus to be, that it doesn't always have to be dem vs. rep. There are other options to be explored sometimes and the answer isn't always clear cut, but I feel like we're being pushed to choose one or the other without considering other ideas ;)
-Happy Holidays

Zach's Presentation and Reflection

2009-12-09T23:08:00.001-08:00

Zach's presentation was awesome. Though I didn't understand half of the words he was saying up there, I still basically got the message; I hope you did too. There was a lot to learn! His art was rad and intriguing and you can tell he put a lot of thought into every detail. And yes, the fetus was a brilliant idea. ha ha ;)

Morality IS different for everyone across the globe. Hearing that caused me to reflect on my own.

Being raised LDS has made a tremendous moral impact on how I treat people. My fathers example is now my own. And my little brother's choices are sadly a reflection upon what I have done and told him to do as well.

I have encouraged him to be "bad" in school to not get bullied anymore. When I say "bad" I mean in a... cool way. He's no bully himself. He's a nicer kid than I am (thank goodness he still followed THAT example). But he sometimes is being someone he's not (If that makes sense). Though that phase is now mostly over, and he gets the respect he deserves from "all" of the stereotypes (so he tells me), he is still occasionally bullied. I guess he's just one of those targets. But hey! at least NOW he's got the whole school on his side and showed those bullies who's boss by numbers and by simply befriending the "scary" kids. Now THAT was a good idea. ;)

But anyway, sorry about getting sidetracked, my morality has changed over the past semester and so has my little brother's (as I am his idol, says my parents). I am glad to be where I am morally now and wish to continue. It's not that hard if you know the W's.

But when it comes to pirating music I still can't quite understand (it is still "stealing").

Oh, and by the way Zach, I would have chosen to the throw the guy off of the bridge. ;)

My Presentation/Genre Translation

2009-12-09T22:45:00.000-08:00

Hello bloggers, class mates, and strange people who aren't in the class and blog on here. I recently got up and did a presentation to the class about the media (mainly TV) and its influence. I felt that my view on the matter came across quite well, especially when I bluntly stated several times to "stop, watching, TV".

I was humbly flattered by your complements about my presentation and I wish you the best on yours. Hopefully your face won't be as red as mine ;) but hey, life goes on.

I forgot, however, to mention to the class why I chose to do a slide show as my "genre translation" (I was docked points because of it). But even though I know I can't make those points up by blogging it now or doing my presentation a second time, I still feel obligated to tell you here. It is quite obvious actually. I chose to present my topic, on media, through media itself. It seemed to be the only reasonable way to go about it. Simply saying that would have saved me those points...

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my presentation. And for those of you who aren't in the class or weren't there that day, you missed out. ;)

Last Blog!!

2009-12-09T18:47:00.000-08:00

As I was trying to decide what I could blog about, I decided I would say my thoughts about the genre translation projects. As I sit and watch the presentations, I have enjoyed listening to them. Everyone has come up with their own ideas and unique ways of displaying their topics. There has been a wide variety range of topics and it is interesting to learn something new about a certain subject or re-hear about a topic I have forgotten about. The way people have presented their topics, they have done a fine job with it.

To be honest, I am very nervous to give my presentation. Everyone that has gone already seems to not come across as being nervous. I always fear of speaking in front of people because I hate when everyone is looking at me. I start to blank out and I talk very fast. I really hope that I will be able to present my topic and not be scared. I am very impressed with the work that everyone has done so far. I hope that my project will run smoothly with the slide show, interviews and the sound working well all together.

What I have noticed from doing this project is that everyone has picked a topic that they have some feelings on and are passionate about. I think this helped better portray the subject and feeling of the topic to the class because everyone is interested in the topic and it has some sort of effect on them. I can not wait to see all the other presentations and I will be happy once mine is over with.

Genre translation

2009-12-09T18:18:00.000-08:00

So today I FINALLY presented my genre translation. I was so nervous about it but... I thought it went pretty well. I took just long enough but not too long, and I covered all my information without forgetting anything. I feel so relieved now that it's over. So my topic was cloning animals in order to get organs for human transplants. I chose this topic for many reasons, but the things I learned about were very very interesting.
I've always loved learning new things about science. I'm astonished at the things we have been able to come up with in our time. Science has come so far these past few decades. We have the technology to clone pigs and and use their organs to transplant into humans. This is amazing to me.
SO anyways... Thanks everyone for listening to my presentation. I hope you liked it!!! And I look forward to all of the rest of yours on monday!!!

Pathos Rhetoric

2009-12-09T00:08:00.000-08:00

I was experimenting with Pathos, my favorite rhetoric in this non-fictional piece I wrote, under my pseudonym, Reed Winters. Basically, I was just trying to create something that mustered at least a little emotional response from the reader. Here it is:

I've been pondering death and the afterlife for two weeks now. I can't stop. It occupies my thoughts constantly.

Tonight is no exception.

These thoughts have been escalated by the recent news; Trevor Wardle has passed away. I don't know the whole story. Something involving drugs and a car crash. Trevor lived right across the street from me back in Nephi. I never knew him. Never talked to him.

I used to come home from work really late. One in the morning sometimes. I'd pull my car into the lot on the side of our house, and get out to see Trevor sitting on his porch. Sometimes he sat with his parents. Sometimes one. Sometimes both. Sometimes alone. I never waved. Never shouted hello. I usually pretended not to notice him. I used to think he didn't want to be noticed. The mood was always sort of a melancholic awkwardness. It's hard to explain.

Sometimes I'd come home from school and he'd be out shoveling the driveway.

I didn't know much about Trevor. I knew he'd had some serious drug problems the past couple years that climaxed with a lethal overdose of Coricdin Cough and Cold. He took enough that it should have killed him. It was twice what could have killed a normal person. Twice what could have killed me. He narrowly escaped death, but was never the same person. I used to hear he was in a constant state of. . . well. . .the state he was in while high was about the same state he was now constantly in. Maybe confusion overpowered logical reasoning. Perhaps numbness was all he felt. I don't really know.

But there was something wrong. Blatantly wrong.

I described those afternoons and those nights I saw him as melancholy. He seemed to be in a perpetual state of misery. Just from my perspective. His time out on his porch or shoveling his driveway was perhaps the most he got out of life from this point forward. Maybe this was his only escape from the confines of the house which he was now basically constricted to. It seemed but a speck of hope for Trevor Wardle. Maybe one day he would be a normal kid again.

His parents seemed to loosen their restrictions on Trevor day by day. A few months later I'd see friends come and get him in an old broken-down Toyota pick-up. I remember once or twice catching a chubby, goofy grin on his face. That speck of hope seemed to be growing. A sparked fire growing ever-so-slightly.

Around this time I moved out. I never thought of him again. Until now. Now I'm hearing the news. Drugs again. Car crash. I thought he'd been off drugs. Maybe he was -- for a while?

I'm wishing now that one of those nights I'd just walked over there. Listened to his story. Talked to him for a few minutes. I wonder if he would have enjoyed that. If nothing else, given a friendly wave. The memory could have served as my own little requiem of sorts. A song in my head, respecting and commemorating Trevor Wardle.

Life can be fickle. Life can be touchy. We're always one overdose, one car crash away from an entirely new existence. Perhaps an entirely new non-existence. I'll never know what happens after the death until I get there I suppose. And maybe even when I do get there, I still won't know.

Perhaps I'll drift away into oblivion.

Sink forevermore through the void.

Forward into the darkness.

Nothing. Extinction. Nirvana.

Considering it always,

Reed Winters

Post-Script: This, and other various chunks and tidbits can be accessed at my blog here, at Stochasticity and Me (Including a link to my classical argument paper!).

Exploring Plastic Surgery

2009-12-08T12:58:00.000-08:00

For my Classical Argument/ Genre Translation topic I picked the negative effect media has on society and how the cosmetic surgery industry is booming. I am curious to see what other people’s opinions are. Teenage cosmetic surgery is at an all time high. Rhinoplasty, and breast augmentations are given out as birthday and graduation presents. How young do you think is too young for teenagers to be getting cosmetic surgery done? The media has a huge impact on our society now. It is almost scary how much influence the media has. Has the media impacted the way you view yourself and your body image? I know it has effected me. I hear of models getting fired all the time cause they couldn’t lose 5 pounds, but they are so skinny! There are a lot of ways that people are trying to improve on the type of models that they are hiring but any improvements being made are slow. What is surprising to me is how much criticism celebrities get for their bodies shapes and sizes. Pretty much all celebrities are skinny so I don’t understand why they are looked upon as fat. For me that makes me look at myself and judge myself even more harshly. I think that is a huge reason why eating disorders are so common among young girls. Girls are taught as they grow up to not be happy with how they look. I thought about different ways I could present this in my genre translation and I decided to go with a video since this topic is very visual.

ready and waiting

2009-12-08T11:10:00.001-08:00

Well, I did my Genre Translation presentation yesterday. It didn't go as well as I was hoping it would. I guess I don't really know what I was hoping for actually. I did like the brochure more than I initially thought though, so that's good, but I think the most depressing part of my presentation was that the person after me did a WAY better job than me. I thought mine was ok, and I feel like a did a fairly good job at translating my classic argument into a different medium, but my presentation was pretty blah. Pretty darn boring. But, at least now it's done and I can move on and look forward to other assignments in different classes, or finals for the most part.

I can't wait to see the rest of the presentations though! I do like hearing and learning about different views on subjects, and understanding other people's opinions on them. At first, I was kind of bummed out that I was going to have to come to English class every MWF when all of my other classes are done, but I think that will actually enjoy the time spent listening to the presentations. The presentation and argument on how much TV we watch was very interesting. None of the points made were really a surprise to me, but I definitely agree that we spend way too much time watching that nasty thing. Good job Eric (however you spell your name) So, you all better do a great job with yours, if for no other reason than to entertain me :)

The Christmas Carol

2009-12-08T10:43:00.000-08:00

On Friday December 4th, I went to a play at the Hale Theatre in Orem. The performance that I watched was the play called The Christmas Carol. I have heard about this play and movie from people, but I actually never had seen it before. I'm usually not big into watching plays, but I enjoyed seeing this one. It was really neat because the stage was in the middle of the floor and all the seats were surrounding it. I was in the front seats so I could actually see the actors up close and my feet were touching the stage. This play helped to bring in the Christmas spirit.

This play I feel did not have any ethos or logos but it did have a lot of pathos. Each character played a different role and with each role they played, they displayed different emotions depending on the character or each new scene. Being up close to the actors made it easier for me to see the emotions on their faces and allow myself to really understand and feel like they were speaking to me. The little boy, Tiny Tim, he was about 5 years old. It was amazing how a child so young could perform and not be shy to rememeber and act a few lines. Seeing the little boy created lots of pathos for me because I love kids and it made me think of my niece.

The costumes of the play helped explain and set the mood of the characters as well as where the setting was taken place; the time of year and place. The amount of effort put into the costumes and the details helped display which characters were the leading actors. The sounds and lights in the play helped to set the mood of each scene.

The theme I feel of the play was that it is not all about being rich and being of weath to be happy. To be happy is to truely love, care and serve others. The scrooge (the old cranky man) was all about money. He later helped Tiny Tim who was ill and saved him from dying. The scrooge had a change of heart and he became not cranky and cared for others, instead of being grumpy to all he met. In this christmas season, this play made me think about what I can do to serve others and be there for them.

genre translation

2009-12-07T12:16:00.000-08:00

I chose to make a brochure for my genre translation and have had a fairly good time making it. I did run into a few problems, however, that I didn't foresee coming at all! Since I have been using Adobe Photoshop since I was like 14, I designed brochure with it. I have done a lot graphic design with Photoshop before. I have made web pages, edited and printed photography, designed and printed business cards, logos, and whatever else, but I have to admit, printing these brochures out was the most depressing moment of my graphic design history!

On the computer screen, the brochures look awesome, but I got them printed last Saturday, and I'm not going to lie, they look like garbage. They aren't near as shiny nor stimulating as I thought they were going to be :( I don't know... I jut wanted them to be a lot better, but I'm giving my presentation today and have NO time to redo them now. What a bummer. I had them done early and everything, but I guess I waited too long to get them printed and see just exactly how they looked in person. Haha. What can I do now?

Well, I guess when I think about it, my brochure does look better than most of the brochures that I've ever seen. It's just not as impressive as I wanted it to be. From computer to print there was definitely a big difference, something that I have learned to consider for next time. Live and Learn!

so proud!

2009-12-06T17:42:00.000-08:00

I'm not going to lie, I am proud of my paper. I wrote my classical argument on why marijuana should not be legalized. I wrote it down as one of my three ideas kind of as a joke but when I found out one of my friends wrote it on why it should be legalized, I knew I had to write the opposing side.

At times I felt like I wasn't going to be able to write a good enough argument. Me and my friend who wrote it on why it should be legalized, lets call him Jerry, would constantly give our opposing views. Jerry has done a lot of research and read many books about this subject so when he would throw all of his facts and statistics at me I would feel inadequate. I was later on talking to another one of my guy friends telling him that I wanted to change my subject to why marijuana should be legalized. He encouraged me to keep my faith and go with my standards. What he said really made me want to write the best paper I could so the research began!

I just put the finishing touches on my paper tonight and I feel very good inside! This is the first time I will turn in a paper and feel like I really did and tried my best. I am also very nervous to turn it in... being my first semester of college, the first time I have done a legit research paper in my life, its all a little nerve racking. Tomorrow I will turn it in, and lots of stress I have been suffering from these past few weeks will be all gone!! Now the genre presentation.. I made a little video.. I went back and forth on ideas and then I came up with one and stuck to it. It was kind of dark when I had the chance to shoot it ( I was at a service project for most of the day on saturday and i am trying to get it done so I can possibly present tomorrow) so I am a little worried that it will be hard to see, but the message is what is most important!

Be compassionate towards alcoholics....

2009-12-03T09:08:00.000-08:00

For my classical argument I wrote about how people should be more compassionate and less judgmental towards alcoholics because studies have shown that it is a disease. Unless a person has experienced with having a family member or friend affected by alcohol, a person really does not know how hard it is to overcome this sickness. Everyone chose a topic that they are passionate about or have a stance on a topic. I decided to write about this subject because it is something that I have been affected by. I feel it is an interesting topic and there are many people out in the world that are too affected by it.

When I was home for thanksgiving I asked a few people a couple questions regarding my topic and they responsed. I put together my slide show and all I had to do was edit it by adding colors, change the text fonts and put music in the background. Once I got to Utah I was about to work on it, but then the slide show would not work and the interview clips would not play. I am stressing out about this project. I'm not good at editing and I'm not too sure about how to put music in the background or add the video clips without having the music and sound to the videos collide. Now I have to have my dad send the interview clips on a cd so I can re- do my slide show. I hope I can figure it out by myself. If you have any ides about how to add music and interviewers or to make the slide show actually work please let me know. thanks!

Classical Argument

2009-12-02T16:09:00.000-08:00

So I decided to write my classical argument on health care, I know, sticky subject. But I wanted to learn more about the problems that everyone's complaining they're having with the current system. I didn't understand. So far it just seems as if the problem for most people, is price. But researching on this topic as I tried to present other alternatives to universal health care and the free market, it made me realize, y'know there are good reasons for both, but I feel like no matter what kind of choice you want to make when it comes to politics, you're going to be manipulated. Statistics are so different everywhere you go, it was really frustrating. Some democrats reasoned that universal health care wouldn't be all the expensive. Of course republicans argue the opposite. Personally I don't see how health care can ever be dirt cheap (it's gotta come from somewhere) and so I doubt paying for universal health care will make it cheaper....
But I am likewise...at least partially excited for this paper, more so for the genre translation after I figured out what I was going to do. As some of you know I'm going to do a comedy video. Parts are going to be serious, it is a serious subject after all, but I think it's also a stressful topic to think about, whether you've made a decision on where you stand or not. I'm just trying to lighten up the mood, but I think that I'm going to have a hard time making people literally laugh out loud. I'm not experienced with creating or writing out funny "lol" scenes, nor have I ever filmed anything in my life, nor do I have any experience editing film on imovie. So I'm hoping i get the point across in a way that lightens the subject just a bit, maybe a smile or two? Please if it looks like I'm going down, feel free to burst out laughing at something (I'll bribe you!). But really this paper was interesting to write. I think all of our papers have been because while we are writing and learning how to use ethos, pathos, etc. we get to learn more about life around us in general as we explore our topics. Last post, holla! :D

because i got high

2009-12-02T14:25:00.000-08:00

I really didn't get high.. but because some of my friends have, is the reason I choose to write my Classical Argument on why marijuana should not be legalized. On the day of class when we had to bring in 3 topics we would be interested in writing our argument on I wrote down why marijuana should not be legalized kind of as a joke. When I got to class I told Anton my ideas he said he was going to write his on why it should be legalized, so we decided to battle and see whose paper got the better grade. Although he backed out of the battle ( i think he was afraid of losing) I stuck to my idea and when a good friend of mine told me that last year he wrote a paper on pro-marijuana, that was conformation to stick with my topic.

Sadly, I know a lot of people who do, and have smoked weed. I was surrounded by it all the time in high school. The days when some of my friends would come to class high it was sad to watch them. They were no fun, they would sleep the whole time, not do any work and their grades would drop. Two of my very good friends who are still my very good friends today, have gotten in a lot of trouble for being under the influence and possession of marijuana. They have both spent a night in the slammer and one even went to rehab. All of that just for the feeling of getting high. Stupid if you ask me.

One thing I have a sure knowledge of after writing this paper, getting high really isn't as cool as people, music, and movies etc. make it seem to be. live above the influence!

I have actually had a good time writing this!

2009-12-02T12:28:00.000-08:00

I have to agree with may of you in saying that I am actually really excited about the classical argument, even though I'm not quite as excited about the genre translation :/ I really enjoy trying to be persuasive, whether I'm good at it or not, and I also enjoy researching a subject well enough that I fell like I actually have a well thought out and educated opinion on it. I also thoroughly enjoyed persuading MYSELF of what I was trying to persuade others of; the writing the paper gave me a more solid conviction on the topic :)

For my paper I chose to explore cohabitation vs. marriage and to come to a convincing conclusion that cohabitation is most certainly NOT advantageous over marriage. Researching the topic was actually quite a bit of fun, especially because I had no idea that there is so much research done on this particular topic. I was also very interested in writing about this topic because I have had recent and close experience (my brother is living with his girlfriend) with it. Before the recent experiences I've had, I didn't really care too much about the issue, but have definitely become more interested since.

Classical Arugment Excitment

2009-12-02T08:19:00.001-08:00

I have to admit this is my favorite paper that I have written for this class. I don't get bored with this paper and I love spending time writing it. I also have taken my argument and I keep researching it because it is a topic I love. I also am really excited for the genre translation. I can't wait to present it in class. I think that this paper is so exciting because it is a topic that is interesting. The other papers I think bored me out because they were writing about ads and things like that. This paper also integrates everything we have learned this semester. I was wondering though some ideas you guys had for the genre translation? I think I have a good idea but I just wanted to see what you guys were all doing. Anyways I love this classical argument paper! I am almost sad that we are done writing it. Oh well I will live. haha.

A very excited, hyped up person!

2009-11-20T02:11:00.000-08:00

I am very, very excited about the classical assignment and the Presentation. It's going to be AWESOME! Its going to be the BEST! It's going to be the best presentation I hae ever done as it involves two of my passions in life! And no, I am not going to tell you what it is cause then it'd spoil the surprise! That's how excited I am about it! Oh, and I think you'll be able to figure out my favorite shows too.

I hope I have been able to argue my points well. This is something that I feel passionate about. And NO, I'm STILL not going to tell say what it is. I'm going to say very tightlipped but yet express my excitemment towards my project. And hopefully make someone laugh.

I am also lookin' forward to what all of you are going to be doing for your projects. I think this is my favorite English class...kinda.

I do have a tiny problem though. What do I do if a member of my group hasn't sent her paper to me and I dont have her e-mail????? *scratches head*

Oh well, I'm going to bed. After my raspberries are ready to harvest on Farmtown. heh

GOOD NIGHT ALL!!!!!!

Hm, 208 words. Do I have to have 250 or is this good? Or should I just keep typing til I hit 250. I have no idea how many posts I've made. I know I missed some of those assigned blog posts. Why? I havve no idea.. Perhaps cause i wait til the last minute and then boom something happens. it always does!

The interesting thing is, I was working on my paper to the very last minute. Wed morning, I woke up with a different and hopefully better idea to present my paper. So I worked on it until 1 and hurry to add a few finishing touches and print it out. Of course, I forgot a few important details like my name, the teacher's name, date and English 1010-71. And I think i even messed up on the page number.

Note to self: Do those things first. I have a tendency to get ideas to better something at the last minute.

All right, now I'm REALLY going to go to bed! Hm, I wonder how many inthe class is at wolverine crossing. :)

how?

2009-11-17T17:47:00.000-08:00

what is the correct way to cite an article you are using from a website?

Reflecting about the Classical Arguement Papers

2009-11-14T15:09:00.000-08:00

After reading the essays that I was suppose to critique and respond to, I realized that it was a helpful idea to do the groups. In all my others years in school, I never had the chance to have my peers read my essays. We did have maybe one other person read the essay, but other times it was just people reading them if we asked them to; there never was any set person that read it or any time set aside to critique. When we meet as a group and discuss our papers, it is a useful tool for all of us to help improve our papers. Everyone critiques differently and having many different suggestions from more than one person gives me a wide variety of ways to change my paper to make it fit the guidelines. I have never been much of a huge fan of writing, so having people help give me suggestions to improve my papers makes it a lot less stressful. It makes me be able to know what I'm doing wrong and what needs to be fixed to be able to have a well written paper. I also am not a big fan of correcting papers because most the papers I have corrected in the past years are already pretty well written and there has never been any huge changes needed. I never seem to know what I should fix in papers. Correcting these papers allowed me to try my hardest to critique to the best of my ability, so I could give valid suggestions to help my groups paper. It was also interesting reading the topics and the way each person writes their papers. All writers have different unique styles in which they construct their ideas about a subject.

Balancing Act of Writing

2009-11-13T10:23:00.000-08:00

What makes good literature? What are the biggest factors that play into making a good piece, ethos, pathos, logos, kairos? I think at even the most boring topic can be made interesting based on the skill of the writer. What makes a classic book? This is something that I've been trying to understand for years after reading so called "classics" such as: The Great Gatsby, Ethan Frome, Farewell to Arms, Things Fall Apart, Red Badge of Courage, Our Town, The Glass Menagerie, and the list goes on. What is it about these books that make them classics, because to me they're absolutely horrible and I hate them with a wonderful passion!
What creates a poem. What takes meaningless words and turns them into beautiful imagery. How can an author use words to make you cry, laugh, and empathize for a character in a book?! Words are amazing!
What appeals to you most in a paper or article? Ethos, pathos, logos? I think pathos can almost always catch your interest. (Except, in my case, when people start going on about the polar bear population dying off.) We are emotional creatures...or I should say I think that most of us are. If we see someone huddled over crying then you feel for them. Well I guess I should say I feel for them. Or a child who's crying over an injury. Emotions appeal to us. They're not something that we can simply be rid of as much as we would like to be at times.
Ethos is less appealing to me, depending on the subject, because someone can be a brain surgeon and lack common sense. For example, I work at Alysse's Bridal. We had a bride come in to try on dresses. She had a bachelor's or master's degree is some high tech science thing, but when she was done trying on dresses she would just throw them on the floor. These are $300-$1000 dresses. She lacked the common sense to take care of something that is nice and expensive. You can have a degree and still be a moron or lack the ability to think things through. But if the topic is very specific to their expertise I'm more likely to listen to other cures a doctor would suggest for something rather than a doctor's professional opinion on what should be done with health care, or about some other topic where their expertise is helpful, but it's more of a "What's your personal opinion" question.
Something I've also been wondering about in writing, is how do authors, in books give a better sense of time periods or passing time? I'm a hopeful author and I barely finished writing a fifteen page prologue to one of my stories. The entire thing flowed wonderfully as I wrote it, but once I finished and let it sit for a week and came back and reread it, the writing felt so choppy. Has anyone else had that happen? You feel so inspired and everything is just coming together perfectly in whatever you're writing and then you reread it later and it's absolutely horrible. Or it's choppy and broken up or there's no sense of a steady time flow shown in your writing. Anyways, interesting thought, I'd like to learn more about how author's use words to make everything so well connected in space and time and descriptions.

i NEED your help!!!

2009-11-05T13:04:00.000-08:00

For my Classical Argument I am writing on the effects of marijuana and why it is harmful. I was going to write on why it shouldn't be legalized but there is a lot I want to say about it so I decided to touch on legalization in the paper.

ANYWAYS...

I am now having trouble on what my thesis should be? I want an interesting thesis not, "marijuana is bad for you." Does any of have ideas?

Also, I love catchy, cheesy titles.. these are some I came up with:

Marijuana: Good or Bad?

Mary Jane: A Name to Some; An Escape to Others

The Harmful Effects of Marijuana

okay thats all I have right now but which one do you like? do you have any other ideas?

I am going to interview some friends who have overcome the usage of weed. I have some questions I am going to ask them but I am interested if you guys have any ideas of questions that I haven't thought of.

I would love it if you helped and also I would like to know what you guys think about marijuana?!

Persuasive Writing

2009-11-02T12:13:00.000-08:00

As my thoughts were wandering today about the papers we right and the beliefs that we stand for I was wondering, when we put these down on paper, does it really persuade? Does it really make a difference? Are words so powerful? I do believe that words are. Words can change anything and everything, if, and only if they are used correctly. Thinking about my classical argument I was considering changing my topic because of what I saw this morning. I drive from Mapleton to school every day and for those of you who take the freeway and take the exit that's right by UVU and walmart to get to UVU, you'll understand the issue I see. You come off the freeway and the off ramp is quite long until it turns and flows into traffic going east. Now as many of you know, and perhaps you are the ones doing this, people will stop in the middle of the road. They'll just stop. And block traffic because they need to cross over three lanes to get over and turn left into UVU. And I'm pretty sure these drivers are morons if they think they can do this and not cause serious consequences. They stop traffic and that traffic backs up quickly until eventually it backs up to the freeway.
Today I turned onto the exit and immediately slammed on my brakes and was lucky enough not to hit the car in front of me that was completely stopped and luckily I likewise wasn't hit. Unfortunately a few drivers weren't so lucky. Looking in my side mirror I watched as a car hit or was hit and a chunk of what looked like their front light went flying, spraying the road with flecks of glass. They immediately came to a halt. and I watched as traffic began to stop in the slow lane of the freeway and that same car that just caused an accident was almost smashed by an oncoming van. As I pulled into UVU I wondered how many other cars were just piling up and causing a giant traffic jam or if that same car was still sitting in the middle of the freeway, or what. I knew that there was bound to be a wreck sooner or later because of the idiots who stop the traffic flow because they think it's their one and only chance to get over and turn into UVU. In case someone in this class is one of those people. There is an alternative. You can turn right, and flip a U-turn right by the first turn into the Walmart parking lot! Or you can turn left one more light up. It's pretty simple, if you stop traffic, then wrecks will happen.
As I was considering writing about bad driving I wondered really, if I was to publish an article at some point about reckless driving, would anyone really change their driving habits? Would I be persuasive enough to change at least one driver for better?
How often are opinion changed from reading an article? I probably wouldn't change many drivers if I called them idiots, even if that is how I think of them. But how often do you guys read an article and find your opinion changed either a small change or a major one? How powerful is the written language really?

Time and Expectations

2009-10-28T23:08:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-28T12:47:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-26T16:48:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-26T15:48:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-26T12:11:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-26T08:30:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-25T22:23:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-25T21:46:00.000-07:00

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.

-_-

2009-10-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-10-25T13:31:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-25T13:01:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-23T18:29:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-10-17T15:47:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

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.

...

2009-10-13T13:33:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-10-12T21:39:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-10-12T18:19:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-12T15:31:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-10-12T14:54:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-12T12:50:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-10-12T12:27:00.001-07:00

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. ;)

2009-10-12T12:22:00.000-07:00

Opinions, Opinions Everywhere!

2009-10-12T12:07:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-12T11:54:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-12T11:15:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-10-12T10:17:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-12T09:57:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-12T08:28:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-11T21:39:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-11T19:28:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-10-11T11:52:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-10T09:27:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-05T14:42:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-03T15:34:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-03T15:23:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-02T18:41:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-02T18:06:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-10-02T15:26:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-02T13:45:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-02T10:41:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-02T09:51:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-10-02T07:29:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-02T07:12:00.001-07:00

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?

2009-10-02T06:01:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-01T23:25:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-01T21:59:00.000-07:00

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.)

2009-10-01T20:19:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-10-01T18:31:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-01T17:07:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-01T16:08:00.000-07:00

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 :)

2009-10-01T13:32:00.001-07:00

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.

Visual Rhetoric

2009-09-30T20:11:00.000-07:00

Before we discussed pathos, ethos, logos, and kiaros of an ad or a visual, I usually would just pass by them knowing that they had information about a certain subject. I never would analyze the facts on the ads. Now that we have discussed what each of those strategies mean, I understand them more fully and I actually stop and look at advertisments with a different perspective. I will think about what the ad is portraying and how it makes me feel. I take time to create an emotion about the visual. There are still some ads that I pass by that do not draw my attention, so i just glance at them quickly and leave, not taking in all the information. It made me realize that almost every single ad shows pathos, ethos, logos and kiaros in some sort of way, but some ads may display more of the strategies then other ones do. Advertisement is a big persuading technique to get people to act in a certain way or buy something. Knowing about the visual rhetoric can help in making my choice of if the advertisement moves me in a positive or negative way. This has helped me look at advertisements in a different way and realize all the details that go into making ads for viewers.

looking beyond the image

2009-09-30T20:07:00.000-07:00

the first day when we sat together as a class discussing different advertisements everybody had their own input and i was struggling. i was like, "how did they come up with that?" and "my mind doesn't work that way" and "you are over analyzing that." then i realized that is was advertisements are about, to make you think, and also to persuade you to buy their product. when we got assigned this essay i was like oh great this is going to be really hard for me. then i found my advertisement and really studied it. i started to notice things which totally changed my perspective on the advertisement. for example colors, the colors that the company uses has a big roll in ad. totally using pathos, colors to play with our emotions. it showed me that a lot of thought goes into the preparation of an advertisement. as i have looked through magazines and driven past billboards i now studied them and analyze them. it has opened my eyes to find out what story the advertiser is trying to tell us!

Visual Rhetoric and Me

2009-09-30T15:23:00.000-07:00

The discussion of visual rhetoric throughout or classes have made me think twice when I look at advertisements. There will always be more than there seems to each advertisement. I pay more attention to colors and how they make me feel, but even though advertisers maybe trying to manipulate me with colors or how they position objects or even through sex, I would say that it rarely works. At times I may see and advertisement and ask what image or light the advertisers are trying to place their product in, compared to how I react to it.

I know that colors should play a huge part in it, but I would have to disagree at times. For instance it’s common knowledge that cool colors are there to make you relax, and warm colors are often there to grab your attention, or to make you feel cozy, etc. But I would say it just depends on my mood when I react to an advertisement.

Often, I’m sure, advertisers will create the opposite feeling of what they’re intending for their target audience. I know that advertisers are trying their very best to draw me in to by their product, or invest in their company, but they have to make important decisions on how they portray their item/company, because that can draw in or chase away potential customers.

From this discussion I feel like I can better see through the many layers of advertising and get to the core of what they're selling or what is being promoted. Although I doubt that it will make a impact on my day to day life and what I purchase and so forth.

What is Nike saying to me?

2009-09-21T17:14:00.000-07:00

From the website Nike portrays their product as something that is for everyone, every language and every sport. There are list of different languages that you can view the website in. The models in the pictures are not limited to any one ethnicity. It is geared toward those that are looking to be like their favorite athlete or those who are just wanting to achieve a certain image such as strong and determined. the bodies of the models are flexing or wearing clothes that show their muscles. The faces on the people are serious as if that have a focus and something in mind of achieving. These are people who are determined and will get what they want. There is the ability to create or choose your own custom type of clothing. By doing this it allows individuals to define themselves as unique but also a part of Nike with the logos still showing as part of a certain group.
The background that the website is on a football field, as if it was putting you there on the field as you look at the clothes you can see your self there. The main color used is grey, grey is said to be timeless and unexpected. This infers that the product will last. There are a ton of arrows and everything moves as you move your cursor over it. The arrows show movement and point to the main or suggested ideas. they move your eyes to see certain things. While there are different items for girls and guys it is more because of shape and build not because girls can or cannot obtain the same things. You can even instill in your children this kind of attitude or desire when they are young. the clothes are for them as well. The determinationthat transpires from working hard to schieve the look and capability that Nike is know for.

everything about it

2009-09-21T12:58:00.001-07:00

How are the visuals trying to influence me?! My question would be more like: How are the visuals NOT trying to influence me? Everything about this web page has to do with influence that the visuals have on my buying experience.

When web pages first started, they were more filled with information, lists, databases, and other informative and rather boring information. The web was used for government purposes with the consumer end only being introduced within the last fifteen years or so. Since that introduction, long paragraphs of information, exhausted explanations of scientific data, and ugly, almost useless informative web pages gave way to the current and innovative web sites such as nike.com.

This website is clean, orderly, and simple. The grass football field in the background correlates with my thoughts of the current football season as well as the texture on ‘Adrian’s’ face. I am immediately prompted to watch a video upon entrance to the site, a video depicting a war-like heroism associated with making football a way of life.

After watching the video, my eyes are attracted to the sidebar where I can view other products that can be viewed and ordered from the webs site. Each subsequent site that I navigated to was filled with background images, videos, and graphics that make me feel like I could be a real part of ‘nike’ if I purchased their equipment from this website.

Visual analysis of nike.com

2009-09-21T11:03:00.000-07:00

I went to the website nike.com to analyze some ads for this assignment. When you first open the website they give you an option to watch their newest commercial. This video takes up most of the screen and is very hard to miss. So I watched the video and the first thing I noticed was that they gave Adrian Peterson, one of the best running backs in the NFL, an "out of this world" effect to make it seem like the gear he is wearing makes him what he is. After watching it I would say it is very effective to people who want to be the best, by showing the best wearing their gear. I actually want to go out and buy some of that under-armor type of clothing right now. I'm not a football player but they made this commercial appeal to me with a mix of music, colors, and other visual effects.

Prada.com

2009-09-21T10:52:00.000-07:00

Prada.com is a very interesting website. I think fashion is a very interesting thing. It's amazing to me how people can love what they're wearing and then ten years later think it's absolutely hideous. It's also interesting how many people don't like all the newest fashions that come out in europe but then when they come to America a few years later, everyone is wearing them.

Some of the things I saw in these pictures really surprised me. I thought there would be a lot more sexually-related pictures. In some of them the models weren't completely covered up, but I wouldn't consider them sexual at all. Some of their clothing styles were appealing but some of them weren't at all. And all of the female models' hairstyles were hideous. I did like how some of the male models had their hair, however.

The colors in the pictures were mostly very dark. From the background to the clothes they wore to the makeup they had on. I think the main purpose of this was that all the models had very pale white skin and blonde hair. This created an interesting contrast that made the pictures stand out. The models also never smiled. They almost looked angry, but I think that was also part of the effect and to show personality.

I think a lot of modeling and fashion is just to be different and to make yourself and clothes stand out. I think this is a big factor in the designs changing so often. Once everyone starts to wear the same styles then people want to change to be different and express their selves in their clothing and styles.