I've got it!

Ok I have finally picked my angle on health deceptions: women's magazines negatively affecting women's body image. It is obvious that body images of women portrayed in the media today are so much thinner than of women in the past. It has created a health problem by the exposures to television, movies, magazines, and the Internet. By how women are seen in magazines it has lead all sorts of bad things such as eating disorders, obesity, and, most importantly, negative body images.

Progress # 7 - New (Health) Deceptions

So I might just have fixed my dilemma on narrowing down health deceptions in the media. Okay, are you ready for it?

- Deceptions in advertising for drugs and what they don’t tell you.

It wasn’t until recently that advertising for drugs became geared towards the people that take the drugs ant not the doctors or health professionals. This changed how the drug is being advertised; there isn’t a large concern to provide information to the consumer, but simply to sell the product. That means filling a ad with calming voices, soothing music, soft lights, and smiling people who said this drug helped them.

I found an article in Consumer Reports that is really interesting and talks about how new companies have to keep on putting out new drugs for problems people don’t really have. They do this to make money, not in concern that they are probably worrying their audiences with big words and similar symptoms so what they might already have.

Now Consumer Reports also uses the drug Requip as an example, but I have seen this one several times. Requip is a drug that helped Restless Leg Syndrome. The ad was filled with aesthetics and special effects. The music and lighting made RLS look to be a very large-scale issue that women had, but from what Consumer Reports says, it only affects 3% of adults. The whole ad was very played up. It put words in a doctors mouth, who’s we don’t know or know if he is even a real doctor, about the drug. Because of the special effects, it downplayed the strange effects like falling asleep while you drive, vomiting, and drowsiness. Ironic that this pill is supposed to help you sleep, while drowsiness is a side effect.

Hopefully I will have this health deception thing worked so I can start my paper!

Progress # 6 - Health Deceptions

Still having trouble finding health deceptions that relate to one another... But I have found research on personal responsibility.


Who is accountable to take personal responsibility for health deceptions? There is a huge problem in American for Americans overeating. According to the American Medical Association, a third are obese and another third are overweight. Although it seems that would be a personal problem, it’s not. American’s continue to eat too much and not exercise enough and hope that someone else will do something in order for them to lose weight. Such as in California, there was a consideration for a ‘California Childhood Obesity Prevention Act’. It would act as ban against soda being sold in public schools. What is shocking is that people were filing lawsuits against the companies! Just as Potter asks, “Are people really that weak willed that they need the government to ban something before they will stop consuming it?” (Potter p. 302).

Progress # 5 - Health Deceptions

I’ve been having some troubles finding research to support myself that there are health deceptions in the media. I cannot find any reliable sources or ones that relate to my topic – which leads me to need to narrow down my topic. So, I am in a bit of a rut.

I did find some interesting information on health food though. This source questions how healthy the food choices you make are. It says that some foods that claim to be healthier really aren’t and are worse for you. So that is a health deception. Americans are trying to be health conscious and with all of the “low fat”, “less sugar” and “all natural” food choices out there, it does make it difficult. Healthier food choices are everywhere, but do we really know what we’re eating? As dietitian David Grotto says, “I think some of the words being used on the labels are a little deceiving to the consumer.” (ABC Local) In one example I found, an organic version of macaroni and cheese may seem healthier, but in actuality, it has about the same amount of calories and MORE fat than the traditional. “There’s an assumption because those words are on the label, it’s a guarantee it’s a good or healthy item, and that is not always the case,” says Grotto.

Source- http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=health&id=5726993&pt=print

Progress # 4 - Health Deceptions

Research

So it occurred to me while I was at Barnes & Noble last week, looking at women’s magazines, the media portrayals of women are really quite disturbing. Rarely is there a women on the cover of a magazine in a non revealing outfit or over done make-up. From what I saw, the popular magazines are full of women and girls who are white, dressed in proactive clothing, and are desperately thin. Women’s magazines, such as Health, Shape, Cosmopolitan, and Marie Claire are full of articles, printed in big, bold letters on the cover, on how to shed those holiday pounds or how to have the perfect look.

It seems ridiculous that these standards of being unnaturally thin are imposed to those who are curvier and are more mature looking than twig models. And if it’s not women needing to lose weight, they are aging and they need all these products. I’m over it. It’s contradicts what these magazines say they’re about: that they are for curvy women and want them to be healthy. This certainly doesn’t promote it and its no wonder many women strive to become what they cannot.

Progress # 3 - Health Deceptions

In researching for my health proposal I found a website that blamed Women’s Magazines because they show images of women that are virtually unattainable; they create a culture of thinness. “Researchers report that women’s magazines have ten and one-half times more ads and articles promoting weight loss than men’s magazines do, and over three-quarters of the covers of women’s magazines include at least one message about how to change a women’s bodily appearance – by diet, exercise, or cosmetic surgery”.

As this website asks, are magazines pushing for self-improvement or self-destruction? Women’s magazines constantly send messages about dieting, weight loss, and beauty. Who is to say that women should always have to change themselves?

Because there is such an overwhelming presence of painfully thin women, real women’s bodies, the women who aren’t a size 0-6, have become invisible in the media. Jean Kilbourne argues that women take these stereotypes and base themselves off of industry standards. After comparing themselves to other women, they use their bodies to compete for male attention. “This focus on beauty and desirability effectively destroys any awareness and action that might help to change that climate.”

Source –
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_beauty.cfm

Progress # 2 - Health Deceptions

For the most part we do not see ill characters in the media. Suffering, pain, and medical help are typically not shown unless they are serious or life threatening. Getting help is portrayed to be very dramatic and high-strung, not preventative. “Hardly anyone dies a natural death on television.” (Potter p.91) Granted the mass amounts of television shows that depict everyday life, such as Gilmore Girls and Gossip Girls, why is it that we do not see television families acting and doing things as though a ‘real’ family would?

Progress - Health Deceptions

Research -

In looking at the patterns across various kinds of television shows, the 'television world' is a relatively healthy one, in that everyone is thin. But those patterns leave us with a very misleading message. “Although most characters are not shown having particularly healthy habits (eating responsibility, regularly exercising, and getting medial checkups to prevent illnesses), most characters appear health, fit, and thin.” (Potter p.90) According to the American Obesity Association, 64.5% of Americans are overweight or obese. Here is where the misconception is; only 2% of women and 6% of men are shown to be heavy. When we see characters drinking and eating on TV, they do not gain weight and the food they eat is usually pretty unhealthy. As Potter states, fruit is accounted for only 4% to 5% of the episodes we see. It’s no wonder over half of the American population are obese! Audiences think that they can eat whatever they want and not gain weight based off of television shows like Gilmore Girls. This is just one of the health deceptions.

Source
Potter, James. “Media Literacy” Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc. 2005.

A possibility for I.C.

It seems like a lot of teachers junior year are giving us the freedom to choose a topic we are passionate about and write about them. In U.S. history, I’m writing a paper about women’s rights and the differences women faced between the 1800s and now. In mass media, I am either going to be writing about violence or sexual behavior through the media lens of Grey’s Anatomy. I love that topic and I know it won’t get boring. So now I just need to pick something out for this one.

Honestly, I’m not completely sure what I’m passionate about. This is a tough one. What do I want to write about that will divide my audience?

What about if I did my paper in reference to how health is portrayed in the media? Definitely something I would be interested in researching because it seems these days on television you can eat anything and not gain weight. Take for example Rachael Ray, a Food Network cook, and the Gilmore Girls, who eat tons of food per meal but still happen to remain thin. We never see them working out. Obviously, doing a topic like this would mean knowing things about the media and how it works – which is why I could use references from my mass media class! (gasp!) I actually kind of like this idea now and it could be an interesting topic. The only bad thing about it, that I can think of right now anyway, is how it will divide my audience. I suppose I could go back and forth between reality and how the real world is portrayed. Some might not agree and think I’m totally wrong.


What do you guys think of that idea?

Hosts and Tips

The proposal argument given about hosts and tips was effective. Laurel Wilson addresses the problem, a solution, and justifies herself professionally. She is definitely aware of her audience and this is shown by how forthcoming she is in the tone and voiced used. Wilson has a clear purpose of her letter to the CEO of Stone’s End restaurant. I thought it was effective in that, she was aware in her choice of ‘pathos’ and ‘ethos’. Wilson showed she cared about the company and said that if they tipped their hostess 1% of tips given to severs, it would reduce the turnover rate. She states that the company would have better employees if the business was more competitive. Wilson also looked into other companies, which I feel makes her argument very strong. She gives more than one solution to have better hostesses – tips and a clothing allowance. Wilson looks at the problem from different angles and justifies herself professionally and accordingly.

C.P. Ellis

Ellis’s story offers a credible way of overcoming misunderstanding and hatred between races. He talks about how easy it is to hate a group of people because most of the time it is just a group of people who want to be a part of something. Once he goes on to become a school board member he meets with an African American woman, Ann. Ellis’s realizes they aren’t very different and organizes the labor union to unify the lower working class. He also comes to understand that the involvement he is doing with the women, is actually helping him see past their racial divide. Because he was able to realize they essentially had the same problem (with their children) and they were different races, I think that offers a credible overcoming of his hatred of different race.

I think this is possible on a large scale, but it would be a difficult task. Before I went down to the Lord’s Pantry, I never really wanted to help the poor – not because I hated them or anything, but just because I don’t know them. Obviously once I went down there and helped out, I came out wanting to go back. If people had a chance to get to know the other side, those they aren’t fond of, I think it would be possible.

Mainstream

Edit: I'm not sure why this did not post yesterday, but here it is (redone, ah!)

Yoshino says that ‘the mainstream is a myth’ because to be mainstream you have to be normal, and no one is completely normal. Everyone is unique and that is why being mainstream is myth. The term “mainstream” is also difficult to define considering nothing can be based off of the myth itself. I would define mainstream with what is popular or the majority of what people like. It is hard to define mainstream because most of the time people are covering or pretending to like something simply to fit in. There can’t be a concrete mainstream because people aren’t always themselves.

I don’t find his reasoning to be very well backed up. Yoshino uses the example that “straights are more mainstream than gays”, but I don’t see much to that. It would have been nice if he had gone deeper and appealed to pathos. Although I do agree with his point to a certain point (see my definition above), other might not be persuaded because of his lack of evidence.

Freedom Attained

Linda finally attains her freedom through Mrs. Bruce, who buys her freedom for $300, because she wants Linda to be a free woman who can have the ability to do what she likes without being in constant fear of being captured. However, even with her newly attained freedom she feels as though she was bought and felt as if she were being passed on to another owner. She feels as though she was purchased because the Dodges and Mrs. Bruce wanted her, and she had to be negotiated. Ultimately she is freed on behalf of Mrs. Bruce buying her freedom and this is a good thing in the end. Linda won’t have to feel worried about some capturing her children, and that is a huge stress reliever for her.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Ch. 1-9

If Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl were not true it would not be credible or believable, and it would not of made as big of an impact on its readers. It is important for the events that happened to Linda to be the real deal to connect deeper with the reader and for them to realize what life was like for a slave girl. It’s authentic knowing this is a story of what actually happened during that time period. If the editor were to have cleaned up the language I feel that would of taken away from the realistic ness and rawness. It would have also taken away from the personal tone and the appeal to pathos. This book was able to touch its readers by allowing amount of emotion show through the word choice and credibility.

A new point of view...

Frederick Douglass does not understand why he was asked to speak on a day that is centered about white people’s national independence. Douglass feels quite strongly that the Fourth of July means nothing to the black, and everything to the white. “The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me.” (Frederick Douglass) For whites, the Fourth of July is a celebration. Douglass continues on to say “The sunlight that brought light and healing to you, ahs brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn.” For him, this day is seen the day the blacks remember American slavery and all the injustices they were faced with.

Douglass supports his feelings by appealing to logos, pathos, and ethos. Douglass obviously appeals to ethos because he is a black himself. He personally feels this way; he isn’t looking from the outside in. When he appeals to logos in “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro”, he explains his reasons as to why he doesn’t believe he is the right person to make this speech .It is clear Douglass is addressing and appealing to pathos the most by how he points out his audience as “you”. He is asking white people why he was called upon to speak and why he has to do with independence. He appeals to pathos by saying things “with all the emphasis I can command…” (Frederick Douglass) He exposes how a slave feels and explains the Fourth of July from a slave’s point of view by reciting a poem. Douglass speech focusing on emotions and I think he succeeds in persuading his audience, white people, to question why he was chosen to speak about an event that has nothing to do with him.

The Roots of Prejudices

Parrillo states that the socialization process is about, “individuals acquire the values, attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions of their culture or subculture, including religion, nationality, and social class.” (RA p.514) Which is to say that part of the reason why there are prejudices are because a child will adapt the same beliefs and expectations of his or her parents without questioning. Even if a stereotype if made that is not true, our perception are shaped around it and influence how we act towards that particular group. This is to say that prejudice is simply taken from the socialization process. I think that Parrillo has a pretty accurate take of the socialization process.

I agree with what Parrillo is saying. Growing up as a child, you are taught to distinguish between right and wrong, what’s acceptable behavior in the house and what’s not in public, and if you disregard those, well, then you get a spanking. You believe everything, or at least you tell them you understand, because they said so and that heavily influences who you become as an adult. In order to make friends and to be “well liked” (as Willy would put it, anyway) you have to conform to some sort of general idea. In order to feel acceptable, you alter your opinions and are persuaded to change due to certain prejudices.

Oh Mr. Jefferson...

Although Thomas Jefferson was a great man as the author of the Declaration of Independence and promoter of the Louisiana Purchase, he was a confused man. On the inside, Jefferson was morally opposed to slavery and we can see this in the Declaration of Independence when he wanted emancipate and free the slaves. He knew in his heart that was wrong, but that didn’t stop him from owning them himself or fathering children into slavery. I feel that Jefferson was a hypocrite and contradicted himself. In private he was against slavery, but in the publics eye he was for it. On the other hand, I think it’s difficult to judge what someone does in a time period completely different from now days by using today’s present standards. Unlike many slave owners, Thomas Jefferson treated his slaves with kindness and he freed Sally Hemmings, who he was in a relationship with (on his deathbed). I consider Jefferson to have some flaws, but he was only human who was bound to make mistakes, and despite his contradictions he truly was a great American.

Comparing Loman to Tucker

The primary difference between Willy Loman and Cora Tucker is how they act and what they do. Tucker seems to depend mostly on her self, rather than on others like Willy. For Loman, he does stuff his own way and does it with a minimal amount of effort. He feels that his connections will get him places more than what he is capable of. Tucker on the other hand, works for what she wants and stands up for what she believes in, such as with equal rights between the black and white communities. Both of these characters are opposites with their goals in life. As Loman continues to fall short because of his concentration on being “well-liked”, Tucker pushes herself and her ideas to the next level. She doesn’t care so much about being “well-liked”; she strives off of what she is passionate and believes in. She has a mindset of what she wants to accomplish and has a set of realistic goals, unlike Loman who’s dreams crushed him. That is the difference between Loman and Tucker.

Oh Willy ...

According to Willy, in order to be successful you have to be “well liked”. The more liked you are in life the more opportunities and open doors will come from the people above you. To Willy, it’s more important to get ahead through people and to be popular than how hard you work or what you’re capable of doing. That is why he is so confused as to why Biff isn’t successful because he used to be well liked and as to why Charley is successful, since he isn’t well liked. Willy tries to figure this out throughout the play and has a hard time understanding that his philosophy does not always apply.

Cheers - Day 2

Man you could tell people had dotted their i’s and crossed their t’s for the second day of speeches and torture (haha!). A few things that felt very convincing in some speeches were the personal stories and the connection with the audience. Derek I loved how you mentioned other people who were involved with Dress for Success. Brittney and Maggie, you both did very well in knowing that your audience was a high school class. I felt like I was being talked to one-on-one with you guys! Great job everyone!

Everyone needs a little love - Day 1

Well I might say that our class did a remarkable job in writing speeches, convincing their challenging audience, and sound passionate about their presentation. Of course, thee wonderful Alex went first and set the bar EXTREMELY HIGH with his Goodwill speech. I froze in my tracks after hearing that one and happened to be in luck that my name wasn’t called because it allowed me to practice my speech a couple more times. Also, and here is your love Iyesha that you asked for on your blog ; ], I liked that you gave us a future look on where AVID is heading in 2010. We got a full 360 perspective of where your organization had been, is presently, and is heading. Lastly, kudos to Mei-Mei for her speech! I liked that you jumped right into what United Way was about and gave a personal story to go along with it.

Oh Mr. Emerson...

Emerson says that it takes trust in yourself and following your own path to be successful. You can’t let others’ impression of you or negative things affect where you are heading. To be successful you know to stay true to yourself and be a hard worker. I’m on both sides of the fence with his argument. For one, I definitely don’t think it is that easy. People’s opinion of you is going to shape your performance and if you completely ignore those, then you aren’t going to get far. Things in the past also should not be forgotten. What happens in your past makes you that much stronger. Sticking to the same mindset and staying true to your self is good, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think it’s realistic. That would be like relying on yourself, and that is not possible. You have to have a support system in life, especially in order to be successful. Everyone, at some point or another, needs to have some guidance in his or her life. You need to have people and let them affect your life, or else you won’t know where you’re going or what is going on around you.

Dayspring Center

Trying to find an organization that does more than feed or home the homeless is harder than I thought. If I am going to make a speech about a charity that empowers people to pursue success, it needs to have something special about it. I want to write a speech about someplace that does more than give the poor shelter or protect abused women, which is why I chose to write a speech about the Dayspring Center. The motto that they go by is, "Helping homeless families find a way home." Dayspring helps families realize their potential. They make a difference in more than one person's life.

I also chose this organization because my family contributes to their cause. My dad also knows some of the people who coordinate volunteers, so it works. This feels like the right organization to write a speech about.

Oh Mr. Alger...

Dalton tells that, “Confronting the reality is made that much harder by a mythology that assures us we can have it all.” (p.253) Meaning that by exposing the faults in a myth, we can understand and show what is behind it. If I were to agree to this, that a myth can be buried like exercise 9 tells us to do, I would find it incredibly hard to achieve.

This reminds me of back in middle school when we read “tall tales”. They were stories that had a lot of untrue things about them, but we read them anyway. Knowing they were false, we still continued to study them. If we know a myth is false, how do you stop people from talking about it? We submerge ourselves in a society that strives off of negative stories. I don’t think it’s possible to inter a myth that Alger presents.

How can we put down a myth that if you try with all your might, that you’ll succeed? How do you shut down the people that continue to believe that? If for a moment, I agreed that it could be accomplished a couple of things would need to happen. The first being that more books, advertisements, television shows, ECT need to agree with the concept that it’s impossible to live life starting out with nothing and then reaching the top. It would need a lot of support and credibility to bury this myth.

Cruz v. Alger: Game On

I was on a field trip on Friday, so this blog post will be comparing Cruz to Alger and which one is more realistic.

I think that Cruz’s piece about the American Dream is way more realistic than Alger's. Perhaps it’s because I find it authentic to look at all the faults (in the American Dream) in a story. The message I got from Ragged Dick was that, if you constantly work hard at what you do then you will succeed. If you keep on trying, something great is going to happen to you. That’s not real! That’s not realistic! Dick’s life was changed because he was brave and took a chance. We don’t see the bad or the consequences, like we do with the other reading. The reality is that we have to hold on to what we have and keep on going forward. You have to seek out possibilities; they aren’t going to come to you.

Stephen Cruz

The American Dream is based off of people not losing and is determined by what people’s notion of the dream is. Their notion is based off power and fear, “not by education, opportunity, and hard work” (p. 356). I have always thought of the American Dream to be succeeded in life and being happy; I’ve never thought about looking at it as not losing. With Cruz’s experiences, it’s a very authentic way to look at it.

What I am confused is about the companies he was involved with and why they promoted him to look good. If they were so unfair and racist, and I don’t doubt this, why did advertise him? Why did he succeed, although that’s arguable since he gave up, if he was the minority? Why did the companies choose him to represent the minority and not hire anyone else? And I guess that’s something we won’t ever really find out that answer. Cruz says that because he was Mexican, that he was a good compromise. I found it so unfair and racist that his boos fired his secretary, who happened to be black, while Cruz was on vacation. “We have been discriminated against a lot, but I never associated it with society.” (p. 354). Cruz thought it would be based on an individual. That’s understandable, considering he was the only one in his minority that was hired.

Cruz made some great points about the American Dream. The higher up you are in business, the more you are going to have to sacrifice. The system isn’t fair by any means; it’s very rare that is a person is going to be able to start from the bottom and make it to the top. This article showed a different side to the American Dream that I never considered before, but its more authentic than anything I’ve ever heard. You can’t just succeed in life, you have to hold onto what you have and not let go.

Engaging the Text

No, Gregory Mantsois’s essay does not make a case that the wealthy are exploiting the poor. What would have made a better case would be the differences between the middle and lower classes; the economic distinction between classes. He does have any support in his argument of the poor are being exploited. And although there isn’t much being done about money issues and the wealthy aren’t doing much too help, the wealthy aren’t taking advantage of the poor. What he does do is show how the wealthy have more advantages. But I do not this qualifies as an argument.

I do think it’s interesting that he is making this case about the wealthy, which are the majority of his audience, and he makes several attacks to try and get us on his side. By having the data that Mantsois provides just makes the reading seem very heavy and dry. It doesn’t add to his credentials or any logical appeal.

“A Letter To Jim”

I found “A Letter to Jim” to be very blunt and almost humorous. Rebekah Taylor and Jim haven’t talked for a while and she spits out this argument for him to write back to. But I will say, this is a great argument on why Jim should become a vegetarian. I like how Taylor appeals to ethos by building a bridge for Jim. The argument presented is that Jim should be a vegetarian and she lists out why. (See below for Toulmin System set up) Taylor explains her beliefs to Jim instead of completely forcing them Although I don’t like how she presented her point at first, by the end of letter, I feel like I should be a vegetarian too.

Claim: Jim should be a vegetarian
Reason(s): because of animal cruelty
Grounds: examples of animal cruelty
Warrant: animal cruelty is wrong
Backing: religious views, personal narrative
Conditions of rebuttal: meat is an important part of a diet
Qualifier: Jim should buy from organic farms

Visual Arguments

When I think of visual arguments, NPR radio and NBC news pops into my head. When I was watching the news last night, it kept on flashing visual elements. It was very repetitive and annoying. But these television stations get more money because they are able to add in those elements. The radio on the other hand obviously cannot. Eh, just something that I thought about...

By adding visual elements in your argument, it’s going to be easier to get your point across. It goes along with the saying, “actions speak louder than words”. Using a picture, video, or drawling can supplement your words, and is going to have weight to it. I think that visual arguments are persuasive. It’s like with the lady that came to talk about Africa this morning. It would not of have an emotional affect on the audience had we not seen the child that was raped when she was two. Visual arguments help persuade your audience.

Ethical responsibilities

So it’s pretty cool that AP English is tying in with the Mass Media class. Just the other day in Mrs. Young’s class we looked at a copy of the “Code Of Ethics” and how journalists are suppose to follow it when writing a story. The Code of Ethics simply put means to be honest and find out everything you can before publishing a story. You should seek out the truth, be respectful, and avoid inconsistency with a minimal amount of personal judgment and bias arguments. Now if this ever really happens is questionable. Reporting the whole truth without distortion is a big problem. Either due to bias, making the story more interesting, politics, or any other reason almost all stories are fabricated in some way

I think that an author has ethical responsibilities in using ‘ethos’ and ‘pathos’, but again wither or not they follow this is questionable. As we said in class, to appeal to ‘ethos’ is to have credibility and evidence. But if you look at any story these days, the author will use two sources as evidence from people with very simplistic standpoints. We are getting a false feeling of being informed about what is presented to us, that when we hear things on the news, whether it be relevant or not, we feel informed afterwards. The author tries to get the good side and the bad to appear as though he has credibility. We also said in class that to appeal to ‘pathos’ is to have that emotional appeal. How a story is presented is going to work our emotions. I said this in a response to Allie that, “Whether you are watching on a station such as Fox, which caters to conservative views, or NBC how the stories are presented are going to make you feel different. (Hence the pathos)” I think this is held true with any station.

Pseudo-Arguments...

Hmm so the assignment is to explain a ‘pseudo-argument’ that we have come across in the real world. A ‘pseudo-argument’ is an argument based on an opinion that isn’t really arguable. It would be like saying, chocolate ice cream is better than vanilla. There is not one right answer.

One thing that I came across somewhat recently what talking with my brother about what was better: Coke or Pepsi? And I actually think that Diet Pepsi is better, but it’s really hard to argue that since it’s based entirely on your opinions. Nothing really came out of the talk other than me and my brother drinking our sodas.

Another thing that happened was during Mass Media today. We were discussing ethics in journalism. There was this killer, BTK, and how he sent articles about himself to a newspaper. The newspaper printed them and it caused a lot of people to be scared about this killer that was wondering around. So the question arose whether the newspaper should of sent his writing to the police, print it and then send it to the police, or just print it. The only way to argue this was based on your ethical beliefs. It was hard to talk about it.

Just as a side note – Wikipedia this BTK guy. It’s really creepy.

The Core of an Argument

Pathos is used in the rhetorical triangle because it is associated with emotional appeal. By having pathos, you are able to capture the audience’s “imaginative sympathies”. (p.75) It is what the reader feels and sees. “Thus, when we turn the abstractions of logical discourse into a palpable and immediate story, we are making a pathetic appeal.” (p. 75) That’s a big sentence. To break it down, what I think Ramage, Bean, and Johnson (the author’s of Writing Arguments) are saying is that when we use logos, we’re using reasoning in an argument and when we use ethos, we are focusing on the credibility and the evidence we’re given. Using pathos hits home with a reader because of the emotional appeal. That is why it is such a “powerful rhetorical device”. (LaMags)

Oh the wonderful AP English Exam...

I think my biggest concern with the AP English Lang. Exam is not scoring well or going "deep" enough. Although time is always an issue considering my terrible case of procrastination, I don't think that is where I'll be freaking out about. It helps a lot that I have extended time on tests and I was just approved for 50% extra time on the AP Exam.
Hah and thank goodness for that... Being rushed won't be an issue.

We talk about all sorts of things in class and it takes me a while to actually understand what author meant on a different level than how I would usually think; being able to analyze things quickly should be an interesting task. I will say though, come May I don't doubt that we'll all be ready for the exam. It's still early on in the year, and by the time the exam rolls around we will be more prepared. (Don't you love the pressure LaMags of having to make sure we're in good shape for this thing?!)

You know it's funny though, I just started taking this SAT prep course over at Park Tudor yesterday and I'm positive some of the tips this wacky, over the top teacher we have are going to put into use than just the SAT. The AP Exam in mostly a scantron format and I’m thrilled knowing I won’t be wasting my time bubbling in circles. This teacher gave us the most useful pencils that are shaped like a thin, long rectangle. It saves time when bubbling in the scantron because well, you don't have bubble in anymore. You just run the pencil across it and it fills in the circle... How come this wasn't given to use before?! Oh the time we would have saved... Oh and if anyone is interested in a fun fact, this pencil saves you approximately 14 minutes and 10 seconds on the SAT. Isn't that nice?

Okay back to talking about the AP Exam...

So like I said, analyzing things with essays will be the most difficult. Multiple choice will be awesome because you have the answer staring at you in the face. If they are an easy question, they will have an easy answer. If they are a hard question, they will have a hard answer. (Right Katie and Maggie!!)


Oddly enough, this was fun to post about.

Who's excited about a full week of school this week?! I know I am...

"Case for Torture"

The “Case for Torture” article case makes some rather interesting points. Michael Levin writes a sharp argument with the biased facts based on what he thinks is right. Levin creates several hypothetical scenarios that leave you with an obligated-to-do-the-right-thing feeling. One of the scenarios he created was if you were a mother and your baby had been kidnapped by a someone, wouldn’t you do everything in your power to make you one, get your baby back unharmed and two, make sure whoever took your child gets punished to the furthest extent. Levin, as Jordan said, shoots out his opinions so quickly that you don’t have a moment to grasp what he is saying and to even consider your own point of view.

My personal opinion on torture is that I think it should be allowed in certain situations. I feel bad saying that though because torturing someone seems so cruel, even if it’s used to get an answer or save lives. Levin almost makes me feel better about that by agreeing with him. In the article he argued that, wouldn’t it be better to torture a few people that were going to set off a bomb, then let hundreds of innocent people die for something they didn’t do. That sounds fine to me. It’s the thought of what type of tactics are we using to torture this people? I remember a while back my dad told me that to get information from people that would play Rammstein music on full blast. It hurt their ears so much that they would break. Now, I don’t know if that is true but that sounds better to me than electrocuting someone or hurting them. That to me seems very un-American. But who is really to say if torturing someone is right or wrong. I think, and people might argue this, that it really comes down to your beliefs. It’s really hard to chose a side on what is right or wrong.

Comparing Cartoon to Ad/Genres in Arguments

In our Writing Arguments book, there is a cartoon on page 1 and an ad on page 24 that express the same feeling about “GE” foods and how bad they are. Although they were presented in two different ways, they are both still criticizing genetically engineered food.

The cartoon uses visual pictures to get a response from the audience. It’s a political cartoon that makes an implicit argument. It presents a problem that creates an animosity toward the large man with the corn. The picture is of this larger man carrying a guitar is shown with an ear of corn that has been genetically altered and is holding it in front of starved little boy. The man tells the boy that he doesn’t want that piece of corn because of what has been done to it. From what it looks like, he is pointing out that taking away genetically engineered food is the same thing as keeping food away from the poor. (At least that is what I’m getting from it.)

The ad on page 24 is of the writing on a can and is about labeling foods correctly. The ad tries to appeal to the reader’s reasoning and the reader’s thoughts on organic food. According to our book and the different types of genres, this is a pubic affairs advertisement. It explains how genetically engineered foods should have labels warning customers of what’s in them.

I personally don’t think it’s as strong as the cartoon because of how it creates a more realistic and accurate point. The cartoon makes the reader stop and think, while the ad has more explicit argument. The cartoon has a visual appeal and provides more room for interpretation. It tries to get you to agree with the author and to be persuaded by presenting facts.

Genre is a major aspect of an argument. The style that you present your opinions can ride on whether people will support your side or not. With the ad, its genre helps its argument because it’s in a specialized magazine called the Vegetarian Times. The audience who reads this ad will more than likely agree with it because it’s put in a magazine that is based on their feelings already. On the other hand, the cartoon is from a news service. As I said earlier, this is a public affairs advertisement. This news service is for people to talk about and get different standpoints on current events. Whether the readers agree with this cartoon or not, it adds to their thoughts on politics.

Explicit v. Implicit

Arguments can be either explicit or implicit. The main difference between them is the difference between telling and showing. Explicit arguments are good for a debate, while implicit arguments put an idea into your head and indirect. Both are very effective ways of getting your point across if used correctly. Certain situations call for one type, while another will call for a different type of argument.

Explicit arguments are arguments that state the claim, use reasoning skills, and evidence to back it up. It’s a process and procedure. They are very direct and concrete. Looking at them, you know right away what the argument is about and what viewpoint is; the argument is usually written out. An example of this type of argument is when people argue out their views and it is usually like a debate.

Implicit arguments are very indirect. It’s not concrete and doesn’t look like an argument because it’s implied. . This type of argument is used in poems, stories or photos to get the point across. Like explicit arguments, they still state the claim, and support the idea. They are also similar to explicit arguments because they try to persuade others to take a certain point of view. Short stories, pictures, personal essays, narratives, and poems, are good examples of this type of argument. They don’t come right out and tell what you should think, but there are hidden and underlying messages to them. Two examples of implicit arguments are the Veterans Day Photograph and the “Dulce et Decorum Est” poem. You as the reader have to figure out what the author is trying to convey. Like the Veteran’s Day photograph and the poem in the book, they both convey a message about serving your country and about how it takes a certain kind of person to stand up and take on such things.

Memory

This past summer I hung out with Brittney and Spike, and there was one time we had together that was a blast. We had all eaten dinner at a place where Derek works and weren’t sure what to do afterwards. Spike told us that Walker was working at the Marsh down the street and we could go hang out with him. It seemed like something to do, so we all drove over to there. It didn’t take long to find Walker; he was bagging some groceries for an older lady. He asked his supervisor right away if he could go on break. So he did and while he was walking over to us he put a black pick in his hair. We laughed at him because it looked ridiculous. If you know Walker he already has the afro going on, and to add the pick just topped off he look. He told us that when he got off work, which was in about five minutes, we could head over to his house. It was getting dark out so I told him that I couldn’t stay too long and I had to take Brittney home as well. He said that was fine.
So I drove up to his house with Brittney in my car. I was talking to her along the way, and hadn’t paid attention to where exactly we were going. That didn’t help us when we were rushing home later. When we first got to Walkers, it was really awkward and we just walked around for a bit. Spike picked up a basketball that was lying on the ground and began playing with it. It pretty much broke the ice.
Somehow during our miniature game of basketball, Walker talked to talk about how he accidentally lit his garage on fire, like full on lit it on fire. I don’t quite remember the details of how he managed to do that, but anyone who lights their house on fire has to be somewhat insane. While looking into his garage, I saw a bunch of rotten apples near the wheels of what looked like an Olds. Brittney asked Walker what was going on with all the crazy looking apples on the ground, and he told us that they were from his apple tree.
Spike picked one up and chucked it at the backboard of the basketball goal. And let me tell you, it splattered everywhere! It looked like someone had put an apple into a paintball machine and blasted it onto the backboard. The rest of us stood there in amazement for a moment, until we decided to join in on the fun. It felt like being little kids again. We picked up more and more disgusting looking apples and chucked them at the basketball goal. Sometimes the apples would clear above the board but that didn’t stop us. We would just run after them and throw them at the other side of the board.
When curfew came around, neither Brittney nor I wanted to leave. We were having such a good time and Walker was making us laugh so hard! It was great to be able to do stupid, yet fun, things like that for a night.

Response to Class Take 2

I’m really surprised at how involved our class is with discussions. We’ve been talking about The Great Gatsby and Nickel and Dimed for over two weeks, and so far we’ve been having the most thoughtful and mature conversations. I see so much growth from our junior class (Sorry Tony and Christina) compared to last year. I remember Mr. Priest would continuously get aggregated because we couldn’t connect to the reading and therefore, the talks we would have would be shallow. During our first block in AP, we all walked with headaches because we pushed the discussions so far. It was great. We went beyond and above what I thought any of us was capable of.

I look forward to the next block period (which is in about an hour) and hopefully, I won’t walk out with a headache.

"How I Start to Write"

“How I Started to Write: The Art of the Personal Essay” is a really interesting piece of writing. Carlos Fuentes starts his story in Panama, where he was born, telling you in an expressive style about his mother. He describes how his father’s job left him without a real feeling for his home country. Carlos Fuentes does a great job at telling you what happens to him, unlike in other stories where it will just state the facts. His style is influenced by his Mexican heritage and he uses it to shape is writing style. Fuentes talks about how he is a Scorpio, and how that exemplifies who he is as a person. He lets background show throughout his writing. The writer that he is consists of his life story as well as how the stories of others have affected him. Fuentes uses a distinctive style that would be difficult to copy because of the experiences he has.

Response to "I could tell you stories"

NOTE: I started this post this past weekend (hence why it says Sunday August 26) but decided to come back to it after class today.


"Red Sky in the Morning," was the reading for this past Friday and from what I hear, sparked some great in class discussions. I was absent on Friday and after the discussion we had in class Monday (today), it makes a lot more sense.

There are many different ways for us to interpret "I could tell you stories." In my opinion, when the middle-aged woman says this, she means that a lot of things have happened to her and the young man (who is in fact her husband) that are interesting. Some people in class thought that she really didn't have anything to say, or it meant that there was so much to tell, but I don’t think that is the case. She could tell you stories but it wouldn’t lead up to the experience. And instead of going on further to explain them, the women closes her eyes and falls asleep leaving the author to wonder why she didn’t. The woman leaves this air of mystery and allows the reader to jump to whatever conclusions they want to.

“A story, we sense, is the only possible habitation for the burden of our witnessing," was an important quote that we broke down in class today. When I first read this I didn't understand it, but after we talked about it, it makes perfect sense and I think it's very true. The first part, “A story, we sense, is the only possible habitation...” basically means that the story is never as good as the real thing and its hard to recreate it. Listening to stories really is not the same as being there, but it’s the closest we come to the experience. The second part, “…For the burden of our witnessing.” means that it’s our duty to tell the story of our experience. We have a responsibility to share those moments with someone else, so that they too can be a part of it.

Response to AP English

My thoughts over AP English so far are generally that I like the class and it’s a challenge. The way it is taught is similar to that in Introduction to Writing. I don’t mind the writing assignments every night in this class mostly because we have a good discussion about them that day. It’s nice that they only have to about 250 words and they aren’t too formal. It seems to be a reasonable workload. You challenge us to think. It’s also nice to be able to write about topics that aren’t dictated upon you. I feel like you give us some food for thought before we have to go off and write a topic.
We’re definitely analyzing The Great Gatsby and Nickel and Dimed more so than I thought we would. I’m glad that the reading that we were assigned to do over the summer is actually getting talked about, unlike previous years. It really helps that Maggie asks LaMagdeleine to repeat herself often or to say something in a different way. It makes me feel like I understand the material better, especially when LaMagdeleine gives examples. I don’t always understand things first time around, so I’m happy someone else is asking all the questions besides myself.
We talked today in class about how with certain teachers, you write how you think the teacher wants you to. For example, if you were to take a history class, you would write more about facts and key dates. You wouldn’t write how you typically would with your friends. I found that interesting because I do that subconsciously. I never thought my quality of work was better in certain classes than others until today.