Blog 12/4: Rhetoric

The definition of rhetoric from our vocab list is “the art of effective expression.” This is a great definition because it is simple and straightforward. In contrast, the Silva Rhetoricae website that we looked at for the first rhetoric post was complicated and wordy. The audience for that webpage is most likely English scholars due to the specialized vocabulary used, making it difficult for most people to comprehend. However, the complex definition from Silva Rhetoricae has not prevented me from developing my own definition of the word. I have learned the definition of rhetoric through my experiences in English 1900.

            The aspect of this class that was most helpful to understanding rhetoric was They Say, I Say. Although Graff never gave an explicit definition of rhetoric, each chapter contributed to it. His thesis is developing effective an argument is essential for rhetoric. Arguments are conversations. They are not as one-sided as many people may believe. Where there is an “I say,” there must be a “they say.” Just including the opinions of the author prevents the piece of writing or speech from entering the conversation. It is more interesting to incorporate multiple points of view and it makes a wider impact. In a similar way, entertaining objections and naysayers’ opinions adds credibility to an argument. It shows that the author’s statements are strong enough to stand up against other valid arguments. The audience will respond positively when the author uses this technique. Graff also emphasized knowing one’s audience. The goal of communication is to transmit a message from one person to another, so in order for it to be effective the speaker must know who his or her audience is. Otherwise, the message will lose its impact and may be ignored altogether. A final piece of rhetoric from Graff’s book is using transitions effectively. Transitions unite ideas into a cohesive unit. Without them, a piece of writing does not flow and therefore loses some impact. Graff has taught me that rhetoric incorporates all of these elements, and that it is not difficult to learn how to bring them together. With practice, anyone can become skilled in communication. After all, not everyone is an English scholar who benefits from sources like Silva Rhetoricae.

            Besides They Say, I Say, Fight Club was another major piece of this class and added further to my definition of rhetoric. I was able to put the tips from Graff’s book into action during these debates. Although I struggled with voicing my arguments in the beginning, by the end of the semester I was comfortable with participating in a debate. Rhetoric was used verbally in this exercise. Effective verbal expression is just as important as written expression.

            As for the writing side of rhetoric, the blog posts allowed me to use rhetorical skills in my writing. Like Graff emphasizes, commenting on classmates’ posts made the blog a conversation. We disagreed, offered criticism, and gave positive feedback, much like how we do in class in Fight Club. Even though it is not verbal communication, it accomplishes the same goal of exchanging ideas from person to person.

            All of the exercises in English 1900 have brought to light a new definition of rhetoric—my personal definition (although it is not as concise as the vocabulary definition). Rhetoric is impactful written or spoken communication that conveys a message and in turn accomplishes a goal.

Multimedia Project Website

http://cincinnatirecycles.weebly.com

Research Paper Analysis

        I have written research papers in the past, but this experience was completely different. I liked that we were able to choose our topics because it is easier to invest a significant amount of time in a project that I care about. It has made my writing better on this paper. I do not believe that writing the first annotated bibliography was helpful to start with because I wasted time writing about sources that did not relate to my ultimate proposal. I will say that the revised annotated bibliography was helpful because it allowed me to see how I could incorporate my research into the paper. Next, we wrote a proposal. This assignment was useful because, again, it allowed me to write the big picture behind my idea. And, I ended up using sections from that in the introduction to my paper. Then, we wrote an outline followed by a draft. Outlining is an effective first step to writing because it makes writing a large paper easier.

         I propose that the research paper writing process should progress in the following sequence: annotated bibliography, proposal, outline, draft, second draft, and final. Between writing the outline and draft, resources such as Strunk & White and the quote paradigm should be introduced. Time should be provided in class to write or revise. Additionally, the class should partner up for peer editing after composing the outlines. Having the opportunity to discuss the arguments with another person will allow for writers to address potential counter arguments that were overlooked.

         Overall, the writing process has been at times overwhelming but at other times smooth. Following a structured writing process will mitigate the daunting task of writing a 10-12 page paper. This assignment is a great foundation for developing argument, research, and composition skills.

Fight Club 11/19: President of Mizzou

Pro-he should step down
Andrew 

• There were numerous incidents during his time as president. He did nothing about the incidents and brushed them under the rug. He is the face of the university, so he should have acted.
• He cannot control what happens, but he should have taken steps to support the people affected by the racial issues.
• He should have reprimanded the offenders. There should be stricter policies towards racial slurs.
• There is a low percentage of African American faculty members at Mizzou. 
• The president chose not to do anything about it. He had a lack of response to incidents which is why the protestors were upset.
• Counter (Matthew): It is a small incident between specific groups. It is not a campus-wide event. The president should not have to deal with this. The smaller departments should be targeted. The president is more of a business leader of the university.
• (Moderator:) How will the leadership change affect the problem?
• The new president will make this his/her priority. A change in leadership will be good for the morale of the students. A fresh face is good in a time when the student body is aggravated.

Con-he should not step down
Matthew

• It does not resolve the problem. It will take time to find a new president to fill in. It is not his responsibility to monitor what individual students say to each other. 
• (Moderator:) The president is the face of the university so shouldn't he be responsible for the students of his university?
• When adolescents are put together in a college setting, incidents will happen. This is the case at any university. Perpetrator should be reprimanded, but the president should not be responsible for their actions. The perpetrator should be responsible for his/her own actions.
• When students are together they will do stupid things. These incidents should not result in the loss of someone's job.
• It is a student body issue. The president should be given time to solve the problem.
• The protestors blew the issue out of proportion. It is unfortunate that people were racially offended, but this slip should not force the president to resign. Everyone makes mistakes. He could have used this as learning experience for the future of his career.
• Counter (Andrew): Why should he be given a second chance? He has been given many second chances in the past.

Harmony is My Life - Continued

Harmony is My Life

Friday, Sept. 25, 2015

Arguing is not one of my strengths. In fact, I participated in a strength-finder survey two years ago, and one of my five strengths was the opposite--harmony. The test defines that trait as pertaining to a person who avoids conflict and prefers that everyone get along. Often times when there is a disagreement, I ask myself, “What is the point?” Everywhere people are fighting over silly things. Instead of going back and forth, dragging out a discussion, and going nowhere with it, I think people should look for common ground. As a practical person, I believe that pointless squabbles are a waste of time. However, there are aspects of my life where I do insert myself into arguments.

At home, I argue with my brother about who gets to use the car and when. This argument happened more frequently when he first got his drivers license, but now we have figured out a system. We tell each other when we want to use the car, and if there is a conflict then we try to work it out. Looking back, we made the fights over the car much more dramatic than they needed to be. Clearly, simply coming up with a plan is a better way to approach that situation. Otherwise, my sibling and I do not verbally or physically fight very much.

With my friends from home, I argue with them over trivial things, but I like to be right so I continue the argument even when the other person tries to back off. One time, my friend and I went back and forth over the ingredients in mayonnaise. She thought it is made with dairy and I said eggs. To know for sure, I looked it up to find the correct answer. I do this frequently when I do not know the answer to something, and once I find it, I like to share it with people. By this point, my friend had given up on the argument, so I count that as a win for me. And, I was right. I like to argue when I am certain that I know what I am talking about.

At SLU, I have been encouraged to form arguments more than when I was in high school. In my Honors Crossroads class, we have discussions about healthcare in class and on a Blackboard discussion board. For the online component, the instructor posts a question every week that the class debates on. The question from last week was, “Should marijuana be legalized for medicinal use for children?” Then, we talk about the question further in class. I like having the chance to form an opinion on the topic and to find research, if needed, before debating on it verbally. Although we have some disagreements in Honors Crossroads, often times the majority of the class has the same opinion. This contrasts the environment that we have in Fight Club. Because Professor Strickland assigns us a point of view, there is always something to argue. The drawback of this is that if I am assigned the point of view that I do not agree with personally, then my argument will not be as strong. I am a harmony-loving person, so being pushed to argue has brought me out of my comfort zone. Overall, being thrown into argumentative situations has allowed me to become a better critical thinker. I am still familiarizing myself with being confrontational in a debate situation; so hopefully by the end of the semester I will have won at least a few Fight Clubs.

*****

After participating in Fight Club for a few weeks, my skills at arguing have developed. I still see arguments in my life. Recently I have argued a bit with my roommate. It's never a heated screaming match but we do have disagreements from time to time. One example is she wanted to use a new air freshener but I didn't like the scent she chose. I also argue when I am working on a project in a group. Again, the arguments are not aggressive. The "fights" in my life tend to be softer probably because of my personality. 

Since I am not inclined to argue with people I have struggled with doing fight club in class. However, as we are nearing the end of the semester, I can say that I have improved my argumentation on paper and verbally. Writing our research papers has taught me how to convey an effective argument through writing. I have enjoyed fight club recently because I am more comfortable with forming arguments. I know how to spot counter arguments and how to attack those opposing points. Although when I fought with Maddie in front of the class I clearly lost (great job Maddie), I tried my best and that motivated me to do better in subsequent fight clubs. As a result, I have won some debates since then. 

In my other classes we still have discussions. I have found myself playing "Devil's Advocate" frequently in these debates. I think this is because this class has taught me the importance of having strong arguments that address potential naysayers. In Honors Crossroads we discussed ethical healthcare scenarios. Those were difficult to choose a side for since there are many drawbacks and benefits to each side. The class was often split in opinion, so we debated with each other over what the doctor should do in each situation. 

Overall at SLU this semester, being forced to pick sides and argue for that viewpoint has made me a more decisive person.

Disparity of Women in High Power Jobs

Pro- McNamee
Con- Michel
Mediator- Myers
Scribe- Noble

Pros-

• Women should be equally represented within CEO positions
• All companies, regardless of field, with the most women on their boards of directors significantly and consistently outperform those with no female representation
• It is good to have different points of view
• The real world has both men and women and in it and it functions perfectly, so why shouldn't a business

Cons-

• We should let this problem work itself work
• Hire based on who is better qualified for position
• Combating discrimination
• Illegal to not hire someone based on gender
• There may not be enough women candidates to fill "quota" of positions
• Orchestras conduction auditions use a curtain in order to recruit more women
• In past history, mostly men had high power jobs but that will soon change overtime so companies should not change how they hire

Blog 11/6

Midnight Murder

Detective Diane Dent (1. protagonist, 2. alliteration) rolled over in her bed. She couldn’t sleep. The tree outside her bedroom window was scratching against the glass as the wind howled like a wolf (3. simile). Normally, she was able to sleep through any storm, but tonight was different. Something about the cool October night (4. stock setting) gave her goosebumps and convinced her to leave the bathroom light on, just in case. It was silly really for a detective to be afraid of the dark (5. irony), she thought, yet tonight she felt as if something terrible might happen. A siren wailed (6. onomatopoeia) in the distance.

Just after midnight, the buzzing of her iPhone woke Diane up. “Hello?” she answered. It was the Warren County Police Chief calling her to notify her of a murder in the area, telling her that she should come to the police station immediately.

At 11:58, emergency dispatchers had received a call from a citizen, claiming to have heard a gunshot from her neighbor’s house. Virginia Washington, an elderly widow of a prominent wealthy family (7. periodic sentence), was found dead in her home shortly after. Detective Dent arrived at the crime scene to investigate just as emergency personnel were leaving with Mrs. Washington’s body. Upon inspection, there were no signs of forced entry and there were bloodstains on the carpet in the living room, evidence of the scene of the gunshot. Diane made a not to notify the police to call Mrs. Washington’s family members in for questioning.

The first person Diane spoke to was Mrs. Washington’s daughter, Anna Smith. It was a tiring round of questioning since Anna was beside herself with grief.

“When they told me my mother had passed away (8. euphamism) I was shocked. And outraged that she had been shot, no less! Who would do such a thing?” she blubbered.

“Well, can you think of anyone who may have wanted to harm your mother?” Diane posed bluntly. Anna thought for a moment and replied, “You know, I never really trusted my mother’s home nurse. My mother has a large fortune to her name and in her current, well past, mental state I could see how one could easily take advantage of her. I don’t mean to say that the nurse murdered my mother—how absurd. I just don’t trust her is all. I had been thinking about replacing her, and in light of what happened I guess I should have acted sooner.”

Following the latest lead, the house nurse, Beth (9. flat character), was brought in for questioning. That night, she claimed to be at her own home because it was her night off and Anna was supposed to be watching Mrs. Washington.

“I know my alibi is weak, but I swear to you that I was asleep when Mrs. Washington was shot. I live thirty minutes south from that neighborhood. I would sooner fly to the moon and back (10. hyperbole) then drive all the way out there in the middle of the night. I did not shoot the woman!” Beth exclaimed.

Diane sighed (11. simple sentence). “Now Beth, I am not accusing you of anything. We are simply doing all that we can to gather the facts to solve this case. Your honesty is greatly appreciated.”

The next day, Detective Dent received information that an antique clock was missing from Mrs. Washington’s mantle. Anna visited the crime scene and noticed the clock’s absence immediately. According to Anna, the medium-sized clock, encrusted with sapphires, was a family heirloom and it was quite valuable. Diane thought that this new development might be linked to the murder and could provide a clue as to who the murderer is. If she could find the clock, then she could potentially find the murderer (12. antecedent-consequence relationship).

She sat down to puzzle through the case, mapping (13. anthimeria) it from the crime scene to suspects. From what she had learned, Mrs. Washington was mobile, but it didn’t make sense that she would be up and walking in the middle of the night. Something must have woken her and drawn her to the living room. The intruder (14. agent) must have entered the home through a door or window (15. act ,16. agency), probably aiming to steal the clock. He or she probably encountered Mrs. Washington and, in haste, fired the gun. “Now, who would want to steal the clock?” she thought. “A better question is, who knew about the clock?” Diane called for a warrant to search nurse Beth’s home. The search yielded no clock. Moving on, Anna’s home also received a visit from the police. They did not find the clock. Diane seemed to be running out of options.

Just in time, the lab results came back from fingerprints found at the scene of the crime. The prints matched those of James Smith, Anna’s husband. So, he was brought in for questioning and further searches were conducted. The jeweled clock turned up in James’ office at his book-binding company. Diane reasoned that since James’ fingerprints were found at the home and he had possession of the stolen clock, then he must be involved in the murder of Mrs. Washington (17. deductive reasoning). Weeks later, James Smith was convicted of the murder of Mrs. Washington. James the criminal (18. epithet) was sentenced to life in prison.

219.  point of view—3^rd person

220.  delivery—the delivery is a short story format

Blog 10/30

Fight Club strategies can be applied in my paper because the discussions have made me better at forming arguments. Before, I only focused on my side of the argument and never took time to address the opposing viewpoint. I always thought than an effective argument was totally one-sided. From Fight Club I have learned that the most effective arguments include the central viewpoint along with recognizing the other side. In a true argument there will be rebuttals and counter-arguments, so Fight Club has allowed me to see the importance of creating a dialogue. This is similar to Graff's "They say" and "I say" model.

Fight Club is challenging for me because putting my ideas into speech is difficult. I prefer to write down my ideas because that way my thoughts can come across as organized and coherent instead of jumbled. Coming up with arguments on the spot has been a struggle for me, but I am improving.

In a verbal environment, the argument is two-sided. On paper, even though the author can engage opposing points, the author chooses how to use that opposition to his advantage. I have done this in my paper. It is not effective to entertain an objection that is a stronger argument than one's own. Verbal environments provide more engaging discussions than in writing.

Challenges that I am still facing in my writing are providing enough support for my arguments. I have ample quotes, but I need to improve my analysis of the quotes. A quote with no analysis weakens the argument and does not show that the author thought about what he or she was writing.