New and Improved What Rhetoric Means to Me

I would now define rhetoric as the study of writing and speaking persuasively, well informed and clearly structured in order to argue successfully.  Referencing the original website, I'm seeing that the definition they give is "the study of effective speaking and writing. And the art of persuasion. And many other things."  While I agree with the website, after a semester of learning about rhetoric, I think there is more creativity involved that both my definition and the website's definition lead on.  To successfully rhetorically analyze something, you need to creatively think of tactics that will persuade your audience and convince them of what your argument.  To this day, I agree with my old post in regards to successfully creating an argument, I think it is important to think about incorporating pathos and style, addressing your audience, and sensitivity to kairos.  However, after working with rhetorical analysis, I understand the importance of ethos and logos, relating your argument to your audience and delivery.  I believe that these are the more important aspects to incorporate as opposed to previous statements I made last blog post. 

I think it is critical to incorporate ethos and logos when writing using rhetoric.  Ethos gets your audience to listen to what you are writing.  If he or she feels attracted to what you are arguing because of your background in education or your word choice on the subject, then your audience is more likely to agree with what you are saying.  While the website states that rhetoric is often criticized for over using pathos, logos and ethos, I think that logos can not be overused when defending your points.  Logos is very attached to successfully compelling your audience.  If you have educated yourself on the topic, or have proof of previous education and you have facts, sources and statements to back you up, only one thing is standing between you and your audience in successfully arguing your point. 

That one thing is explaining to your audience why it matters.  Considering your audience is an important part of rhetoric.  In order to know how to convince your audience, it is important to understand whom you are speaking to.  I believe every text or speech should cater directly to his or her anticipated audience.  It is crucial because the audience has the potential to influence the way the author or speaker chooses to deliver their argument.  Knowing your audience is arguably the most effective way to set your argument up for success. For example, in my paper, it was super easy for me to explain to myself why it mattered.  I worked with refugee everyday.  I saw the pain.  However, your everyday citizen of Glen Ellyn didn't know refugees existed.  I really struggled in finding a good way for me to show the other people of Glen Ellyn WHY they should care.  WHY it will eventually effect them and WHY now is the time to make a change.  I still think this is an area I need to improve on in my writing.  

I do still agree that there is something about a writing style with an open mind that persuades the audience more so than a writing style in a different, more one-sided manner.  With the website defining rhetoric as the study of "effective" speaking, the author must use techniques, such as Graff's agree and disagree technique in They Say I Say, while speaking to the audience to ensure the audience agrees with, or at least clearly understands, his message. Lastly, delivery.  Delivering your message and not only saying what you need to say but also saying it in the proper way altogether is one of the greatest challenges writers face.  

Overall, learning about rhetoric these past few months has made me a better writer.  I do think that creativity plays into effectively using logos and ethos, convincing your audience and delivery of the argument as a whole.  

In addition to the improved definition, I understand how rhetoric remains important in relation to our class.  We continually use it in Fight Club to try and convince the other side of the argument why we are right.  It has become second nature to our class about what tactics to use, but most of the time, we fall back onto logos. 

Burton, Gideon O. "The Forest of Rhetoric." Silva Rhetoricae. Brigham YoungUniversity, n.d. Web. 3 Sept. 2015. <http://rhetoric.byu.edu/>.

Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1gfGKrM3cI

Mizzou Blog

Pro (should have been asked to step down):

• racist issues on campus not addressed
• parade issue not addressed by president
• Wolfe wasn’t supporting the students’ efforts or helping them get what they needed, therefore he wasn’t doing his job.
• Campus comes first, therefore, they must focus on the student's’ well being
• With the removal of such incidents, more time is focused on academics, athletics, and economy

Con (should not have been asked to step down):

• open dialogue would have been a better option
• Political Correctness is shoved aside
• Censorship is continuously placed on coddled american minds
• Mizzou is a racial utopia
• Columbia is a great place to raise a family and extend your education
• Racism was a systemic issue, not just stemming from one person, they should have solved it as an institution.

Research Paper Analysis

A few more in class essays to understand how your professor grades and the style of writing he likes would make me feel more comfortable about turning in this paper.  I feel a little under prepared in the sense that I do not know what Prof. S really likes/ wants in my writing - in direct relation to my paper. So more in class graded writing would help me feel more comfortable about my current work.

I don't think resources like Strunk & White were that helpful.  I thought that They Say, I Say was the most beneficial while writing my paper.  They Say, I Say was one of the only resources I actually pulled from in referencing sentence structure, quotation usage and grammar.  While I did not particularly love reading Graff's work, I did find it helpful in the end.  The templates in They Say, I Say made argument and source connections much easier.  This was also the easiest source to easily reference quickly for a transition word or phrase which I found helpful.  

I think it would have been beneficial to have taken this paper in smaller steps.  Maybe meeting with Prof. once every few paragraphs to ensure you're on the right path.  While I feel like I have had adequate time to complete this assignment, I do not think I spread out the work evenly and therefore the start of my paper feels stronger than the second half. I think my paper started off strong because time limits and drafts on the "proposal" led to a solid introduction.  So I think some scheduled due dates would improve the overall quality of my writing.

Women Employment Argument

Boys: Pro equal hiring 
Girls: Leave it how it is

Pros:

• Out of the S&P 500 companies women only hold 4.4% of the CEO positions. That equates to only 22 out of the 500 companies on the list
• Men and women each make up about half of the population, so it is logical for women politicians to be more prominent for equal representation of the citizens’ needs
• Only 14.2% of the top five leadership positions at the companies in the S&P 500 are held by women
• Progress in just letting the problem work itself out has been extremely slow over the last 80 years and is almost nonexistent
• This article examines many explanations for why women have not risen to the top, including lack of line experience, inadequate career opportunities, gender differences in linguistic styles and socialization, gender-based stereotypes, the old boy network at the top, and tokenism. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1006226129868 - to overcome basic differences, women should be put in higher management positions so that firms can get acclimated to the changed climate
• Maggie Wilderotter, one of the 24 women in the top five highest positions in any company is being replaced by a man and therefore progress is going from next to nothing to backwords
• Stereotypes of women are one of the main things holding them back and as society we are not dropping the stereotypes anytime soon so action needs to be taken
• Women do make it into management and board rooms, but with such an overpowering ratio in favor of men, it is the same as not having any women at all, as the men can speak over women and get recognition from their “good old boy” attitudes
• Companies with women in upper level management positions significantly outperform those with all men in the upper level positions so there should be a push for more women in upper level positions

• “As there were more women, the first woman became more active. They were all more active as the number of women increased. It's a group dynamic. When you bring on one of any demographic group, they’re trying to figure out how they fit. With more, that's not an issue. They were more vocal, more willing to push their issues when more women were added to the board. More relaxed” (Male CEO). -competency is rarely the issue, it is only a factor of upper management selecting only who they want.
  
  
  Cons:
  • Women have caught up with men in terms of education. In fact, in the United States and a number of other countries, women now actually surpass men in educational achievement. (Harvard Law School Blog)
  • So there is not a problem with female achievement. The problem enters in when young adults try to balance work and family, and women end up carrying nearly all of the caregiving responsibilities. (Harvard Law School Blog)
  • Women’s participation in the U.S. labor force climbed during the 1970s and 1980s, reaching 60 percent in 2000. (International Labor Organization)
  • One in five women are working part time... while at the start of the recession less than one in ten women were doing so. (International Labor Organization)
  • The overall unemployment rate for women is lower than men’s and they are also less likely to be among the long-term unemployed. (International Labor Organization)
  • The March 26th issue of Time Magazine proclaims on its front cover “The Richer $ex- Women are overtaking men as America’s breadwinners.
  • “Almost 40% of wives make more money than their husbands…Women today make up almost 60% of U.S. college students and earn the majority of doctorates and master’s degrees…In the majority of U.S. metro areas, single, childless women in their 20s make more per dollar than their male peers.” (Time Magazine)
  • Even more importantly the percentage of managers who are women has risen from 35% to 38% of the last twenty years
  
  
  • Cindy Padnos, entrepreneur, found that women-operated, venture-backed high tech companies average 12 percent higher annual revenues. They also use on average one-third less capital than male counterparts' startups.
  • From a corporate perspective, there's a tremendous benefit to having a diverse workforce
  • "It's almost impossible to think a corporation can be successful in identifying the right products and meeting the market needs when the market is half women and half men."
  • Bryant said a company's workforce must reflect the market it serves.
  • "That's what makes it easy for corporations to rally behind 'let's grow the diverse population of our employee base'," Bryant said.
  
  
  "Con Argument is saying that women don’t need the laws to change in order to be hired because women are becoming increasingly educated, the workplace would benefit with diversity and if the employment rate of women continues, more women will be employed than men (The overall unemployment rate for women is lower than men’s and they are also less likely to be among the long-term unemployed. (International Labor Organization))."

Blog Post for 11/13

Bad Blood
Originally posted: Tuesday, September 29, 2015
In Taylor Swift's Bad Blood song, her tone of voice and volume when singing are far more aggressive than the cover version by Ryan Adams.  Adams take a far more relaxed approach on Bad Blood.  Rhetorically analyzing these two songs that have the exact same lyrics is interesting because they really do give off completely different vibes.
Delving deeper into the differences, listeners hear in the line "it's so sad to, think about the good times, you and I..." in Adam's version and feel reminiscent and maybe even sorrowful.  However, when you hear that exact same line by Taylor Swift, she sounds aggressive, angry and vengeful.  In this case, the message from the songs are completely different.  Adam's Bad Blood video's message is reflective of the relationship these two had and how he is filled with sadness as it seems like it's coming to an end, "did you think we'd be fine?"  The message is conveyed effectively because you can hear in his tone the emotional distress he feels post this relationship.  The slower pace of the song and the gentle guitar strums effectively convey the message of hurting as well.
In contrast, Taylor Swift's Bad Blood line ""it's so sad to, think about the good times, you and I..." sounds angry and ready to move on. As the music builds and the song drops, Swift does not sound like the damsel in distress, she sounds confident.  She sounds angry but like she's over it and moving on.  Therefore, Swift effectively conveys her message of confidence and female strength through her voice. 
Not only did the tone of voice by the singer matter, but the way the music went along with the lyrics was critical in interpreting the message.  While the lyrics remained the same, Swift and Adam's song had completely different messages that were conveyed effectively.  Swifts being, confidence and female strength when a relationship ends.  While Adam's message was more along the lines of the typical sorrowful breakup and how he doesn't want it to end.    

Continuation:

A few weeks ago, Taylor Swift acoustically covered one of her own songs on the piano.  Out of the Woods has been reborn. The cover song, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHN0ca6lf1c), was performed live at the GRAMMY Museum at the end of October.  Personally, I like this version a lot better.  While the lyrics are exactly the same, the soul and heartfelt emotions can be heard in her voice.  You hear the vulnerability she is feeling.  You can feel the anxiety that she's trying to convey but simultaneously the relief that this relationship has ended.  The slower pace of the piano feels more real, more fragile. The line, "Oh I remember" is the telling line in this song of why Taylor sounds more vulnerability. The shakiness of her voice settles with the audience as sadness. The message sent in the piano cover is more sensitive and sorrow.  Similarly to Ryan Adams cover of bad blood, The message is conveyed effectively in this piano version because you can hear in her tone the emotional distress she is feeling. 

Interestingly enough, Taylor Swift sings Out of the Woods on 1989 with less sorrow.  In contrast, in the original Out of the Woods, Taylor says "Oh I remember" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRCrffoCWOY) with regret and passion behind her voice.  This strength and assurance sends the message of moving forward.  In addition to Taylor's tone, the faster paced, more upbeat sounds vibes with the strength in her voice.  It is likely that Swift released this version first because 1989 was supposed to be about moving on and independence and that is what this version supports.  

Out of the Woods has strong lyrics but the meaning changes completely depending on how you perform it. While both versions have been incredibly successful, if you listen carefully, the messages dramatically changes. 

Story & Vocab

I looked at myself in the mirror that morning and was not sure if I could pass for an eighteen-year-old high school senior anymore.  Then I realized I did not have a choice.  I found my tightest skinny jeans, distressed white t-shirt and flannel and threw on my backpack.  I had black makeup on my eyes and a light color on my lips.  I looked back in the mirror; I hit the nail right on the head.  I was grunge, yet approachable.  I sort of looked like Miley Cyrus before the haircut and color (simile).  I kept telling myself to act natural (oxymoron). Just interesting enough that the nerds will accept me, and artistic looking enough for everyone else to befriend me. Gosh, I was so excited to go back to high school (sarcasm).

My boss had sent me to be an undercover spy at Old Grove High School to try and figure out a student who had been leaking information on the ACT exams for each year since 2013 and sending them across the country.  The schools first known record of a leak was two years ago.  This tells me the youngest the student could be in a sophomore.  I don’t have to bother making friends with freshman (which is a huge relief because I am registered as a senior) (parenthesis).

I walked into my first class with sass (attitude).  Calculus two.  I chose this math class because I figured the students sending out the test did okay in school (understatement) and were nervous about college acceptance.  In this class most people looked me at a little funny because I looked too rugged to be smart.  The girls glared at me through their glasses.  Every single person in the class contributed to the conversation and tried to take charge during group work.  Finally I heard the *RING*, next class (Onomatopoeia). 

 

I walked into my second class (syntax).  English 100.  I felt like the other possibility for the leak is students who are struggling and feel like cheating is the only way they will get into college.  In this class, the students were sluggish and quiet…not participating.  So I did the same.  Just to fit in (simple sentence).  One of the kids even told the teacher to stop talking because the audience was bored out of their minds (audience). The class was so dry, all our teacher talked about was memory techniques such as mnemonic devices (mnemonic devices), I don’t blame the kid for complaining.  The teacher decided to switch it up and talk about the difference in static and dynamic characters (dynamic).  That was more interesting because we starting relating it to timely books and movies.   

After a few discouraging weeks of no new information and starting to actually feel like I was in high school (JOY) (sarcasm), I noticed something unusual.  Kate, the tough girl in my Calculus class, watched me like a hawk (periodic sentence).  She followed my every move.  Finally, I approached her after school one day I just wanted to get to know her better, see what was up.  I made eye contact and started walking towards her.  I’m not joking when I say she started to run, tripped and fell (parallelism).  Laughter broke out, filling the air with people giggling, making heads turn, bringing people outside to see what was happening (loose paratactic sentence).  When I got over to her I asked her why she was running away and she looked at me and said she knew my secret and why I was a twenty-two-year old in high school.  I asked her if she had anything to say and she said let’s get it over with.  Well, that was a little too easy.

I went to the office with Kate and reviewed all the evidence (evidence).  When she was interrogated and told what her penalty, she decided to confess.  However, from any point of view, she could have been proven guilty (point of view).

My boss looked at me, gave me a firm handshake and a pat on the back.  He looked me in the eyes and told me he was proud in a stern tone and loud voice (tone & voice).  He continued by saying that I will receive a promotion.  I guess high school was better the second time around.             

Pro and Cons of GMO's

Pro: Anna Czelusniak
Con: Matt Gottsacker

Con Argument: 
-unknown what the health effects are because new technology
-Natural breeding is safer and more natural
-GM seeds are more expensive, when they are not actually worth the extra cost
-The process of modifying genes is imprecise and uncontrolled; manipulating one gene can have large effects on the rest of the organism
-rats fed certain GM crops developed organ damage

1. Increase use of pesticides and herbicides
2. Cross pollination--pollen from modified plants can spreads and will infect other plants, creating "superweeds" with insecticidal properties or herbicide-resistance.
3. GM crops have cost the United States an estimated $12 billion in farm subsidies, lost sales
4. Possible link to allergies
   “GE crops have been responsible for an increase of 383 million pounds of herbicide use in the US over the first 13 years of commercial use of GE crops (1996–2008). This dramatic increase in the volume of herbicides applied swamps the decrease in insecticide use attributable to GE corn and cotton, making the overall chemical footprint of today’s GE crops decidedly negative” -Dr. Charles BenBrook
   
   
   "They're just not worth it."

Pro Argument: 
Plants are able to live longer and with more ease. 
“Corn cannot reproduce without human aid” “Most important and widely grown in the United States” 
Positive Environmental Impacts 
-“Soil salinity has become a major problem in all agriculture especially in the San Joaquin Valley.” 
-resistance to insects requires less use of pesticides which can be harmful to humans & environment
-more efficient use of land
-especially important in countries where farming space is limited
-plants can be genetically engineered to provide health benefit
-combat malnutrition
-ex: iron and vitamin A supplemented rice are beneficial in populations with nutrient deficiencies → longer lives

1. Better resistance to stress: If crops can be made more resistant to pest outbreaks, it would reduce the danger of crop failure.
2. More nutritious staple foods: By inserting genes into crops such as rice and wheat, we can increase their food value.
3. More food from less land: Improved productivity from GMOs might mean that farmers in the next century won't have to bring so much marginal land into cultivation.
4. TO COUNTER THE ALLERGIES IDEA: molecular biology could also be used to characterize allergens and remove them
   
   
   Overall, crops grow with more ease and we are more efficient
   
   
   "We would be nowhere without corn."
   
   
   
   
   "If we aren't gonna use GMO's, how can we combat pests?"
   
   
   It is safe to use GMO's up to a point before it affects the soil. We should look into subsidizing organic pesticides ...
   
   
   But won't they build a tolerance?
   
   
   ....