ICW 4/19

With the semester drawing to a close, I believe now is a good time to look back and reflect on what i have learned in this intermediate composition class. I  think that my persuasive writing has progressed over the course of the semester, due to this class, and i now have a better concept of what is expected of me when writing a persuasive argument. Overall, I feel that everything i did in this class was somewhat successful and i am not worried that i did anything poorly,  in the class. However, I do have one major concern with the class.

I feel like the papers where not spaced out properly in the class. Over the course of the semester we were required to write four papers. Up to this point we have only completed two of them and, with the end of the semester and finals just a few short weeks away i am worried i wont have enough time to put my full effort into writing the final two papers. The papers themselves aren't the biggest time commitment but, I will have to balance my time between writing them and studying for my other classes.

Movie poster

Movie Poster Analysis

Questions to Consider:

1.         Is the movie title prominently featured? Is the text easy to read?

           

The title of the movie is not prominently displayed on the movie poster. In fact it is almost in the corner of the poster and is in all lower case showing that the emphasis is on the images not the text.

2.         Are the main actors shown? If so, which ones? What do their appearances and expressions convey about the movie?

The poster is dominated by a picture of two of the main characters clutching, as if after an accident or “Crash”. Below them are images of a few of the other main characters in the film. Since the film follows the lives of a multitude of different characters lives no one main character predominates the poster for the movie.

3.         What is the design of the movie poster? Does it accurately reflect the mood and tone of the film?

           

            The expressions on the faces of all the actors in the poster all seem to be either upset or depressed. This sets the mood for the movie as potentially dramatic/tragic, obviously not a feel good movie.

4.         What other images are included? What do you notice about the framing of the images?

            Other than the facial expressions of the main actors, the only other noticeable feature of the poster is the out of focus lights in the background, which suggest the movie is set in a city or urban area. The main image on the cover of the couple clutching each other seems to be the center point of the poster because it is framed by the actors’ names as well as the other minor pictures on the cover.

5.         What text is shown on the poster? Is there a catchy slogan? If so, what does it tell you about the movie's story?

            Running down the side of the poster, the names of all the major actors in the movie are listed. There are twelve actors listed which seems unusual for the poster for a film but, looking closer you see why they are all listed; they are all big name actors. At the top of the poster it states 6 academy award nominations and 2 golden globe nominations. These Nominations are clearly meant to lend credit to the quality of the film.

6.         Is there any other important information included on the poster?

            There isn’t any other information other than the title, the actors, and the nominations.

7.         Why do/don't you think this movie poster is persuasive?

            The multitude of big name actors and the nominations suggest that this is a quality movie that would be worth your time to see. The distressed faces of the seven main actors on the cover also makes you want to watch the movie to see what caused these emotions to come pouring out.

Space Race

Thumbing through the pages of the March 3, 1961 edition of Life magazine, one theme was very apparent, the fascination with the space race. The cover of the Magazine depicted John Glenn, Virgil Grissom, and Alan Shepard looking u in the sky. Recently it was announced that one of these three men would be the first American in space. Obviously the thought of a man in space was on the forefront of everyone’s mind as almost a third of the magazine was devoted to this theme of space. However, what I found most interesting in this article was not the fascination with space but, the interest in beating the Russians at every step along the way.

                The article I chose to focus upon spanned pages 32-33 and it discussed the space exploration timetable for both the Soviet Union and the United States. The article started out by discussing what both nations had already achieved in the space race. The Russians had up to this point already launched numerous satellites, landed a probe on the moon, and launched and retrieved to dogs from space. The article then used an exasperated tone to describe the Americans achievements, which consisted of only getting a few satellites into orbit. Clearly the author of this piece was less than satisfied with Americans achievements in space up to this point. It almost seemed as if he were trying to goad the space program into taking greater actions by being pessimistic towards their efforts. From here the article gets much more entertaining.

                The next section of the article discusses the space exploration time table from 1961 to 1973. Back in this time period it seems that the expectations of conquering space as the final frontier where exceedingly high. According to the graphic representation of the space time table the Russians were expecting to have a man on the moon by 1967, only six years after this issue was published. From here, it seems, they expected to have a rover on both Mars and Venus by 1968 and a permanent orbiting space station by late 1969. The fact that the only permanent space station, a project consisting of over seven of the wealthiest nations, has not been completed and it is over forty years later, is a testament to the optimism of the time period. The United States’ space exploration time table seemed almost underachieving compared to the soviet one. The first major US breakthrough, getting a man in space, was scheduled for 1962, almost a year and a half after the soviets had achieved the same goal. From here, the US had no other major projects scheduled until 1971 when it planned to land its first man on the moon.

                What interested me most about this article was the respect it gave to the Soviet Union as a nation. Today every American believes that we are the greatest nation in the world. However back when this article was written, it is clear that we have not always thought this way. The notion of any country beating us in anyway technologically is unthinkable. This is why I found it so interesting that the article says that the Russians not only beat us into space but will beat us to the moon and mars as well. However, it is still apparent in the writing and in some of the other articles in the book that the US Space program and the American people were not going to give up and let the Russians beat them to space and, they would do everything in their power to win the space race.

Bite Me Reflection

When reading over the article "Bite Me (or not)", the main message i got out of the article was that the concept of "abstinence porn", as seen in the Twilight book series, is not as wholesome as some proponents of it would argue. The writer of the article states that some readers of the books see the lack of sex in the relationships, in the story, as influencing the teenage girl reader to practice abstinence. However, the author draws from multiple points in the series to try and dispel this notion.

Some of the examples the author uses include the images of a teenage mother in the final book. The writer says this is equivalent of a 1950s housewife, not the best time period for womens rights. She also describes that the heroine in the novel never really has any control over her virginity. Edward, her lover, always has the power to take it from her. She never has any choices in the book. She also included some fan fiction of a rape scene, to further incite this point.

Movie experiences

     One of the earliest movie experiences I can remember well is going to see the movie "Shrek" when it first came out. I remember this time in particular because it was the first movie I went to see at the newly built Century 11 theater downtown. Before going to see this movie I had always gone to the rundown movie theater closer to my house. Before we got to the theater, we stopped at seven eleven to get candy to the theater; my parents preferred not to spend $5 for a pack of M&M's. We also had ordered our tickets on-line through "Fandango", something we had never done before and I was quite excited about.
    When we got to the theater, we went though pretty much the same ritual as we always did in movie theaters. My parents told me and my sister to go to the bathroom so we wouldn't have to go during the show. Then I went and got an ICEE from the snack bar. The movies were the only times I can ever reember getting one of these frosty treats in my childhood.Once inside the actual theater i would always want to sit up in the front but, my parents would protest against it and we would end up sitting somewhere in the middle of the theater.
    The movie itself was great. I remember being thoroughly entertained watching "Shrek" for the first time. The part i remember most about the movie though, was my parents were also entertained by it. This was something that did not often happen when we went to see kids movies. Later on, I realized this was due to the abundance of adult humor that is also present in the movie, which i did not understand at the time. I also remember "Shrek" in particular because it was the first movie I had seen with the new type of 3D animation that got away from the cartoon drawing animation i was used to.

CW 2/23

I thought the film did a good job shedding light on a subject that most of the general public know little about, tort reform. Most of the general public just believe that tort reform is in place to protect businesses from frivolous lawsuits but, the film gave a different perspective to the issue than the one heard in the media. It showed the downsides of tort reform.

The film did a good job of bringing to light many of the arguments surrounding the tort reform issue, particularly arguments of definition. The first thing that has to be addressed when discussing tort reform is the issue of what is a "frivolous lawsuit"? To a large company one woman suing, over spilling hot coffee on herself, may appear frivolous. However, to the individual the scalding burns caused by the coffee have a dramatic effect on their life and health. Also the companies seem to have a much broader definition of a "frivolous lawsuit" than individuals. The companies seem to group many lawsuits, that would appear legitimate to most individuals, under the title of 'frivilous'.

HW 2/16

When reading chapter 7 of “everything’s an argument” I was able to understand the three main types of arguments the book was supporting. All three styles, classical oration, rogerian argument, and the toulmin argument, are fairly common strategies to use in rhetorical argument today. However, some of the examples the book used to shed light on the uses of the different arguments didn’t seem to make sense. For example, the book used Fredrick Douglass’ Fourth of July speech as a depiction of a Rogerian style argument. This did not make sense to me because the speech, while offering a different point of view on the Fourth of July, did not set up a context for the argument and didn’t even propose a compromise to an argument. In fact the only argument I could infer out of the speech was, Fourth of July doesn’t hold importance to African Americans. How is this an argument that both sides can compromise and benefit from?

Other than the few various examples, that didn’t make sense, the chapter overall reaffirmed many of my views on good rhetorical arguments. I noticed that all three forms of argument emphasize the notion that the alternative view must be stated and addressed in your argument. I believe this is vitally important to any argument because if you leave out the opposing view it is easy for your audience to assume that you don’t have a rebuttal to the points of that opposition. For example, if a politician made a speech on the benefits of opening the borders for immigration but failed to address some of the potential downsides, how credible would he seem? I also noticed that the three arguments are traditionally set up along the lines of deductive reasoning, with the argument being stated towards the front. However, I liked how the book showed that these arguments could be modified to be arguments of inductive reasoning as well. Due to the fact, deductive reasoning is generally more effective because you guide your audience to a conclusion rather than state the conclusion and then try to convince them.

                The chapter, while informative leaves a few questions unanswered. Why would you stick to one form of an argument when a combination of all three is potentially more effective? What do inductive reasoning and deductive reasoning have to do with the three forms of argument addressed? This concept seems to be just pasted at the beginning of the chapter as a side note.

CW: 2/7

Peer editing some of the other papers, rhetorically analyzing spaces, seemed to help me with my paper as well. Through analyzing the papers of my peers, I discovered strategies they used to convey their arguments that I thought were quite effective. It gave me a different perspective on how to right an argument, other than my own. I realized that a couple of my peers to a completely different, but equally effective route to convey their arguments. I realized, while my argument was dense in technical details, it lacked an emotional representation of my space, which some of the other papers conveyed so well. Due to this I plan on going back and embellishing certain aspects of my argument to make it a little more emotional, adding more pathos to my writing.


I also recognized some aspects in my peers writing that I found ineffective. A few of the papers, I found very dry and some others overly descriptive, lacking any real substance. This caused me to rethink my paper. I decided that in order to write the most effective paper a balance between style and substance needs to be struck, in my writing. I don’t want my paper to read like a dry description of my space but, I also don’t want my description to seem over superfluous and emotional. The bottom line is, reading some of the others papers gave me an indication of what I want to, and don’t want to, do in mine.   

CW 2/2

1.                  Who is your intended audience? Who is your actual audience? How do they differ? What larger community might you connect your essay with?

Through my paper I am trying to explain to my audience why In-N-Out is so successful and popular when there are hundreds of other fast food burger chains. Therefore I want to direct my argument at an audience of people who are interested in learning why people prefer certain product to others. This fits into the criteria of my actual audience because my actual audience is my peers in my rhetoric class and, rhetoric is essentially the art of persuasion through argument.

2.                  What personal connections do you have with the space?

Growing up in southern California I have been around In-N-Out burger all my life and have never understood the fascination and cult following behind them. When a new one opened up in fort worth it was just as popular. I want to know why a restaurant with good but not great food is so popular among so many people.

3.                  What controlling idea do you have for the space? What argument do you see being made within the space? Think about the arguments we saw within the space we observed on Tuesday.

I think the argument can be made that the environment in In-N-Out reflects a family owned and operated franchise that is more concerned about its customer and its quality than its profits. I think this can be done by reflecting on the pathos of the space by looking at everything from the menu which hasn’t changed since the 40’s to the bible verses hidden underneath the soda cups.

4.                  Choose one observation you made within the space you have observed (whether that be the library or your intended space) and analyze it. What do the various things you have noticed/recorded regarding the space mean?

The menu looks like it hasn’t changed since the 1940’s. It uses an old style block font, like you would see announcing what movies are playing at a movie theater. Also it only has three food items to choose from burger, cheeseburger, or double cheeseburger. How in a day in age where taco bell, Mc Donald’s and jack in the box have 50+ things to order on their menus does In-N-Out turn a profit with 3? I believe that this simple menu gives the feel of a family owned business that has not been redesigned by its corporate heads to turn larger profits. The menu also says that “we only have three items” but they are high quality and are popular enough that we have not had to add anything else to our menu since we first opened.

HW 2/2

Going into observe my space I was worried I would not be able to get enough observations to write a report from. However, once I got there I realized that there was so much that I could write down that I couldn’t possibly capture all that was happening in writing. In order to narrow down what I would write observations on I first started with sensory information.

                For the first ten minutes in my space I focused on my senses like smell, hearing, feeling and taste. I was able to smell the food coming from the grill and the fries in the deep fryer. I also took note of the lack of some smells. The restaurant didn’t smell unclean and the fast food smell was subtle and not overpowering. I was able to hear the orders of people ahead of me in line as well as the conversations around me. On a larger scale the steady buzz of a crowded eatery was always a constant. When I got my food I tried to record how it tasted. This was more difficult to do than any of my other observation notes because taste is a fickle sense that is hard to describe in writing.

                After I got through writing notes on all my other senses I turned to the visuals. This is where I obtained the bulk of my observation notes. I took into account everything from the number of cars in the drive through to the font on the menu. I found the visual aspect of my space the easiest to take notes on because there was just so much I could write about with it. In fact so much I think I should go back and observe my space once more before I start to write my paper.

CW 1/31

When observing any place, it is important to not just be a spectator, an outsider, in the situation. When I do my observation I want to be partaking in the activities that my observed space has to offer, just as those who I am observing are. If i go to a restaurant I will order food. If i go to a book store I will look for a book. By actively participating in any space i believe that you will get a greater understanding of the space.

The time of day you choose to observe your space can make a major difference. If you go to a restaurant at noon you might see many workers on their lunch break eating. Whereas at night that same restaurant may have families eating dinner or a couple on a date. I want to observe my space during the middle of the day because this is often the time when people are most rushed and i believe this will lead to a more interesting observation period.

Going to any single place just once doesn't give you a true view of any space. For this reason, i plan to visit my space first without making any observations and then come back and make observations later. When making observations, I plan on just making a simple bulleted list and then expanding on my points, to determine their significance, after i leave the space.

HW 1/31

To build upon what I wrote last week, I am considering doing my observation at the In-N-Out burger on west 7th street. Although most restaurants might be hard to write an observation on, I believe that In-N-Out would provide a good opportunity for an observation because of its large popularity and somewhat cultish following.

For the observation I plan to focus on three major aspect the building, the food, and the clientele. Similar to many restaurant chains In-N-Out has a distinct cookie cutter style and layout to their restaurants. I would attempt to answer questions such as, What is the appeal of the simple color scheme? Why is a palm tree and a yellow arrow used as the logo? As for the food, I would analyze the appeal of a simple menu, the style of the packaging, and the overall quality. The customers would provide me with the largest source of information to analyze.

The customers of any business generally give you a better sense of a business than any other single source. Through analyzing the customers i would be able to determine what type of people eat at In-N-Out. From this I can determine the demographics of the average customer and determine how and why In-N-Out is appealing to them. Also through listening to various conversations taking place in the restaurant I can gauge the customers overall impression of the restaurant and compare that with the image the company is trying to promote.

Through this observation i hope to shed light on why the franchise has been so successful and popular. I will also be able to determine the image the company wants to portray to its clientele, as well as how it succeeds in doing so.

HW 1/26

Having lived in California all my life, living at TCU, in Texas, has been somewhat of a culture shock. However, there are some places in fort worth that distinctly remind me of my home in southern California. The most noticeable is probably In-N-Out Burger.

Founded in southern California in 1948, In-N-Out waited almost 60 years before expanding the chain outside the California region, giving the chain a distinct feel of a California culture and mentality. More recently, several In-N-Out burgers have opened up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Including one within close proximity to TCU.

In-N-Out restaurants exude a sense of old California style. Driving into the parking lot the first thing you notice is several fifties style roadster automobiles parked around the parking lot. Also several palm trees, a relative oddity in Texas, dot the parking lot. The building itself is entirely white with red roofing and the signature In-N-out arrow, giving the building a simple retro feel. The inside is much the same as the out side with white floors and walls with red trim on the booths and counters.

The food itself is also fairly simple, with the focus on quality not variety. The menu only offers three simple meals a cheeseburger, hamburger and the signature Double-Double. When your food arrives you notice the packaging it comes in have the same simple red and white theme as the building itself, no advertisements, on flashy logos. Although a perceptive customer may notice a discrete text block reading "john 3:16" or "revelation 3:20" if they look on the bottom of their soda cup.

By only expanding slowly and keeping a simple style and atmosphere in their restaurants, In-N-Out has created a reputation of a old time family owned and operated restaurant that is dedicated to quality food and service not just large profits. 

HW 1/26

The text “Everything’s an Argument” states, when arguing with pathos “some emotional appeals are just ploys to win over readers with pretty face, figurative or real.” This quote describes the primary tactic most add campaigns are using to influence us to buy their products.

The text gives an example of a soda add which subliminally promises an exciting life and attractive friends if you buy their product. In the mainstream media, emotional ploys indicating that happiness comes from a certain product are used regularly in commercial advertising. When was the last time you saw a commercial for a sporty car without an attractive woman in the passenger seat? Or a fast food commercial with an obese person gorging on a burger? Through the use of subliminal placement of desirable things, an attractive girlfriend or a fit physique, in advertising, the product becomes more appealing to the consumer audience. Advertising firms know this, thus the use of subliminal messaging in advertising has become the norm.

The text states that if we pause to think about the message behind advertisements, we shouldn’t be fooled by their claims. However in advertising today commercials rarely last more than 45 seconds, making it almost impossible to dissect meaning from an add before another one starts blaring in our face. The fact that television advertisements today are shortened to less than a minute benefits the advertisers in several ways. As already stated, it doesn’t give the consumer any time to reflect on the ad so, the consumer only comes away with his initial reaction to the advertisement. Also short advertisements are generally more exciting to the consumer. Two minute long infomercials focusing on the logos of buying a certain novelty products appear cliché and bore the consumer. Whereas, a 20 second car insurance commercial with the GIECO gecko can almost be seen as entertainment.

HW 1/24

Reading through the chapters on pathos, ethos and logos, in "everything is an argument", one theme that perpetually reoccurred was the use of humor to drive an argument.

At first I found this notion that humor can be used to drive an argument to be unlikely. Aren't arguments supposed to be serious? Wouldn't people dismiss someone as childish when trying to argue with jokes? However when I thought back on the many formal speeches I've listened to, a large percentage of them started out with a small quip or joke before getting to the main argument. The text "Everything is an Argument" argues that the use of humor in an argument makes the audience more receptive to the argument and, I would tend to agree.

Using humor creates ethos. While authority is important in portraying your credibility to the audience, being a likable debater is just as important because it opens the audience up to you and your argument. By using humor some of the tension in an argument can be relived, creating a sense that you are not just a hard nosed arguer. In fact, making fun of yourself, on occasion in an argument, can greatly open up your audience because it shows, that like them, you have your limitation yet are unafraid to admit them. People love honest and likable characters and humor, when used effectively, can portray you as such.

Humor can also be used enhance the pathos of an argument. When arguments are particularly sensitive humor is occasionally a good tool to use in opening up your audience to a "sticky" or "taboo" subject. For example in the text, there is a passage, by Dave Berry in his "Owners' Manual" book, about why men never read instructions because they are to proud. If Berry had written this passage without humor it would have turned off and offended much of his male audience but, because he used humor we are less offended and more entertained by his conclusion. However, what the book doesn't show is when it is appropriate to use humor and when it is not. In order to use humor effectively to make a point, without offending your audience, you must own the subject of the humor. For example, Barry was able to make fun of the male refusal to ask for help because he is a man. If he were to make fun of the stereotype that women are bad drivers, the women in his audience would most likely be turned of to his argument because it is in bad taste. It is important to remember that while humor can be very effective in driving an argument, it can also be a risky rhetorical device that should only be used when the debater knows how his audience will react.   

 

CW: 1/19

Going over the first chapter of Everything's an Argument, a concept that seemed to be somewhat false was the categorization of the different types of arguments. While the text did a good job of organizing and giving examples for what it states are the various types of arguments, it failed to give concrete distinctions between the various types of arguments it states exists. For example it stated their were both arguments to convince and arguments to persuade. However it didn't go into enough depth to enable the reader to find any real distinction between the definitions of these two arguments they both seem to be doing much of the same thing. In the way the text describes an argument to convince as an argument to change a persons opinion and this is inevitably persuading them to think a current way, making it a persuasive argument as well.

On the other hand an aspect of the text that was both insightful and visibly true was the texts dissection of the definitions of logos, pathos, and ethos. Every example of an argument they provided in the chapter incorporated at least one and usually more of these rhetorical aspects in the argument.

Intro to Unit One 1/19

As this is the first post on this new blog i think it is important I let you know a little bit about me, the blogger. I was born and raised in Ventura, California, a small city on the coast of southern California. Currently I am studying both Biology and Chemistry here at TCU and am currently in my sophomore year of studies. This semester i decided to take the Intermediate Composition: Writing Argument course to finish my written communication requirement at TCU. this will be the focus of this blog.

Personally i feel that this class is going to be somewhat difficult for because i haven't taken a writing class since high school, due to my focus on my biology/chemistry major courses. However, I think that this class can and will provide for me an opportunity to expand my education in another direction and I am excited about this prospect. Like any aspect of aspect of life learning to write better comes primarily from practice therefore, to make the most out of this class i plan to fully engage in all the writing required and to continually critique my work in order to improve my writing skill.

Even though i have not taken a formal writing class in quite some time, writing is still an integral part of most of my work in other classes, as well as in life. I write almost everyday in emails and texts as a way to communicate with others and coordinate my life. Even though most of my classes are in the disciplines of biology and chemistry writing till plays a heavy part in them. I am constantly writing lab reports recording and presenting the results of my various experiments.

Essentially all writing is an argument, as described in chapter one of Everything is an Argument. So what have i argued in the preceding paragraphs? My first argument was one of information. By simply relying to you, the audience, some basic facts about myself I have created an argument. I have told you something you didn't already know. Also in doing so I have created a link between myself and my audience by casting us both as students and peers, appealing to my ethos. While this was intended to be the main argument in this post, I have written several other arguments, some I did not even realize. In my second paragraph the use of the "practice makes perfect" reference could be viewed as an argument to convince the audience that this is a true notion. The notion that even science classes place a heavy emphasis on writing, is also an argument to convince. Even my own acknowledgement of these arguments can be interpreted as arguments themselves, leading to a possibly endless deconstruction of any argument i make. This means that everything i write in this blog can potentially be viewed as an argument and be used as potential material for class discussion.