Unit 3 Reflection
By: Ali Mason
In order for a society to properly work together and create a standing relationship that creates safety and ordinance for all involved a few things are needed from the citizens of a community as well as the government from that community. Through three different readings from history the obligation of both the citizen and the government are evident. Beginning with the earliest work, Patrick Henry speech at the Virginia convention in 1775 is a basis for many citizen morales that should be followed and most importantly, the duty of the government is clearly stated and pressed in his speech.
Examples of these claims is evident in in the entire second paragraph that is addressed to the president (Henry's opening to his speech and response to president's first words). In a nutshell he explains that no matter what the issue is at hand, a government should be completely honest with its citizens. Meaning false hope should NOT be advocated and the urgency of current issues should be upheld and dealt with as a whole nation and not making the citizens blindingly believe their government that is giving them sugar-coated information. Clearly Henry is saying that the duty of government is to be honest and open with its people, no matter what the situation is. Proof of this is in his words in paragraph two, "Mr. President, it is natural to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth... Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and having ears, hear not?" Along with this he claims the duties of the actual citizen within the government by saying that he is an experienced man who is willing and able to serve the country at every need she has. "I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided; and that is the lamp of experiences" (Paragraph 3). By saying these words, Henry is basically saying that if the government tells the truth and is willing to work through everything to get the liberty the people deserve, then the duty of the people would be to go through with what the country needs. Whether that be drafted into the army, or throwing themselves into manufacturing goods to keep the country out of a depression. Now this is from a man's point of view. The next piece of work is by a woman during the 19th century.
This woman's name is Elizabeth Cady Stanton and was the prime advocate for women's rights. She spoke at the Seneca Falls Convention through a speech that had unmistakable parallels to the actual declaration of Independence and was thereafter named the "Declaration of Sentiments". One of the many ways she informs the government of their duties is through her statements directed at the men, but then are put into effect through the government. For example she says, "He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the formation of which she had no voice." This quote directs the government into forming new laws and regulations that promote the equal citizenship and rights of all people. The duty of the government in her eyes is to not be sexist towards either gender and to adjust laws so that they are equal among women and men. And as this is the duty of the government, the duty of the governed would then to follow these laws religiously. Whether it is a woman or a man, a citizen will respect their country just the same. And Elizabeth Stanton wants the nation to understand, to recognize that, and to put that into effect. Although her statements in this declaration were primarily based on what the government needs to do for the people, there is another man who wrote a speech that at its heart conveys ever efficiently what the duties of a government are and vice versa involving the governed.
Bill Clinton was a man stuck in a political complication that was losing advocates from his recently full group of supporters. As his affair with a young woman unveils he realizes that a speech must be made in order to keep order in the country and for the country not to lose hope it its President. It was an apology to the nation and was given in 1998 on August 17. Throughout the piece he recognizes what he did was wrong but then blames citizens for the recently corrupted nation. He states the duties of HIS job in society as a part of the government when he says "We have important work to do -- real opportunities to seize, real problems to solve, real security matters to face" (Paragraph 10, Page 2). In his eyes, through this quote, he is saying that a government is there to provide strength to solve the nations problems and to deal with the safety and security of the nation. The private life, according to him, is of no concern to the governed and should therefore be neglected as evidence that he is an unfit president. The duties of the governed in this situation would to be to support their president and forgive his apologies, but then to also stay out of the private affairs that belong to him. No matter who is involved with the government, they are always just innocent civilians themselves making along in this world. Who is a citizen to say anything bad about their leader when the matters at hand do not effect the way the country is ran? In this way Clinton blatantly states the duties of the governed and of the government through his apology to the nation... that in the end, wasn't really an apology at all.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
Blog 18 Week 4 (2nd IRB Post) 1-17-12
Title: Heaven Is For Real
Author: Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent
Section 2 Read: Chapters 10-18 (Pgs 47-98)
This section of the reading is the concluding pages of the original event the 3-year-old Colton endures when his abdomen experiences a life-threatening emergency involving his appendix and excess abscess that needed to be cleaned out. The beginning of this section reveals Colton is getting better after his first surgery, but then when the parents are about to walk out the hospital doors to finally take their little boy home the doctor yells for them to stop; new problems have came up. Apparently a second surgery would be needed. As Colton has a second bout of problems his parents are literally dying on the inside, and when he finally gets better and is actually problem-free they take him home.
It is after this when Colton begins to speak religiously and speak of Jesus and of his importance. As a 3-year-old Colton knows virtually nothing of the sort, pre-school sunday school does not teach details about the bible. Yet soon, Colton is revealing that he has actually seen heaven, he has seen Jesus, he has seen the baby his mother once lost in a miscarriage before he was born, and he has met family that died before he was even born. This section of the book is Colton revealing everything he has seen and experienced when he left his body when he was in the hospital and visited God and Jesus in heaven. Colton reveals that Jesus told Colton he needed to go back to answer the prayers of his father, and the family is frozen with astonishment as Colton continues tell stories of God and the bible that he could never have possibly known on his own. Therefore he must be telling the truth because of the validity of his answers to every direct question.
The purpose for this section of the book is to show how the author (Colton's father) was convinced that his son was telling the truth. To convey to the audience that if a Pastor was convinced of this actions then it is a pretty valid argument for the audience to believe in it as well. I believe the author is credible because all of the information is primary information and there are also other witnesses to back up everything his father has written about in this book. The context of this section is Colton's revelations about his experience and the family's need to document every word in order to show the world of the miracles God really does perform.
Rhetorical Devices Used:
Credible Quotes: The author has listed quotes from the bible that back up everything Colton has explained and described. These quotes show that Colton is telling the truth and not just making things up on the spot.
Ethos: Ethos is used because the author has credible in this situation because his son is the main point of the entire book. Having first-hand information in this case makes ethos a valid rhetorical device for this book.
Logos: Logos is used when Colton expresses everything he sees in heaven. He says things that Jesus told him to do and what to say and what the truth is about different events. And since everything he says can be proven by the bible quotes offered by the father who is a pastor and the author in this case, then it is logical to believe everything Colton offers to the table.
The purpose of the author was achieved because it clearly shows his belief in his son and that everything his son says is true and believable. By showing the audience that be believes his own son he proves to the audience and to his readers that they will be able to believe his son as well.
Author: Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent
Section 2 Read: Chapters 10-18 (Pgs 47-98)
This section of the reading is the concluding pages of the original event the 3-year-old Colton endures when his abdomen experiences a life-threatening emergency involving his appendix and excess abscess that needed to be cleaned out. The beginning of this section reveals Colton is getting better after his first surgery, but then when the parents are about to walk out the hospital doors to finally take their little boy home the doctor yells for them to stop; new problems have came up. Apparently a second surgery would be needed. As Colton has a second bout of problems his parents are literally dying on the inside, and when he finally gets better and is actually problem-free they take him home.
It is after this when Colton begins to speak religiously and speak of Jesus and of his importance. As a 3-year-old Colton knows virtually nothing of the sort, pre-school sunday school does not teach details about the bible. Yet soon, Colton is revealing that he has actually seen heaven, he has seen Jesus, he has seen the baby his mother once lost in a miscarriage before he was born, and he has met family that died before he was even born. This section of the book is Colton revealing everything he has seen and experienced when he left his body when he was in the hospital and visited God and Jesus in heaven. Colton reveals that Jesus told Colton he needed to go back to answer the prayers of his father, and the family is frozen with astonishment as Colton continues tell stories of God and the bible that he could never have possibly known on his own. Therefore he must be telling the truth because of the validity of his answers to every direct question.
The purpose for this section of the book is to show how the author (Colton's father) was convinced that his son was telling the truth. To convey to the audience that if a Pastor was convinced of this actions then it is a pretty valid argument for the audience to believe in it as well. I believe the author is credible because all of the information is primary information and there are also other witnesses to back up everything his father has written about in this book. The context of this section is Colton's revelations about his experience and the family's need to document every word in order to show the world of the miracles God really does perform.
Rhetorical Devices Used:
Credible Quotes: The author has listed quotes from the bible that back up everything Colton has explained and described. These quotes show that Colton is telling the truth and not just making things up on the spot.
Ethos: Ethos is used because the author has credible in this situation because his son is the main point of the entire book. Having first-hand information in this case makes ethos a valid rhetorical device for this book.
Logos: Logos is used when Colton expresses everything he sees in heaven. He says things that Jesus told him to do and what to say and what the truth is about different events. And since everything he says can be proven by the bible quotes offered by the father who is a pastor and the author in this case, then it is logical to believe everything Colton offers to the table.
The purpose of the author was achieved because it clearly shows his belief in his son and that everything his son says is true and believable. By showing the audience that be believes his own son he proves to the audience and to his readers that they will be able to believe his son as well.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Blog 17 (Week 3) (Written) 1-9-12
Ambler Gazette: Business Section..
Article: 8 Things You Shouldn't Buy in Winter
Author: Matt Brownell
The organization of this article is written in a list formation with a description under each item. The "8 Things You Shouldn't Buy in Winter" are: Vegetables grown in the summer, warm-weather items, camping gear, suitcases, computers, snowblowers, cars, and linens. The context of this article is that it is currently the winter month of January where a lot of stores advocate their "white sales" and try to sell a lot for the start of the new year. While the author who wrote this article obviously wrote it in the hopes that he would be saving some people some bucks during the winter.
This piece was obviously an inferred opinion based on observations by the author on certain items during this time in the year and the way he introduced the list of items created a credible back ground knowledge because he used wording that was reader friendly. It made me, as a reader, trust his words and want to read on to see what he had to say. In the article there is also a visual so it attracts visual people as well and adds to the interest of the article. Rhetorical devices he uses are:
1) Organization -- Organization is the most important rhetorical device in this piece because it is easy on the eyes of the reader which leads to an interesting and easy read. The list-type style of the article gets the author's point across but also gives the reader the facts quickly and efficiently.
2) Statistics -- Statistics are used to give some credibility to the author's claim. He states different facts about various stores but that backs it up with a quote that gives him credibility and ability to write that fact in his article.
3) Ethos -- The author shows his credibility for writing this list/article through quotes, facts, and real-life situations. Since this is an Ambler news source this means that the article was written from a credible person who lives in the area. The statistics and his establishment of credibility go hand in hand in order to effectively achieve the purpose of this article.
The author achieved his purpose because his credibility proves his ability to write the article and for people to read this and believe him. I say this from a reader's standpoint and am now going to tell my mother to never buy summer vegetables in the winter.
Article: 8 Things You Shouldn't Buy in Winter
Author: Matt Brownell
The organization of this article is written in a list formation with a description under each item. The "8 Things You Shouldn't Buy in Winter" are: Vegetables grown in the summer, warm-weather items, camping gear, suitcases, computers, snowblowers, cars, and linens. The context of this article is that it is currently the winter month of January where a lot of stores advocate their "white sales" and try to sell a lot for the start of the new year. While the author who wrote this article obviously wrote it in the hopes that he would be saving some people some bucks during the winter.
This piece was obviously an inferred opinion based on observations by the author on certain items during this time in the year and the way he introduced the list of items created a credible back ground knowledge because he used wording that was reader friendly. It made me, as a reader, trust his words and want to read on to see what he had to say. In the article there is also a visual so it attracts visual people as well and adds to the interest of the article. Rhetorical devices he uses are:
1) Organization -- Organization is the most important rhetorical device in this piece because it is easy on the eyes of the reader which leads to an interesting and easy read. The list-type style of the article gets the author's point across but also gives the reader the facts quickly and efficiently.
2) Statistics -- Statistics are used to give some credibility to the author's claim. He states different facts about various stores but that backs it up with a quote that gives him credibility and ability to write that fact in his article.
3) Ethos -- The author shows his credibility for writing this list/article through quotes, facts, and real-life situations. Since this is an Ambler news source this means that the article was written from a credible person who lives in the area. The statistics and his establishment of credibility go hand in hand in order to effectively achieve the purpose of this article.
The author achieved his purpose because his credibility proves his ability to write the article and for people to read this and believe him. I say this from a reader's standpoint and am now going to tell my mother to never buy summer vegetables in the winter.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Blog 16 (Week 2) (Magazine Cover) 1-2-12
This magazine cover is from the December 2011 issue of Elle Magazine. Looking at all the subtopics it mentions, the context of the magazine is the holidays. To the bottom left it clearly says "Gift Guide!" and since it is the most eye-catching (because of the large font size) that alludes to the context. The purpose for this magazine is to attract women (of all ages) and to appeal to their sense of fashion and femininity by persuading them to purchase the magazine and possibly taking the advice of holiday "gift ideas" that is inside the magazine itself. Placing a well-known celebrity on the cover also intrigues people because they are drawn to the popularity of celebrities. I was able to tell this magazine was for women because one of the sub-topics in the upper left hand corner says "the perfect party dress". Obviously that is aimed at women who are looking for new clothes for a new years party or holiday party. Unless men are now wearing dresses (besides the female wanna-bes) this magazine is based on female personality and desire.
The rhetorical devices used in this magazine cover are:
1) Placement/Arrangement - placement and arrangement are used with the celebrity picture and the surrounding captions. The biggest words are obviously arranged and placed that way because of the certain attraction to that topic the magazine editors wanted to intrigue. The placement of the title, in all capital letters and on the top of the page is there for people to quickly identify the magazine they are looking at.
2) Contrast - Contrast is used with the color scheme. There is an all white back round dotted with black and harsh red letters that make the words stand out. There is also the celebrity photo with her tan skin that stands out when compared to the white back round. This rhetorical device helps intrigue readers because of the appeal to their vision.
3)Punctuation Style - In this case i believe punctuation style is a rhetorical device because the sporadic apostrophe marks seem inviting in the eyes of the reader. If the punctuation is exciting then the readers will feel the same way. And it is because of this that it is a rhetorical device used to achieve the editors purpose for the magazine.
The purpose is achieved for this magazine if a lot of people bought the magazine and also brought business to the stores that are promoted within the magazine as well. Since the magazine is fairly popular, I would say that the purpose was indeed achieved.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Blog 15 (Week 1) (Written) 12-19-11
For this blog post I analyzed seventeen.com (the website version of the magazine) and I read through the pages and analyzed the set up as well as compared and contrasted it to the magazine version.
http://www.seventeen.com/
First of all, the context of this magazine/website is current fashion, current trends, and current celebrity gossip that is directed to the teenaged girl population of America. Every month this magazine comes out with a brand new spread, and the cover always consists of the same elements. There is always a celebrity or a model that is posing a friendly/inviting way... with surrounding captions that intrigue readers into buying the magazine. For example, an issue might have on the cover "15 Great Gifts for Guys" which is a great way to relate to the current context of time and always makes people buy the magazine. Something I realized while flipping through a seventeen magazine was that the front cover conveys the articles that are hidden underneath the title page with a lot more energy and interest then the actual articles themselves. The captions draw viewers in but then the piece they wish to view seems to not reach expectations... although that could be personal preference it is an observation that I made.
While browsing through the website I took note of all pages and the design of the website. The site is jam-packed with pictures, vibrant colors, and many sections to choose from to browse the site. They have pages for fashion, quizzes, celebrities, love life, and others. Within the tabs the pieces that lay within are quite concise. Compared to the magazine version the online articles are very short and there are twice as many. While the magazine has a few articles but they can be pretty lengthy. In this case I would make the argument that the use of conciseness is a rhetorical device used to reach the editors purpose of drawing as many readers in as possible while making a profit if readers decide to sign up for the monthly magazine. Another rhetorical device used in the website is arrangement. The tabs for the various pages are arranged from fashion, to celebrities/gossip, to personal teenaged stuff like college and prom. Articles are also arranged with pictures on the left and writing on the right side while the pictures are large the captions or articles are fairly short which gives the page a certain picture book feel. The pictures are what most likely draw people in in the first place.
I feel like the editors did achieve their purpose because the seventeen magazine is found in every convenience store nationwide and has millions of regular readers and viewers on its website.
http://www.seventeen.com/
First of all, the context of this magazine/website is current fashion, current trends, and current celebrity gossip that is directed to the teenaged girl population of America. Every month this magazine comes out with a brand new spread, and the cover always consists of the same elements. There is always a celebrity or a model that is posing a friendly/inviting way... with surrounding captions that intrigue readers into buying the magazine. For example, an issue might have on the cover "15 Great Gifts for Guys" which is a great way to relate to the current context of time and always makes people buy the magazine. Something I realized while flipping through a seventeen magazine was that the front cover conveys the articles that are hidden underneath the title page with a lot more energy and interest then the actual articles themselves. The captions draw viewers in but then the piece they wish to view seems to not reach expectations... although that could be personal preference it is an observation that I made.
While browsing through the website I took note of all pages and the design of the website. The site is jam-packed with pictures, vibrant colors, and many sections to choose from to browse the site. They have pages for fashion, quizzes, celebrities, love life, and others. Within the tabs the pieces that lay within are quite concise. Compared to the magazine version the online articles are very short and there are twice as many. While the magazine has a few articles but they can be pretty lengthy. In this case I would make the argument that the use of conciseness is a rhetorical device used to reach the editors purpose of drawing as many readers in as possible while making a profit if readers decide to sign up for the monthly magazine. Another rhetorical device used in the website is arrangement. The tabs for the various pages are arranged from fashion, to celebrities/gossip, to personal teenaged stuff like college and prom. Articles are also arranged with pictures on the left and writing on the right side while the pictures are large the captions or articles are fairly short which gives the page a certain picture book feel. The pictures are what most likely draw people in in the first place.
I feel like the editors did achieve their purpose because the seventeen magazine is found in every convenience store nationwide and has millions of regular readers and viewers on its website.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Blog 14 (week 5) (IRB!!) (MP2)
Independent Reading Post Number 1 or MP2
Title of Book: Heaven Is For Real
Author: Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent
Section I read: 6 Page prologue with first 9 chapters (Pages 1 - 47)
The book is a memoir about the author's son Colton. Todd Burpo (the father) is a young pastor from Imperial, Nebraska who has shared more then his fair share of medical atrocities in his life. He has a wife named Sonja and two children, Cassie and Colton. The prologue is a scene taken from somewhere near the end of the book, while the first chapter starts a year before the prologue. This section of the book explains Todd's life before his son had his medical emergency that brought him to the brink of death. Todd had suffered a broken leg, kidney stones, and a breast cancer scare all within the same seven months. Then the month came where he was not limping anymore and he took his family to an insect "amusement park" where they were celebrating Todd's renewed health. But the trip took a devilish turn when his son began to get sick. After about five days of non-stop throwing up and two hospitals that gave no answers, Todd and his wife take Colton to a different hospital where they rush him into surgery to clean his body from an ruptured appendix. The section ends where Colton is now home from emergency surgery and is being taken care of my nurses who come to their home and by his parents.
Although the book is about Colton's near death experience and how he begins to have visions of heaven and angels, that part of the book has not happened yet. The context of this section was during a time of needed faith by the Burpo family and their struggle to keep their family together. Todd's purpose for writing this book was to get his true story out to the public to prove to the world that heaven and God IS indeed real. His audience is anyone who picks up the book to read it.
Rhetorical Devices:
Pathos: Todd uses extreme imagery to describe his son and his near death experiences. He uses words like "sunken eyes" and "weeping silently" and uses family to appeal to the audiences emotions.
Anaphora: On page 27 Todd says the words "we wanted" or "we needed" in about 6 consecutive sentences in order to get a point across to audience by using this kind o repetition.
Appositives: Todd uses appositives to explain the doctors and hospitals and situations more clearly.. for example on page 11 he explains who the doctor is by using an appositive.
The purpose Todd is trying to achieve by writing this book is effective because it is already convincing me that heaven and God is real and I am only a fourth way into the book.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Blog 13 (week 4) ( MP2) (Article)
Source: Sciencemag.org (science journal/news website)
Article: Chorus of presidents. rock stars, and industry titans calls for the end to AIDS.
This article was found within a science journal website with the intent of informing readers of the current president and past presidents view points on the standing predicament with AIDS. Singers like Bono and Elton John were present at this affair as well as scientists and authorized MDs. The event to discuss the AIDS epidemic took place on December 1st and the context of the meeting was that it was a national holiday for AIDS awareness.
The author's purpose was to convey that many cultural people as well as political people all take part in the act to raise awarenss of AIDS and to stop the epidemic from escalading any further.. It shows that a bunch of people from different back grounds are able to push differences aside in order to solve a global issue and show unity within the people. The audience is every person in the United States as well as people affected by AIDS globally in order to show awareness to not just this country but to others as well.
Rhetorical devices used :
Pathos - draws the passion for AIDS topic from survivors, people who were affected by it, and it appeals to people nationally who are for unity.
Quotations - quotations are used in order to have proof of the context of the situation and of the actual people who were at the meeting for AIDS
Urgency - urgency could be a rhetorical device in this case because it is used throughout the entire article as a key term to moving the audience to take action in the AIDS awareness cause. Which further promotes the author's overall purpose.
symbolism - this whole event of a bunch of different people from different aspects of culture are coming together for a certain cause and to promote a certain awareness for the benefit of America and more importantly victims of AIDS. This is symbolic to past events that involved all sorts of leaders coming together to make a decision in America.... which could relate to the signing of the declaration of independence, or the revolutionary war where a bunch of colonies that had almost nothing in common came together for a certain cause. So this article symbolizes another step in American unity.
I believe that the author did achieve their purpose because it has reached a public viewer such as myself and has reached others. This event was national and also made the news.
Article: Chorus of presidents. rock stars, and industry titans calls for the end to AIDS.
This article was found within a science journal website with the intent of informing readers of the current president and past presidents view points on the standing predicament with AIDS. Singers like Bono and Elton John were present at this affair as well as scientists and authorized MDs. The event to discuss the AIDS epidemic took place on December 1st and the context of the meeting was that it was a national holiday for AIDS awareness.
The author's purpose was to convey that many cultural people as well as political people all take part in the act to raise awarenss of AIDS and to stop the epidemic from escalading any further.. It shows that a bunch of people from different back grounds are able to push differences aside in order to solve a global issue and show unity within the people. The audience is every person in the United States as well as people affected by AIDS globally in order to show awareness to not just this country but to others as well.
Rhetorical devices used :
Pathos - draws the passion for AIDS topic from survivors, people who were affected by it, and it appeals to people nationally who are for unity.
Quotations - quotations are used in order to have proof of the context of the situation and of the actual people who were at the meeting for AIDS
Urgency - urgency could be a rhetorical device in this case because it is used throughout the entire article as a key term to moving the audience to take action in the AIDS awareness cause. Which further promotes the author's overall purpose.
symbolism - this whole event of a bunch of different people from different aspects of culture are coming together for a certain cause and to promote a certain awareness for the benefit of America and more importantly victims of AIDS. This is symbolic to past events that involved all sorts of leaders coming together to make a decision in America.... which could relate to the signing of the declaration of independence, or the revolutionary war where a bunch of colonies that had almost nothing in common came together for a certain cause. So this article symbolizes another step in American unity.
I believe that the author did achieve their purpose because it has reached a public viewer such as myself and has reached others. This event was national and also made the news.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)