Rhetorical Analysis Done Well!

 

In the article Straight from the Heart by Tim Collins about Marie Fatayi-Williams speech, I believe he done a good job on analyzing her speech. He gives more in depth details about how Marie feels about losing her son, Anthony, in a terrorist bombing and has not been found. This is an example of logos. Tim still gets the message across that all Marie wants to do is find her son and wants to know why someone would do this to such a great person. As I read this article, I could feel the pain that Marie is feeling. This is due to the pathos that he used. I believe that Tim used ethos well in this article as well. He knew a lot of information about this tragic loss and the effect it had on Marie. He also uses his own experience to understand what Marie is going through.

However, I think that Marie’s speech should have been addressed first and then Tim’s. I was a little lost reading Tim’s first but once I read Marie’s speech, I then understood what Tim was saying and could relate it to Marie’s speech.

I think the content-lexical ties are used well in this article as well. I believe each paragraph flows to the next well.

Analyzing a Rhetorical Analysis.

             
          In assignment 2 we will be finding an article that is interesting to us and then analyze the way that writer writes and uses rhetoric to gain a better understanding of what the author is trying to say. We will be picking apart the article and instead of being the writer, we will actually be like the teacher for this assignment. We will be analyzing anything interesting to us including, logos, pathos, ethos, content-lexical ties, transitions, paragraphing, and sentence structure. We will be dividing a whole into parts to understand how an act of speaking or writing conveys meaning. We will have to summarize what the author is saying in our words to our audience and directly quoting the most important or representative claims first so that audience will understand our analysis. We will need to state our conclusion about the overall quality or effectiveness of the argument and if it convinced us and why or why not. If we find that the article used logos poorly, then we should summarize or quote some evidence of poor logos and explain why it is so poor.  We can research our author’s background or the article’s questionable claims to discover more information that can help analyze its rhetoric. We can also research what else has been said or written on the topic we choose.

Self-Review is a Great Process!

               

               When I started to write this essay I didn’t think I was going to be able to come up with the required word count. On my rough draft I was short but after doing the self-review, I was able to meet the requirements. I think the self-review helps me to not only revise my paper but also makes sure I hit all the points I need to.

                I wrote my essay according to the requirements of the paper. I explained my prewriting, drafting, revising, and organizational strategies to the best I could. I included my weaknesses and strengths to each strategy I found that Brooklyn Earnheart and I have many similarities in our writing process. I made sure to include any improvements that I could make to each strategy as well. I wrote my paper in the MLA format, well to the best that I knew how, hopefully it was the correct way.

                I wrote my essay the best way I knew how and think that I done a good job considering I am not a very good writer. I only hope to gain tips and hints throughout this class that can make me a better writer. I think the self-review is a great start.

My Writng Process Compared To My Peers.

             

 

 

 

 

   After reading several peers blogs, I found that Jason Ledure and I have some things in common as well as differences. We both dread writing a paper and procrastinate. I don’t think I would procrastinate as much if I enjoyed writing papers and could come up with enjoyable things to write about. On the other hand, a radio is essential for Jason to write. I am the total opposite. I can’t concentrate if I have distractions, such as my dog bothering me as I type this!

                In Brooklyn Earnheart’s writing process, we both use a mapping diagram and then we actually write the essay on paper first. I have never been able to just sit down at a computer and type away. We both then type the essay and use the wonderful spell check button.

                As I went down the blog roll form looking at everyone’s writing process, I was beginning to think that my writing process did not compare to anyone’s. Everyone has their own unique way of writing a paper. After reading a lot of different methods, I have gained several ideas of ways to, hopefully, write a successful paper. Now if I could just find a way to come up with a topic to write about and supporting sentences.

Dogs are Human too!

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          Pets are like kids to some people, including me, so these products will ease some owners minds while away from home and also keep the pet healthy. Pet products are going high tech from tracking devices to a motorized, toy varmint that’s tough enough to withstand a big dog’s chomp. One such product is a tag embedded with an accelerometer that registers your dog’s every move and feeds you the data via a smartphone app. This device can also track its health. Some other products the article talks about are feeding bowls to challenge the animal to make sure they don’t eat too fast.   The article can be found at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/technology/personaltech/new-devices-mind-pets-while-owners-are-away.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0.

 

         I found in paragraph two where it talks about 2/3 of Americans share their homes with an animal, according to the American Pet Products Association, perhaps is shouldn’t be a surprise that pet care is going high tech that the writer uses logos. Due to a belief that there is that many people interested in such devices is why they should be mass produced with many different options to fit each owner specifically.

 

         Pathos is used in paragraph four and five. It talks about how the owner can monitor the dogs every move throughout the day and can alert the owner if it is stressed or suffering from some other ailment.

 

          In paragraph 12 and 13 it says “Mrs. Wickens’s company sells three sizes of treadmills for dogs costing $500 to $1,000. Demand, she said, has doubled since her first model went on sale five years ago. She is the cofounder of Petzen so due to her title she must know the best sort of device that would work based on her expert opinion of what is the most popular. This is an example of ethos.

Three persuasive words.

                                            

 

         Logos, ethos, and pathos are three words I had never heard of until now. These three elements are all means of persuasion when writing a paper. Logos are logical appeals to persuading an audience by reason and must have evidence to support what you write. Ethos is an appeal based on credibility or character and having knowledge of the subject. Pathos means persuading by appealing to the reader’s emotions.

Examples of each are;

Logos- “In 15 years of driving, I have never had a wreck.”

Ethos- “The Humane Society says that a cat would be the best option for our lifestyle.”

Pathos- “You should consider walking in the daylight. I heard that there are more crimes at night on this       street.”

        Knowing about logos, pathos, and ethos can help construct a good argument with the audience in mind. One can get a visual of what you are trying to express if they can relate to the subject. It also gives you the opportunity to do some research to prove your point

Audience's and Thesis Statements Purpose

        

            Audience is the main key when writing a paper. If your audience is young kids then you want to use simple, uncomplicated words that they can relate to. If you have a more advanced audience then use more complex words with more structured sentences so they feel like they are reading something from an educated writer.

            Thinking about the topic you are going to write about is another element essential in writing a paper for different audiences. A more advanced topic is needed for  an academic audience. A person that has no interest in certain topic will most likely not even want to read the paper.

           

            Thesis statements are the most important sentence in the first paragraph. This sentence identifies what the paper is going to be about. The statement has to be proved throughout the paper. The thesis statement should be clear, detailed, and purposeful. Academic audiences are going to enjoy reading a paper when the thesis statement is an attention grabber.

            PEE paragraphs are an important structure for writing a paper as well. If the main idea of the paragraph relates to the thesis, evidence supports your point and thesis, and your explanation tells the reader how the evidence supports your point and thesis, then, you have successfully written a PEE paragraph. With this said, everything reflects on the thesis statement, therefore, make sure your thesis is very meaningful.

My writing style.

            After being out of high school for 11 years and not having to worry about writing papers, it’s definitely a difficult task for me now. To be honest, I never have enjoyed writing papers or taking English classes in school. I previously took English Composition 1 last spring but had to drop out due to unexpected hospitalization and surgery. The weeks I was in the class, I learned a lot.

           

            I like to write everything on paper and then type on the computer. I feel as if it’s easier to scribble something out verses deleting on computer, makes no sense, I know! I also have troubles coming up with subjects to write about or correlating sentences to the subject when I just type it on the computer.

           

Webbing or mapping is an excellent idea to come up with corresponding elements to your topic. You can broaden your ideas by just adding circles to your map. I learned how to web or map out your topic in high school but the n once in English composition in the spring, I learned so much more about it and use it every time I need to write something.

           

I most definitely have to have a quiet environment in order to have an essay that makes sense or is worth reading. I can’t concentrate if I have any distractions. Sometimes I may ask people what they think about the subject to get other input. I also like to use the internet for a resource to help open up more ideas that I may not have thought of.