First Checkpoint For Satire Project 3.18.2017

In class, we were assigned to work on a satire project on the topic of couch potatoes. During this week, my group and I worked on the script.We first made an outline to plan out our ideas. In our satirical piece, horation will be used. We decided to start our presentation as a news station broadcasting and then make it into a talk show. In addition, we have decided to use inversion, incongruity, and parody for our satirical piece. The topic of couch potatoes will be announced as a worldwide disease. Then, we will have a talk show discussing if the issue of couch potatoes is really a big deal. As of now, our group has wrote half of the script, and we plan to finish it by Monday.

The Word Police 3.4.2017

          Michiko Kakutani's article "The Word Police" is about the use of politically correct language. Political correctness is using neutral words that include all humankind. The world does not just consist of one type race and one gender, but it includes all kinds of people. According to Kakutani, the political correctness "police" are advocating for a reform in the English language, so it wouldn't be sexist or racist. The most common example used as an argument is gender-oriented words. For example, the waiter or waitress both indicate a gender. The P.C. police argue that instead of this gender based word, we should use waitron or waitperson to avoid addressing gender. Throughout the entire article, Kakutani uses the viewpoint of those who want a reform in the language to explain how words that are not neutral put a label on a person. However, Kakutani himself does not really agree with the movement and somewhat undermines it with his verbal irony.

Meaningless Words 2.4.2017

          Some writers purposely use large and complex words to make their writing seem more advanced. However, the use of these words play the opposite effect. According to George Orwell, these words serve no purpose and instead cause the author's main idea to be confusing. In reality, many people still use meaningless words. For example, Donald Trump uses the word "great" often, but the word is vaguely used and has no meaning in the context of what he is saying. Another example is the word "natural" in food advertisements. The word "natural" has no specific meaning, but is used just to make a product more appealing. Orwell believes that these jargon words can also cause readers to interpret a text differently compared to its original purpose.

          Orwell makes a strong argument about the negatives of using meaningless words in his text "Politics and the English Language." In the text, he starts off with giving examples of words that he considers meaningless, such as the use of the words "romantic, plastic, values, human, dead, sentimental..." in art criticism. This use of examples causes the reader to think about the use of these words and realize Orwell's point that these words have no meaning. Orwell makes his argument even more convincing with his comparison of a well-known verse from Ecclesiastes to what it would be written like in modern English. This comparison shows that modern English makes a text difficult to comprehend and seem desperate to sound sophisticated. Writing with complex words is not always a good thing if the word is just a filler with no meaning. If a writer has to think twice about putting a word in his/her writing, he/she should search for a new one. 

Does Affirmative Action Actually Benefit the Unprivileged? 1.14.17

          Affirmative action is a policy that was originally meant to promote equality and prevent discrimination. According to the article "Affirmative Action: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly," affirmative action is not always beneficial. When the author, Vijay Jojo Chokal-Ingam, says that affirmative action discriminates against him for being an Asian American, I couldn't help, but agree. Throughout my life, I've been told to work harder and to do better than the average excelling student since I am Asian. In society, many believe that it is normal for Asians to excel, so affirmative action discriminates against them believing that they are not a disadvantaged race. As mentioned in the article, the stereotype of blacks and Hispanics being poor and needing help still remains. This causes a disadvantage to those of other races who actually unprivileged and need help.

          In the article, the author is strongly against affirmative action. He uses anecdotes from his personal life to support his position. The author mentions that he got waitlisted to a prestigious school even though he had a low GPA. He believes that this was most likely because of affirmative action, which shows that it is unfair to people of other races. The author furthers his argument by using rhetorical questions. For example, he uses the question "Did they think that every black kid comes from the ‘hood?" This question was used to show how offensive affirmative action was to the African American race. It also shows how this policy discriminates people based off of stereotypes. Overall, colleges and universities should not put race in the factor when evaluating people.

Language, Gender, and Race 12.31.2016

           Have you ever tried to defy a stereotype because you didn't want to be the typical person of your gender and race? In the article "I spent my life trying to defy race and gender stereotypes. Here's why I stopped." by Erica Williams Simon, she describes the many gender and racial stereotypes of a person. For example, she mentions the stereotype that Asians love math and women are sensitive. Simon also gives an anecdote of her own personal experience about a teacher who thought that she, a black woman, was uneducated and unintelligent. In reality, stereotypes do exist, and they are words that are placed on a group of people to separate them by race and gender. These words greatly impact how we view one another. The language used in stereotypes creates an image of how a person of a particular gender and/or race would look like. For instance, if someone were to ask you to picture a woman, you would most likely imagine a person who is frail and delicate, and not a muscular person. These types of stereotypes tend to limit people and cause them to not be themselves. Some would try to meet the stereotype, while others would want to be different from the typical image and defy their stereotype. Simon ends her article by saying that we shouldn't try to follow a stereotype or purposely defy and just be ourselves. I agree with her statement because stereotype does not define an individual person.

There Is No Unmarked Woman 12.17.2016

          What is the definition of the word "marked"? According to Deborah Tannen, the word "marked" refers to the way language is altered from its base word. In "There Is No Unmarked Woman", Tannen argues that in society women are marked while men are not. I agree with her claim because in society, there is no plain and "unmarked" woman who would not be judged by others. In my own personal experience, people would judge me for when I walk out with sweatpants instead of something that is considered more "fashionable." After reading this paper, I started to question why women aren't the unmarked gender in society even though they are the "unmarked" gender biologically.
          Throughout the entire paper, Deborah Tannen makes an effective argument. She starts off an anecdote and descriptive evidence. This gives the reader a visible image and a greater understanding of the topic. It also makes argument more convincing because it shows how this issue is evident in society. Tannen then uses hypothetical examples about what people would say of a woman based on her clothing. For example, she says that if a woman wears clothes that are too tight and revealing, people will say that she wants to be attractive. The use of hypothetical examples makes her argument effective because it reflects the thoughts of society. Towards the end of Tannen's paper, she uses logos to discuss the chromosomes of a male and a female and explain how women are the biologically unmarked gender. This use of reasoning raises the question of why society makes women the marked gender when they are not. Through the use of rhetorical devices, Tannen makes a strong argument.

Analysis of Pillow Angel Ethics 12.3.2016

          What does it mean for something to be ethical? The article "Pillow Angel Ethics" discusses the case of Ashley, a brain-damaged girl who is sterilized to keep her small. There has been controversy to this issue, and people argue whether or not the parents made an ethical decision. In class, we talked about how a criteria is needed to evaluate the ethics of a topic and that a nation's ethics will not always be the same as one's morals. This is relatable in reality because everyone has his or her own thoughts, and as humans, we tend to disagree with what others think is right, which is probably why there has been a split in sides of Ashley's case. I personally think that the parents decision was unethical because of its violation to both my morals and my ethical criteria.

          Throughout this article, the author provides evidence and reasoning for both sides. She uses expert opinions to explain why the doctors believed it was ethical. For example, she uses Dr. Daniel Gunther's statement that because of the treatment Ashley's risk for cancer has decreased and there were no long-term risks. By using an expert opinion, her evidence is more credible and convincing. However, her explanations for the parents motives makes the case seem unethical. According to the author, the parents just assume that stopping the growth of their child would make her happy. The parents used the logical fallacy, slippery slope, to try to make themselves seem as if they were doing the right thing. One can't just assume what another wants. Ashley's parents are not mind readers; they do not know what Ashley truly wants. Due to the use of a slippery slope, the parents' action seems unethical. The author then uses rhetorical questions at the end of the article to emphasize the ethics of the situation again. A rhetorical question that the author uses is "How can it be O.K. to make someone "unnaturally" taller but not smaller?"  This question makes the author seem to lean towards the ethical side because it raises the question of whether or not changing a child's physical structure in general is ethical. Overall, the author tries to stay objective; however, it can be argued on what side the author actually leans toward.

Logical Fallacies 11.25.2016

          Logical fallacies can be seen on a daily basis. For example, ad hominem can be seen in the presidential election when the candidates attack one another instead of the actual argument at hand.  Another example is slippery slope, which can be seen by the reasoning that parents tend to give their children. Unknowingly, we all sometimes use logical fallacies out of frustration. However, the use of logical fallacies is usually not effective and always unprofessional. This week we made posters for logical fallacies. The fallacies that my partner and I chose was ad hominem. The advertisement below was an interesting example of ad hominem that I found.

         This advertisement uses pathos through its word choice of the word "problem" and its dark background, which creates a serious tone. This may seem like an effective advertisement at first, but after carefully examining it, this advertisement makes a weak argument. The advertisement does not mention how Romney is a problem and provides no evidence to support this statement. If the advertisement included some of Romney's policies to support this statement, it would have been an effective argument, but it did not. This is an example of ad hominem because it is an attack on the person directly with no evidence to show how this statement is even related to the actual argument.

Analysis on "Don't Fight Flames With Flames" 11.19.16

          The article "Don't Fight Flames With Flames" is about arguments on social media. The author's viewpoint on this topic is that a person could never win an argument on social media. I agree with this point of view because of my own experience. Although I have never gotten into an argument on social media, I have seen many, and most of them didn't end well and never really ended at all. The author's point of view is pretty understandable in the real world. All humans have an opinion about something and not everyone agrees with these opinions, which is why not everyone is vocal about it. However, with social media, people feel protected behind a screen, which causes them to be more vocal and have more hateful comments. With all these different opinions clashing, it is hard for a single person to win an argument online.

          This article is effectively developed through the use of rhetorical devices, such as imagery and word choice. An example of imagery is when the author states, "My phone lit up like flashing Christmas lights as hate-filled messages were hurled at me." Through this statement, the author gives the reader an image of how fast the hate comments were coming. This helps make his argument more effective because it shows that with all these messages coming at once, it is hard for a single person to respond to all of them and try to prove his or her point. Another use of imagery is when the author compares an argument online with an argument between a husband and a wife. This helps effectively develop the author's argument because it creates a visual image of an argument on social media for those who don't use it. The author uses a lot of word choice to develop his argument. One of his word choice is "constructive conversation." By using the word "constructive," the author says that an educational argument is difficult to have online, which connects back to his original argument that an argument on social media could never be won. This connects to his argument because in an constructive conversation, people would try to understand each other's point of view and try to come to a consensus, but if an argument is not constructive, the argument would go on and on with no one actually winning. Another example of word choice is the word "abort." The author uses word this to emphasize how heated an online argument would be and that the best option would be to "abort" the argument instead of trying to win it. Through the use of imagery and word choice, the author effectively builds his argument.

Analysis of "Why You Should Fear Your Toaster More Than Nuclear Power" 11.4.2016

          Is nuclear power truly dangerous? This issue is discussed in the paper "Why You Should Fear Your Toaster More Than Nuclear Power." The author's purpose of this paper is to explain why nuclear power is beneficial and not as dangerous as we thought. I found this position to be somewhat shocking since I previously believed that nuclear power was harmful. This was most likely because in this day and age, social media is everywhere, and it mostly talks about all the dangers of nuclear power and not its benefits, which causes many of the modern day people to imagine mutated animals and tumors when nuclear power is mentioned.
          Throughout the paper, the author uses rhetorical techniques, such as logos and another source's ethos. In the paper, the author uses logos by comparing many objects that were thought to be harmless, such a toaster and a brick wall, to nuclear power. Comparing two objects shows a use of logos because it makes a logical connection that if a brick is emits more radiation than nuclear power plants, then nuclear power may not be as dangerous as what we believe. This rhetorical appeal is extremely effective because many people in the world would have never thought that a brick had the ability to emit radiation; therefore by using a brick wall as a comparison, it really puts an emphasis on the fact that nuclear power is harmless. The comparison between the toaster and nuclear power gives off the same effect as the comparison between the brick wall and nuclear power. Although the author does not mention his own ethos, he does mention the ethos of the sources he used, which makes his evidence more credible and effective in supporting his position. An example of using another source's ethos is when he uses information from the U.S. Department of Labor. The U.S. Department of Labor is a government source, which makes its evidence credible and reliable. Overall, through the use of rhetorical techniques, this paper is effective and supports its position well.

Analysis for "On the Want of Money" 10.21.2016

      In class, we read an excerpt from "On the Want of Money," an essay written by William Hazlitt in the nineteenth century. The author's position on money is that it is the root of all evil and misfortune. This can be related to in the real world because in reality, people tend to have arguments and separate due to money. I can also relate the author's position because in my own life, I am unable to get what I want because of the cost of the item. We have all most likely stopped to think about money before making a decision. The author supports his position that money steals away happiness through the use of rhetorical techniques, such as word choice and imagery. An example of word choice is the use of the word "falsehood" (31). By using this word, the author conveys his message that money leads to distrust of others since the word "falsehood" has a negative connotation of being untrue. Therefore, if one were "to be assailed on every side with...falsehood" (30-31), it means that the person with money is surrounded by people who put on a face just to deceive him/her. Another example of word choice is the use of the words "constant distress" (29). By using the word "constant," the author emphasizes the continuous stress caused by money, which shows that money only brings problems to a person. In addition to word choice, the author also uses imagery, which is shown when the author states "stand behind a counter, or to sit at a desk in some public office, or to marry your landlady" (16-18). This quote shows imagery because it creates an image of what would happen if one were to be rich. The image that appears from this description is an awful job that involves boring work. Using this imagery emphasizes that to earn money, one must sacrifice his or her happiness. By using imagery and word choice, the author effectively supports his position that money leads to misfortune.

Smoking Time Bomb Advertisement 10.7.2016

In class, we were shown an advertisement about smoking. In this advertisement, a batch of cigarettes are tied to a clock, which represents a time bomb. A time bomb is something that people view with a negative connotation because once it is lit, it counts down until it explodes, which leads to destruction. In the real world, many people have died from diseases caused by smoking. By using a clock and cigarettes as a representation of a time bomb, the speaker (an anti-smoker) conveys the message that smoking takes away time from a person's life and eventually leads to death. The purpose of this advertisement is to convince the audience (the general public) that smoking is harmful.

Overall, this advertisement is effective because of its use of pathos. By using a dark background, the advertisement conveys a serious tone. In addition, the words at the bottom of the image has a huge impact on the audience's emotions. The use of the "destroy" gives off an extremely negative connotation since "destroy" means to bring harm to. This specific word choice appeals to the audience's sense of fear. By conveying this message effectively, the advertisement convinces the audience to stop smoking and to get others to stop smoking as well.

Effectiveness of Donald Trump's Presidential Speech 9.23.2016

Donald Trump uses the rhetorical techniques, pathos, ethos, and logos, to make his speech effective. In his presidential speech, Trump uses a lot of facts and statistics, which show the use of logos. An example of his use of logos is when he says, "Homicides last year increased by 17% in America’s fifty largest cities." By using logos, he is able to use reasoning to show the problems of the United States. Showing the issues of our country can convince the audience that a need for a change is necessary, which is how Trump gets his audience to support him. Trump uses pathos to evoke and appeal to the sense of fear. For example, he states "One such border-crosser...ended the life of an innocent young girl." By stating this, he makes the audience feel sad for the girl who lost her life and made the people hate border-crossers. This statement can easily appeal to parents because it makes them fear that this tragic event might happen to their own child. His ethos is shown when he mentions how he made billions of dollars in business, which can cause people to trust him more when he says that he can make our country rich again. By using rhetorical techniques, Trump's speech is very effective.

Reflection on Bush's 9/11 Speech 9.16.2016

George Bush gives a speech after the 9/11 terrorist attack. Although some may say that his speech was not effective, one can support the point that it was. The purpose of George Bush's speech is to encourage the people of the United States to stay strong and have hope. In his address, he uses ethos, pathos, and logos. However, these three rhetorical techniques are not used equally; pathos is used the most for Bush's speech. For example he says "Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorists acts." This is pathos because he is making the audience feel emotionally upset due to being threatened of their freedom. Bush continues to use pathos by using words that would trigger the emotions of the audience such as "disbelief," "sadness," "evil," and many more. By using pathos, Bush connects with the people and shows his sorrow for the those who have lost their lives. At the end of the speech, Bush uses logos by saying "A great people has been moved to defend a great nation." In other words, the United States is a great country, and in order for there to be a great country, there must be great people. Bush is trying to get the audience to understand that they are strong and that they can get through hard times together. Through the use of ethos, pathos, and logos, George Bush's speech is effective.

Testing Blog 9.15.2016

Hi. My name is Joyce, and this is my blog. This is a test post.