Reality

The documentary on the layoffs in Flint, Michigan showed the extremes that people resort to when they are faced with hardships. Crime rate skyrocketed and people started creating their own professions (for example the lady who sold rabbits). In the reading Dick’s life was changed forever by one simple act of bravery. Between the two, the documentary is the one that is the most realistic. Yes, it is always possible for the example in the reading to happen and it does. However, the documentary shows multiple people who were fired and what they decide to do after being laid off. Many of our poor are the result of being laid off from a job and they then decide to not move on with their lives. It is the sad truth that people just give up when life becomes tough. This is reality and something needs to be done about it.

Stephen Cruz

Stephen Cruz’s essay is written very well and states his perspective on the American Dream. To Mr. Cruz the problem with the American Dream is that it “is not governed by education, opportunity, and hard work, but by power and fear”. The problem is that the higher up you go in an organization; you lose more of the dream. You must “fall in line” to succeed and achieve that ultimate dream. I personally believe that this is not completely true. People in the world can achieve their American Dream with hard work and determination. Being smart and using your brain to out think and outwit your competition to obtain your goal is required. You do not however have to sink to the level of following a certain path that the upper management supposedly requires. You use your own strategies to succeed. Achieving your goal is not as hard as Cruz makes it seem.

Class in America-2003

I think the essay on “Class in America—2003” exposed the class situations in America to everyone. However, I don’t believe the essay makes a case that the rich are exploiting the poor. Also, I don’t think that the essay really talks about how the rich exploit the poor. The essay to me takes off the blindfold expose that there are social classes and they are very different. Poverty exists just like the rich exist. Society, however, forgets about the poor and ignores that they exist, because if you do not deal with it on a day-to-day basis then it doesn’t affect your life. The relationship between the three social classes is becoming increasingly distant. According to the essay, the class that controls and owns the major enterprises is the one who decides how well the other two classes will succeed. I personally still believe that no matter what class you are, you still can obtain your dream. Hard work will accomplish anything and I know this from experience.

First Place: "A Healing School for Homeless Children"

The essay about First Place, a community shelter that helps homeless children prepare to reenter to public schools and gets their family back on their feet, was very persuasive to me. The support for the student’s claims was very good and she did well proving negative statements about the program wrong. This refutation strategy in her essay was done well and she still stayed in the classical sense by conceding to some of the opposing views. The audience, which this was written to, was neutral. The student’s claim is that First Place should receive more funding. The reason is that it could help more children and families reach self-sufficiency. Grounds consist of how well the children do once they are introduced into a public school and the family as a whole gets along after First Place. The argument’s warrant is that First Place helps children and families reach self-sufficiency. The backing is that programs that help homeless families get on their feet are successful and benefit the community. The rebuttal was shown through her essay and she disproved those claims. To qualify the claim we should say that First place should receive more funding from the community and the city. This is my analization of this essay.

visual arguments and being persuasive

Visual arguments provide an easier way to get your point across. They give specific examples in a way that you can see what you are trying to get across. A picture, drawing, or video can say a lot things without using any words. The one question that boggles my mind is whether or not visual arguments are more persuasive. I don’t believe they are more persuasive. I think both forms of argument are useful and are equally persuasive. Having a picture in front of you can be easier in visualizing why a view is better, but with your imagination a stated view can be just as persuasive. We have become society, however, that relies on visuals. TV commercial, billboards, and pictures are everywhere and have become a major part in our lives. It may seem that they are more persuasive, but only seem that way because people don’t use written arguments very often anymore. We are technological society and it is easier to send a picture than write up an argument.

pathos and ethos

Ethos and pathos are extremely essential in an argument that is trying to persuade a view. Authors need to involve ethos and pathos to engage their audience. You to write or express you view in a style that suits the audience. If you appeal to their needs and wants, then you can get you point across easier. The author’s responsibilities include using the right wording, language, and use tools that will build their argument. An author must be willing to be courteous to other opinions. As for our government or media, I would say that for the most part they live up to these expectations. Of course there are a few cases that don’t show the quality that is needed, but the majority of them do. They use knowledgeable facts to create credibility to their statements and they accept that people are not going to have the same views they do. Applying the certain things you must have to be credible and reliable in an argument connects the gap between the view and the audience.

Pseudo-argument

My pseudo-argument happened in Spanish last week when we had a debate between dogs and cats. My position in the argument was that cats were better than dogs. Cats are more independent than dogs and do not require as much care. It costs less to have a cat. Cats do not have to be walked, be picked up after, or need constant attention. It is hard to defend either one of these views. Cats can be better than dogs and dogs can be better than cats. It all depends on what the topic is. I could hold a position for either of the two. There is not one right answer to this argument. You are comparing two completely different things that both have good qualities. That is why they are called pseudo-arguments. It is because you can defend both side and not come to a final conclusion that one is better than the other.

Pathos in Argument

Pathos or the Greek word for suffering or experience has a great impact in the core of an argument. As a reader you must be able to understand and feel what the writer has written for you. You want to be engaged in the writer’s emotions and feelings to better comprehend what he wants you (the reader) to get from the passage. Pathos allows people to get to know their imagination and makes the audience appreciate the conflict in a more in-depth enjoyment. This is the audience section of the triangle. Writers want to have the reader involved in their writing and to do so they must engage you at the beginning of their story. Pathos addresses the readers’ wants and appeals to their emotions. It is the most important thing in an argument that is trying to persuade a view. You must relate to the audience to get them to agree with you.

AP English Exam

After reading the course description section for AP English this year, I feel good overall about it. I am not scared by the exam, but I do believe it will be very challenging. The sample multiple-choice section seemed to be all right for me. I do not think I will do poorly on this section. I like having a list of possible answers then choosing the best one from the list. It is probably why I like math, because their can only be one correct answer. As for the essay section, I am little more worried about it. I don’t think I do as well on essays as I do for multiple-choice questions. This can be a problem considering that the essays count for 55% of the exam. However, I feel that I will score high on the exam. I will do my best and hope for a 5 on it.

Torture

I believe that torture should be legalized and allowed in certain situations. Michael Levin makes some really good points in the handout from class. It is better to torture or kill a few people, then to let hundreds or thousands of innocent civilians die. Torturing people is not done to just humiliate certain people. It is a form of obtaining needed information from criminals who refuse to release that needed info.

Levin gives examples in the handout of why we should use the torture method, but he also explains that torture is barbaric and we should not stoop to that level. I do believe that torture is inhumane, but it is necessary for specific situations. As Levin states, “Mass murder is far more barbaric. If you caught the terrorist, could sleep nights knowing that millions died because you couldn’t bring yourself to apply the electrodes.”

People die everyday in this world. If one person must die or be harmed, so that others will survive action must be taken. Torture is needed in our judicial system. We must use any method necessary to save the lives of the innocent.

Genres in Arguments

In our book, “Writing Arguments”, there are two different examples of the same view on genetically engineered foods. The two of express the same feelings about this topic. They both believe that “GE” foods are bad. Even though they are alike there are two differences between them. They are genre and topic.

The first example is a political cartoon. A “hippie” is shown with an ear of genetically altered corn. He is waving it in the face of a starved tribal boy. He states that the boy does not want the corn, because it has been genetically engineered. This represents a visual argument. There is only one side to it and the topic is directed to GE food all together. The other example is the advertisement of a tomato can. There is writing on the can about labeling foods correctly and then below is a paragraph on properly labeling GE foods. This is a public affairs advocacy advertisement. The topic is narrowed down from genetically engineered foods to how they should have labels on them to warn customers.

Genre is a major part of arguments. The style in which you present your opinions can decide whether people will take your side or not. Factual support is must in these scenarios. Usually cartoons will not be taken seriously.

Explicit vs. Implicit

Arguments do not always have to have hatred involved in them. In fact most arguing is quite enjoyable and stimulates us to think critically. Arguing helps people persuade the audience towards a way of thinking or to bring them into agreance on a topic.

There are two types of arguments. One is explicit and the other is implicit. Explicit arguments consist of direct claims that are aided by evidence and reason. Implicit arguments are completely different. They are usually short stories, poems, or photographs. Implicit arguments express their opinions in a more emotional way instead of direct facts. Examples of this type presented in our text are the Veterans Day Photograph and the poem by Wilfred Owen. All though these two are implicit, they express their point of view in completely different mediums.

In the picture you can feel the compassion between the soldier and the veteran, even though there are no words. The poem explains the scene of a mustard gas attack and a soldier dying in pain. Explicit tells you details and is right to the point. Implicit lets you decide the point of view from the piece. There are no stated facts or “explicit” statements. There is no commonality between the two arguments except they both are out to get a point across.