Cruz Vs. Alger

Stephen Cruz has an incredibly different view of what the American Dream is than Horatio Alger. In fact, they are almost completely opposite. Horatio Alger believes that in order to achieve the American Dream you must work hard or do one heroic thing. In his story, Ragged Dick, his main character was a hard worker and he rescued a small boy from death. Because of his actions the young boy was rewarded with the American Dream. Horatio Alger also believes that everyone, rich or poor is set on a level playing field.  He thinks that you obtain the American Dream based on either how heroic you are or how hard you work. 

Stephen Cruz has a completely different perspective of the American Dream. In his argument Stephen Cruz uses personal experience to persuade us that minorities are in a high demand and if they agree to "stay in line" they will be rewarded with the American Dream. He also stated that certain minorities are in a higher demand than others. I think that Stephen Cruz is basically saying that he feels the American Dream is an illusion that was simply made up. This completely contradicts Horatio Alger who believes that the American Dream will come to those who work for it. 

Ragged Dick response

In this short story Dick was rewarded for his success when it came to saving a young boy. He was seen as a hero because he took the initiative to save someone that he did not know. Whether the boy lived or died would have not affected Dick in any strong way but he dove into the water anyway. Because he did this brave deed the boy's father rewarded Dick with the job opportunity of a lifetime. Dick's good deed changed his life forever and made him a more successful man. 

I think that this short story is implicitly telling us that one small deed, which may not directly affect you, can affect someone else so greatly that they are willing to change your life. Even though the small boy's life did not mean much to Dick he dove in to save the boy regardless of what he would get in return. This indirectly tells us that successful people are willing to take risks and in  a way be heroes. Dick's life was drastically changed by the boy's father. He was given new job and because of this was paid much more money. Dick became successful because of one action and the book tells us that one think can dramatically alter your lifestyle. 

Visual Arguments

Our society is quickly becoming a visual society in which we use photographs, drawings, and graphics to enhance our arguments. Using a visual is helpful to the author of the argument because it strikes the pathos of the viewers greatly. Using visuals allows the viewer to connect with the argument on a different level. 

I think that a visual argument is more persuasive because it enables the viewer to see exactly what the author is saying. Using visual arguments keep viewers engaged in what it is the author is attempting to say which makes the viewer act on the argument. In order to use a visual argument the author must have a deep understanding of his or her viewers. This is true because visuals allow people to come up with there own ideas about an argument. A visual argument is always open to interpretation, because of this the visual the author chooses to represent his or her argument must be one in which the viewers can only view one way, the authors way. Regardless of this, visual arguments are more persuasive because they connect the viewer to logos, ethos, and pathos. Instead of simply reading about an issue or argument the reader can now relate what the author is saying to a powerful image. This makes the argument much more persuasive to the viewer. 

Ethical responsibilities in Ethos and Pathos

An author has many ethical responsibilities when it comes to Ethos and Pathos. An Authors job is to connect to a reader in an emotional (pathos) way or in an ethical (Ethos) way. In order to do this the author must understand the different points of view that his argument can have. In order to be ethical the author must address the ethical and emotional issues that the reader may have in regard to the argument. 

Ethical responsibilities play a major role when it comes to the emotions of a reader. An author must be sensitive to the fact that each reader may have various emotions in regard to the problem that the author is addressing. It is only right to understand all views of a problem to argue and address it. 

There are also many responsibilities when it come to Ethos. It is important to show that you can empathize with the opposite side of your argument. This allows the reader to see that the author is ethical and that the author is sympathizing with their point of view. By sympathizing with the readers ethics the author is also making their own argument stronger. The author should also be ethical when it comes to putting down a readers opposing view. 

Many times our media and our government do not live up to these ethical expectations. The media is simply looking for a story which exposes a person or a group of people. They do not think about the effect their story will have on these groups of people. The government and media often only think about one side of a story, they hardly ever express a view and an opposing view. This is true because the media and the government want you to believe what they believe and to know nothing else. Ethical responsibility plays a major role in arguments and should be expressed in our media and government. 

Evidence in Skateboarding Article

David Langley uses evidence thoughtfully  throughout his essay, "'Half Criminals" or Urban Atheletes? A plea for fair treatment of skateboarders".  David uses personal experience to make his argument more appealing to the reader. The Essay begins by the writer discussing his experience, by doing this he allows the reader to understand that they argument he is attempting to make is in fact true. Because the reader may not have a personal experience about the argument it is important for the writer to share their story in order to catch the emotions of the reader. 

The author also expressed how cities have attempted to treat skateboarders fairly. It then goes on to discuss that because the cities do not understand skate boarding they continue to treat the skate boarders less fair. This is a good technique when it comes to using evidence because the reader can understand both views and it allows the reader to side with the writers argument more. 

In  A Case For Torture we are told what to believe and we are expected to trust the evidence that one man gives us. In this article we are given specific examples from a personal experience. This allows me to relate to the argument more simply because the evidence is more personal. 

Pseudo Arguments

A pseudo argument is when someone can only understand their view of a specific argument. It is when you cannot except any information against your argument because you refuse to believed that the opposing argument is correct in any way. 

Pseudo arguments are seen daily when it comes to politics and political discussions.  For Example, The war in Iraq is a pseudo argument that is discussed constantly in politics and on the news. When people discuss the war they normally have debates. It is common for there to be a representative for the opposing party and a representative who is for the war. It is incredibly rare for someone to change someone else's mind when it comes to this pseudo argument because it relates to your personal beliefs and ethics. As much as the debaters attempt to prove each other wrong and provide evidence to support their own argument they can not sway their opponents mind. This is a pseudo argument because the politicians or debaters are only aware of their view and do not even think about the possibility that their opponent may be correct. There are many common pseudo arguments when it comes to politics and in some cases in my everyday life but as of now the war is one that is constantly shown. 

Appeal to Pathos

Pathos is one of the most important appeals because it relates to emotion. This is significant because in order to capture a reader and persuade them to believe your argument you must capture their emotions and make the reader create emotions of their own simply by reading your seeing your argument. 

Pathos is also an important appeal because it allows the reader to see and feel exactly what the writer felt and saw. By capturing the emotional appeal of the reader you are persuading them to believe what it is that you want them to believe. It is also important for the writer to tell the reader what emotions they should feel because it makes the argument that much stronger. 

Pathos is important because, "it engages the imagination and feelings, moving the audience to deeper appreciation of the argument's significance." By moving the audience with your argument they feel a deeper connection to that argument and may want to take action or become more involved. Pathos furthers the connection that they feel to the argument because it connects to the readers emotions. 

A Case of Torture Response

Michael Levin discusses the need for torture in our country when it comes to certain situations in his essay, "A Case of Torture Response." He states that torture is a necessity when it comes to the moral obligations in our life. He makes a good point as he discusses putting one person in pain if it means saving many. 

I agree with Michael Levin. I think that it would be necessary to torture a terrorist in order to save those innocent victims that he would be attempting to kill. The author of the essay states, "If the only way to save those lives is to subject the terrorist to the most excruciating possible pain, what grounds can there be for not doing so? I suggest that there are none." I agree with him on this point. If the cost of saving the lives of the innocent victims is putting the terrorist in excruciating pain, I think that it would be a cost that I would be willing to take, regardless of what our constitution states. He also claims that life in an incredibly valuable thing and that you must save the lives of the innocents rather than the one that endangers them. I think that this statement is true. Life is one of the most valuable possessions and saving lives is more important than putting the person who is trying to take life away in pain. 

As I said, I agree with the ideas that Michael Levin has brought up in this essay. Torture is a moral question. Putting someone in pain for information is a drastic method and I think that the only reason we should do this is to prevent the loss of life. 

Reflection on biotech food debate.

The biotech food debate is one that has caused trouble between activists and scientists. The biotech foods are tested by scientists to make sure that they are safe to eat and that they provide the same amount of nutrients as the original food. The debate is about whether or not the foods should have labels stating that they are in fact genetically enhanced. 

Although I can see why many activists would want to know that the foods they are buying are in fact genetically enhanced, I think that if there is no difference between the genetically enhanced foods and the normal foods then they should not have to be labeled as a biotech food. If the label would simply state how the food was developed I see no reason for the common consumer to have to know that it was a biotech food. These genetically enhanced foods apparently hold the same amount of nutrients and are proven to be just as safe as the food that farmers grow. Because of this, I do not think that they need to be labeled. As the essay on page 41 states, "There hasn't been a single documented case of an illness caused by biotech foods." Because of this there is no need for a label. The essay does tell us that some of the nutrition levels are different than there conventional counterpart, if this is the case I think that that specific food should use a label. 

Ad vs. Cartoon

The add on page 24 and the cartoon on page 1 are both meant to have a lasting affect on the reader. The purpose of these two pieces of advertisements is to let the reader or viewer know about genetically engineered foods and their affect on our society. Although both of these different genres influence us they tend to do so in very distinctive manners. 

The cartoon is meant to give the viewer a visual rather than overload the viewer with information. It is a quick way to catch the eye of a reader but get a small point across while they read. This is a good way to get a point across because it allows the reader to see a problem, relate to it, and eventually move on. 

The advertisement on page 24 goes about this process in a different way. I preferred this add because the image captured my eye but the ad allowed information and facts that helped to back up the image.

The cartoon influenced its argument by using a catchy and somewhat flashy drawing. It addressed the problem and allowed the viewer to take it in but it did not overload the viewer with information. The ad was able to catch my attention and it pulled me in with its facts and information about genetically engineered foods. It influenced its argument by providing me with detailed information which allowed me to believe its argument more.