Ethos much?

The ethical responsibilities the author has to the reader, is to be knowledgeable about the issue and to be fair. To be knowledgeable about the issue, you have to know both sides of the argument. You have to know what your claim is and all the reasons that could help you support it. You also have to know the rebuttal and all the reasons you could shut down those rebuttals. To be fair, and to improve the ethos, if you show that you understand the other viewpoint, you are more likely to get the reader to listen to your argument with an open mind. If they listen to your argument with an open mind, they are more likely to change their mind and agree with you.
Our media and our government do not often live up to these responsibilities of argument. They are often not fair and don’t present both sides of the issue. They usually just present the one they want people to believe and that’s it. That is a big reason as to why a lot of America is ignorant on political and world issues. They only listen to one thing and just believe it and don’t try to confirm it, or listen to other sides.

pseudo or irrational?

This is an argument that has happened many a time, with this person who shall remain nameless. (but not really because who else would argue this with me?)
Argument:

Me: Showing cows isn’t the same as showing horses.
Opponent: Yes it is.
Me: No, all you do is walk your cow around the ring.
Opponent: All you do is walk your horse around the ring.
Me: No, we don’t walk around the ring. There are multiple classes we enter, some we go around the ring to confirm soundness. Sometimes they are to see the way of going, others we jump courses. So, that is not the same as walking a cow around a ring.
Opponent: Yes it is, you just go around the ring.
Me: Do you RIDE a cow? No, I didn’t think so.
Opponent: That doesn’t matter.

Now, as you can see, this is clearly not an argument, because I am giving clear reasons as to why they are not the same. The other party is just using the same reasoning over and over. This is a pseudo argument because, it doesn’t go anywhere, and one side is irrational in their reasoning.

Pathos = pathology or empathy?

When arguing, using pathos is a powerful rhetoric device because of the way it gets people to read or listen to the argument. We get the words sympathy and empathy from the word pathos. When you make up a scenario that someone can relate to, like in The Case for Torture, when he uses the dying babies, you get a different reaction out of the reader than if you were to just say, “torture is right.” When you use an example like the dying babies, of course the reader is going to think, “DYING BABIES? THAT’S HORRIBLE! WE SHOULD TORTURE PEOPLE FOR THAT. ” And then, you have won your argument. The audience agreed with you because you put them into an emotional situation. Its also hard for people to think in a rational way when things that our society have decided are wrong start happening. Of course its not ok to steal, its not ok to kill someone. When you use arguments that put peoples emotions into it, it gets people to think about it differently and more personally than if you were to just say what you thought.

lions, tigers and the AP Exam..oh my

The AP exam in the spring is a little nerve racking, mostly because its an unknown. We will practice all year, and become prepared for it. we can do practice problems and be told what is on it, but we still have never taken it before.
I think right now, I am fairly prepared for the exam because I obviously know how to read and can answer questions about the reading. The unknown part, is the questions that they ask. I think that by the time the exam rolls around there wont be much to worry about because we will have learned so much about rhetoric we'll be sick of it. I really dont think you can be scared of anything yet, because we arent that far into the year, and we havent learned nearly all of the things that we will need to know yet. If you asked me the same question closer to the exam, I would know if I needed to be worried or not.

Case for Torture

The “Case for Torture” article leaves you with an interesting feeling after reading it the first time. He states his claim and spits his thoughts at you so fast, you don’t have time to think about what you might personally think. He writes smart because, he uses facts and stories, but they are all skewed toward his argument. He doesn’t use anything that could be turned around and used to counter his argument. He also uses stories and ‘what if’ scenarios that are relatable to anyone. His plane story is just as relatable for his pre 9/11 world as it is for out post 9/11 world. His sardonic views of the other side of the argument, make the people who agree with him agree with him even more. He knows his readers and he writes to them well. His arguments may seem a little extreme but they make sense. You don’t even have to agree with the points he tries to make, as long as you agree with his overall message, he has done what he set out to do. After reading the piece the first time you have to stop and think what he is trying to say, and then reread it with that thought it mind. Without that thought you cant really decide if you agree with his statements, and you can then decide if you want to agree with him or not.

Genre and Reading an Argument

The political cartoon is from the Copley News Service which means it is of the Public Affairs or niche Magazine articles genre. The argument it is stating is that the people who are against GE food are so crazy that they wouldn’t even feed it to a starving person. The fact that it is in a magazine that is just for free lance writers and people to discuss and give views on current events helps the argument, because it means that people with all views will be reading the magazine. The people who agree with the cartoon will let it strengthen their belief, while the people against it, will let it add more fuel to their fire and show that people are ignorant about the issue.
The picture on page 24, is from the Vegetarian Times. This is a public affairs advocacy advertisement, because it is in a specialized magazine. Its genre helps its argument because the people who will be seeing it already think in the terms that it is using. They are more likely to be persuaded by the picture ad, or they are more likely to already agree with it and let it increase their level of belief.

Explicit vs Implicit

Explicit arguments are arguments that state the claim and then use reason and evidence to back it up. It is used in a basic paper written for an English class. This is what you think of when you think of an argument, or a debate. You start with a thought or idea and then you use statistics, previous writings, or other proven facts, to support your idea. Explicit arguments are very direct and concrete and you know what the argument is about and what viewpoint is.
Implicit arguments are very indirect, and use poems, stories or photos to get your point across. It is not concrete and doesn’t look like an argument. It still does state the claim, and support the idea. You as the reader or the observer have to figure out what the author is trying to convey in their message. Like the Veteran’s Day photograph and the poem in the book, they both convey a message about serving your country and about how it takes a certain kind of person to stand up and take on a task such as that. You know this is what the author wants you to know, but they don’t just tell you that. That is the main difference between explicit and implicit, the difference between telling and showing.