In Class: Free write

This Thanksgiving break was different from most. My friend came home with me because she lives in Seattle and didn't have a ticket home for the break (her name is Rachel and she plays the violin too). It was nice to have my friend there, but at the same time when a guest is at your house, you feel like you can't fully let down and be yourself beacause you are the host and have to be on your best behavior. We went shopping on Black Friday and bought a lot of unecessary things just because they were on sale. I had never shopped on Black Friday before becuase I heard it's crazy...and it was. We went to Northpark mall in Dallas and it was a struggle to even find a parking spot. Once we got in, we felt like sardines in a can, it was so hard to move around and people's manners seemed to go right out the window. My friend and I did buy a few things, but I would honestly rather pay more money and have less crowds than go shopping on Black Friday again.

Unit 3 Project Proposal

1) Our Topic: Era of "the domestic housewife" is ending

2) What we want to say in this ongoing argument: We agree that this “era” is ending. We're trying to argue that It’s not a bad thing, it's become more of the norm especially during the recession. More men are staying at home because more women were able to keep their jobs. Ultimately, we are supporting this change in attitude.

3) Target audiences:
-Young men of marrying age (all races , middle/high class)
-Women of marrying age of (all races, middle/high class)
-Young/middle-aged married couples (all races, middle/high class)

4) Genres/mediums we plan on using for this argument:

- Facebook group- Targeting all three audiences

- Apron- Targeting men. We want to make it appealing to them so that they don’t feel emasculated by staying at home.

- Article- Targeting married couples in a men’s magazine…saying that it's okay to stay home and be, "Mr. Mom".

In Class: Reading

Last night, I read about visual arguments. The book discussed the importance of images, and how a picture really can say a thousand words. The book gave examples, one being of a picture taken of Kennedy and Nixon during the election/debate, showing how suave Kennedy looked, making Nixon appear uncomfortable. The book talked about how Kennedy won this election and how this photograph might have swayed some Americans. Another example was a picture taken of three firefighters on September 11, as they raised up the American flag in the midst of the debris. The book talked about appropriate use of color when it comes time to create a visual argument.Visual arguments appeal to all three rhetorical strategies. 
I can apply this to Unit 3 in different ways. If we write an article, we can strategically use appropriate colors to target our audience when it comes time to our picture. Images have a strong appeal to pathos.

Reading

From reading in the book about writing an argument, I learned that writing an argument is most definitely related to analyzing an argument. In order to write an effective argument, you must know who your target audience is, depending on what you are writing about. The audience is one of the most important factors when it comes to writing an argumet, as your writing style, genre, etc. will depend on the audience. I also read that arguments can be presented in many different ways, such as articles in magazines/newspapers, commercials, jingles/songs, visual ads, etc. All of these arguments should appeal to pathos, ethos and logos. All three rhetorical appeals are imperative to writing an effective argument, and it seems that pathos is the one that really stands out and immediately grabs people's attention, such as humor, sadness, etc.

Job Title & Description

My group job title in our group is, "Master of Communicating and Anything Artsy Related".  I plan on being the corresponder in our group, emailing our group a little summary of our meeting after each meeting, serving as the go between if needed, and sending out reminders, etc. This should help our group to be on track as far as where we are each meeting and what needs to be done, and also so that if for some reason somebody misses they aren’t out of the loop.  I also am a music major, so I consider myself to be pretty decent at anything music related so If we end up doing a song or commercial,  I plan on contributing that way. I also plan on contributing on creating and revising the written text for our textual argument.  Since our group is still deciding on a topic, my title (along with the others) might change, as our roles could alter depending on the topic.

Our group discussed how our ideal situation would be that even though we all have individual titles and duties, that everybody contributes and helps each other out.  For instance, just because Karen is going to be focusing on the preparation and presentation of the visual products doesn’t mean that Holly or I won’t help her if needed. Everyone is going to help each other out and the entire project will be a collaborative effort. 

The names of the other group members are Karen Morales and Holly Rust.

Ideal Group Work Situation

For me, the ideal situation for productivity and happiness when it comes to group work would be for all members to actually care about the assignment and willing to work. I know that sounds cliche, but that has been the root of all group work problems for me...people being physically there but not mentally there, or sometimes not physically there at all. It'd be nice for all members to be non-judgemental and open to new ideas, and be willing to share their thoughts. I've also experienced group projects where one member will present an idea, and the rest of the group will just remain silent as if they are a) afraid to say anything or b) don't care. That's no fun! Plus it's just not productive.

Challenges in Analyzing Primary Sources

One of things things I found particularly challenging during my search for primary sources was differentiating between primary and secondary. This is because two major factors contributed to the controversy, one of them happening in January of 2010 and the other happening in March of 2010. January was when Conan O'Brien resigned and the "switch" was announced, whereas March was when the switch actually took place. I decided to overcome this by picking to write about the actual announcement of the change (what happened in January), because January was when the American public seemed to be the most stirred up by this announcement, and in March people seemed to have somewhat gotten over it.

Another thing that I found challenging was not involving my personal opinion in the analysis. I do have strong feelings about this topic, so in order to write an unbiased analysis, I had to emotionally remove myself while reading the articles and interviews.

Unit 2 Proposal

For my Unit 2 Proposal, I am going to write about the Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien controversy that occurred this past January.  

The Tonight Show is an American Late-Night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954 when Johnny Carson was the host. It is currently the longest running regularly scheduled entertainment in the United States. 

On May 29, 2010 Jay Leno, “retired”, left The Tonight Show and created his own show titled  “The Jay Leno Show” which aired at 9:00pm on NBC. Leno handed down the Tonight Show to Conan O’Brien, who had previously hosted “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” from 1993 to 2009. Jimmy Fallon then took O’Brien’s place with Late Night.  

After only seven months after being the host of The Tonight Show, NBC executives told O’Brien that they intended to move the "Tonight Show" to 11:05: to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 10:35 because Leno’s ratings for his new shows were low and he wanted a better time slot. This would have pushed Conan’s show and Fallon’s show back half an hour, making all of these late night comedy shows very late. Conan O’Brien then resigned, not wanting to participate in this. In result, Jay Leno took back his position as host of The Tonight Show in March of 2010, Jimmy Fallon resumed his show, and Conan O’Brien quit and no longer has a show of any kind.

This switch around made many people across America upset, and a lot of people believed Leno acted unfairly Conan O’Brien was treated wrongly by NBC, whereas some people were glad to have Leno back as the host of The Tonight Show.

I intend to look at interviews that were held by news reporters on major news channels and plan on re-watching some episodes of TMZ and looking at those interviews. Additionally, I plan on using newspapers and magazines that were published very soon after the controversy all as primary sources.

I chose this topic because I have always loved watching all of the late night shows. I loved watching Conan’s show when he hosted Late Night and also when he took over the Tonight Show, and absolutely love Late Night with Jimmy Fallon that now airs. I occasionally watched the Tonight Show with Leno too, although I don’t anymore. I have been watching these shows since elementary school and was emotionally invested in this controversy when it occurred and still have some investment in it. It will be interesting to investigate these primary sources to see if the arguments made either way by people were effective or solely opinions that were not backed up by any solid evidence.

In Class: First Paragraph

Barnes & Noble has a very quiet, peaceful atmosphere. The lighting is warm, the walls are a mustard yellow, the carpet is a dark green, the music typically jazzy, the air smells like a mix of pages of new books and coffee, the employees are friendly and the customers are calm. When you walk in, there are two sets of doors. When you open the first set of doors, there are bargain priced books of all categories surrounding you along with calendars and journals. In front of you, you will see the second set of doors. Once you open these doors, you will see the cash registers to your left, the magazine section to your right, and the books, calendars, journals and accessories directly in front of you that encompass the entire store. The Starbucks that is attached to the bookstore is to the left of the cash register. In the back and various corners of the store there are chairs and couches that customers use to study and relax. Depending on what you came to the Barnes & Noble to do, whether it's buying a book, grabbing a cup of coffee, or relaxing, will determine where in the store you will find yourself.

In class: Thoughts on In-Class Peer Workshops

It's been a long time sinceI have been involved in an in-class peer workshop. I believe the last time I took part in one was my senior year of high school, so that was about 3 years ago. In-class peer workshops aren't my favorite thing in the world, but I don't loathe them. To me, these workshops are simply uncomfortable, kind of like a doctor appointment. On some level, I'm afraid that my peers are going to judge my writing and therefore make me feel insecure. This depends on how well I know my peers. If I'm friends with them, it makes the process even more uncomfortable because I especially don't want people I have actual relationships with "judging" my writing. If I'm only acquaintances then I only dread it a little bit.

On a positive note, from what I remember, in-class peer workshops result in constructive criticism that helps me write a better paper along with forming relationships with people who I don't know, even if it isn't the most pleasant thing.

In Class: Thoughts About Peer Comments

Two things that my peers mentioned/questioned about was the different types of day and the kinds of people who are at Barnes and Noble at these different times. People during the day seem to be people who are taking a break from work or stay at home moms with their kids. People at night are people who are studying...they are in their "comfy" clothes with a cup of coffee and a stack of books. Regardless, it is quiet both times of the day as one of my peers commented on.

One person asked about the types of people and their personalities that go there. He said that there are not too many interactions among people in the bookstore, which is true (unless an employee is helping a customer) and asked what this suggests about the personalities of people who go here. I have never thought of this, as I go to Barnes & Noble pretty often for different reasons and don't give a second thought as to why people might like this quiet, somewhat "anti-social" environment. I will have to think about this since I am a part of the target audience and not simply a fly on the wall with no background whatsoever about this place.

I agree with the comments of my peers and nothing surprised me or caught me off guard. The questions were constructive and will be helpful when I go back to observe next time and when I write my first draft.

In Class: Observing Experience

I'd say I saw about 80% of what I expected to see when I was observing Barnes & Noble. A few examples of things that that didn't surprise me were things like the warm lighting, the numerous amounts books/magazines, the smell of books with a hint of coffee (because of the Starbucks that is attached to B&N), the calming music, people studying and relaxing, the sound of cash registers and employees talking to customers, etc.

So far I have observed during lunch time on Tuesday, and very late last night. I plan on observing at least one more time, probably in the morning to get a feel for what the atmosphere and customers are like at different times of the day. I have always thought of Barnes & Noble as having friendly employees and have yet to have an unfriendly experience, until last night. It was about 11:45pm and an announcement was made that said something like, "Barnes & Noble will close in 15 minutes, please take your items and bring them to the register." I was sitting on the couch where other people were studying and reading, and an employee comes and looks at us and says, "It's time to go guys. Get out." That really caught me by surprise. I understood that the store was closing and it was almost time for people to leave but felt that he could have been a little nicer about it as it was only 11:50pm. Maybe yesterday was a long day and he just wanted to go home, I don't know.

Ethical, Emotional, and Logical appeals B&N makes.

Barnes & Noble makes an appeal ethically and logically to its customers by presenting itself as one of the best bookstores in the United States. The textbook book says, “we observe people, groups, or institutions making and defending claims all the time and ask ourselves: Should we pay attention to them? Can we trust them?” If you simply google Barnes & Noble, their website claims that “Barnes & Noble is the nation's top bookseller brand for the seventh year in a row, and is rated number two in trust among all retailers for the second year in a row according to the EquiTrend® Brand Study by Harris Interactive®.” This is a statistic, so it is not necessarily a fact, but it is evidence. This seems pretty credible to anybody who reads this. Additionally, if you walk in Barnes & Noble, you are bombarded by many different categories and subcategories, books, journals, magazines, periodicals, accessories, music and DVDs. A lot of bookstores only have a couple of what is just listed above, but Barnes & Noble seems to have literally everything in the eyes of the customer.

The emotional appeal that Barnes & Noble is evident because of what the store itself is selling. Barnes & Noble’s products are geared towards the heart. They sell games to make you laugh, journals to write your deepest thoughts in, books that evoke a plethora of emotions, same with DVDs, along with a quiet atmosphere that is conducive to studying and relaxing. People go to Barnes & Noble typically to find something that is going to make them feel a certain way. For example, I went to Barnes & Noble a couple weeks ago to by the new Ray LaMontagne CD because of the way the music makes me feel. Additionally, Barnes & Noble claims (on their website) that their stores “hosts close to 200,000 community events every year.” This makes B&N seem interested in philanthropy and the needs of others too, which feeds on the emotion of its customers.

Overall, pathos, logos, and ethos seem to all mesh together a lot of the time. I believe that most public spaces that sell something use all 3 of these appeals to grab the attention of the customer so they will buy something. Is this manipulative? Possibly. But it works.

In Class: Logos

For my logos artifact, I brought my student ID. My student ID represents that I am a TCU student and had to apply to get into TCU. The application process isn't easy to get into college, especially a university like TCU.

Logos is the use of persuasion by demonstration of the truth, real or apparent. It appeals to logic and reasoning. Logically, anyone who sees my student ID automatically knows that I am a TCU student and I worked hard (and still work hard) to remain here as a student. The ID has the TCU student logo along with a picture of frog fountain which is a landmark at TCU, which is obviously logos-driven.

Unit 1 Proposal

My chosen place for Unit 1 is Barnes and Noble.  I go there very often because I enjoy books, magazines, journals, music, coffee, and the quiet atmosphere, so that is why it is appealing to me.

People from all walks of life frequent Barnes and Noble: the elderly, students, middle-aged adults, teenagers, children with their parents, among many others. From my personal experience, different ages of people seem to go to Barnes and Noble at different times of the day. Younger people tend to go there later in the day and older people go there earlier.  This is probably partly due to the fact that younger people are in school ( and are also night owls) whereas elderly people for example are less busy during the day. Different people also go to different sections of Barnes & Noble depending on their occupation/personality, etc. This is just what I have gathered from previous visits there.

Everybody goes there for different reasons. A lot of these reasons pertain to logos, pathos and ethos. Some go to simply read a book in the quiet section. Others go to buy a CD they have been dying to listen to. Some may go to buy accessories like a journal, a calendar, or a bookmark. Some may go to peruse the magazine section. Some may go to simply sit in the café and people watch. Some may go to buy school books and have no interest in reading at all. Barnes & Noble is a place where people buy things, but it is also a “hangout” place like Starbucks. You don’t have to buy something if you don’t want to.

I feel that I am a part of the target audience since (like I mentioned earlier) I like to read and listen to music. I also really enjoy the warm environment of Barnes & Noble. 

Some pre-conceived ideas I have that may influence my objective observation is that mostly “nerdy” people who enjoy reading (and peace and quiet) go to Barnes & Noble. In order to overcome this obstacle I feel I need to keep an open mind.  I must carefully observe  as many aspects as possible about the people who visit Barnes & Noble. For example, when observing a person I could ask myself, “What are they looking at? A book? What kind of book? How does the book they are looking at relate to them as a person (age, occupation, appearance  etc,) I can’t be judgmental and quick to infer that just because somebody is going to Barnes & Noble means that they enjoy the same things I do.

In Class: Ethos

For my ethos artificat I brought two things: my violin and a copy of my scholarship. The book states that ethos is, "the presentation of self that a writer or speaker brings to an argument." The concept of ethos rasies the question, "Can we trust them? are they credible?"

These two artificats pertain to ethos because the copy of my scholarship proves that I have a very strong work ethic in regards to music which resulted in such a prestigious scholarship. I have served as principal 2nd violin of the TCU Symphony and prior to college, I made Texas All-State Orchestra, was in the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra, New Conservatory of Dallas, various quartets, won awards from competitions, was concertmaster of one of my youth orchestras along with my high school orchestra in addition to others.   Even though it is simply a piece of paper, it verifies my credibility as a musician. I don't carry my violin around for fun, it's what I do and what I love.

In Class: Pathos & Analyzing a Public Space

As of right now, I am leaning towards analyzing Barnes & Noble.

People go to Barnes & Noble for many different reasons. Some may simply to buy a book for school. Some may go to sit in the back of the store and read a book quietly, away from the hectic world outside. Some may go to try and find a book in the children's section that their grandma read them when they were a kid. Some may go to to purchase a journal that they can write and express their feelings in. Some may go to purchase a CD they have been dying to own. My friends and I go to look at the different books about different cities, countries, and places around the world to dream about where we want to travel at some point in our lives.

People typically go to Barnes & Noble to find something that is going to appeal to them emotionally. Books, music, journals, peace and quiet, and everything else appeal to pathos.

In Class: Pathos

I brought a picture of my dog, Dixie for my pathos artifact. Since pathos pertains to emotional appeals, I felt this artifact was appropriate because put in simple terms,  I love my dog. She is the sweetest dog and the first dog I ever had.

I keep this picture of her on my desk and have had this same picture of her for many years. This picture was taken when she was 4 years-old, right after we found her after her being lost for two days, so this particular picture of her is important to me. Right now, Dixie is 8 years-old. While this is not terribly old for a dog, she struggles with a few medical issues,the most serious one being pancreatitis.

I miss her when I'm away at school and am always praying she stays well and lives a long, normal life despite her ongoing illness.

Analyzing Arguments in the Media

The BP commercial utilizes many different types of arguments. Our textbook states, “Perhaps the essential argument in any case is the writer’s assertion that a problem exists.” The woman representing the BP Community Outreach says, “BP has taken full responsibility for the clean up in the gulf and that includes keeping you informed.” Right off the bat, she is admitting there is a serious problem.  

She begins with an informative argument by simply telling the audience about her job and how she (along with the outreach program) is helping others affected by the oil spill. She says she listens to the shrimpers, fishermen, hotel and restaurant workers., and finds ways to help which means working with communities. By informing, whether her intentions are to persuade or not, she automatically gets the audience interested in the topic.

She then proceeds to talk numbers, saying, “We have 19 centers  in 4 states. We've made over 120,000 claims payments, more than 375 million dollars. We’ve committed 20 billion dollars to an independent claims fund to cover lost income until people impacted can get back to work.” By discussing these statistics, she is bringing up the outreach program’s success in the past, which leads the audience to believe that this program will continue to succeed. This is an example of an argument about the past and future. The book says that what has happened in the past influences the future and this is clearly what the commercial is aiming at.

Additionally, this part of the commercial appeals to the logos. The facts, stated very simply, the audience will use inductive reasoning and deductive reasoning by thinking, “If the outreach program has been this effective thus far, the numbers will only increase and they will continue to make a positive impact.”

In various parts of the commercial, the camera is off and the audience sees the words such as, “Objective: Restore the Environment” or “Making this Right: Restoring Gulf Communities.” I believe that this is an example of an invitational argument. These signs aren’t necessarily trying to win over somebody or persuade, (they are informing) but moreover, they are inviting the audience to explore more about this topic.

When she mentions that she deals with communities, we see her in various situations interacting with others. She seems very concerned and interested in these people. This part of the commercial appeals to the emotional appeal. When the audience sees her  being sympathetic, holding hands, listening, etc., they  probably thinking something like, “What a nice woman, this program is obviously well intentioned.”  Later in the commercial she says, “I was born in new Orleans, my family still lives here.” This makes an appeal to the pathos (emotional) and the ethos (ethical). By saying that, she seems more credible and also more like a normal, everyday person instead of an important person on a commercial.

I feel that the commercial was somewhat effective. It informed that the outreach program is doing everything it can do to help people. For me, the most compelling parts were when there would be clips of her helping others, appealing to the pathos. Everybody has emotions, so when a commercial or advertisement aims at tugging at your heart strings they are going to get results most of the time.

In Class: Possible Public Spaces to Analyze

Right now, a few public spaces pop in my head that I could analyze, but I haven't settled on an idea yet. Initially, I thought I could analyze the TCU School of Music building because different people are in the music building at different times of day, depending on class schedule, major, instrument, etc.  (It's usually really packed at night because that's when music majors practice) I'm not sure if I'll do that though, because even though it is a public space, mostly music professors, majors or minors are in the music building so there wouldn't be that much variety.

Another place that comes to mind is Starbucks and/or Barnes & Noble. I know it's somewhat cliche, but people from every walk of life grace the doors of Starbucks so that might be interesting. The TCU Rec Center could also be a good public space to analyze because a lot of people, not just TCU students go to the Rec center.

These are just a few of my ideas, but I will have to brainstorm some more until I settle on a public space.

In Class: First Week of School

So far, my first week of school has been bittersweet. This summer, I changed my major from violin performance to nursing, so all of my classes are extremely different than what I'm used to. I absolutely love playing the violin, but just don't see myself playing it professionally. For me, majoring in music kind of took the "fun" out of music, as you analyze every little note that you play, etc. Instead of graduating in May of 2012, I will now graduate in 2013. I am extremely excited about this new career path and love the classes I'm taking, but I do miss my friends in the music school. It's a bit weird being an upperclassmen with freshmen and sophomores in all of my classes! Looks like I'll be an upperclassmen for the next 3 and a half years! I am going to minor in music and play in the TCU Symphony to keep up my violin playing because I do love it, so that makes me happy.

For the past two years, I have had horrible roommate situations. This year, I am living in an apartment with three girls who I trust and am friends with, so that makes life a lot easier!

So far, this week has been interesting, but in a good way!

Hello! My name is Rachel Boone and I’m a junior nursing major with a music minor. I was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. I really look forward to becoming a  registered nurse one day and helping those around me in need, whether it’s watching a baby enter the world, or helping a person recover from a serious illness. My violin has played a significant role in my life.  Music is always there for me when I need it. Playing violin is a stress reliever for me, along with serving as outlet when I’m bored, sad, angry, happy…you name it.

I chose to take this course because it was a requirement for the CORE, but was also interested in learning more about arguments as they pertain to writing. I have always considered myself to be a “peace maker” and greatly dislike having  or being around arguments due to the tension and hostility that accompany them.  (Typically I just  passively avoid arguments, though I know that is not the best way to handle such situations) I’m aware that there much more to arguments than simply fighting or disagreeing with somebody, so I thought this would be an appropriate class to take.

The large majority of papers I’ve written in college have been analysis and research papers, where the paper is graded about 90% on content and 10% on  grammar, syntax, structure, etc.  Outside of the classroom, my writing is mainly via text, facebook or email, which is typically extremely informal. I feel that my writing skills are adequate but definitely could improve. When asked to write a paper, I tend to find myself feeling like I have a really good idea, yet have a hard time forming and organizing my thoughts into a well written paper.

My blog has a travel theme to it, and my interests include reading, music, photography and science. My favorite genres of music are celtic, classical, jazz and rock. This blog could be what the book refers to as an informative argument. This first part of my blog is simply to provide my audience some information about myself. For example, somebody reading this may not enjoy the same things I do, which could provoke an argument, whether they verbalize it to me or just think in their head, “How on earth could she like classical music? It’s so boring.” When you take a step back and think about it, we have arguments everyday, whether it’s with ourselves or other people. Anything can be turned into an argument.

Finally, I have read, understand and agree to the terms of the course syllabus.