One More Rep
Education has been one of the main ways that I have learned how to read and write, but certain aspects of it have also been reasons for me to become disinterested in reading and writing. Some teachers that were very fond of specific writing styles that I was not discouraged me from writing the way I wanted to, and how I felt that I personally wrote the best. While gaining a broad sense of the different styles of writing does create a well-rounded writer, it was almost detrimental to my writing skills to have an entire semester of high school dedicated to writing poetry. While this is a respectable type of writing, it is not what appeals to me at all, and does not hold much value to my individual preference in writing styles. I would much rather see my words play out over a page rather than in very skewed misinterpreted lines of text.
One of the most inspirational and helpful places I have ever been to in my life is the gym. It is where I go to process big things that happen in my life, work off excess emotions like anger or sadness, it is where I go to have fun, and it is also where I go to reflect. Many things that happen in the gym can be used in some form or another as an analogy for things that happen in our lives. Becoming a good writer doesn’t happen overnight, just like a good football player isn’t made in a day, and real improvements in the gym won’t be seen in a week. What can be said however is that with dedication and determination a star football player can be born, and improvements can be seen in the gym. It is all encompassed around the phrase “one more rep.” One more rep is a phrase I have heard a lot in the gym as naturally it seems that the gym or a training field is the only place where a phrase like this would apply. This is completely false. One more rep is an analogy for any large obstacle in ones life, or a seemingly impossible task that somehow gets accomplished again and again.
One of the main ways that I live my life is through the gym. In the small amount of time that I have been lifting, my life has changed for the better. When I had first started lifting again over the summer of my senior year in highschool, I was barely 180 pounds soaking wet, and could hardly use half of the machines in the gym. When I first got into the gym I was not completely sold on it. I had been trying to teach myself good exercises to do while in the gym, but as any newbie to the gym will tell you; it is much harder and less effective to learn how to lift by yourself. I had tried for about a month to lift on my own without seeing much results. Finally, I caved and paid for a personal trainer to help establish my goals in the gym and get me on the right path to learning how to lift. As much as I love working out now, I did not particularly like what I was doing back then. The focus for me had been getting my body fat as low as I could before I actually started piling on muscle, which obviously involved a lot of cardio. I was seeing progress, but not in the direction I was looking for.
When I started my first semester at Western Carolina, the first thing I did as soon as I got the chance, was sign up for flag football. It had been so long since I had played football and I was extremely excited to get back into it. I had no idea who was going to be on the team, or whether or not we were even going to be any good but I was excited nonetheless. This was when I first met my friend that helped me on the road to building muscle and a love for lifting weights. We did not actually talk that much for the first few games, but eventually we ended up scheduling a time to go lift together. This is when everything changed for me. Lifting was awesome, I was having so much fun every week my weights were going up and I was getting more, and more confident. I was benching, squatting, deadlifting, all of the things I had wanted to do but had no idea where to start. Eventually I started lifting with my friend from football and a few other guys from the gym regularly and through the course of a bunch of heavy lifting, and a lot of heavy eating I went from a scrawny 180 pounds to a whopping 230 pounds. It was great I had gone from lifting 225 pounds in my deadlift and squat to 450 pounds on my deadlift and 375 on my squat. Seeing these kind of improvements are what make the gym so much fun to come back to. The same can be said for ones writing style and skill; if you see progress and improvement, it can do wonders to your confidence which can in turn help to get the best results possible.
There are some things however which can hold a person back in the gym, as well as life. Lifting alone for example can be preferred by some, but in order to improve physically and mentally it is generally better to have a group of people, or at least one person to progress with. The primary problem with lifting alone is that it limits how much you can push yourself. If you have no one to spot you then there is no encouragement that if you fail, there will be someone to catch you. Similarly, when writing a paper, if you try to get through it without the help of your peers whose to say that it is the best work you can produce.
Another reason in which I particularly enjoy lifting, is that it helps to express to the people around you that you do care about your health and the way that your body looks. By sitting on the couch all day watching television and eating pizza, many people may internalize that behavior as lazy, and unmotivated. However, if someone is consistently maintaining a healthy lifestyle by incorporating proper diet and exercise it conveys the sense that the individual cares about the state that their body is in. For me, lifting and living a healthy lifestyle is a great way to find an activity that will always be challenging. There will never be a point in which the weights get to light, or you have done every single exercise to perfection. It is a constantly evolving sport that you must continually train to get better and better at. Not only does it enhance your mental clarity, but exercising is an amazing way to express yourself, meet new people, and improve your health. While weightlifting will probably be something I will do forever, I also consider writing similar to this. It will never get too easy, and it is something you must work to modify and perfect for your entire life.
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Monday, April 18, 2016
Literacy Narrative Rough Draft
Education has been one of the main ways that I have learned how to read and write, but certain aspects of it have also been reasons for me to become disinterested in reading and writing. Some teachers that were very fond of specific writing styles that I was not discouraged me from writing the way I wanted to, and how I felt that I personally wrote the best. While gaining a broad sense of the different styles of writing does create a well-rounded writer, it was almost detrimental to my writing skills to have an entire semester of high school dedicated to writing poetry. While this is a respectable type of writing, it is not what appeals to me at all, and does not hold much value to my individual preference in writing styles. I would much rather see my words play out over a page rather than in very skewed misinterpreted lines of text.
One of the most inspirational and helpful places I have ever been to in my life is the gym. It is where I go to process big things that happen in my life, work off excess emotions like anger or sadness, it is where I go to have fun, and it is also where I go to reflect. Many things that happen in the gym can be used in some form or another as an analogy for things that happen in our lives. Becoming a good writer doesn’t happen overnight, just like a good football player isn’t made in a day, and real improvements in the gym won’t be seen in a week. What can be said however is that with dedication and determination a star football player can be born, and improvements can be seen in the gym. It is all encompassed around the phrase “one more rep.” One more rep is a phrase I have heard a lot in the gym as naturally it seems that the gym or a training field is the only place where a phrase like this would apply. This is completely false. One more rep is an analogy for any large obstacle in ones life, or a seemingly impossible task that somehow gets accomplished again and again.
Friday, April 8, 2016
Writing Feedback Summary
I think that for me as a writer one of my greatest weaknesses does not come from one single statement or example in my writing alone, but by my writing process as a whole. By procrastinating consistently, and rushing through papers, I tend to miss certain grammatical errors that I would have otherwise caught. As far as improving my writing goes, I think it would be beneficial to change the way that I write, and how I go through the steps of writing a paper or finishing an assignment. For a small example of this problem, I will frequently misplace quotations in a sentence when citing a source. Although I do know the proper placement of them, rushing to finish a paper, and skipping any revisions or double checks usually proves to be a problem which shows in the final product. One website I think I will look to in the future is http://spellcheckplus.com/. It seems like the perfect place to start in addressing my issue with proper grammar.
Midterm Story as Evidence
Classism in America
Midterm Essay
Aidan Marquardt
English I
There are a varying amount of types of discrimination in the world, but one that has recently become more well known is classism and discrimination or unfair treatment based solely off of one's economic position or social class. Classism is something that affects all people in our culture no matter what social class you are in. Whether or not you are on the negative or positive end of classism, almost all people in a society with established social groups are impacted by it. It is important to me because I think that it is ridiculous to be discriminated and demeaned simply based off of one’s social status. It is especially relevant to youth specifically, because many younger people have not developed a full understanding of money, and it is much easier for groups of younger people to discriminate against others that are different than them. However, classism occurs at all age levels and through all members of society in some form or another.
One of the largest forms that classism appears in, is the education system in America. Many people struggle around the world with finding adequate education, but in America, it is thought that everyone has equal access to public schooling. This is not always the case because in many places the education that is received in lower income areas is nowhere near the same as places that generally have a higher level of income. As far as college is concerned, the difference between getting into a state or community college is much different than getting into somewhere like Yale or Harvard. Anya Kamenetz, the author of several books about education, published an article about how elite colleges keep underprivileged kids from attending them. In it she states “Take two 18-year-olds with equally stellar academic abilities. One comes from the socioeconomic bottom and one from the top. That lower-income student is one-third as likely to enroll in a selective college.” While the education standards are much higher, this article discusses how classism can come into effect when viewing colleges and the selection process. Whether or not the discrimination is being carried out on purpose, there is a long chain of events that the author explains lead towards students of lower social class being less likely to be accepted into an Ivy League or more selective college. For example, one of the more inadvertent ways that lower economic class students are discriminated against is by not having the opportunity to visit some of the colleges they choose. Kamenetz states that kids that do not have the money to travel to their prospective colleges are not as highly favored as students that actually visit campus. One of the many various smaller ways that low socioeconomic status can impact a person.
One way that this chain of events unfolds is that if there is a lack of education in the poor, then they are also open to being easily manipulated by political leaders, and other society members. For example, in the article ‘Loving the Poorly Educated’, the Rev. Dan Schatz, uses an example from one of Donald Trump's speeches in Nevada where he was quoted saying “We won with poorly educated… I love the poorly educated”. This is just one of the many hints that politicians will use and manipulate the less fortunate, and without any higher level of education there is a lot less that they can do to prevent being manipulated. They are viewed as an easy vote for people who appeal to their tastes, and do not take into consideration any intellectual aspects of deciding who to vote for. While this is obviously not true, it is in itself a form of classism. One of the best quotes perfectly summing up what our culture does to people that are poorly educated and near or below the poverty line is by Rev. Dan Schatz a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and Harvard Divinity School. He says that “Our culture conflates formal education with human worth far too often. Degrees, especially from elite universities, become symbols of status and privilege, while people labeled “poorly educated” become targets for derision”.
One of the final points that can be brought up about classism is the fact that someone who is not making enough money and is being forced to work long hours, is not given as much free, creative time as someone who lives in the middle or upper class. The author of the article ‘Too Busy Being Poor’ goes into great detail on how they think that people at the bottom of the economical class are allotted much less free time than a wealthy person, saying “eight hours of work was more than good enough for centuries… Certain classes of people have been working more than eight hours a day for as long as there has been economic stratification.” It is very true that the lower class is often not spared as much time in the day and can also lead to one of the main reasons they have no time to seek out furthering their education with some form of college.
Overall it is important to know the different causes of the economically disadvantaged being discriminated against. To be able to understand why seeking an education or understanding of politics might be much different to someone who works 12 hours a day and has never had the opportunity to attend college or further their education. Our society’s culture is designed around money and education, and if you lack either, in some way or another you as well are a victim of classism.
Kamenetz, Anya. “5 Ways Elite-College Admissions Shut Out Poor Kids.” nprED, NPR. 11 March 2016. 15 January 2016.
"Too Busy Being Poor To Be Creative." The Huffington Post. HPMG News, 29 Feb. 2016. 13 Mar. 2016.
Schatz, Dan. "Loving the "Poorly Educated"" The Huffington Post. HPMG News, 25 Feb. 2016. Web. 13 Mar. 2016.
Midterm Essay
Aidan Marquardt
English I
There are a varying amount of types of discrimination in the world, but one that has recently become more well known is classism and discrimination or unfair treatment based solely off of one's economic position or social class. Classism is something that affects all people in our culture no matter what social class you are in. Whether or not you are on the negative or positive end of classism, almost all people in a society with established social groups are impacted by it. It is important to me because I think that it is ridiculous to be discriminated and demeaned simply based off of one’s social status. It is especially relevant to youth specifically, because many younger people have not developed a full understanding of money, and it is much easier for groups of younger people to discriminate against others that are different than them. However, classism occurs at all age levels and through all members of society in some form or another.
One of the largest forms that classism appears in, is the education system in America. Many people struggle around the world with finding adequate education, but in America, it is thought that everyone has equal access to public schooling. This is not always the case because in many places the education that is received in lower income areas is nowhere near the same as places that generally have a higher level of income. As far as college is concerned, the difference between getting into a state or community college is much different than getting into somewhere like Yale or Harvard. Anya Kamenetz, the author of several books about education, published an article about how elite colleges keep underprivileged kids from attending them. In it she states “Take two 18-year-olds with equally stellar academic abilities. One comes from the socioeconomic bottom and one from the top. That lower-income student is one-third as likely to enroll in a selective college.” While the education standards are much higher, this article discusses how classism can come into effect when viewing colleges and the selection process. Whether or not the discrimination is being carried out on purpose, there is a long chain of events that the author explains lead towards students of lower social class being less likely to be accepted into an Ivy League or more selective college. For example, one of the more inadvertent ways that lower economic class students are discriminated against is by not having the opportunity to visit some of the colleges they choose. Kamenetz states that kids that do not have the money to travel to their prospective colleges are not as highly favored as students that actually visit campus. One of the many various smaller ways that low socioeconomic status can impact a person.
One way that this chain of events unfolds is that if there is a lack of education in the poor, then they are also open to being easily manipulated by political leaders, and other society members. For example, in the article ‘Loving the Poorly Educated’, the Rev. Dan Schatz, uses an example from one of Donald Trump's speeches in Nevada where he was quoted saying “We won with poorly educated… I love the poorly educated”. This is just one of the many hints that politicians will use and manipulate the less fortunate, and without any higher level of education there is a lot less that they can do to prevent being manipulated. They are viewed as an easy vote for people who appeal to their tastes, and do not take into consideration any intellectual aspects of deciding who to vote for. While this is obviously not true, it is in itself a form of classism. One of the best quotes perfectly summing up what our culture does to people that are poorly educated and near or below the poverty line is by Rev. Dan Schatz a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and Harvard Divinity School. He says that “Our culture conflates formal education with human worth far too often. Degrees, especially from elite universities, become symbols of status and privilege, while people labeled “poorly educated” become targets for derision”.
One of the final points that can be brought up about classism is the fact that someone who is not making enough money and is being forced to work long hours, is not given as much free, creative time as someone who lives in the middle or upper class. The author of the article ‘Too Busy Being Poor’ goes into great detail on how they think that people at the bottom of the economical class are allotted much less free time than a wealthy person, saying “eight hours of work was more than good enough for centuries… Certain classes of people have been working more than eight hours a day for as long as there has been economic stratification.” It is very true that the lower class is often not spared as much time in the day and can also lead to one of the main reasons they have no time to seek out furthering their education with some form of college.
Overall it is important to know the different causes of the economically disadvantaged being discriminated against. To be able to understand why seeking an education or understanding of politics might be much different to someone who works 12 hours a day and has never had the opportunity to attend college or further their education. Our society’s culture is designed around money and education, and if you lack either, in some way or another you as well are a victim of classism.
Kamenetz, Anya. “5 Ways Elite-College Admissions Shut Out Poor Kids.” nprED, NPR. 11 March 2016. 15 January 2016.
"Too Busy Being Poor To Be Creative." The Huffington Post. HPMG News, 29 Feb. 2016. 13 Mar. 2016.
Schatz, Dan. "Loving the "Poorly Educated"" The Huffington Post. HPMG News, 25 Feb. 2016. Web. 13 Mar. 2016.
Friday, March 4, 2016
Writing Process Analysis
There were multiple steps I took
when I was completing this assignment, but it is generally what I do for
every paper I write. First, I brainstormed on what exactly I would like
to focus on while writing the rhetorical analysis essay. Then, I looked
to the outline we were provided and started to fill it in step by step.
Once that was finished, I started to connect the different parts of the
outline into an essay format. This usually helps me get started, and
give me a decent amount of writing to build off of. The result of this
process was what I called my rough draft. Then for the final draft I
just added some extra grammatical corrections, and made it flow much
smoother.
One of the main things I learned about this topic was some of the effects of poverty, and more importantly, who it effects. I also saw how it is portrayed through different media outlets, and the fact that there is a specific image of poverty that is shown, that might not represent all of the people that are currently living in poverty. While I was writing my essay I also began to realize that rhetorical analysis is, to me, a more advanced form of critiquing someones writing or piece of media in a very detailed way. I think this essay also solidified the fact that I have a real problem with procrastination. However, it motivates me to work harder, and do it faster. Usually when I am working under a time crunch it serves as motivation, but I end up missing things that I could have corrected if I had given myself more time. I think in order to quit procrastinating so much I need to find other motivating factors in order to encourage myself to finish my projects early rather than right before they are due. I am happy with the final product. While I may have needed to use a different style of sources, I think the paper itself turned out pretty strong.
One of the main things I learned about this topic was some of the effects of poverty, and more importantly, who it effects. I also saw how it is portrayed through different media outlets, and the fact that there is a specific image of poverty that is shown, that might not represent all of the people that are currently living in poverty. While I was writing my essay I also began to realize that rhetorical analysis is, to me, a more advanced form of critiquing someones writing or piece of media in a very detailed way. I think this essay also solidified the fact that I have a real problem with procrastination. However, it motivates me to work harder, and do it faster. Usually when I am working under a time crunch it serves as motivation, but I end up missing things that I could have corrected if I had given myself more time. I think in order to quit procrastinating so much I need to find other motivating factors in order to encourage myself to finish my projects early rather than right before they are due. I am happy with the final product. While I may have needed to use a different style of sources, I think the paper itself turned out pretty strong.
Rhetorical Analysis Final Draft
Granlund, Dave. Poverty USA
In this article there are many different aspects of strong rhetoric being used. The picture is designed to promote empathy and sadness, but is also made to make one think about the deeper meaning of the comic. While it displays a family that is in distress and has seen better times asking for help, the person to the right that is in a similar condition is supposed to be representing the entirety of the United States as “Uncle Sam”. This cartoon is a great representation of what many people are seeing in the United States lately, which is a large amount of media showing the current financial trouble in the United States. Atal Bihari Vajpayee quote, "Poverty is multidimensional. It extends beyond money incomes to education, health care, political participation and advancement of one's own culture and social organisation." clearly is referring to the exact problem this image is trying to address.
This political cartoon draws from is the historic image of the United States as “Uncle Sam”. What was once an image promoting the United States army and was a symbol of strength and power, in this depiction of him, he is nowhere near in as good of condition. Although Uncle Sam is an old reference, it is still used today for many politically motivated things such as this cartoon. Since it is used throughout our culture currently the representation is drawing from the past, but people in the present can relate as well.
Looking into the credibility of the author of this cartoon, Dave Granlund, it is notable that he has a long list of credits towards his merit throughout the 39 years he has been making cartoons. He has also won a long list of awards for his comics and has been entered into the pulitzer prize multiple times. One of the best ways to track his credibility and reputation however is through his website where there is a list of all the accomplishments he has earned towards his political cartoons. Although the only real authority to write on these subjects is a college degree and personal experience, he does seem to appeal to more of a politically involved audience.
One can recognize the emotional connection that is made in this political cartoon because it is the focus point of it. The entire family with their children and dog are all begging for money, or asking for help while “Uncle Sam” or the United States responds with “I was going to ask you the same…” This forces the audience to interpret the fact that the rhetor does not believe the U.S. is in good financial standings at all. One of the main presuppositions might be that the U.S. is struggling as much as it is depicted. Another presupposition the rhetor makes is the image he uses of the family in need. This most likely is not what all the families in need look like, and it may not be so easy to determine who is, and who is not struggling. The rhetor actually highlights the audience's concerns, or gives them something to be concerned about. For many, seeing a visual interpretation of what the rhetor sees in the U.S. is a powerful enough image in itself. Since it is a cartoon there can be no real source of information. However, the newspaper that it was featured in could have some impact, and who the author of the comic was could pertain value as well.
The message in this cartoon is fairly direct. It is strongly suggesting that the citizens of the U.S. are struggling to make ends meet, and are asking for ‘help’. The country itself is showing how poor of a state it is in by turning out empty pockets and offering no help. The purpose of the rhetor’s message in this piece would most likely be to show the audience how he feels about poverty in the United States and controversy over the debt the country is in. The cartoon is serving as a reminder of how bad the financial status of the United States is right now as a whole, not just individuals below the poverty line. Although this image does address a lot I feel that one of the things that it lacks is representation of how this problem is possibly solvable. Bertrand Piccard was once said, "In the 21st century, I think the heroes will be the people who will improve the quality of life, fight poverty and introduce more sustainability." While it is just a cartoon, it should elude to some hint of hopefulness rather than just using pathos to make people feel uncomfortable and sad. The evidence shown in this cartoon is displayed through the clothes that the family is wearing, and the sign they are holding that is begging for help. Some of the counterarguments to this stance could be people who do not see the U.S. in a bad position currently. Although our debt is becoming enormously high, the country is still functioning and is not at all showing signs of weakness.
Finally it is important to remember what the primary message this cartoon sends is. That while there are a large portion of people in this country living below the poverty line, the country itself is also still struggling in many ways, and if it is not addressed it may go on unnoticed. As the famous African American actor James Baldwin once said, "Anyone who has ever struggled with poverty knows how extremely expensive it is to be poor."
Rhetorical Analysis Rough Draft
This cartoon is a great representation of what many people are seeing in the United States lately. More than likely the cartoon was addressing the readers of whatever newspaper the cartoon was featured in and it would have appeared in a political cartoon section, or accompanying an article involving debt and possibly poverty. Some of the things that could have pushed the author to depict this could have been from the news the author has observed recently through current events.
One of the primary things that this political cartoon draws from is the historic image of the United States as “Uncle Sam”. This was once an image promoting the United States army and was a symbol of strength and power. However in this depiction of him, he is nowhere near in as good of condition. Although Uncle Sam is an old reference, it is still used today for many politically motivated things such as this cartoon. Since it is used throughout our culture currently the representation is drawing from the past, but people in the present can relate as well.
If one was to look into the credibility of the author of this cartoon, Dave Granlund, they would find a long list of credits towards his merit throughout the 39 years he has been making cartoons. He has also won a long list of awards for his comics and has been entered into the pulitzer prize multiple times. The main way his credibility can be noted is through the list of accomplishments he has listed on his website's biography. Although the only real authority to write on these subjects is a college degree and personal experience, he does seem to appeal to more high brow audience. The only real bias he shows is in his opinion of the Patriots football team.
It is very easy to recognize the emotional connection that is made in this political cartoon because it is the focus point of it. The entire family with their children and dog are all begging for money, or asking for help while “Uncle Sam” or the United States responds with “I was going to ask you the same…” This forces the audience to interpret the fact that the rhetor does not believe the U.S. is in good financial standings at all. One of the main presuppositions might be that the U.S. is struggling as much as it is depicted. Another presupposition the rhetor makes is the image he uses of the family in need. This most likely is not what all the families in need look like, and it may not be so easy to determine who is, and who is not struggling. The rhetor actually highlights the audience's concerns, or gives them something to be concerned about. For many, seeing a visual interpretation of what the rhetor sees in the U.S. is a powerful enough image in itself. Since it is a cartoon there can be no real source of information. However, the newspaper that it was featured in could have some impact, and who the author of the comic was could pertain value as well.
The message in this cartoon is fairly direct. It is strongly suggesting that the citizens of the U.S. are struggling to make ends meet, and are asking for ‘help’. The country itself is showing how poor of a state it is in by turning out empty pockets and offering no help. The purpose of the rhetor’s message in this piece would most likely be to show the audience how he feels about poverty in the United States and controversy over the debt the country is in. The cartoon is serving as a reminder of how bad the financial status of the United States is right now as a whole, not just individuals below the poverty line.
The evidence shown in this cartoon is displayed through the clothes that the family is wearing, and the sign they are holding that is begging for help. Some of the counterarguments to this stance could be people who do not see the U.S. in a bad position currently. Although our debt is becoming enormously high, the country is still functioning and is not at all showing signs of weakness.
Finally it is important to remember what the primary message this cartoon sends is. That while there are a large portion of people in this country living below the poverty line, the country itself is also still struggling in many ways, and if it is not addressed it may go on unnoticed.
One of the primary things that this political cartoon draws from is the historic image of the United States as “Uncle Sam”. This was once an image promoting the United States army and was a symbol of strength and power. However in this depiction of him, he is nowhere near in as good of condition. Although Uncle Sam is an old reference, it is still used today for many politically motivated things such as this cartoon. Since it is used throughout our culture currently the representation is drawing from the past, but people in the present can relate as well.
If one was to look into the credibility of the author of this cartoon, Dave Granlund, they would find a long list of credits towards his merit throughout the 39 years he has been making cartoons. He has also won a long list of awards for his comics and has been entered into the pulitzer prize multiple times. The main way his credibility can be noted is through the list of accomplishments he has listed on his website's biography. Although the only real authority to write on these subjects is a college degree and personal experience, he does seem to appeal to more high brow audience. The only real bias he shows is in his opinion of the Patriots football team.
It is very easy to recognize the emotional connection that is made in this political cartoon because it is the focus point of it. The entire family with their children and dog are all begging for money, or asking for help while “Uncle Sam” or the United States responds with “I was going to ask you the same…” This forces the audience to interpret the fact that the rhetor does not believe the U.S. is in good financial standings at all. One of the main presuppositions might be that the U.S. is struggling as much as it is depicted. Another presupposition the rhetor makes is the image he uses of the family in need. This most likely is not what all the families in need look like, and it may not be so easy to determine who is, and who is not struggling. The rhetor actually highlights the audience's concerns, or gives them something to be concerned about. For many, seeing a visual interpretation of what the rhetor sees in the U.S. is a powerful enough image in itself. Since it is a cartoon there can be no real source of information. However, the newspaper that it was featured in could have some impact, and who the author of the comic was could pertain value as well.
The message in this cartoon is fairly direct. It is strongly suggesting that the citizens of the U.S. are struggling to make ends meet, and are asking for ‘help’. The country itself is showing how poor of a state it is in by turning out empty pockets and offering no help. The purpose of the rhetor’s message in this piece would most likely be to show the audience how he feels about poverty in the United States and controversy over the debt the country is in. The cartoon is serving as a reminder of how bad the financial status of the United States is right now as a whole, not just individuals below the poverty line.
The evidence shown in this cartoon is displayed through the clothes that the family is wearing, and the sign they are holding that is begging for help. Some of the counterarguments to this stance could be people who do not see the U.S. in a bad position currently. Although our debt is becoming enormously high, the country is still functioning and is not at all showing signs of weakness.
Finally it is important to remember what the primary message this cartoon sends is. That while there are a large portion of people in this country living below the poverty line, the country itself is also still struggling in many ways, and if it is not addressed it may go on unnoticed.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Annotated Bibiliography
Blow, Charles. Them That’s Not Shall Lose. The New York Times. June 24, 2011. Web. February 10, 2016. The first quote I chose was by James A. Baldwin, whos was an African American novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic. It has a much deeper meaning than simply stating a fact, and coming from someone who has experienced poverty first hand, it means a lot more. His quote states "Anyone who has ever struggled with poverty knows how extremely expensive it is to be poor."
Patil, Pratibha. Speech of The President of India. Embassy of India. January 25, 2011. Web. February 10, 2016. Patil is stating that without taking a more sensitive and practical look at poverty, the issue will never become completely resolved. This quote could be used for a transition into the topic of how to go about resolving poverty in the world in a hypothetical paper. "Our goal of poverty eradication and of inclusive growth that embraces the disadvantaged and marginalized sections of society can be achieved when our actions are guided by a social conscience and are not devoid of sensitivity." Patil was the 12th President of India who had a Master's Degree in Political Science and Economics, and Bachelors of Law Degree.
Perry, Tyler. Tyler Perry's Open Letter to Penn State 11-Year-Old. Newsweek. November 28, 2011. Web. February 10, 2016. Tyler Perry is a very prominent actor, producer, director, screenwriter, playwright, author, and songwriter, and was actually homeless for a number of years. While the source of this quote may not contain any particular merit because it is coming from an article that is not necessarily related to poverty, he is a very accredited person, and this statement provides a very vivid description of what poverty may seem like to some; a very hopeless situation. "I was a very poor young black boy in New Orleans, just a face without a name, swimming in a sea of poverty trying to survive."
Piccard, Bertrand. How We Give. Simplexity Clothing. Simplexity Inc. n.d. February 10, 2016. If I was to include this in a hypothetical paper I would mainly use it as an aspect of ethos. Since he is saying that in the future, a person's character may perhaps be judged on how they fight for the less fortunate. "In the 21st century, I think the heroes will be the people who will improve the quality of life, fight poverty and introduce more sustainability." Bertrand was a swiss psychiatrist, and recipient of the Harmon Trophy.
Vajpayee, Atal Bihari. Looking at Poverty, Beyond Lack of Income. HubPages Inc. February 27, 2014. February 10, 2016. This quote would be a good backup to the logos aspect of the paper. Vajpayee is taking a very logical standpoint and looking deeper into the matter than just the surface of the problem.
"Poverty is multidimensional. It extends beyond money incomes to education, health care, political participation and advancement of one's own culture and social organisation." Atal was a successful poet, journalist, political activist. Atal Bihari Vajpayee
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