Monday, November 8, 2010

Monty Python fallacy

This scene from Monty Python is full of rhetorical fallacies.
Which fallacies are used? Why are they fallacies?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrzMhU_4m-g

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Video Games and War

War Games, NY Times Magazine

How does this story start? Ie what's its lede or hook? Is it effective?

Where and how does the author tell you why this is relevant now?

What are the most memorable details in this story? Where do you think the author got these details from?

Fashion Designer Profiles

Jason Wu, NY Times

Twisted Sisters, New Yorker via Juxtapoz

Read one or both of these profiles. How does the story you read start? Is this a good lede/hook/beginning? Why or why not?
Where and how does the author of this profile tell you why this story is revelant now?
What sorts of details are included about these people's lives? What are some of your favorite details? How do you think the author learned these details?

Bedbugs!

Bedbugs in Boston, NY Times

How does this story start. (Ie what is the hook, the lede?) Is this an effective beginning to a report? Why or why not?
Where and how does this story tell you why this topic is relevant now? Is it effective?
What is the best detail/piece of evidence you can find in this story? What will you remember tomorrow? Where do you think the author got this detail?

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Hip Hop Should be Taught in School

Do your best to analyze this piece from Campus progress. What is the exigence/issue that caused this blog post to be written? Is this a report, proposal or a profile? What types of information did the writer use for this story? Where do you think he/she got it from? Is this a good example of student writing? Why or why not?

Hip Hop in school

Student Loans

Higher ed watch

Do your best to analyze this piece from Higher Ed Watch. What is the exigence/issue that prompted this story? What types of information does the story include? Is this story a profile, report or proposal? Where do you think the writer got the information from? In your opinion, is this a good example of writing as rhetoric or not?

50 Cent and Twitter...

Do your best to analyze this piece from Campus Progress. What is the issue/exigence that prompted this to be written? Is it a profile, report or proposal? What times of information does the writer use to back up his or her point?
Is this a good example of rhetoric? Why or why not....
50 Cent and Twitter

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Whole Foods Founder

Is John Mackey an effective rhetor? What criteria are you using to determine his effectiveness? How does he establish ethos, or get his customers to trust him and his store?


Whole Foods Founder from the New Yorker

Garcia Marquez profile

Is Garcia Marquez an effective rhetor? Why do the people of Columbia listen to him? What criteria are you using to determine whether he is effective or not? How does Garcia Marquez get the attention and respect of his audience, ie how does he establish ethos?

Garcia Marquez from the New Yorker

Glenn Beck profile

Glenn Beck from the New Yorker


Is Glenn Beck an effective rhetor? Explain why or why not. Why criteria are you using to decide whether he is a good rhetor or not? Do you think any of Beck's work rises to the level of an investigative report? Does Glenn Beck have ethos? How does he attempt to establish ethos and/or gain the trust of his viewers?

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Bryce Courtenay, The Power of One

You've read the first chapter of Bryce Courtenay's novel about growing up in South Africa. What is the point of telling his readers a story about bed wetting? (Hint: It might have something to do with the title of the novel, "The Power of One.") What voice does Courtenay write in and why? What types of writing devices does he employ? Where and how does he use dialog? Name some rich details from his story...ie what details do you find memorable in this story and why?

Nancy Mairs, On Loving Men

In your opinion, what is a main point of Nancy Mairs' personal narrative, "On Loving Men?" What audience is she writing to? Where does she use an emotional appeal (pathos) to her readers? What resources does Mairs draw on to describe her teenage self? What other writing devices does she employ? Where and how does she use dialogue? Where and how does she use anecdotes to tell her story?

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Assignment 1, personal narrative


Assignment #1: Personal Narrative (or Memoir)
Purpose
Recall, retell, and analyze a significant experience in your life. Carefully choose a sequence of events that 1) supports a specific thesis and 2) helps you fulfill your rhetorical purpose regarding a specific audience.
Invention
Keep in mind as you brainstorm/draft:
Ø     Scope: You cannot explain your entire high school experience or history as a baseball player in one brief essay. Choose one particular memory as a starting point.
Ø     You will want to be especially strategic in deciding which features of the experience (which details, characters, settings, and dialogue) you want to emphasize and which ones you should ignore if you are to achieve your desired purpose. 
Ø     You may want to conduct some naturalistic research (e.g., interviewing a friend or family member about a specific memory, observing a particular environment, etc.). This research will allow you to understand a moment from someone else’s perspective or look more closely at a space or behavior.
Ø     You should have a purpose in mind as you write your own memoir: to argue a point, to create a mood (maybe entertain), to instruct, inform, explain, or to provide cultural or philosophical commentary, blame, praise, and so forth.
Ø     Your memoir should be tailored for a specific audience—think about who could learn something from your experience.
Expectations
A successful personal narrative will:
1.     Focus on a significant experience;
2.     Use ample sensory details;
3.     Include dialogue that reveals information about your characters;
4.     Employ transitions that will help your reader follow your narrative and/or logic;
5.     Showcase a personal narrative voice (e.g., use a variety of sentence patterns and lengths, don’t sound like you come from the bureau of statistics, and so on); and
6.     Provide reflection and analysis in order to help your audience understand the significance of the experience.

Length: 3-4 pages (double-spaced)
Rough Draft Due: September 8, 2010
Final Assignment Portfolio Due: September 13, 2010
Resources: “Checking over a Memoir” on page 124 of The Harbrace Guide to Writing.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Defining The Rhetorical Situation

Respond to one of the two following prompts. Remember the definition of rhetoric from your textbook. According to Aristotle, "rhetoric is the faculty of observing in any given situation the available means of persuasion." 
Responses are due by class time on Wednesday.

Kanye West from the New Yorker

Kanye West, "I Don't Read"


Describe the rhetorical situation in David Cowen's response to Kanye West. What do you think is the exigence, or the catalyst, that caused Cowen to write this story? What observations has Cowen made about his audience?

Frontline, "Digital Nation"


How has technology changed the rhetorical situation in our society? What sorts of observations do you make before sending text messages, e-mails or communicating with others online? Do you think multi-tasking is degrading the quality of rhetoric in our society?