Bruce Urbanik, a student, wrote "A Comprehensive Reflective Letter." This short letter was a reflection of how his opinion and skills as a writer has changed. In this letter he writes about his downfalls and insecurities of writing and how he has made them into strengths. Near the end of the letter Urbanik writes that he found a disk with old writing assignments on it and how his writing has improved since he has written those papers.
When writing a reflective letter there are four kinds of writers knowledge which include: self-knowledge, content-knowledge, rhetorical-knowledge, critical knowledge or judgment. Self-knowledge is the understanding of how you are doing as a writer. Content-knowledge is what you have learned by writing and various subjects. Rhetorical-knowledge focuses on your awareness of your rhetorical decisions. Finally, critical-knowledge or judgment concerns your awareness of significant strengths and weaknesses in your writing. Urbanik's letter does a decent job of presenting his knowledge in each of these fields, but I would like to see him go into more details and state some specific strengths and weaknesses.
Along with the different types of knowledge a writers ought to ask himself many questions, questions that a reader may ask. Questions that Urbanik seems to overlook are ones that have to do with his own opinion of his work. He does not address questions on how he believes his essay turns out, but broadly says he improved over the years. Urbanik could make stronger points by explaining the difficulty of each assignment and telling how successful he was in writing each assignment. Urbanik could have been more text-specific when he was talking about his "biggest downfall," which was timed essays, and use examples of how this is his worst style of writing.
Urbanik writes a pretty strong reflection letter. He could revisit some of the writer's knowledge questions so that he can answer questions that will be asked by the reader before they are even asked.
Jordan Engel
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Its Not just a piece of plastic
College students abusing credit is very common nowadays. In the student essay "Example Student Writing," Richard Hatch writes about the issues that college students encounter with the misuse of credit cards. Hatch introduces three different sources and synthesizes them. Each source has a different view. The first source Eric Hoover reports on the impact of credit problems on college campuses. In the second source, Charles Haddad explains the impact of this crisis on the other parts of the economy. Finally, James A Roberts presents research to explain the problems with college students and credit. Throughout the essay Hatch uses these three sources to argue his thesis that by using different tones and examples aimed toward different audiences, these arguments present very different views of college students, ranging from sympathetic to accusing.
In my opinion this is a very poorly written synthesis for a couple of reasons. First of all, the thesis of the essay is very poorly written and is very vague. Without a strong thesis it makes it hard to prove a strong argument or prove the thesis. Along with the poor thesis, the conclusion is also vague, because the conclusion is a recap of the argument. The second thing that makes this a poorly written essay is that the introduction paragraph basically sums up the whole essay and explanatory paragraphs are not even needed. The intro shows what each article is saying and the audience can be gathered by the title/publisher of each article.
Out of all the student example synthesis essays, I believe that the strongest essay is the synthesis essay that Drew Lachey wrote. Lachey wrote about the right to vote and the first line in his essay grabs your attention immediately by saying that the most important duty Americans have is to vote. The essay is strong throughout and keeps the readers attention while staying focused on the topic. Lachey presents the best essay while in my opinion Hatch writes the worst.
Jordan Engel
In my opinion this is a very poorly written synthesis for a couple of reasons. First of all, the thesis of the essay is very poorly written and is very vague. Without a strong thesis it makes it hard to prove a strong argument or prove the thesis. Along with the poor thesis, the conclusion is also vague, because the conclusion is a recap of the argument. The second thing that makes this a poorly written essay is that the introduction paragraph basically sums up the whole essay and explanatory paragraphs are not even needed. The intro shows what each article is saying and the audience can be gathered by the title/publisher of each article.
Out of all the student example synthesis essays, I believe that the strongest essay is the synthesis essay that Drew Lachey wrote. Lachey wrote about the right to vote and the first line in his essay grabs your attention immediately by saying that the most important duty Americans have is to vote. The essay is strong throughout and keeps the readers attention while staying focused on the topic. Lachey presents the best essay while in my opinion Hatch writes the worst.
Jordan Engel
Monday, November 9, 2009
More than a Barrier
Illegal immigration has been a problem in America in recent years. Many solutions have been proposed from a vast amount of viewpoints. Three different men wrote blogs about what they think should be done to solve the problem of illegal immigrants coming into America. Victor Davis Hanson, Senator Mike Crapo, and Trapper John wrote "The Global Immigration Problem," Immigration Policy Must Help Economy While Preserving Ideals," and "The Progressive Case Against the Immigration Bill" respectively. These three blogs state each authors arguments of the reason they believe what they believe.
Victor Davis Hanson writes the blog "The Global Immigration Problem" and gives his idea that immigration is not just a problem that Americans are experiencing, but that immigration is a global problem. Also, Hanson believes that the solution to illegal immigration is for countries such as Latin America, Africa and the Middle East should encourage family planning and get smarter about using their plentiful natural wealth to keep more of their own people home. Hanson targets everyone as his audience. His message is that immigration is a global problem and needs to be sorted out at the roots. Hanson uses historical data to support his argument and make it more credible.
In the excerpt from "Immigration Policy Must Help Economy While Preserving Ideals," Senator Mike Crapo explains his support for a temporary guest worker program. Crapo believes that a guest worker program will stimulate the economy and will preserve American consumer goods and agriculture products. Crapo is arguing the case that a temporary guest worker program will help our economy. Crapo is targeting the group of people who are unsure on what to do about the issue, because anyone who knows about the guest worker program has probably already formed an opinion either for or against it.
Finally, "Trapper John,"the online identity of Jake McIntyre, expresses his opposition to the temporary guest worker program in his blog "The Progressive Case Against the Immigration Bill." McIntyre argues that a temporary guest worker program will change the current H-2B work visa, by having no requirements that employers pay the federally determined federal prevailing wages, and bring around 500,000 immigrants in the country with no chance at citizenship. McIntyre targets both the group of people who are undecided on what to do about immigration and also those who are already in support of the temporary guest worker program. McIntyre also uses specific numbers to make a better argument. McIntyre is opinionated in his blog, but not overbearing to the point where someone would want to stop reading. "Trapper John" ends with saying that something definitely needs to be done regarding the immigration problem, but is left unsure of what to do.
Jordan Engel
Victor Davis Hanson writes the blog "The Global Immigration Problem" and gives his idea that immigration is not just a problem that Americans are experiencing, but that immigration is a global problem. Also, Hanson believes that the solution to illegal immigration is for countries such as Latin America, Africa and the Middle East should encourage family planning and get smarter about using their plentiful natural wealth to keep more of their own people home. Hanson targets everyone as his audience. His message is that immigration is a global problem and needs to be sorted out at the roots. Hanson uses historical data to support his argument and make it more credible.
In the excerpt from "Immigration Policy Must Help Economy While Preserving Ideals," Senator Mike Crapo explains his support for a temporary guest worker program. Crapo believes that a guest worker program will stimulate the economy and will preserve American consumer goods and agriculture products. Crapo is arguing the case that a temporary guest worker program will help our economy. Crapo is targeting the group of people who are unsure on what to do about the issue, because anyone who knows about the guest worker program has probably already formed an opinion either for or against it.
Finally, "Trapper John,"the online identity of Jake McIntyre, expresses his opposition to the temporary guest worker program in his blog "The Progressive Case Against the Immigration Bill." McIntyre argues that a temporary guest worker program will change the current H-2B work visa, by having no requirements that employers pay the federally determined federal prevailing wages, and bring around 500,000 immigrants in the country with no chance at citizenship. McIntyre targets both the group of people who are undecided on what to do about immigration and also those who are already in support of the temporary guest worker program. McIntyre also uses specific numbers to make a better argument. McIntyre is opinionated in his blog, but not overbearing to the point where someone would want to stop reading. "Trapper John" ends with saying that something definitely needs to be done regarding the immigration problem, but is left unsure of what to do.
Jordan Engel
Thursday, November 5, 2009
A Wall of Difference
Ever since the foundation of the United States of America, the United States has been a a place for immigrants to come to start a new life. America is still made up of immigrants, but there are also immigrants that come into the country illegally.Dee and Byron Williams both wrote blogs regarding the immigration issue. "Dee," a Mexican-American woman, wrote a blog about the Pro Profile and the ANTI Profile of immigration issues. She argues that the Pro profile consists mainly of Hispanic Americans and that 12M(12 million immigrants) are beneficial to society. Dee also argues that the ANTI Profile is a group that are mainly of white or Northern European ethnicity. The ANTIs are described as angry radicals that want to build a 2000 mile wall keeping immigrants from the south out of America. Byron Williams, a Californian pastor, poses the point that issues and problems with immigration is not just a factor of the immigrants. Small businesses that are looking for cheap labor are hiring illegal immigrants and they are partially to blame for the illegal immigration. Williams also explains how each individual must come to their own decision on what they feel about immigration. Williams ends with the idea of an authentic policy and in order to have an authentic policy about immigration we must first have an authentic policy debate which does not include unnecessary ingredients and that ultimately lead to dehumanization.
Dee and Williams are appealing to different audiences and used different ways of developing their points. Dee was very opinionated in her blog and it shows in her writing that she is biased toward pro immigration and earned amnesty. Dee is the descendant of immigrants and directs her blog toward people who support earned amnesty. Dee speaks highly of the Pros is very condescending toward the ANTIs. The ANTI profile that Dee explains is a bunch of white radicals who want to build a huge wall to keep all immigrants out. She fails to mention other reasons and groups that may be against immigration.
Williams, on the other hand, uses a different approach when speaking about the immigration issue. Williams understands that immigration is a large issue and uses a more subtle tactic to get his point across. Instead of targeting a specific group, he targets everyone as a whole and presents a non-biased reasoning to why we need a policy debate. Also, Williams does not use any negativity toward a certain group as Dee does. Williams thoroughly explains reasons and constructed a blog that naturally leads up to his conclusion that in order for anything to be solved regarding the immigration we must first have a policy debate that does not dehumanized anyone.
Dee and Williams develop two completely different blogs with different opinions. Dee uses a more upfront approach to her blog to state her view of the immigration issues. Williams uses a more moderate approach of expressing his opinion without offending a specific group. When opinions are expressed, many different tactics can be used. Dee and Williams show two of the numerous different ways that someone can express their view.
Jordan Engel
Dee and Williams are appealing to different audiences and used different ways of developing their points. Dee was very opinionated in her blog and it shows in her writing that she is biased toward pro immigration and earned amnesty. Dee is the descendant of immigrants and directs her blog toward people who support earned amnesty. Dee speaks highly of the Pros is very condescending toward the ANTIs. The ANTI profile that Dee explains is a bunch of white radicals who want to build a huge wall to keep all immigrants out. She fails to mention other reasons and groups that may be against immigration.
Williams, on the other hand, uses a different approach when speaking about the immigration issue. Williams understands that immigration is a large issue and uses a more subtle tactic to get his point across. Instead of targeting a specific group, he targets everyone as a whole and presents a non-biased reasoning to why we need a policy debate. Also, Williams does not use any negativity toward a certain group as Dee does. Williams thoroughly explains reasons and constructed a blog that naturally leads up to his conclusion that in order for anything to be solved regarding the immigration we must first have a policy debate that does not dehumanized anyone.
Dee and Williams develop two completely different blogs with different opinions. Dee uses a more upfront approach to her blog to state her view of the immigration issues. Williams uses a more moderate approach of expressing his opinion without offending a specific group. When opinions are expressed, many different tactics can be used. Dee and Williams show two of the numerous different ways that someone can express their view.
Jordan Engel
Monday, October 26, 2009
Ring...Ring...Where Are You?
"Mobile Phone Tracking Scrutinized,"written by Nikki Swartz, and "Reach Out and Track Someone," written by Terry J. Allen, are two articles about cell phone tracking. Both articles give facts about tracking people via their cell phone. Swartz's article, as it says in the title, is more of an article geared toward someone who is looking for the facts and looking deeper into cell phone tracking. Swartz is scrutinizing cell phone tracking by the government and forms an opinion around what the government is doing. Allen's article was more opinionated and gave his opinion in the article in a more obvious manor. Also, Allen's writing was based around his opinion, giving facts that push for more cell phone tracking. Allen believes that cell phone tracking is a way that government and law enforcement can place suspects at a crime scene.
These two pieces of work both have some similarities. One of the main differences that can seen is that both of the articles talk about how cell phone tracking can be beneficial in a crime investigation. Both of the articles both start off with an introduction on cell phone tracking. The articles both tell about how cell phone companies use triangulating towers and the cell phone signal to pinpoint the location of the cell phone and the user.
Along with similarities, there are also differences between the two articles. One of the main differences is that Swartz's articles goes in depth about a political and judicial view of cell phone tracking. Swart's writes about how prosecutors and magistrate use political acts that have been passed to rule the use of cell phone tracking necessary or unnecessary. Both of the articles give the negatives about tracking cell phones to find some, but the difference is that in Allen's article he expounds on the positive aspects of cell phone tracking.
Cell phone tracking is a very controversial issue that brings many discussions about privacy to the table. Invasion of privacy is one of the major issues that rises from cell phone tracking. Many people believe that it is unreasonable to track someone because there is not a just cause to be able to find the location of everyone with a cell phone. Cell phones can be beneficial for solving crimes, but what happened in the past when there were no cell phones? It is not necessary for the phone company to have a log of where you have been, but only necessary for the companies to have the ability if they need to find you in an emergency situation. A friend of mine's father once tracked his cell phone to find out where he was and he was not in the place that his father believed he was in so he was punished. Tracking down the exact location of your child is an unneeded luxury . Our time should not be devoted to tracking anyone down, but to tracking specific people down.
Jordan Engel
These two pieces of work both have some similarities. One of the main differences that can seen is that both of the articles talk about how cell phone tracking can be beneficial in a crime investigation. Both of the articles both start off with an introduction on cell phone tracking. The articles both tell about how cell phone companies use triangulating towers and the cell phone signal to pinpoint the location of the cell phone and the user.
Along with similarities, there are also differences between the two articles. One of the main differences is that Swartz's articles goes in depth about a political and judicial view of cell phone tracking. Swart's writes about how prosecutors and magistrate use political acts that have been passed to rule the use of cell phone tracking necessary or unnecessary. Both of the articles give the negatives about tracking cell phones to find some, but the difference is that in Allen's article he expounds on the positive aspects of cell phone tracking.
Cell phone tracking is a very controversial issue that brings many discussions about privacy to the table. Invasion of privacy is one of the major issues that rises from cell phone tracking. Many people believe that it is unreasonable to track someone because there is not a just cause to be able to find the location of everyone with a cell phone. Cell phones can be beneficial for solving crimes, but what happened in the past when there were no cell phones? It is not necessary for the phone company to have a log of where you have been, but only necessary for the companies to have the ability if they need to find you in an emergency situation. A friend of mine's father once tracked his cell phone to find out where he was and he was not in the place that his father believed he was in so he was punished. Tracking down the exact location of your child is an unneeded luxury . Our time should not be devoted to tracking anyone down, but to tracking specific people down.
Jordan Engel
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Persuasion Without Speaking
"The Role of Images in Advertising" is an excerpt from Paul Messaris' book Visual Persuasion. This excerpt explains two different types of advertising, advertising that appeals to young, sexy, happy people and advertising that is abrasive, belligerent behavior and physical recklessness. When viewed some ads are viewed as more than a product. Advertising companies will appeal to the group of people they are trying to sell to, which in this case are young people. Ads will portray a lifestyle instead of a product. This is what causes the target group to be attracted to the product because they like more than just the product. Ads will make people think that with the product comes sexiness or prestige. The other type of advertising posed in the excerpt is appealing to children who resent parents and authority. Messaris believes that these types of advertising are not the best type and are in some cases counter-effective. Messaris believes that there should be an honest portrayal without the irresponsible tendencies of children. Messaris brings up that Benjamin Demotte argues that ads and movies portray a phony picture of harmony between races.
There are many advertisements out that cater to the physical recklessness and belligerent behavior party. A very good example of the sex appeal and the physical recklessness are the Axe body wash and spray commercials. These ads lead you to believe that if you use their product that you will be tackled by women relentlessly and they will want you sexually, no doubt about it. I believe that the truthfulness of this is not entirely there, but it is effective. Advertising is not about changing the world; it’s about selling a product. I agree that advertising should be more of an honest portrayal of something, but from a business perspective it is brilliant. Advertising of this type may not be the most beneficial to our children, but from the seller's standpoint it is a marketing goldmine.
Over the last couple decades, magazine ads featuring persons of color has increased substantially. Minority groups have been placed in advertising where they traditionally have not been. Also, stereotypes have been placed in advertising to appeal to certain groups. Particularly, in the Reebok ad with Jay-Z shows there is some beneficial stereotyping. In the ad, which is split in half, on one side of the ad Jay-Z sits at what looks like a desk with a very classy pin-striped suit with a large city in the background. On the other side of the advertisement there is an image of a black male hand at the male's hip and the man is looking toward a housing unit. There are two captions in the ad "i am what i am" and "I got my MBA from Marcy Projects". If you look at this ad as a whole you could analyze that Jay-Z, since he said he got his MBA at Marcy Projects, came from the projects, but made his way to the top and is living to his full potential. This ad gives hope and inspiration to those living in the projects, telling them that they can do it also and there is a future.
In the Dockers ad there are many different races of people walking happily down a cobblestone street. This is what DeMott was talking about when he said the races are happily together or in “happy harmony.” The thought of this is how the world would like to be viewed, but this is not reality. An example of the surrealism of the ad is the line in the ad that reads “Wouldn’t it be nice if we were all equal?” This quote in the article is said because it would be nice, in a perfect world. In ads there are always going to be different portrayals of the same group. In the Met-Life ad there is a middle-aged black man holding his son high in the air and it gives you the thought he is a happy man living a good life. In the Reebok ad with Jay-Z it gives the thought that the blacks are in housing projects and Jay-Z is one of them who got away from that culture. In the MetLife ad it portrays average life, and in the Reebok ad it portrays the thug life.
Jordan Engel
There are many advertisements out that cater to the physical recklessness and belligerent behavior party. A very good example of the sex appeal and the physical recklessness are the Axe body wash and spray commercials. These ads lead you to believe that if you use their product that you will be tackled by women relentlessly and they will want you sexually, no doubt about it. I believe that the truthfulness of this is not entirely there, but it is effective. Advertising is not about changing the world; it’s about selling a product. I agree that advertising should be more of an honest portrayal of something, but from a business perspective it is brilliant. Advertising of this type may not be the most beneficial to our children, but from the seller's standpoint it is a marketing goldmine.
Over the last couple decades, magazine ads featuring persons of color has increased substantially. Minority groups have been placed in advertising where they traditionally have not been. Also, stereotypes have been placed in advertising to appeal to certain groups. Particularly, in the Reebok ad with Jay-Z shows there is some beneficial stereotyping. In the ad, which is split in half, on one side of the ad Jay-Z sits at what looks like a desk with a very classy pin-striped suit with a large city in the background. On the other side of the advertisement there is an image of a black male hand at the male's hip and the man is looking toward a housing unit. There are two captions in the ad "i am what i am" and "I got my MBA from Marcy Projects". If you look at this ad as a whole you could analyze that Jay-Z, since he said he got his MBA at Marcy Projects, came from the projects, but made his way to the top and is living to his full potential. This ad gives hope and inspiration to those living in the projects, telling them that they can do it also and there is a future.
In the Dockers ad there are many different races of people walking happily down a cobblestone street. This is what DeMott was talking about when he said the races are happily together or in “happy harmony.” The thought of this is how the world would like to be viewed, but this is not reality. An example of the surrealism of the ad is the line in the ad that reads “Wouldn’t it be nice if we were all equal?” This quote in the article is said because it would be nice, in a perfect world. In ads there are always going to be different portrayals of the same group. In the Met-Life ad there is a middle-aged black man holding his son high in the air and it gives you the thought he is a happy man living a good life. In the Reebok ad with Jay-Z it gives the thought that the blacks are in housing projects and Jay-Z is one of them who got away from that culture. In the MetLife ad it portrays average life, and in the Reebok ad it portrays the thug life.
Jordan Engel
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Looking At The Big Picture
Advertising has been going on for hundreds of years. However, the ways of advertising has changed drastically throughout time. Now, advertising is pushed through the media and is more visual than audible. Advertising is more about subliminal messaging and placing a hidden meaning or lifestyle around the product that is being sold. Angle of vision is one way to portraying a certain message in an advertisement. There is a Coors Light ad and it is a picture a man and a woman, and the man is resting his arm on the woman's shoulder. In the captions of the ad its reveals that the two people in the ad have been best friends since first grade. The photo of the two is a picture taken at the same level the two in the picture, there is not an angle looking up at them or down at them. The male's eyes are not looking at the woman and they are very casually sitting there. The picture makes you feel that they are just friends, because they are not showing affection as a couple would. This is where the beer part of the ad comes in. The ad says "Coors Light. Just between friends." This caption plays hand in hand with the photo because they are clearly just friends. Angle of vision may be one aspect of advertising, but surely is not.
Compositional features of an image are also very important. Compositional aspects of an image are the the features such as: settings, furnishings, character roles, social meaning of objects, social roles, and rhetorical context. In the Jeep Cherokee advertisement there is an image of a Jeep Cherokee in the middle of a city. In this city there are many outdoor qualities that the city takes on. In the ad there are many trees and there is a very large waterfall coming off the top of a building. This placement of the waterfall and the trees gives the message that even though the Jeep is meant for the street, it is still very versatile and can go off road. Ads like this also raise question for those who are unfamiliar with the product. Question would be raised for the placement of the waterfall in the middle of a city if someone had no knowledge of a Jeep. Sport-utility vehicles are notorious for poor gas mileage and poor emission. This ad makes it seem like it is normal for a vehicle that goes on and off road to be alright to drive around town. Other than visual and compositional features of an ad there are also the rhetorical aspects of an ad.
In the Hummer ad, there is a picture of a yellow Hummer being viewed from the top. Also, the Hummer is being driven on a very rugged terrain. This ad would not suit some, but for others it may spark a lot of interest. For someone looking for an off-road vehicle, this ad would interest them because they see a rugged looking vehicle driving on a very rugged terrain. The ad of the Cherokee would appeal to a potential buyer because the slogan on the story is, " Always have adventure in you heart. Jeep Cherokee." So even if you cannot drive the vehicle off-road you can still always have the feeling that you could if you wanted to. Even though the odds of you taking a brand new Jeep off-road are very unlikely, the ad is selling the thought that if you wanted to take it off road, you know you could. So, advertising has advertising has more meaning than just the initial picture or caption that is first viewed. Advertising is a collection of many different aspects put together to appeal to the target audience.
Jordan Engel
Compositional features of an image are also very important. Compositional aspects of an image are the the features such as: settings, furnishings, character roles, social meaning of objects, social roles, and rhetorical context. In the Jeep Cherokee advertisement there is an image of a Jeep Cherokee in the middle of a city. In this city there are many outdoor qualities that the city takes on. In the ad there are many trees and there is a very large waterfall coming off the top of a building. This placement of the waterfall and the trees gives the message that even though the Jeep is meant for the street, it is still very versatile and can go off road. Ads like this also raise question for those who are unfamiliar with the product. Question would be raised for the placement of the waterfall in the middle of a city if someone had no knowledge of a Jeep. Sport-utility vehicles are notorious for poor gas mileage and poor emission. This ad makes it seem like it is normal for a vehicle that goes on and off road to be alright to drive around town. Other than visual and compositional features of an ad there are also the rhetorical aspects of an ad.
In the Hummer ad, there is a picture of a yellow Hummer being viewed from the top. Also, the Hummer is being driven on a very rugged terrain. This ad would not suit some, but for others it may spark a lot of interest. For someone looking for an off-road vehicle, this ad would interest them because they see a rugged looking vehicle driving on a very rugged terrain. The ad of the Cherokee would appeal to a potential buyer because the slogan on the story is, " Always have adventure in you heart. Jeep Cherokee." So even if you cannot drive the vehicle off-road you can still always have the feeling that you could if you wanted to. Even though the odds of you taking a brand new Jeep off-road are very unlikely, the ad is selling the thought that if you wanted to take it off road, you know you could. So, advertising has advertising has more meaning than just the initial picture or caption that is first viewed. Advertising is a collection of many different aspects put together to appeal to the target audience.
Jordan Engel
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
More Than Meets the Eye
In 1938 Norman Rockwell, a famous American painter, painted a portrait of a doctor with a stethoscope checking the breathing of a child patient. The child was accompanied by his mother who was happily sitting in the background. The arguments that are made by Rockwell in his portrait portray that the doctor is a sympathetic, caring physician. Rockwell uses warm colors such as shades of dark red and deep yellows. Also, Rockwell paints a picture of the doctor, who is old and looks very gentle. There is no technology in Rockwell's portrait, but the doctor is getting done what need he should be and the mother is satisfied. In the text, there is also a picture of a doctor who is doing some work on a high-tech monitor that is displaying what looks like an x-ray or an MRI. The doctor in this picture is wearing glasses, holding a pen and it seems that he is studying the display intently. The doctor in the picture is portrayed in such a way that he is very intelligent and knows exactly what he is doing. If a person were to go the doctor in the in Rockwell's portrait they would be very comfortable with him and feel that he is genuinely helping them. If someone were to go to the doctor in the high-tech photo, they would probably know they are getting very good medical treatment, but their doctor may be a little less sociable.
Some people say that you can get a glimpse of somebody's personality just by looking at their artwork. Rockwell painted the picture of the doctor and the child and it gives you the impression that Norman Rockwell is kind, caring person. If Rockwell were a grouchy, old man who hated children he would not paint a picture of a doctor giving care to a young child. So Rockwell's portrait that he painted gives the impression that he is an all around caring person. The photographer of the high-tech photograph seems to be a more practical person who wants to show what the doctor is really doing and the hard work that the doctors do and the complexity of their job. The impression of the ethos that the high-tech doctor gives is that he is very smart and knows exactly what he is doing, because he is using advanced technology to do his job and not everyone can use that type of equipment. The doctor in the portrait by Rockwell gives the impression of the ethos that the doctor knows what he is doing and that he is there to help you, the fact that he is a doctor makes him a credible person.
It is in HMO’s and insurance company’s best interest to portray high-tech images of doctors. When someone has a serious medical condition and they go to see a doctor they want to know that they have somebody who knows what they are talking about. So it is the HMOs and insurance companies to show clients and potential clients that their doctors have a lot of experience and that they can help their patients. As for the doctor portrayed in Norman Rockwell's painting, he may better serve interests in alternative health care. Alternative health care, such as naturopathology, would appeal to Rockwell's doctor because the doctor in the painting seems that he is more along the lines of a doctor who would tell you to eat some soup, don't go outside, and get enough rest. For someone who is not looking for a pill to fix their problem they would want to go to the doctor in Rockwell's portrait.
Whether or not you take the time to look at them, pictures, paintings, advertisements, movies, or basically any visual, there is normally more than just a picture there, and there is a deeper reasoning behind them. Subliminal messages are placed in these various visuals so that the viewer can connect with the visual and pick out the deeper meaning. It may just look like a painting, but it’s more than meets the eye.
Jordan Engel
Some people say that you can get a glimpse of somebody's personality just by looking at their artwork. Rockwell painted the picture of the doctor and the child and it gives you the impression that Norman Rockwell is kind, caring person. If Rockwell were a grouchy, old man who hated children he would not paint a picture of a doctor giving care to a young child. So Rockwell's portrait that he painted gives the impression that he is an all around caring person. The photographer of the high-tech photograph seems to be a more practical person who wants to show what the doctor is really doing and the hard work that the doctors do and the complexity of their job. The impression of the ethos that the high-tech doctor gives is that he is very smart and knows exactly what he is doing, because he is using advanced technology to do his job and not everyone can use that type of equipment. The doctor in the portrait by Rockwell gives the impression of the ethos that the doctor knows what he is doing and that he is there to help you, the fact that he is a doctor makes him a credible person.
It is in HMO’s and insurance company’s best interest to portray high-tech images of doctors. When someone has a serious medical condition and they go to see a doctor they want to know that they have somebody who knows what they are talking about. So it is the HMOs and insurance companies to show clients and potential clients that their doctors have a lot of experience and that they can help their patients. As for the doctor portrayed in Norman Rockwell's painting, he may better serve interests in alternative health care. Alternative health care, such as naturopathology, would appeal to Rockwell's doctor because the doctor in the painting seems that he is more along the lines of a doctor who would tell you to eat some soup, don't go outside, and get enough rest. For someone who is not looking for a pill to fix their problem they would want to go to the doctor in Rockwell's portrait.
Whether or not you take the time to look at them, pictures, paintings, advertisements, movies, or basically any visual, there is normally more than just a picture there, and there is a deeper reasoning behind them. Subliminal messages are placed in these various visuals so that the viewer can connect with the visual and pick out the deeper meaning. It may just look like a painting, but it’s more than meets the eye.
Jordan Engel
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Analyzing a Few Things About 30 Little Turtles
In "Questioning Thomas L. Friedman's Optimism in '30 Little Turtles'," Stephanie Malinowksi, a student writer, writes in response to Thomas L. Friedman, a New York Times author, about his experience with outsourcing in India. She writes that Friedman only expounds on the positive parts of the Stephanie makes another point that Friedman makes large overgeneralizations on his few experiences with Indian outsourcing that all of the Indians are hospitable. Also, Stephanie points out what she thinks is an even bigger problem in Friedman's article, and it is that he talks about the Indians in a very condescending tone. Finallly, she believes that Friedman ended his article too abruptly and thinks that it leaves the audience wanting more.
Stephanie chose to use the bulk of her essay to prove her rhetorical points such as: only going into depth on the positive aspects of Indian outsourcing, large overgeneralization about Indians, writing in a condescending tone about Indians, and that Friedman comes to an abrubt end of his article. When explaining her points she uses alot of examples and quotations from "30 Little Turtles" that support her points. One of the the best of examples and quotation that Malinowski uses are when she says that Friedman overgeneralized based on few experiences. Stephanie uses the quotations "Indians are so hospitable." and "All of them seem to have gained self-confidence and self-worth." Also, Stephanie counters what Friedman writes when she says that she read other articles that said that outsourcing is basically a deadend job and that $200 a month is not a large salary, Friedman said the opposite of Stephanie. However, she does have alot of support for some of her points, she doesn't have as much for some of her other points. She could have used a few more examples and quotations on her point of Friedman coming to an abrupt end of his article. Stephanie uses only one signifcant quote and that is "we make not only a more prosperous world, but a safer world for our 20-year-olds." She used this quote earlier in her writing and could have gone into a little more depth about her point.
Stephanie Malinowski uses many attributive tags to give full credit for what Friedman has written in his article. Some effective tags that she uses are "Friedman asks the reader" and "Friedman states,"clearly giving ownership to what he had said. If I were going to write a rhetorical critique of Friedman's article I would use mostly what Malinowski such as: overgeneralization, condescending tone, and the lack of negative aspects. The only point that I wouldn't make is that he tried to come to an abrupt end of the article and tried to end on a happy note. I believe that Friedman was trying to end on a positive note, because the story was written with a positive demeanor. Aside from agreeing with Stephanie, there are also some of Friedman's points that I agree with.
Friedman says that outsourcing has helped international relationshups between India and other countries like America and Canada. I would go into more detail about this if I were in Friedman's position writing the article. Also, I would go into more detail about the negative aspects of outsourcing and some of the problems it causes, instead of just using positive aspects. Aside from all the dispute between Friedman's article and Malinowski's response they both do a good job of giving their opinion on what they have to right about.
Jordan Engel
Stephanie chose to use the bulk of her essay to prove her rhetorical points such as: only going into depth on the positive aspects of Indian outsourcing, large overgeneralization about Indians, writing in a condescending tone about Indians, and that Friedman comes to an abrubt end of his article. When explaining her points she uses alot of examples and quotations from "30 Little Turtles" that support her points. One of the the best of examples and quotation that Malinowski uses are when she says that Friedman overgeneralized based on few experiences. Stephanie uses the quotations "Indians are so hospitable." and "All of them seem to have gained self-confidence and self-worth." Also, Stephanie counters what Friedman writes when she says that she read other articles that said that outsourcing is basically a deadend job and that $200 a month is not a large salary, Friedman said the opposite of Stephanie. However, she does have alot of support for some of her points, she doesn't have as much for some of her other points. She could have used a few more examples and quotations on her point of Friedman coming to an abrupt end of his article. Stephanie uses only one signifcant quote and that is "we make not only a more prosperous world, but a safer world for our 20-year-olds." She used this quote earlier in her writing and could have gone into a little more depth about her point.
Stephanie Malinowski uses many attributive tags to give full credit for what Friedman has written in his article. Some effective tags that she uses are "Friedman asks the reader" and "Friedman states,"clearly giving ownership to what he had said. If I were going to write a rhetorical critique of Friedman's article I would use mostly what Malinowski such as: overgeneralization, condescending tone, and the lack of negative aspects. The only point that I wouldn't make is that he tried to come to an abrupt end of the article and tried to end on a happy note. I believe that Friedman was trying to end on a positive note, because the story was written with a positive demeanor. Aside from agreeing with Stephanie, there are also some of Friedman's points that I agree with.
Friedman says that outsourcing has helped international relationshups between India and other countries like America and Canada. I would go into more detail about this if I were in Friedman's position writing the article. Also, I would go into more detail about the negative aspects of outsourcing and some of the problems it causes, instead of just using positive aspects. Aside from all the dispute between Friedman's article and Malinowski's response they both do a good job of giving their opinion on what they have to right about.
Jordan Engel
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Teens and Tattoos. A Response to Sean Barry
Sean Barry, a student, has responded to Andres Martin by first summarizing what Martin had written in his article to other psychiatrists, and then going into his own ideas on why teenagers get tattoos. Barry believes that there is alot of overgeneralizing when Martin rights about teens getting tattoos. The overgeneralization is in Martin's effort to make other pysciatrists believe that tattoos are a positive thing and a way to understand teen's actions who come from a bad background. Barry believes that Martin is also romanticizing tattooing by comparing the reasons of teens tattooing themselves to Ishmael in the story of Moby Dick, a fictional story. Barry also believes that the majorly influenced by celebrities and the media. Movie stars, athletes, and t.v. stars all present that its okay to and good to get tattoos and it will make you better looking, more athletic,and successful. Martin also doesn't expand on his thoughts about teens wanting to be individuals and wanting to join a group. However, with the disagreements between Barry and Martin, combined they both do a good job of understanding the main reasons that teens tattoo themselves.
One of the best feelings is the feeling of acceptance. I believe that the main reason that teens get tattoos, in this day and age, is to fit in. Teens, more now than ever, are self-aware and self-conscious of themselves. The media tells teens of all ages that they should act or look a certain way, and teens believe it causing them to act or look that certain way. Tattoos are one way for teens to conform to the media and feel like they are accepted socially. When a teen is lonely and yearning for attention, they will go to drastic measures to be noticed. Aside from acceptance, special meaning is probably the next biggest reason of teen tattooing.
When my brother swore into the United States Army it marked a turning point in his life. Before he was in the Army he was heavily into drugs and was quickly destroying his life. When he hit rock bottom he decided to join the Army. Once he was sworn in, his drug addiction was forced to be ended. He recently tattooed "Speak So Softly" on his chest, because they are the lyrics to a song he used to love so much when he was out of control. He tattooed this on his chest so that he would always remember how he used to be and how far he had come. Having said this tattoos are not just a sign of rebellion or distain toward higher authority, but often symbolize something with a much greater meaning.
In conclusion, tattoos will be permanently inked onto teens and people of all ages until the end of time. Whether or not the reason that a someone got their tattoo to be accepted, memorialize an event or situation, or to make a statement, the reasons are endless. The choice of getting a tattoo is up to the person, who is permanently changing their appearance, to make the decision of why they are getting it and is not up to anyone else. The only thing we can do is try to accept and come to an understanding of why someone might get a tattoo.
Jordan Engel
One of the best feelings is the feeling of acceptance. I believe that the main reason that teens get tattoos, in this day and age, is to fit in. Teens, more now than ever, are self-aware and self-conscious of themselves. The media tells teens of all ages that they should act or look a certain way, and teens believe it causing them to act or look that certain way. Tattoos are one way for teens to conform to the media and feel like they are accepted socially. When a teen is lonely and yearning for attention, they will go to drastic measures to be noticed. Aside from acceptance, special meaning is probably the next biggest reason of teen tattooing.
When my brother swore into the United States Army it marked a turning point in his life. Before he was in the Army he was heavily into drugs and was quickly destroying his life. When he hit rock bottom he decided to join the Army. Once he was sworn in, his drug addiction was forced to be ended. He recently tattooed "Speak So Softly" on his chest, because they are the lyrics to a song he used to love so much when he was out of control. He tattooed this on his chest so that he would always remember how he used to be and how far he had come. Having said this tattoos are not just a sign of rebellion or distain toward higher authority, but often symbolize something with a much greater meaning.
In conclusion, tattoos will be permanently inked onto teens and people of all ages until the end of time. Whether or not the reason that a someone got their tattoo to be accepted, memorialize an event or situation, or to make a statement, the reasons are endless. The choice of getting a tattoo is up to the person, who is permanently changing their appearance, to make the decision of why they are getting it and is not up to anyone else. The only thing we can do is try to accept and come to an understanding of why someone might get a tattoo.
Jordan Engel
Sunday, September 27, 2009
"On Teenagers and Tattoos" Summary
"On Teenagers and Tattoos" was a short artilce written by Andres Martin that explains the different reasonings behind teenagers tattooing themselves. The main reasons teens get tattoos is to become individuals or to become a part of a group. Teenagers who get tattoos want to deviate from the norm, or conform to the norm of a group or society. Teens also like the idea of a tattoo due to its permanence. Many people who get tattoos do it for a personal reason, so that they can be forever reminded of the reason that they got the tattoo. Tattoos, whether meant for a reaction, for art, or for a meaning, should not be judged mearly by appearnce, but rather viewed as another way to see an individual's persona.
What I gathered from the article, "On Teenagers and Tattoos" by Andres Martin, is that tattoos are more than something drawn on your body with a needle and ink. Tattoos are, in alot of cases, memorials something that is worth alot more than a visit to the tattoo parlor. Young people use tattoos to express how they feel or to show their allegiance to a social class or organization. Mainly, the most importnant thing that I gathered from Martin's writing was that tattoos are more for personal display of something greater than that tattoo itself, or the way that an individual would like to reveal themself.
Jordan Engel
What I gathered from the article, "On Teenagers and Tattoos" by Andres Martin, is that tattoos are more than something drawn on your body with a needle and ink. Tattoos are, in alot of cases, memorials something that is worth alot more than a visit to the tattoo parlor. Young people use tattoos to express how they feel or to show their allegiance to a social class or organization. Mainly, the most importnant thing that I gathered from Martin's writing was that tattoos are more for personal display of something greater than that tattoo itself, or the way that an individual would like to reveal themself.
Jordan Engel
Thursday, September 24, 2009
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