Rhetorical Analysis Attempt #2

For 72 seconds, everyone in America was in exhilaration and joy as the brave crew of seven people was inching closer and closer into the space. Those seven people encountered countless tests and passed all of them with flying colors. All had aspiring dreams to become a prophecy walking on our Earth being one of the few people to ever experience the invigorating sights of our space. But no, disaster and tragedy struck the Challenger crew. On the ill-fated 73rd second of their trip, the O-Ring failure caused aerodynamic forces to break up the orbiter… And seven lives were immediately ruined along with their families, friends, and followers.

In order to lessen the blow of the saddening incident of the Challenger Seven, Ronald Reagan hastily followed up with a claim that would forever be enriched in Americans who was deeply impacted by the event. I felt that Reagan accomplished in trying to make Americans know that even though the Challenger Seven died, America will stand strong and keep trying.

In supporting his claim, President Reagan opened up his address in a way that was almost perfect because he dismissed his original piece that he was supposed to present that night and instead turned his attention to the Challenger Seven. By doing so, the tactic of emotional appeal was used to make his audience feel like he truly cares about what has happened.

Also, the position that Reagan was in at that time, the President of the U.S.A., obviously solidified his credibility among the readers. With the audience’s respect, Reagan didn’t abuse it as he carefully mended his audience’s emotions with strong support and empathy that the Challenger Seven would never be forgotten. With that, Reagan’s persuasion argument became stronger three times.

I feel strongly that if not for the organization in the speech of Reagan, his message would not have been as powerful as it was. As I read through Reagan’s piece over and over again, I discovered that each sequence of his piece targeted different audience every time. In his introduction paragraph, all Americans were targeted as he brilliantly stated, “This is truly a national loss.” In the second paragraph, the same audience was targeted, except this time, background was provided about the three previous astronauts who like the Challenger Seven died trying to explore their own world. In the third paragraph, it is where it gets sensitive, as Reagan directed the family members of the Challenger Seven, “Your loved ones were daring and brave…” He knew how to pull the right chords and make the seven families feel like their loved ones died doing what they loved. In the next several paragraphs, children, NASA, and religion were involved; how Reagan organized his piece is what made his message stand out.

WE WILL NOT STOP EXPLORING OUR WORLD. That was the message I felt that Reagan tried to show beneath his lines of empathy and pity. As he powerfully indicated that Americans will not give up on exploring, “Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue.” I felt that this piece could not have been written any better.






Websites used:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ronaldreaganchallenger.htm

Rhetorical Analysis

For 72 seconds, everyone in America was in exhilaration and joy as the brave crew of seven people was inching closer and closer into the space. Those seven people encountered countless tests and passed all of them with flying colors. All had aspiring dreams to become a prophecy walking on our Earth being one of the few people to ever experience the invigorating sights of our space. But no, disaster and tragedy struck the Challenger crew. On the ill-fated 73rd second of their trip, the O-Ring failure caused aerodynamic forces to break up the orbiter… And seven lives were immediately ruined along with their families, friends, and followers.

With the saddening incident of the Challenger Seven, Ronald Reagan hastily followed up with a piece that would forever be enriched in Americans who was deeply impacted by the event. The way that President Reagan opened up his address was almost perfect because he dismissed his original piece that he was supposed to present that night and instead turned his attention to the Challenger Seven. By doing so, the tactic of emotional appeal was used to make his audience feel like he truly cares about what has happened. Also, the position that Reagan was in at that time, the President of the U.S.A., obviously solidified his credibility among the readers.

I feel strongly that if not for the organization in the speech of Reagan, his message would not have been as powerful as it was. As I read through Reagan’s piece over and over again, I discovered that each sequence of his piece targeted different audience every time. In his introduction paragraph, all Americans were targeted as he brilliantly stated, “This is truly a national loss.” In the second paragraph, the same audience was targeted, except this time, background was provided about the three previous astronauts who like the Challenger Seven died trying to explore their own world. In the third paragraph, it is where it gets sensitive, as Reagan directed the family members of the Challenger Seven, “Your loved ones were daring and brave…” He knew how to pull the right chords and make the seven families feel like their loved ones died doing what they loved. In the next several paragraphs, children, NASA, and religion were involved; how Reagan organized his piece is what made his message stand out.

WE WILL NOT STOP EXPLORING OUR WORLD. That was the message I felt that Reagan tried to show beneath his lines of empathy and pity. As he powerfully indicated that Americans will not give up on exploring, “Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue.” I felt that this piece could not have been written any better.

Websites used:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ronaldreaganchallenger.htm

List of This I believe

• Everyone should always be granted a second chance excluding barbaric standards.
• Never judge anyone only by their looks.
• Don't become someone that the public would want you to be, instead be someone that you can look at the mirror everyday with some sense of pride.
• Family always comes first no matter what.
• Never do something that you would regret the next morning.
• Treat others like how you would want to be treated.
• Respecting elders.
• Being active in any activities.
• Don't be a follower.
• Taking advantage of your abilities in anything to full extent.

Nafsi in Lunsford

The arguments that Azar Nafisi made in this commentary are well presented and efficient. Azar used several methods of arguments to persuade us into understanding his point and then siding with him. Azar tried to get his point across that with empathy we can embark into other people's world and actually feel their pain or joy. The methods of arguments that Azar used were based on emotions and many others including character values. However, I felt that the argument of emotions came off the story stalwartly and made me fired up.

Emotions -
The arguments based on emotions that Azar used in this story were very gripping and clutched at my heart on occasions. "Huck remembers Jim and their friendship and warmth. He imagines Jim not as a slave but as a human being, and he decides that, "alright, then, I'll go to hell." (Lunsford, p. 909) After this statement, I was immediately hooked onto this story because of personal experiences that I had with hearing people just yesterday. A hearing player on my team made a great play on the opposing sidelines in front of the other team's players... One player screamed out, "Deaf people shouldn't be able to play football!" My teammate yelled back, "Oh yeah? Look at the scoreboard, (Bleep)!" Even though, he was hearing and shouldn't be offended by the statement that the opposing player made, he still had a lot of empathy. What I mean by that is that he was heavily in our world and in that moment, he felt like as if he was completely Deaf and felt our pain of discrimination. And just like Huck, the teammate was ready to go to war for us. Another argument that really motivated me to step up and do something now... "And it is at times like this when I ask myself, am I prepared - like Huck Finn - to give up Sunday school heaven for the kind of hell that Huck chose?" (Lunsford, p. 910) The author really presented a question in front of us saying that would we do the same thing for what we believed in even if the public didn't agree? I have to admit, most of us in that time wouldn't have the guts to do what Huck did for the former slave, Jim, because it had so many risks and pitfalls. Basically, through empathy, a weird power of self-righteousness is instilled in us and we could become like Huck to fight for what we believe is right in our hearts.

Lunsford (2007)

Mother Tongue -

This story pulled me in for some reason and I loved the story itself so it would be an honor to talk about it. Sounded like a cliche there right? Anyways, I felt that Amy Tan (the author of the story) truly expressed the problems and showed her arguments smoothly. She felt that languages don't make a person who s/he is. Amy used her mother as an example to indicate that even though she wasn't fluent in English; she still had some 'vivid observations' that possessed the talents of a brilliant human being. For instance, she reads all of Shirley Maclaine's books which are utterly unbelievable to begin with along with the Forbes report. The way Amy Tan writes the story of Mother Tongue is very soothing and it makes the story more interesting. If she had written the story in a more stern and advanced language, I would have lost motivation and stopped reading. But what she did was write it in such a language that made me feel as if I'm the author myself and telling a story to people. The Lunsford discussion of arguments related a lot to this story. For instance, the author knew how to argue efficiently using some emotional appeals which hooked me into the story and sided with Amy and wanted her to succeed. The emotional appeal in this story is very effective and there are different sides of this story that people can relate to in certain ways. For example, I immediately related to Amy when she was used as an interpreter to talk with her mother's stockbroker... I have many friends who are continually asked to interpret in public places ranging from restaurants to hearing friends. Even though I'm not the one that is asked to interpret, I can still feel their pain because it can get quite tiresome having to speak for someone all the time. Also, Amy used her mother's character to argue her point efficiently. She stated that her mother was very gifted and showed that by giving examples of what she did everyday from the Forbes to vivid observations. With her mother's strong character, Amy convinced me that even though her mother wasn't fluent in English, she still was smarter than I could even dream to be. Basically, Amy Tan succeeded what she set out to do and that is to convince us that language can influence what your identity becomes.

Paul and Elder (2005)

The Elements of Thought -

A thought requires one to analyze and evaluate something. I strongly agree with Paul and Elder on this part of book because it applies heavily to my life. It can range from a sentence out of a poem or a game of chess. Some of the elements of thought are assumptions, consequences, information, and purpose. Those elements of thought are always used by great chess players in order to outstrategize the opposition onto victory lane. Information is taken in by a chess player when another opponent makes a move. The move's purpose is then analyzed by the chess player to find out what the move generates... either defense or offense. Then the smart chess player would assume what the consequences will be trying to avoid or kill the piece, whether the risk is worthwhile or not. Wow, isn't it interesting I already explained some elements of thought by just using a game of chess as an example. Our process of thought is important and without it we wouldn't be able to truly function. Also, it's really fascinating for me to know that everyone has a different point of view on everything, big or small. It's practically impossible to find two people that have the same point of views on everything because we all think differently. For instance, when fans found out that Michael Vick was officially reinstated by the National Football League to play again, some went berserk and some didn't care. Everyone has their own side to the story, some people could have pets and to see such an unethical thing that could happen to their dogs too... Seeing Vick back in normal life and making more money than they could dream to even make in their whole life; is that fair? However, other people may say, he has served two years in jail and has paid enough for his crimes. Point of views is really something that we all have and is important for society. If a country has no point of views, it's a communist one. Ah, my favorite part, people do love to assume things. When a tattooed pierced punk walks by you, you automically assume he's a criminal... It's pathetic but also true, assumptions are all part of us and we assume everyday about little things all the time. I find this interesting because I often see the quote, "Don't judge books by their cover", I often ponder if we followed this quote word by word, would we hang with different people and treat people differently? We all should use the process of elements of thought because with the process of it, we would become a better person in the long run. There are so many elements to a thought and without a thought, we would be robots walking around.

Reaction/Reflection Entry

Language is something that all of us use everyday. It's nearly impossible to not use it everyday because it's required to communicate with other people in our lives. However, the way that people uses the language itself everyday varies immensely. So, I'll be glad to explain some certain events where I used language to help cope with some situations.

This story that I will share with you guys... it's not exactly a pleasant one for me to tell you but it's what came to my mind first. Back in the old days, my brothers and I (around 12 years old) went hiking in a huge but safe forest. Being little wild children, we rampaged the forest with our heavy feet and ran into the wild totally carefree. Suddenly, disaster struck as I saw my brother step on a beehive without noticing. I immediately informed my other brother and we ran for the car. Let me tell you, we ran like never before and that was the first and last time I outsprinted my brother. That night, all of us slept in agony as our backs were covered with dreaded stings.

Well, sometimes you just have to have a skill of persuading people into doing what you want for the good not bad. In one football game, this one player was being lackadisical as he missed many blocks and didn't do his assigments to help the team out. At the beginning, the score was pretty close so I got frustrated as I wanted him to play two times better than he was. Hence the plan I thought of during the game in order to motivate him into playing better. In the huddle, I got the attention of the lazy player and I told him that the opposing team mocked him every time he ran. The reason for that, he stood a towering 6'6 foot and weighed 250 pounds. Good enough, the next play, he ran like I never saw before and nearly beheaded a linebacker. After the game, he had tallied up eight pancakes which was unheard of in one game. Sometimes, persuading can be good when used in the correct way.

In the first day of being a Gallaudet University student, I was totally lost in the enormous buildings and everything looked like a maze. I felt like a mice chasing cheese in a maze that had no end to it. I tried to find my way around like Christopher Columbus did back in his day in Cuba... Unfortunately, I didn't have his skill of exploring so I had to ask other students for directions.

Trying to purchase a certain kind of combo at some fast-food restaurants can be a pain in the --- nowadays. The first thought that appears into your heads would be "Oh the damn clerks can't even write..." Hey, hey, don't lie, I know that's what you guys thought first. No, the hard part is trying to decide between all that great food. I always debate with my brothers which one to choose from and their opinions usually don't matter much because I'm very picky.

Praying is not something I do regularly but I always do it every time a family member faces a difficult situation or passes away. It's not a religious thing but more of a support system that I'd like to be for them.

1. Persuasion - It was relatively easy to convince my brother to run away from bees.
2. Persuasion - Had to dig deep to persuade my teammate into giving his all.
3. N/A
4. Argument - They tried to convince me into ordering what they would.
5. N/A

Lazy Boy's introduction

-Hello strangers! I'm Lazy Boy's special agent for unique occasions like this. It was tough to get him to submit to blogging. It required some financial agreements... Oh boy, I'm getting off-point now, anyways the point is that Lazy Boy will introduce himself and I'm only in the way! (Hands laptop to Lazy Boy)
Hey, hey, I'm one of the laziest boy on campus hence my nickname. Wait, are you guys even awake? Probably not because I'm barely up.. Back to the reason why I'm here, I hail from the great Silver Spring, Maryland. I was raised in various areas of Maryland and attended Maryland School for the Deaf. Growing up, sports were always there for me because of the competitiveness that came with it... I loved to compete with other kids who wanted to win at what they were doing too. I played in almost all sports possible ranging from volleyball to wrestling. Football, out of them all, is my favorite sport hands down. Without sports, I would be pathetically lost and hiding in a corner somewhere. Two irreplaceable brothers and unbelievable parents are what made me into who I am today. Oh yeah, school is my bane and I will never come to means with it. No one in their right mind would like school.. Right? Maybe not.. Well for those who like school, I'll bow down to you forever. Now, for something that I actually like, let's talk about movies and books. Movies... movies... There's too many to name so I'll pick a few, Gran Torino, Bourne Supremacy, V for Vendetta, and The American Gangster. As for the books, it becomes way easier as I'm a loyal fan of the Harry Potter series. Seriously, I used to hate books until I read the first book of Harry Potter, I got addicted badly that one time, I read six books of the series in one week. When I'm not watching or reading, I'm definitely eating chocolate chip cookies; it's one of the few things that I would almost die for. The taste of it is soooooooo unbelievable and even talking about it now gets me hungry. Milk, milk, and milk is what my brothers and I grew up with.. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it doesn't matter what time it is, a cup of milk will always be in my hands. Okay, my time is up and I'm sure you guys want to go do something else way better.. Later!
-Wow, every word that he typed was truly breathtaking!! If you folks are awestruck like I am, stay tuned for more blogs by him as promised in the contract! Keep your eyes peeled!