Author Archives: THIERNO DIALLO

From watching Joe Biden’s campaign, I believe the audience that is targeted in this video is America as a whole. In this video, we see Biden with several interactions with the American people, which is a way for him to advertise his image in a positive way. This video is intended for all that are voting in this upcoming election. The message that is being conveyed in this ad is Biden’s worth to the American people in a positive light. The ad highlights Biden’s plans and the things he brings to the table if he was to be chosen as president. This ad makes a connection, between the Coronavirus, racial identity, sexual identity, etc to show that no matter what we identify as, all those things “unites America”, as Biden stated in this ad. The main purpose of watching this video is to ultimately trust Biden and all that he stands for.

This ad has combination of positive and negative narratives. The beginning of the ad highlights the faults of Trump and the tone of the music gives off a sense of motivation to do better for the country, which is something Trump isn’t doing according to Biden. The second half of the video highlights the Biden’s positive attitude towards thhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3UsWMbUpF4is presidency and the music in this half of the ad portrays a glimpse of hope in the future of America, which allows the audience to feel a connection with Biden.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3UsWMbUpF4I believe that this ad has used a great technique well to develop it’s message. The use of Pathos in the ad constructs the video in a way that appeals to the target audience. Using the topics of the Coronavirus, racial identity, sexual identity, etc allowed that need of appeal to work successfully.

Prior to viewing this ad, my opinion on Biden and Trump is the same as it is now. So, I would say that this ad hasn’t really had an effect on me. However, this ad did ease my mind on the notion that Biden seems to have a plan for the well being of America’s future. My only problem with the ad was the lack of Logos used in the video. A number of  statistics should’ve been used to corroborate the statements made in this ad.

One key takeaway from Richard Staub’s “Responding — Really Responding —  to Other Students’ Writing”, is the different ways that teachers look for when reading a students comment to their classmates’ drafts. Some teachers look for comments placed in the margins right next to the drafts, while others look for letters or notes that address the draft  as a whole. One thing I will try to keep in mind while responding to my classmates’ drafts is what will be the quality of my response to my classmates’ drafts.

Anne Lamott’s, “Shitty First Drafts” and George Dila’s “Rethinking the Shitty First Draft” are two texts that are used to inform readers about the different ways to go about writing first drafts. Lamott’s way of writing first drafts is more of a freestyle type of writing, while Dila’s first draft process is more of a think it through and edit while he’s writing type of style. After reading Anne Lamott’s essay, ” Shitty First Drafts”, I realized that her mindset when writing her first drafts is very similar to mine, from the standpoint of how she let’s her mind generate everything that is written on the paper and lets her ideas come as she writes. My process of writing first drafts usually requires no intensive thinking. As I’ve continued to write throughout the years, my mindset of first drafts have transitioned to the notion of first drafts aren’t meant to be perfect. It is meant to have mistakes in the writing. That is ultimately why it is called a first draft, because it will not be the last. I’ve always found it difficult to do planning and gather ideas before starting to write a first draft. Worrying about whether what you’re writing in the first draft is perfect or not, is what tends to limit your ability to get as much as you can on paper while writing. My style allows me to get things down and revise later, which has proved to be effective in my writing and that’s something I’ll continue to do in my writing.

The text I decided to write about is Trevor Noah’s “Born A Crime”. In this autobiography Trevor explained his own upbringing in South Africa and the way he was treated different because of the color of his skin despite being born there. He was viewed as an outcast in his own family because he was grew up in a community full of black people whilst being the only light skinned person in his community. The central ideas that are brought up in the text is fitting in and proving that you belong where you are. Trevor spoke the language of his native tribe, but that still wasn’t enough for the people in his community. All they paid attention to was the color of his skin. This issue that Trevor endured resonates with everything black people have to prove today. In most cases blacks can’t live the life they want to live because we are looked upon differently than everyone else. The same way Trevor had to prove his worth to other people is the same fight we are fighting to this day. “I soon learned that the quickest way to bridge the race gap was through language…I became a chameleon. My color didn’t change, but I could change your perception of my color.” Those lines in the text brought about the driving factor to what changed the way Trevor was perceived in his community. He may not have looked like the rest, but he certainly spoke like the rest. The ability of speaking any language that is spoken to you can bring about a way of connecting with others. I chose this text because of the way it resonates with issues that are being faced in America today. Social injustice starts off with others not knowing your worth and thinking you don’t belong and that is the connection this text. Trevor raised many points in his writing that can be used for kids today because others still face the problem of not fitting in within their community. It’s time to start looking at others internally and stop judging based off external factors.