Category: Unit 2

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Assignment Draft 2 Unit 2

Assignment 2 Draft

Criticism is one of the few things everyone receives regardless of age, gender, ethnicity and other factors used to differentiate people. When you were a child, your parents may have scolded you for the way you were playing with your food. As you grow older, you may have been criticized by your teachers for solving a math problem incorrectly or for using the wrong grammatical tense. All these forms of criticism genuinely seemed to be provided with intentions of aiding your growth in a given subject whether it be to eat properly, solve math problems correctly or write grammatically correct. However, as with many things, the way people criticize others can get out of hand. From strictly intentions of helping one another, people have started to critique others as a way of putting them down. Critiques surrounding one’s appearance have increased especially with the presence of social media. As these forms of critiques ultimately have a negative impact on one’s mental being, it brings to question, to what extent is criticism necessary and effective in building one’s character.

This question is explored by Heather Stringer in “Constructive criticism that works” and Sarah Griffiths in “Why criticism lasts longer than praise.” In “Constructive criticism that works,” Stringer implies that criticism can provide a positive impact on someone if certain criteria are met. This criterion includes enforcing a supportive environment that encourages improvement from criticism and being consistent with the criticism given. As for “Why criticism lasts longer than praise,” Griffiths implies that dwelling on negative criticism can cause more harm than good for the people receiving the criticism. To a degree, it seems as though Stringer and Griffiths have opposing views on criticism; while Stringer seems to welcome and encourage positive use of criticism, Griffiths is trying to tell readers how important it is to push away the negative thoughts associated with criticism.

Both authors have a different approach when it comes to introducing their topic and it speaks to the way they have different ways of approaching pathos in their writing. Generally, both articles are reaching the same audience, people who are curious about how criticism impacts people; however, the authors’ approach to introducing the topic differed. Stringer introduced her argument by discussing an active study psychologist Naomi Winstone was conducting about constructive feedback, and this was an intentional move by her. In doing so, readers are already left with the impression that the claims going to be made further on are serious and well equipped with evidence. As for Griffiths, she introduces the topic by helping readers recall old sayings or memories from the past. She asks readers to recall the moment they were told “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words would never hurt me.” Her way of getting everybody to remember a childhood memory is an effective way of maintaining the reader’s attention about a topic they may not initially be interested at first.

            In terms of ethos, both Stringer and Griffiths do an effective job of establishing credibility. Oftentimes, both author’s make sure to provide the whole status of the people their quoting to make their arguments sound more believable. For instance, before supporting Lisa Steelman’s claims that a person’s work environment is essential to how they receive feedback, Stinger made sure to provide Steelman’s title as an “Industrial and organizational (I/O) psychologist.” As for Griffiths, she went as far as referring to Randy Larsen as a “professor of psychological and brain sciences at Washington University in St. Louis,” before talking about how he believes our negative emotions have a longer impact than positive emotions. In both scenarios, the authors take the time to provide elaborate titles before introducing people because they want to capitalize on their role and status. Certainly, knowing the people behind these arguments have an educational background in psychology would make me trust the article and its content more.

            Lastly, both Stinger and Griffiths have a similar approach to logos. To make their points come across, they both provide qualitative research from studies already conducted. For example, Stinger provided a study in which people were tasked to view a training video, apply what they learn and get feedback in different orders. At the end of the study, they found out that the order of which the feedback was given did not alter how a volunteer improved on their skills. Introducing this study helped readers grasp and understand Stinger’s arguments more easily. This is the case for Griffiths too. To make her point about how negative critiques from our loved ones can make a tear in the relationship, Griffiths provided a study which claimed a couple who in the beginning stages have already negatively critiqued the other would separate later. Providing this study helped establish Griffiths point because she provided a relatable study which was easy to understand and thus easy to grasp the argument which she was making.

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Distraction Worksheet Unit 2

Distraction Worksheet

Describe your overall ability to pay attention when it comes to school work (<100 words)   On a scale of 1 – 10, indicate how addicted you are to you phones
My ability to pay attention on schoolwork is heavily dependent on my environment. When I am at home, I find it harder to concentrate because there are more distractions easily accessible to me. I am minutes away from my bed, but at the same time I am minutes away from the TV. As would rate my phone addiction as an 8, and often I find myself on my phone when I am not doing work. I find it easier to concentrate on my work while at the library because seeing other people working makes me feel motivated to work.    
While reading “My Distraction Sickness” please note how long it takes you to get through the piece (Google says it’s a 45 min read); also, count the number of times you get distracted (for whatever reason) and tally them at the end.
It took me 72 minutes to get through the piece, and I got distracted about 17 times.  
Describe the tone of all three articles, how do they differ? (<100 words)
Although all the articles focus on distraction, they all demonstrate a different tone. “The Distracted Student Mind” issues a more formal tone and this is primarily because its main goal is to have credible sounding resolutions to distraction by providing facts and studies made about technological distraction. As for “My Distraction Sickness” there seems to be an urgent tone as the author portrays distraction as an epidemic. On the other hand, “In Defense of Distraction” offers a casual yet positive tone because the author’s goal is to paint distraction in a positive light.
What are Sam Anderson’s primary arguments in defense of distraction? (see part III of In Defense of Distraction) Do you find them convincing? Why or why not (<150 words)
  Sam Anderson’s primary argument in defense of distraction is that distraction is needed to support individual creativity. He claims some of the best discoveries or ideas were established when someone was “distracted” from reality. For example, he cites Marcel Proust and talks about how a moment of distraction led him to eat a madeleine that was soaked in tea which provided him reminiscent memories. Essentially, Anderson argues that distraction can be a positive thing because it supports creativity and can produce moments we wouldn’t experience if we hadn’t been distracted. I find this convincing because if we remain focused 100% of the time, there would be no room for new discoveries or experiences. In moments of distraction, it gives room to explore new curiosities and institutes new motivation from the experiences we gain while distracted.
After reading all three articles, what are your thoughts on this “epidemic of distraction”? (<50 words)
There’s nuance to distraction. I agree that technological advancements have consumed our society, but technological distractions aren’t completely bad. Being aware of how much we spend on technology is essential. We need to focus on our work, but we should give ourselves ample time to be free from obligations.  
Please annotate “My Distraction Sickness” – highlight at least three instances for each of the following rhetoric concepts:  
Invention
“Although I spent hours each day, alone and silent, attached to a laptop, it felt as if I were in a constant cacophonous crowd of words and images, sounds and ideas, emotions and tirades — a wind tunnel of deafening, deadening noise.” (Comparing the feeling of being alone and on his laptop to the feeling of being surrounded by words, pictures, sounds and thoughts.)

“From the panic that easy access to the vernacular English Bible would destroy Christian orthodoxy all the way to the revulsion, in the 1950s, at the barbaric young medium of television, cultural critics have moaned and wailed at every turn. Each shift represented a further fracturing of attention — continuing up to the previously unimaginable kaleidoscope of cable TV in the late-20th century and the now infinite, infinitely multiplying spaces of the web. And yet society has always managed to adapt and adjust, without obvious damage, and with some more-than-obvious progress.” (Provides examples to prove how society has continuously adapted and overcame means of distraction.)

“We were hooked on information as eagerly as sugar.” (This is a comparison between the feeling of gaining new information and eating sugar. Both give a high for people who do either).

Style
“For a decade and a half, I’d been a web obsessive, publishing blog posts multiple times a day, seven days a week, and ultimately corralling a team that curated the web every 20 minutes during peak hours.” (This specific way of describing his lifestyle is unique and was specifically written to emphasize how exhausting it was for him. The way repeats how many times he published a post emphasizes how exhausted he was.)

“Each morning began with a full immersion in the stream of internet consciousness and news, jumping from site to site, tweet to tweet, breaking news story to hottest take, scanning countless images and videos, catching up with multiple memes.” (Repetition of site and tweet is tedious similar to how it probably felt to be online for such a long time.)

“Has our enslavement to dopamine — to the instant hits of validation that come with a well-crafted tweet or Snapchat streak — made us happier?” (The way the author chose to use “enslavement” is powerful because the word has a very negative connotation. He is using this to emphasize how bad it is that we are obsessed to the high feeling of validation from social media.

Memory
“At your desk at work, or at home on your laptop, you disappeared down a rabbit hole of links and resurfaced minutes (or hours) later to reencounter the world.” (The author sets the scene to help readers reminisce about a time they were distracted while using technology).

“Observe yourself in line for coffee, or in a quick work break, or driving, or even just going to the bathroom. Visit an airport and see the sea of craned necks and dead eyes. We have gone from looking up and around to constantly looking down.” (The author sets the scene to allow readers to reminisce about a time they witnessed people obsessed with their phones to the point that their head takes a craned neck posture).

“When we enter a coffee shop in which everyone is engrossed in their private online worlds, we respond by creating one of our own.” (The author sets the scene for readers to remember a relatable scene where everybody is glued to their phones.)

Pathos
“In the last year of my blogging life, my health began to give out. Four bronchial infections in 12 months had become progressively harder to kick. Vacations, such as they were, had become mere opportunities for sleep.” (Uses personal anecdote to evoke feeling of pity among his readers).

“And so I decided, after 15 years, to live in reality.” (The emphasis on 15 years would evoke feelings of pity from readers because 15 years is a long time living against reality).

“We all understand the joys of our always-wired world — the connections, the validations, the laughs, the porn, the info.” (The author lists “the connections, the validations, the laughs, the porn, the info” because they sound relatable, and can be more easily understood by readers.

Ethos
“And 46 percent of Americans told Pew surveyors last year a simple but remarkable thing: They could not live without one.” (PEW is a renowned source, and providing information from them makes the text seem credible).

“A regular teen Snapchat user, as the Atlantic recently noted, can have exchanged anywhere between 10,000 and even as many as 400,000 snaps with friends.” (The Atlantic is a credible source, and citing it only makes the source seem more credible.)

“The writer Matthew Crawford has examined how automation and online living have sharply eroded the number of people physically making things, using their own hands and eyes and bodies to craft, say, a wooden chair or a piece of clothing or, in one of Crawford’s more engrossing case studies, a pipe organ.” (Citing a case study from a well-established writer would bring credibility to the piece).
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Rashomon Questions Unit 2

Rashomon Questions

  1. Give a brief outline of the plot (action) of the film.
    1. Three men are seeking shelter from the heavy ran under a demolished building/structure. One of the men remains traumatized after finding a dead man in the woods, and he recalls different stories told in court describing what took place leading up to the death of the husband. Different stories are given by the accused bandit named Tajomaru, the wife named Masako, and a shaman who is detailing the story from the perspective of the deceased samurai husband. The final recollection is given by Kikori who actually witnessed what went down.  
  2. What are the main symbols in the film, what do they represent?
    1. The main symbols I have noticed was the rain and sun. I believe the weather was very telling of the woodcutter’s emotional state. The heavy rain represented how distressed the woodcutter was about the samurai’s death. However, towards the end when the woodcutter decides to take care of the abandoned baby, there’s a shift in weather and it can represent the woodcutter’s clear state of mind after doing a deed as good as taking in a child. It seems as if his guilt cleared like the skies when he chose to take the baby in.   
  3. What are the main philosophical questions (ideas) being raised by the film? How are these themes still relevant today?
    1. While watching the film, there were a lot of questions surrounding ethics that were provided. Such as whether the samurai would have been justified if he killed Tajomaru as a means of self-defense and whether it was ethical for the commoner to steal the kimono under the baby because he was having a hard time. I also questioned whether we ever would find the truth. These themes are still relevant today because cases of self-defense are still prominent today and people question whether one party is justified or not; people still question whether selfishness is given a pass in rough times. Also people still question whether we ever will find the truth; this is prominent in any court case,
  4. How is the structure of the film important to the telling of this story?
    1. The order of which the story is told from influences my perception of what really led to the samurai’s murder. At first, I believed Tajomaru’s story was true, until the credibility of his story was questioned with the introduction of the wife’s story.
  5. Whose story did you find most trustworthy and why? 
    1. I found the woodcutter’s story most trustworthy because essentially the guilt that he had been building up the whole movie seemed to dissipate after he revealed the truth. The truth being he didn’t just find the samurai’s dead body, but that he witnessed what happened, but did get involved to prevent the murder. Essentially the woodcutter’s internal feelings associated with the story he told, made me believe his story the most.
  6. Consider the final scene when the Priest chooses to hand the baby over to the Woodsman. What is Kurosawa trying to say with this gesture?
    1. Kurosawa is trying to say a man must make the best out of a situation and do a kind gesture to restore their karma. Though the woodcutter did not help the samurai, he can do good by taking care of the abandoned baby.
  7. Rashomon is an adaptation of a short story written by Akutagawa, consider what elements are present in the film that enhance or diminish a story like this. Are there aspects to the story that might be better served on the page, why?
    1. On the page, a character’s body language can be more vividly described. In a film, the audience depend on the actors to portray a specific body language that will provide subtle hints as to who is telling the truth. In the film, I was able to understand how guilty the woodcutter felt by the way he was hunched over and had his head down around the other men. On the page, readers would be able to get this body language form reading a page, but they may also get a glimpse into presumably a frown on his face, a quiver of his lip. All in all, in terms of telling body language, the page can provide more details. However, one thing that was greatly portrayed in films is how crazy Tajomaru is. The way he was laughing uncontrollably in the movie helped me visually see how crazy he was.
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Unit 2 Visual Rhetoric Excercise

Visual Rhetoric Exercise

Entryways, an art piece curated by Diamond Stingily, displays three different doors with a bat accompanying each door. One door is relatively longer and thinner than the rest, and the other doors seem to have a bright yellow curtain or a semi-circle window at the top center of the door. Regardless of how different the doors were, all the doors seem to have one thing in common: a bat leaning against the door. Though the art piece itself seems simple, the intent and message behind the piece is intricate. Stingily intended to inform her audience of how Black communities experiencing systemic violence have adapted to their environment. In turn, she also wanted to emphasize to her audience that being able to live in a non-violent environment is a privilege.

Ethos plays a large part in driving Stingily’s intentions. At the MoMA, the art piece is accompanied by a plaque which details the author’s inspiration and intentions behind making Entryways. The plaque goes into detail about how Entryways was inspired by Estelle, Stingily’s grandmother, who used to have a bat lying against her door as a means of guarding against imminent threats. Hearing about Estelle’s old habit brought credibility to Stingily’s piece. Specifically hearing about how Estelle, who lived in Chicago, would grasp the bat whenever there was a knock on the door put into perspective how the art piece is a reality for many individuals who are impacted by systemic violence. Providing written context in the form of a plaque next to the piece really helped highlight how many individuals in this world experience violence to a point where they must rely on a bat near the door for safety and reassurance. For those who live in a world where violence is prevalent, this piece lets them know they’re not alone; however, for those who have the privilege to never consider using a bat, this piece of art is meant to enlighten them on other people’s struggles and hopefully evoke empathy that would drive them to fight for change that will provide more people the privilege of safety.

The name of the piece is also impactful as it is somewhat ironic. When you think of the work “Entryways,” you associate it with words like “Welcome” and “Inviting” because it essentially is describing where people should be entering from. However, the art piece seems to speak otherwise. The bat lying by the doors are not inviting; in fact, they purpose of the bat is to ward off unwelcomed threats. Therefore, there’s some irony that comes to play with the title Entryways because though the title seems to describe a welcoming entrance, the art piece tells the audience not everybody is welcomed to enter through the entryway. The impact of this irony is that it makes the audience really think about the concept of entryways. People who have the privilege of living in a safe neighborhood take for granted that they don’t have to worry about intruders or threats. This sentiment is shared with the word “Entryways.” People automatically assume nothing of the word “Entryways,” but they fail to realize that many people must take heavy precautions behind the entryway as a means of protecting themselves and their family. The use of irony again helps audiences check their privilege, and hopefully it evokes empathy that will drive people to actively improve systems that prevent all communities from experiencing violent environments.

In conclusion, Stingily successfully utilizes ethos and irony in attempts to inform her audience of how Black communities experiencing systemic violence have adapted to their environment. Having learned about other people’s struggles, it would influence an audience to be more aware of their own privilege. When communicating to individuals who have grown up in a violent environment, those who haven’t lived in a violent environment shouldn’t invalidate the experiences of others just because they never had to experience it. Apart from being more understanding, people who have the luxury of living in a safe environment may even feel a greater need to contribute to a cause that will reduce public exposure to violence.

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Rhetorical Analysis Unit 2

Rhetorical Analysis

In the debate, we find that James Baldwin effectively confirms the presence of racial discrimination by providing his own stories. In his argument, Baldwin addresses the skeptics of racial discrimination and goes on to dispute them by providing his own lived and shared experiences. This is an effective structure, because Baldwin was in a room filled with skeptics, so It was only right for him to gauge his audience, understand their thinking, but at the same time revert their belief by providing a personal experience to change their perspective. 

As for Buckley, his approach is different. He first denounces Baldwin’s approach and then leads into what he believes the black people in America should be doing instead of reaching for “radical solutions.” Again, the reasoning behind this structure is Buckley’s attentiveness to the audience. Buckley wants to rid positive sentiments towards Baldwin’s argument in order to make his own argument sound better in comparison. There isn’t much Buckley can speak about on the Black experience in America, so he can’t provide personal anecdotes. But, he can make people believe Baldwin is ungrateful, and there are other ways to go about improving his experience than denouncing the US.

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In his argument, Baldwin utilizes pathos in the following sentence: ““It comes as a great shock to discover that the country which is your birthplace and to which you owe your life and identity has not, in its whole system of reality, evolved any place for you.” The word choice of “whole system” and “any place for you” is significant because it emphasizes how black people in America are utterly excluded, and this emphasis helps evoke shock and sympathy from the audience. As for Buckley, he uses pathos in the following line: “We must acknowledge that problem, but we must also reach through to the Negro people and tell them that their best chances are in a mobile society and the most mobile city in the world today is the Unites States.’ The intentional continued use of the phrase “We” helped Buckley effectively evoke feelings of community and motivation among the audience; “we” as a community must enlighten black people is essentially what Buckley seems to be saying.

Baldwin utilizes ethos in the following statement, “ I am speaking very seriously, and this is not an overstatement: I picked cotton, I carried it to the market, I built the railroads under someone else’s whip for nothing.” In these lines, Baldwin manages to enhance his credibility by capitalizing on his identity as a black individual; he has a perspective on the debate Buckley can never achieve and he uses his identity to help the audience understand his point. As for Buckley, he uses ethos in the following statement, “ I am treating you as a fellow American, as a man whose indictments of our civilization are unjustified…” In these lines, Buckley tries to promote his credibility by capitalizing on his identity as an American. Buckley cannot speak about the black experience, but he tries to diminish Baldwin’s identity by emphasizing how they are both American.

Lastly, logos is used by both Baldwin and Buckley in the following lines respectively, “We had the 15th Amendment nearly 100 years ago. If it was not honored then, I have no reason to believe that the civil rights bill will be honored now” and “It is the case that seven-tenths of the average white’s income in the United States is equal to the entire income of the average Negro. But my great-grandparents worked hard.” In his argument, Baldwin utilized logos by providing reasons as to why the American dream does not apply to black people; he lets his audience know the continuous pattern in history which shows no progress being made to the lives of black people in America. As for Buckley, he uses logos to undermine Baldwin’s arguments; in response to Baldwin’s comment about how the black experience is full of mistreatment and unfairness, Buckley tries to reason with the audience and explain how Baldwin’s fate is tied to his lack of effort towards providing a better life for himself. Buckley provides an example about how his great-grandparents had to work hard, but this argument lacks self awareness about other factors that restricted black people from succeeding in history.

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Teachable Moment Rhetorical Situation Unit 2

Teachable Moment Rhetorical Situations

Growing up in an immigrant household 

  1. How does growing up in an immigrant household impact ones childhood?
  2. Do immigrant households have shared experiences?
  3. Are immigrant households driven by the same belief that hard work leads to success?

Peoples relationship to makeup

  1. Can makeup make people feel insecure?
  2. Why has makeup risen in popularity over the years?
  3. Who is primarily using makeup?

Overcoming criticism

  1. Do all people face criticism the same way?
  2. How can perceptions of criticism be different among people?
  3. Is there a biological reason we react the way we do to criticism?