Rhetorical Analysis Review

When we were first given the assignment that we would be writing a rhetorical analysis paper, I was at initaly very confused and had no idea how I would be able to go about writing it. But all the lessons and blog assignments that we did prior to writing our final paper really helped me. I learned that there is a big difference between just reviewing a text and actually going deep and critically thinking about what the author is trying to display. It was also helpful that I had a strong interest in the article that I based my rhetorical analysis paper off of.

  Writing the rough draft first allowed me to get my initial thoughts down and provide a good “back bone” for my final draft. The one-on-one meetings to review my rough draft were also considerably helpful. Nick was able to help me see the many errors that I had made and guided me to better organize my ideas into a well-structured paper. I learned there is much room for improvement and realized how important rough draft papers are.

 The thing I need to work on the most is better transitions. In my rough draft I didn’t put any transitions in. Though in my final draft I did include transitions, I know I can greatly improve those for my next papers to come. I also learned to not be so redundant in my writing, though there was a great improvement from my rough draft I have learned that it is important to clearly state what it is you want to say and once you have stated it there is no reason for you to mention it again.

For my next paper I will have someone else also read my paper for grammatical errors. I learned that no matter how many times you yourself read over your paper you will never be able to see all the errors made. Someone else may be able to see something that you had not noticed. Using better word choice is also an area I needed to improve. Instead of using words such as “provide” I learned your paper sounds much more sophisticated and flows better if you replace the repeated word “provide” with words such as “exhibit”.

  I feel that it is important to make mistakes, because without making mistakes you are not able to realize your true potential. I found that I learned a lot from this single paper and I hope that I will be able to learn from my mistakes in this paper to better improve on the papers to come. In all I was pleased with my final grade and will work even harder on my synthesis paper so I can receive an even better grade. I want to receive an A in the class and in order to reach this goal I will push myself and will work very hard. 

"Allegory of the Cave" and "The Banking Concept of Education" Synthesis

Both Texts focus on the concept of education, and how there are different methods in teaching. The texts to be synthesized are Paulo Freire’s “The Banking Concept of Education” and Plato’s “Allegory of the cave”. Paulo Freire argues that the “banking” concept of education is solely the teacher making “deposits” which the students receive, memorize, and repeat. Freire states that the students are filled with content that is detached from reality and that dialogue and communication between the teacher and the students is non-existent. The humanist theory of teaching contradicts the ideas from the banking concept of education. The humanist theory states that students should be prepared for the real life situations by thinking more critically and that the teachers and students learn from one another, not just the teacher being the sol educator. In Platos “Allegory of the Cave” he argues the idea that one cannot go through life being ignorant, but must be open-minded to the world surrounding. Just as the escaped prisoner opened his eyes to the suns light, so must we to reality. Plato offers a different approach for the teacher then the one described in Frefire’s essay. Plato says that teachers act as facilitators and that the students are already filled with knowledge, but through the teacher asking questions and facilitating discussions, the students are able to realize their full potential.

In Conclusion, both Freire and Plato propose that the best way for a student to learn is through critical thinking, and preparing for reality. Both suggest that teachers and students learn from each other and one is not solely “all knowing”. It is important for the educator to recognize that dialog is important for the students to be able to think for themselves and become more intoned with reality they must face. 

"Listening to the Jobs Report" Synthesis

The article, “Listening to the Jobs Report” discusses the need for a more sensible stimulus package. In the last jobs report, it was reported that more then 1.38 million people had been unemployed for six months or more as of January 2008. The last time the unemployment numbers were so low was after the 2001 recession. The author of this article focuses on the issue of unemployment increase that is occurring in the United States just as it is occurring to the residents in Flint, Michigan.

After the 2001 recession Congress extended unemployment compensation once the initial thirteen weeks of benefits was exhausted but in the upcoming stimulus bill congress may not include an extension to the unemployment compensation. The Republicans are blocking the jobless benefits while the Democrats are pushing for an increase in benefits. The Republicans argue that and extended unemployment benefits will cause those unemployed to not be motivated to look for a new job as quickly. If the lawmakers would trim the less effective stimulus measures under discussion, including the tax rebates for the rich, it would leave more room for jobless benefits for the unemployed.

Over 17,000 jobs were lost in January, the worst it has been in more then four years. On top of the large numbers of jobs lost there was also a decrease in the numbers of jobs created. During the same period the year before 169,000 jobs were created compared to the 42,000 jobs that were created this year. The decrease in jobs being created should only give congress an even more reason to approve the stimulus package, which includes an extended unemployment compensation.

With a decrease in jobs being created and an increase in the number of people being unemployed means those who are already unemployed will stay unemployed for longer due to the lack of jobs to search for. The unemployed are also more likely to stop spending, which also deprives the economy of the much needed boost. The long-term unemployed are also more likely to settle for jobs with little pay and no benefits, which only prolongs the spending boost once they do go back to work.

This article can be closely compared to the documentary “Roger and Me” by Michael Moore. Both authors are trying to portray the message that people who are unemployed need financial help and they need help from the Government. The people of Flint, Michigan were suffering from a large layoff due to the closure of the General Motors Factory. The closure of the factory closely relates to the idea that the author of “Listening to the Jobs report” is expressing, that with an increase of the unemployed also comes a decrease in jobs being created. In both articles, the authors show that when people don’t have jobs it also affects those current operating business because the consumers no longer have the extra money to shop. “Listening to the Jobs Report” focuses on gaining the Government support while Moore shows how the people are affected. Each author offers two different ways to comprehend the two articles allowing the audience a broader view of the situation.

 

"Listening to the Jobs Report"

This article, "listening to the Jobs Report" discusses the need for a more sensible stimulus package. In the last jobs report, it was reported that more then 1.38 million people had been unemployed for six months or more as of January 2008. The last time the unemployment numbers were so low was after the 2001 recession.

After the 2001 recession, Congress extended unemployment compensation once the initial 13 weeks of benefits was exhausted but in the upcoming stimulus bill Congress may not include an extension to the unemployment compensation. The Republicans are blocking the jobless benefits while the democrats are pushing for an increase in benefits. The Republicans argue that an extended unemployment benefits will cause those unemployed to not be motivated to look for a new job as quickly. If the lawmakers would trim the less effective stimulus measures under discussion, including the tax rebates for the rich, it would leave more room for jobless benefits for the unemployed.

Over 17,000 jobs were lost in January, the worst it has been in more then four years. On top of the large numbers of jobs lost there was also a decrease in the numbers of jobs created. During the same period the year before 169,000 jobs were created compared to the 42,000 jobs that were created this year. The decrease in jobs being created should only give congress an even more reason to approve the stimulus package, which includes an extended unemployment compensation.

With a decrease in jobs being created and an increase in the number of people being unemployed means those who are already unemployed will stay unemployed for longer due to the lack of jobs to search for. The unemployed are also more likely to stop spending, which also deprives the economy of the much needed boost. The long-term unemployed are also more likely to settle for jobs with little pay and no benefits, which only prolongs the spending boost once they do go back to work.

This article relates to the documentary "Roger and Me" by Michael Moore in the sense that the town of Flint was suffering from a large layoff due to the closure of the General Motors Factory and no more jobs being created. The closure to the General Motors Factory laid off over 30,000 people and that left 30,000 people without jobs and no new jobs to go to, which affected the economy for the town of Flint as well. Since there were so many people without jobs, current operating businesses were losing business because no one had money to shop.

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"Passing Before Life's Very Eyes"

When I first viewed this story I was not quit sure what to think nor what to expect. The title of the story, “Passing Before Life’s Very Eyes” what at first glance make you think this story would be very sad and somber, but in fact it contains much humor throughout

The Author uses pathos to show the humor. The images of the characters are funny and less serious. This displays that though the story is about the man going through his life before he dies, it can still be comical just as his life most likely was. Even though it is not expressed in words, the strong use of pathos and images give you the idea that the cause of his death was due to lung cancer and smoking.

The language also expresses the humor that is shown throughout the story. For example, after the man is finished going through his life before he dies he asks, “So what do we do now. Just sit around and wait for everything to go black?”(Wolfgang 230). This quote shows that even now he is about to die he is able to make a sarcastic remark. This is just one of the many examples used in the story.

Roger and Me

In the documentary “Roger and Me”, Michael Moore uses logos to express his point to the audience. This documentary is on the struggle of a small town in Flint,Michigan after Roger Smith, the chairman for General Motors, closed the General Motors factory and laid off over 30,000 employees. The closure of the factory caused many problems for the town, especially economically. Many of the employees were left with no jobs to go to and were being evicted from their homes. Moore spends a lot of time interviewing those who were directly affected by the closure of the factory, which provides a strong use of logos. Getting the views and testimonies directly from the employees provides the audience with a knowledgeable source. He also spoke with the General Motor lobbyist, which provided the views, and reasoning that General Motors expresses. 

"The Southland"

The Southland was written by Henry Miller. It was written to show and inform people about the south and the history it has to offer. The essay targets and audience of men and women with an interest in history and he wants to share with them the passion he has for the south. 

Miller uses ethos to show the audience in great detail what the south looks like. He uses descriptions such as: "At Biloxi, Mississippi, there is a row of live oaks planted a century ago by a Greek which are of such staggering loveliness and magnificence as to make one breathless." This is just one of the many examples of how the author gives the reader an idea of what the south looks like. 

Miller explains that the northerners can't appreciate the beauty the south has to offer because they only look at the south as being defeated but in contrast the ruins and traces of battle hold the memory for what the southerners believed and what they fought for. Miller writes," There are so many elegant and mysterious ruins throughout the South, so much death and desolation,so much ghostliness." He writes that the south is elegant and mysterious at the same time and that these ruins take the people back to that time. 

I thought this this writing displayed a lot of passion that the author had for the south and gave a lot of imagery to show the readers what the south looked liked but it was difficult to read at parts and I had to re-read it several times to fully understand it.