Reading Response 5

For my visual argument I wanted to try and create a message using little to no words. When I thought about it, I figured out that most of the visual arguments that stick in my head are ones with vivid images, not something that I had to take time to read. I wanted to make something explicit that would instantly capture the eyes of my audience so that my argument would be easy to understand and so there would be no confusion as to what point I was trying to get across. In my experience, the advertisements that make are easy to read and understand when you first glance at them, are ones that I remember and that leave a lasting impression. I have never wasted my time trying to figure out a an advertisement that had a large amount of text on it; in my opinion, a great ad can convey its message through visual persuasion and can appeal to its audience with little to no words.

Going back to essay number four, I was arguing that the media, specifically television, condones young teen sex. One of my points that I discussed in my essay was that because of the amount of sex that teens see on television, parents should be aware of what their teens are watching and be ready to deal with it. For my visual argument, I wanted to broaden my argument a little bit so that my point could be better understood. I decided to approach just parents, but instead of arguing that television influences teen sex, I decided to also include teen magazines and how they also influence young sex. I thought that it was important to not only focus on popular teen television shows, but to also show in a broader spectrum the different types of media that influence teenage sex.

For my visual, I decided to go all out, with no limits and make a huge collage of explicit pictures from sex scenes from popular teen television shows. I also went on to include clips that I had cut out of magazines that teens often read; all of which almost always include provocative articles on sex. There are many different pictures in my collage, but all of them are capturing people in sexual scenarios or women exposing their bodies. It’s all pretty sexual and I did this so that it would be eye catching and hopefully make parents think. On the back of my collage I included the words “What are your teens exposed to?” outlined simply with a red border.

I decided to target parents with this visual, rather then create a visual ad for teens. Since in most adolescent lives, parents have the most influence in their kid’s life, I wanted to create something that would persuade parents. I would choose to run this ad in a parenting magazine so that parents reading can be aware of what their teenager are being exposed to. Aside from parenting magazines, I would also choose to run it in magazines that are made for the middle age person, like People for example. I wanted to ask societies parents if they know what their teenagers are watching, and if not, give them some insight as to what they are seeing in daily life.
Since our ads were meant for outside of the academic setting, I decided that there was no limit to the kind of pictures I decided to pick out. I wanted to pick out the pictures that would come most shocking to parents, showing them that the media is indefinitely airing and publishing teen sex. I also chose to include no words on the front of the visual because I thought that the pictures would be enough to take in; they don’t really need an explanation. I also chose to include no words because I wanted my audience to ask themselves the “What the heck is this?” question that would cause them to turn the page to discover more. The question on the back of the ad was created to make parents wonder about what there teenagers are watching and reading and whether or not they need to evaluate how they monitor their teens.

I learned a lot about the rhetoric process when it comes to choosing how you are going to convey your message and make it stand out among all the other visual arguments and advertisements. I realized that you really need to narrow down who you are going to be speaking to in terms of your audience so that you can successfully pick out certain things that will appeal to their certain age, interests, concerns, etc. I also learned that you have to think logically about where you want your visual argument to appear. Is it something simple enough (yet still effective) to be put on a billboard for busy passerbies? Is it something that should be featured in a magazine that is aimed at a certain type of individual? There are many things you should take into consideration when making a visual argument. In the end, it is much more than a visual; it is something that requires thought and planning for a specific audience. It is all how you chose to convey your message to a specific part of society.

Visual Argument

Visual Argument

Everyone has ways of conveying their ideas or beliefs to others. In today’s society, many visual arguments are everywhere to try and convince consumers one way or another. Visual arguments may be among the most popular way of advertising because they are everywhere. You see billboards while you drive, see commercials when you watch television, and even see ads on the side of your computer screens when you surf the net. What may seem to some as a simple picture or video may be loaded with tons of different meanings made to persuade its audience in a certain way.

For my visual argument I chose the picture above. The cartoon character representing Mac with a “high tech” car, sporting a simple on/off switch looks over with a smug smile at a guy leaning on a not so new car with what looks like a very complicated and torn apart engine. The newer and more high tech car rests below a Mac logo, while the old more rugged car rests below a Windows logo.

The intended audience for this advertisement can include a lot of people. This ad could be persuading current Windows users that Macs are more efficient and easy than Windows so they should switch to Macs. It could also be aimed towards people who are shopping around for items and telling them that the right choice would be to choose Mac products over those “old age” Windows products. It is a memorable ad that makes you think and even if it is seen by people not shopping for products from these two companies, it is something that will come up in the mind of the consumer if ever they are torn between these two companies.

To make this argument clear, the illustrator makes the Mac representative very tidy and carefree with a smile on his face, resting his hand on his hips. His car in new and seems easy to start with a simple on/off switch. On the other side of the visual representation, the character looks stressed and confused while he hangs over his old car that looks disastrous and complicated. The illustrator even uses darker colors for the Windows side, while the Mac side looks brighter and even shinier.

When first looking at this visual argument, my eye is quickly drawn to the more complicated side of the ad. It instantly makes me wonder what the mess on the left is. The illustrator dies a good job in making you realize the antagonist in the picture, first making you see that Windows can be messy and time consuming. It makes you wonder if it is worthwhile. Then I glance at the less cluttered side and see that it is much simpler than the wreck that appears at the left. In my mind, this picture automatically shows the audience a problem that some may be able to relate to (old Windows), then instantly provides the audience with a solution to that problem (a new age Mac).

I think the creator of this visual argument does a great job in making their point clear. There is no confusion in which side the ad is being promoted and which side is being demoted. I am able to instantly distinguish the message, even when I quickly glance at it. The other minor, but important details, I can pick out if I look at it for a small amount of time. If this ad were to be in a magazine that I was reading, even if I were quickly flipping the pages, I would be able to quickly distinguish that this visual is saying that Macs are better than Windows products.

To me, the difference between a good visual argument and a not so good one would be the amount of time it takes the audience to decipher the main point. If they can look at it and almost instantly pick it out, the creator of the advertisement has done a good job in conveying its point. Because of our face pace of life in today’s world, people are constantly on the go and caught up in their busy lives, which leave them no time to sit and try to analyze a visual argument. If an ad can be something that the consumer will remember, the creator has done its job. I believe the visual argument I picked falls in the category of a good ad because it possesses the elements I think are necessary to capture its intended audience.

Rough Draft - Media and Teen Scandal: How Television Glamorizes Teen Sex

I anxiously flip through the channels on television to try to tune into my favorite Monday night show, Gossip Girl. As the last scene closes, one of the main characters stands over her bed and flaunts a risqué set of lingerie as she waits for her love interest. It doesn’t take me long to remind myself that these characters are only in their senior year of high school. I find myself wondering what is going through the minds of younger teens that watch this show every week, for a sexy scene like this one isn’t rare. This isn’t the only show that seems to glamorize having sex at a young age. Some would argue that teens are going to have sex at the age that they choose despite what kinds of things they see on television. However, television shows tend to dress up sex scenes and leave out showing the possible consequences of engaging in sex at a young age. The shows that are on television have an effect on how teens in today’s society act and what kind of standards teens set for themselves.
Studies have shown that there is a relation between young teens who choose to have sex and what they watch or see on television. An online article by CNN states that teens who see and hear a lot about sex in the media may be more than twice as likely to have early sexual intercourse as those who are rarely exposed to sexual content (Warner 1). Teens that see sexual material earlier in life are more prone to engage in sexual activity because they see it in the media and think that it is acceptable to do it if it is being aired in national television. Also, teens that lack positive adult role models in their lives may look to the media to help form their personal standards. When a television program airs episode after episode containing sexual scenes and content without showing the possible, not so glamorous side of engaging in sexual activity, teens may see sexual intercourse as something that has no down sides or risk factors. Furthermore, the amount of sexual content that teens see on television is shocking. Another article online states that “The study found that American teens, who spend an average of three hours per day watching television, now see an average of six sexual scenes per hour when watching in prime time” (Zwillich 1). If the media has such a strong influence in the lives of young Americans, they should be advertising ways in which teens can protect themselves or should spend time conveying to them that there are risks and responsibilities that come along with having sex.
The media glamorizes young teen sex in many different shows that air on regular cable television. An article from the Los Angeles Times states that With its impossibly good-looking cast, a parade of candy-colored designer fashion and provocative ad campaigns, it's easy to dismiss the CW's " Gossip Girl" as just another sexed-up, youth-oriented product to step off the TV drama assembly line (Portuguez 1). This isn’t the first show that has aired on television that promotes teen scandal and it wont be the last.

Reading Response 4

Each of the argumentative essays we read for this reading response serves to create an argument and then use evidence to strengthen and prove their views. They each had different arguments and included different kinds of research to strengthen their essays.
In the essay “Is Privacy Overrated? The Merits, Drawbacks, and Inevitability of the Surveillance Nation”, Katherine Mangu-Ward argues that there in no privacy in America, especially in cities and that sooner or later, you wont be able to go anywhere without being tracked. She says that it is hard to find a balance between surveillance that helps society and prevents crime and to protect the citizens Fourth Amendment rights. She uses secondary research to help support her claim by discussing scenarios in which the government can easily track citizens through cameras in the city and through peoples everyday habits that may include using a credit card or taking the fast lane on a toll road. The author also adds a primary statement when she mentions that it doesn’t bother her that certain companies know minor, more less important details of her personal information. Mangu-Ward also uses facts for her evidence when she mentions how cameras have captured crimes and thus helped the courts know what really happened. She balances her evidence showing how cameras and records can help society, but can also violate people right to privacy.
In an excerpt from “Reclaiming ‘Abandoned’ DNA: The Fourth Amendment and Genetic Privacy”, Elizabeth E. Joh states that in a growing number of instances, the police, unburdened by criminal procedure rules, seek this “abandoned DNA” from criminal suspects in hopes of resolving otherwise unsolvable cases (Joh 1). Like Mangu-Ward, Joh also uses secondary research by finding scenarios in which the police have perhaps gone overboard in acquiring evidence from possible criminals. She includes facts for her evidence, showing that there are some instances when police have wrongly gotten evidence, but that proved a criminal guilty. So, her question asks whether is a violation of the fourth amendment to acquire evidence for criminal cases through DNA without consent of the suspected criminal.
The excerpt “The Case for National DNA Identification Cards”, Ben Quarmby argues that fear of renewed attacks and a desire for greater national security have now prompted many to call for improvements in the national personal identification system (Quarmby 1). However, he points out that there is a line in which identification becomes too personal and starts violating people’s rights. He uses secondary research and finds information about the countries current identification system and how it could be improved, but how it may violate fourth amendment rights. Quarmby uses facts as evidence when he says that a more detailed identification card containing information about your DNA may be met with strong opposition. He states that there is hope for a possibility of better identification cards for people so that our country can be safe and still honor citizen’s rights.
In the sample essay “Putting a Price on Nature”; Drenner supports conserving the environment and preserving the untouched land we have left and not ruining it by drilling for oil. He uses secondary research by researching facts about todays oil and drilling situations and includes evidence that supports his argument. Drenner states that the devastating effects of drilling would most certainly be present even if the methods used are environmentally safe (Drenner 2) and that there is not enough land allotted by the government to even begin to extract oil (Drenner 3). He ends his essay stating that we need to find other ways to solve our oil problems.
The kinds of research that the authors provide does influence me; if it is an essay solely based on their first hand experiences, I am less likely to completely believe what they have to say just because an essay like that can easily become bias. If the author shows statistics and facts, I am more likely to be able to see their point if the evidence they are giving is true and solid. My prior beliefs and values do affect how I read these essays because I am going to keep true to what I believe in and read with my bias until an author gives me a reason and evidence to think differently.

Reading Response 3

While reading chapter ten and getting familiar with the type of essay we are going to write next, I was able to learn what kinds of elements are needed to make your essay successful and well structured. And while reading the two sample essays by Jon Katz and Tammy Anderson, I was able to distinctly see the elements present in their papers that were included in chapter ten as a description of an ethnographic essay.
In the essay The Cave, Jon Katz followed the rules of an ethnographic essay and includes the elements necessary to write a successful paper. Chapter ten discusses many different things that should be present in an ethnographic essay including that the essay depends on close observation over time (Ballenger 373). It is very obvious that Katz observed his two characters carefully and took the time to find out information on not only their current way of life, but also how their lives were as kids. Using a specific and detailed scenario of the two friends apartment that they lived in, Katz shows proof of his close observations over time, “Jesse’s computer was a Pentium II 300, Asus P2B (Intel BX chipset) motherboard; a Matrix Millenium II AGP; 160 MB SDRAM with a 15.5 GB total hard-drive space; a 4X CD-recorder; 24X CD-ROM; a 17-inch Micron monitor.” (Katz B46). This is a very descriptive part of his ethnographic essay, which could not have been written without close observation or on a whim.
The essay Mary Kay: American Dream in a Bottle by Tammy Anderson, also displays things that chapter ten outlines. The book states that an ethnographic essay should focus on groups of people who identify themselves as group members (Ballenger 373). In Andersons essay, she writes of Mary Kay makeup consultants that sell makeup from their home as a source of income. In this case, the makeup consultants do identify themselves as part of the Mary Kay company, thus claim themselves as group members. Chapter ten also says that the bulk of the research you do for your essay should take place in the natural setting where group members gather (Ballenger 373). Andersons essay mostly takes place in a meeting that she attends to learn more about Mary Kay and to also research for her paper, “I felt very conspicuous when I first arrived at the meeting; all the women turned to stare, wondering who I was, what I was doing there, and who had invited me.” (Anderson B57). This shows that the author was indeed in a setting where the Mary Kay makeup consultants gathered and it seems like Anderson is viewed as a newcomer or even an outsider to the subculture group of makeup sellers.
Both authors provide evidence of their interpretations of what the group they are studying. Katz writes in his paper that, “Despite the name of the club that so shaped them, there was nothing nerdy about Jesse or Eric. Both were tough, smart, resilient, and independent. In fact, before the Geek Club, Jesse had some ugly bouts with gangs and drugs, and several run-ins with local cops.” (Katz B49). The author can see that despite what these two group members are notorious for, or stereotyped as, they are normal people with a normal past. Anderson clearly includes her personal interpretations of Mary Kay makeup sellers as a subculture by adding parts like, “Mary Kay is a form of salvation to them (consultants), and they will do everything necessary to hold onto it.” (Anderson B60) and, “I was relieved to realize that the meeting was over and I quickly left, triumphant in the knowledge that I had once again escaped becoming a Mary Kay consultant.” (Anderson B61). Andersons interpretations of the group is that there are some women who need this kind of a job and that when they find it, they are eager to hold onto it. Andersons tone towards this group is somewhat annoyed, bothered, or even maybe amused and thus reflects her personal interpretation.
To provide similar evidence for my topic for an ethnographic essay, I can interview and observe people in the subculture. I can even possibly interview people who have opposing viewpoints about the subculture and include it in my paper as a contradiction; what the public believes vs. what the subculture really is.

Reading Response 2

Most research papers are written essays to try and prove the writer’s views and opinions about a certain topic of concern. For these kinds of papers, you do lots of research for pieces of information that would strengthen and support your specific point of view. However, in the kind of paper that we as a class are about to write, you ask a question that interests you, and research sources to find answers that will provide educated answers to your area of concern. You aren’t necessarily looking to support your argument, rather looking for answers to a question that you want a real answer to.
In the essay, “An Experience With Acronyms”, Jay Holmquist makes his paper a discovery essay rather than a traditional research essay by asking a question and researching different sources to find answers. The author asks, “What would make these people feel so passionately about their pro- and anti-drug views?” (Holmquist B24), then resumes his paper with, “To understand this completely, I think we need to first understand why people even do these drugs.” (Holmquist B24)Instead of writing a paper filled with sources that support a position Holmquist takes, he asks a question and searches for different answers that relate to his concerns. Holmquist searches for information regarding certain popular “rave drugs”, and his experience with using them, along with the pros and cons of using ecstasy, LSD, and others, and eventually ends the essay with his lesson learned. He turns his essay into a discovery paper by asking what make people feel so passionately about their stance on the drug views. You get the feeling that he is writing not to persuade his audience, but to search for answers for himself, just as Ballenger says a discovery essay should, “Actively use the information to explore or answer questions or to test the truth of an idea or thesis.” (Ballenger 433). Holmquist uses credible sources and useful information to show his audience, as well as himself, different reasons that would shape how individuals feel about drugs. The author definitely adds his own voice into his paper using the phrases, “I personally” and “After that we…” He includes his personal story while also pursuing the answers for his questions, thus looking for something he is interested in and not trying to prove a point. The controlling idea of Holmquist’s essay stems from curiosity, he wants to know for himself and for his audience what the dangers of the drugs are, while also discovering information that may help people form their own opinions on the subject.
In another example essay, “Why Do People Tan?” by Amy Garrett-Brown, the author researches a topic she has questions about and searches for answers to fulfill her curiosities as well as inform the reader. Garret-Brown states that she can’t understand why people tan when they know the dangers of it, “I don’t necessarily wonder why people tan, but why they completely gyp themselves of the pleasures of the sun to be rewarded with a battle with cancer at worst and saggy skin at best.” (Garrett-Brown 460) she is asking a question to the general public, opening up a door for more research. Bruce Ballenger says that a discovery paper should be an essay in which, “Academic research is driven by questions, not answers.” (Ballenger 432) and this element is present in her essay. Amy Garret-Brown successfully includes her own voice in her essay by regularly interjecting her thoughts about the topic as well as including quotes and evidence from credible sources, “I disagree. But I’m no expert, so I sought proof of my hunch that the sun is really our friend and found it.” (Garrett-Brown 460). Overall, Garrett-Browns paper includes most the essential elements that Ballenger would consider necessary to create a discovery paper, not a research paper.
After reading these essays, I have a better understanding of how I can write my second essay. I think it is interesting how Holmquist integrated his own story into his paper, which gave you a perspective into why that topic interested him and what role it played in his life. As for the “Features of The Form” that Ballenger wrote, it is helpful to have some sort of rules to a discovery paper to help guide you as you write your essay, especially when you don’t have any ideas on how you may start writing.

Three possible “discovery” questions:
Why is ecstasy of interest to so many high school students and does the drug really have long-term effects on your health?
Is methadone properly prescribed to recovered drug addicts? Why may some people be opposed to the distribution of this drug as a relapse preventer?
Does society look at people with tattoos in a different way? What are some of the origins of the tattoo culture and why is there sometimes a negative views of people with body art?

Reading Response 1

An autobiographical essay sounds like the simplest of all essays to write because you don’t necessarily have to do any kind of research for it. It is a work that solely consists of your own words and opinions. As you start to write; however, it seems to unfold into something more than a lesson learned, you are likely to find out more about the situation that you yourself lived and thought had all figured out.
In The Curious Writer, Bruce Ballenger states that in a personal essay, there is no way to hide behind the pronoun “one”, and that you are fully exposing yourself when writing a personal narrative. Ballenger points out that a personal essay should reflect the questions, “Why does this matter? What do I make of it? How does it change the way I think of myself and the way I see the world?” (Ballenger 93). The author also advises that you write an autobiographical piece on something that you aren’t fully familiar with. Life lessons can sometimes be metaphorical and with a simple happening, you can learn a valuable piece of information that you cherish for the rest of your life. Authors Charlotte Hogg and Catherine Black take simple happenings in their life and can easily turn out a grand significance of the event while including what Ballenger would consider essentials in writing a personal essay.
In the essay, “I’m a Believer”, Charlotte Hogg tells her story of being a fan of a certain celebrity from her teen years into adulthood. She concludes her essay by sharing that although she thought she knew Davy Jones from the Monkees, only after meeting him in her adult days did she realize that this person she thought she knew so well, she really didn’t know at all. There are ways in which Charlotte Hogg follows what Ballenger would consider necessary features of a personal narrative. Hogg is able to take a simple story in her life and turn it into a meaningful lesson that anyone could apply to his or her own life. Her main thesis, that you may not know people as well as you think, does not come through until the end of the narrative. Ballenger would agree that in personal essays, a thesis may not appear until later, unlike many other kinds of essays you write.
The other essay I read, “The Joy of Mud”, by Catherine Black, is a personal narrative about Black living in Hawaii and never wholeheartedly wanting to stay there. As she spends a day in a mountainous setting with one of her good friends, she eventually finds herself finding that she always thought of herself as not rooted, but in the moment she finds that she is indeed experiencing being rooted. Thus, the way I understood, the meaning of her essay is that sometimes you find what you were looking for when you least expect to discover them. I also think she is stating that the path rarely traveled is one that may lead you to what your looking for and you may be surprised in how you feel about it. This essay has the same features of what Ballenger would consider essential features for a personal narrative. Like Hogg’s story, the thesis of this essay is not mentioned in the beginning of the paper, but comes through toward the end of the narrative. Ballenger says that a personal essay relies on memory and observation, and Catherine Black’s essay is one that is very descriptive and her words create vivid images of the scenario, making you feel like you are right there with her.
Even though these stories are narratives of simple happenings in the authors’ lives, I think that the actual story is told to control the “so what” of each essay. Hogg tells her story to give an example to help you understand that some things are different than you come to believe, even when you’ve done your best to try and understand it. The way I interpreted it was that there are some things that you can’t control and no matter how hard you may try to keep up with something, you may eventually find that what you saw from afar is not what you see up close. While I’m reading the essays, especially Hoggs’, I found myself asking, “why does this matter? What lesson will she learn from being a super fan of a celebrity?” The authors had me asking how the essays were going to end and what real lesson was going to be learned. While reading Catherine Black’s essay I felt the same way, I asked myself where the story was going and why it mattered. For her essay, I felt that curiosity was controlling the “so what?” factor. I wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to be the end result, what life lesson was she going to extract from this event in her life.
Both essays have elements of Ballenger’s “Features of the Form” and bring readers to ask the “so what?” question. They involve minor events in the authors’ life in which a deeper theme is waiting for the reader to discover.