In Class: Ethical Appeal

I think that ethical appeals are difficult to understand and definitely difficult to explain. I was talking to a friend about this assignment and she asked what exactly an ethical appeal was and I could not explain it to her for the life of me. So what I came up with for my artifact was a business card from the TCU Health Center with one of their Nurse Practitioner's name and titles listed as well as all of her contact information. What the card says is "Johnnie Ireland, B.S.N., R.N.C., W.H.N.P. Brown Lupton Health Center". I believe this has an ethical appeal because the titles behind her name show us her authority. She has gained these titles through schooling and passing her liscensing exams and it makes us feel safe if we were to be treated by her at the health center. Titles make people seem credible. If I went to the hospital and I required surgery, I would trust the person with M.D. after their name, not just Mr. Joe Brown. We trust doctors and nurses for their knowledge and look to them for guidance when we are sick and need help. How do we know if they are truly a doctor or nurse? Those letters after their name tell us everything we need to know.

Unit 1 Proposal

I think I finally decided on going to the TCU Barnes and Noble to do my observations for my Unit 1 paper. What made me decide on this location is that I like spending time there myself, especially in the Starbucks while I wait for class or even just to meet up with a friend. I think that I will see a lot of different people with many different intentions. Some may go in to buy a coffee, look for a new good novel to read, buy a textbook, look for new TCU gear, or even just buy a birthday card. I will have to observe all the different parts to the bookstore, including the upstairs, downstairs, and Starbucks. I could potentially see students, professors, parents, coaches, fans, or random people who just saw the Barnes and Noble sign. I am definitely in the target audience, as I am a student who goes to TCU and who also lives on campus. Students need books and coffee and I am no exception to this generalization. I do think that I may see a lot of the same kinds of people, especially TCU students. I am hoping that more than just students and peers come into the bookstore to make my observations more interesting and to make this project more fun to do. I think this is going to be a challenging, yet interesting paper to write.

In Class: Unit 1 Possibilities

I have not chosen a place to analyze for my unit 1 paper. I will continue to think about a place that I would like to spend time at and hopefully one that isn't too boring. Maybe a restaurant or department store or something where there are a lot of diverse people that come through there. I will look at these different people and try to understand how the place I am observing attracted these people or for what purpose. Could it be their advertisments, the types of clothing they carry and sell, the employees and customer service, or the type of food or drink they may serve. I will look at these people's clothes, who they are with, their demeaner, etc. When I go somewhere, whether it be a store or a restaurant, I almost always have an idea of what my purpose is in going there. If I am going to Starbucks I know that I want a White Chocolate Mocha or if I go to Foot Locker I am obviously looking for shoes. What I need to look more closely at is WHY i chose those certain stores. Is the quality better? Are the prices lower? Do I like that store's environment better? I think this is going to be a very tough assignment for me to complete in a satisfactory manner.

In Class: I Don't Know What to Say

I don't think I am going to like this semester very much. I am on the soccer team and we had to get up early on Tuesday morning for weights and we also had to get up again today for another strength and conditioning session. We also have practice everyday except for Wednesday and Sunday. I am tired and grumpy and am not in the mood for school or much of anything for that matter today. I want to be in my bed SLEEPING. I also have to go to rehab for my leg everyday on top of my busy schedule. I broke my tibia in April at soccer practice, and then again in September at soccer practice just two days after I got cleared to play by the doctor. So this means that I can't play again until March (which will be 6 months). Even then, I don't know that I will be playing full out because I will need to recover mentally and get my confidence and courage back up. I miss home right now which is in Colorado. Tomorrow is my older sister's birthday and I wish I could be there for that instead of here at school and soccer practice- barf. I had an exceptionally good breakfast today after weights with one of my roommates. The eggs and tater tots were delicious. I am craving a coffee right now but I didn't have time to run to the BLUU or library to grab one after I showered. What a bummer.

Obama's Inaugural Address

During President Obama's Inaugural address, he spoke to his people, followers and opponents and attempted to get all of us to see that this country has a chance at a new beginning, and that it starts with his presidency. His speech was full of many different kinds of arguments, which I thought to be pretty effective in making an appeal to his audience. The first argument I took note of was when Obama said, "We are in the midst of a crisis..." He told us of the war and the economy being in shambles. This is an example of an argument to inform as well as an argument about the present and use of logical appeal. The purpose of this statement was to inform us that the U.S. is in a time of crisis during this day in age. I think this statement was effective because most everyone agrees that we are in a bit of a crisis and that our economy is going down the drain. Another argument made was about the quality of past presidents, using the statement that it is time to "claim an end to the petty grievences, false promises, recriminations and worn out dogmas that have strangled our politics." Along with this being an argument of the past, it is also an argument of evaluation where he used ethical appeal to effectively reach out to his audience, especially his supporters. Another argument of evaluation where he used ethical as well as emotional appeal was when he said, "Our time of standing patent, protecting narrow interests, putting off unpleasant decisions has passed and we must begin the work of remaking America." Here he is obviously critcising past presidents and evaluating their work. This was effective because in criticising his "opponent" his status and image has now gone up. Obama made an argument using facts to inform us about the past. He said, "Greatness must be earned- it has been the makers, do-ers and risk-takers. For us they packed up in search of a new life... plowed the hard earth, fought and died for us... so that we might live a better life." I think he used strong logical and emotional appeals here in order to get his audience to raise up and take pride in their ancestors and pasts and to also get excited about their futures. The last argument here was a proposal and one to explore as well. He said we need to raise healthcare quality and lower its cost, use alternative resources as well as improve schools, colleges, and universities. I think he used emotional and ethical appeals here by presenting ideas and values that both him and his audience share. 

In Class: Changed Perception of Argument

My view on argument changed a little but not too drastically. I have a better understanding how everything can be argument, though I am still a little bit confused and skeptical on some things. I am not exactly sure how or why an argument can take the form or meditations or prayer. I think my views changed in the sense that I always thought an argument entailed trying to change the views of another through reasoning, informing or convincing. When I think of the word argument, I will always think of a disagreement or a fight between different people. Maybe that is why I am confused about how prayer or meditation can be considered an argument, since that is usually an act done privately or alone. I did think the stasis questions were helpful in guiding me through the argument process supporting my thoughts and ideas. This chapter made me more aware of how I address the audience who may be reading my argument or proposal and how I go about making my point.

In Class: Drink Up

For my argument I chose an article about lowering the drinking age. This is a topic that can be argued because there are views from two sides, each one weighing the pros and cons of the drinking age being lowered to 18. The people who are for lowering the legal age say that if an 18 year old can vote and fight in a war, they should be able to to enjoy a beer legally. People who are against it say that 18 year olds simply are not responsible enough and that raising the drinking age has saved many young lives. The drinking age has pushed teen drinking underground which can be unsafe as many teens turn to hard liquor because it is easier to hide and gets the job done faster. Teens are rebellious and curious so if something is against the rules, many kids are going to want to try it just for the thrill of breaking the rules. I dont know what to say. I dont know what to say. Kids will often drive drunk after a night of partying at a friends house because they are afraid of the consequences from their parents if they were to call and ask for a ride or to stay the night because they have been drinking. Why are parents so mad anyways? Is it just because it is against the law or because alchohol is evil or what? If the age were to be lowered I think it would solve this problem for many teens.

Just A Little Jenna

I'm Jenna Hayes and i am from Longmont, CO and am currently a sophomore Nursing major here at TCU. I play on the soccer team but had to redshirt this last season because I broke my tibia twice in five months. The first time was in April and the second time was in September. In the duration of this course I hope to become a better writer in general because it is an area that I have always struggled in. I want to learn how to express myself through my writing more creatively and effectively. The most common forms of writing that I do are email and texting. Throughout my life I have only really written because I had to for school and classes. I don't generally enjoy writing and I feel like it is a task or chore. I don't particularly like my writing, in fact I find it boring and dry most of the time. I am factual, honest, and to the point. I do not like to sugar-coat my thoughts and ideas. My participation is class is pretty limited most of the time. I have to be very comfortable or sure of my ideas in order for me to speak up and participate. 

I have read, understand, and agree to the terms of the course syllabus.

-Jenna